Liverpool's 'greatest' amateur footballer and how the FA Sunday Cup sculpted him

A hat-trick in the final, two cup-winning goals, two player of the match awards and two winners' medals. Not many players have a richer history in the FA Sunday Cup than Leighton McGivern.

"Quite simply the best of his generation and could arguably be classed as the greatest amateur footballer the city has produced," Straight From The Off's Michael Watson says.

"He can be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats; John O’Leary, Smush Williamson and Jimmy Lundon."

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The praise and ringing endorsements are always not too far away from the striker, who is widely considered as one the region's best marksmen in front of goal.

These days, McGivern still puts his boots on for Abbey Road Vets FC in the Liverpool Old Boys League but religiously follows his son, Frankie, who is currently on the books at Liverpool FC's academy.

"I only scored the goals and I get the credit because of that. If anyone asks me, Tom Rooney did all the hard work, for me it was a case of putting the ball in the back of the net and fortunately, I was alright at it," he says, recounting his career at a coffee shop close to the Reds' training complex. The striker, who turns 40 in June, is modest but the magnitude of his personal and collective achievements cannot be understated.

The 39-year-old fell out of love with the game after leaving Everton aged 14. He has been around Sunday league, semi-professional and professional football. He was behind Grant Holt and Rickie Lambert at Rochdale, who were in League Two, after he was prised away from Vauxhall Motors and Waterloo Dock before moving to Accrington Stanley.

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