Former Shrewsbury Town ace's medals to go on sale

Football medals won by former Shrewsbury Town player John Williams in the years following the First World War could fetch up to £1,700 at auction.

The five medals were won in a variety of competitions before the Shrews were admitted to the Football League, and include winners or runners-up medals in the Shropshire Mayors' Charity Cup, Shropshire Charity Cup, Shropshire Football Association Senior Challenge Cup, Walsall Football Association Senior Cup and the North Wales Charity Cup.

Mr Williams played for Shrewsbury around the time the club won its first ever league title by lifting the Birmingham League trophy in the 1922-23 season. The medals form part of a two-day sporting memorabilia sale by auctioneers Mullocks at Ludlow Racecourse on September 22 and 23.

Mike Jones, Shrewsbury Town FC club historian who compiled Breathe On Em Salop, a detailed account of the club's past, said Mr Williams would have been part of the historic Birmingham League winning squad.

He said: "The most famous players from around that time were the Boxley brothers - Fred was a goalkeeper who used to score penalties as well as save them while Harry was a forward.

"The 1922/23 Birmingham League success was the first league the club had ever won."

The medals will be sold on the second day of the auction. Memorabilia available covers the Olympics and sports such as rugby, cricket, tennis, boxing, motor sports, rowing and cycling, while the second day of the auction will focus on football.

The 1920/21 Shropshire Mayors' Charity Cup winners medal is expected to sell for between £300 and £350, while the 1922/23 Shropshire Charity Cup runners-up medal is expected to fetch between £280 and £325.

A Shropshire Football Association Senior Challenge Cup winners medal has been estimated at between £300 and £350, a Walsall Football Association Senior Cup winners medal could sell for between £350 and £375 while the North Wales Charity Cup runners-up medal has been valued between £280 and £300.

The auction starts at noon on the first day and 11.30am on the second.