CLIFF Holton became the first Oxford-born footballer to play in an FA Cup final for more than 30 years.

The former Oxford City amateur played for Arsenal at Wembley against Newcastle United in 1952.

Sadly, his reputation as a prolific goalscorer deserted him on the big occasion and his side lost 1-0.

Cliff joined Arsenal in 1947 having played for Oxford City since the age of 16.

He had an explosive left foot and was renowned for having one of the hardest shots the game has known.

At Oxford City, he played at full back, but arriving at Arsenal as a “raw-boned youngster”, he was groomed as a centre forward and soon became a goalkeeper’s nightmare with his powerful strikes.

His appearance at Wembley was the first by an Oxford player since Charlie Walters helped Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1921.

The final amid the Wembley atmosphere was, as usual, a memorable occasion, but it was not a memorable performance by Arsenal or Cliff – one report described him as having a “stinker”.

However, the following year, he helped Arsenal win the league championship, and he later became skipper when George Swindin took over as manager.

He scored 53 goals for Arsenal and was tipped many times to play for England, but was never capped, Bolton’s Nat Lofthouse invariably keeping him out.

Cliff joined Watford for £10,000 at the age of 29 and helped the Hertfordshire club climb out of the Fourth Division in the 1959-60 season with a club record 48 goals.

He later helped Northampton win promotion to the Second Division, scoring a club record 39 goals in one season and 54 in just 13 months.

He then played for Charlton Athletic and Orient before a troublesome knee injury forced to give up playing.

Cliff was also a talented cricketer, a brilliant fielder and useful bowler. He played for Oxfordshire and signed for Essex County Cricket Club before opting for football.

After his career in football, in which he scored 292 goals in 569 Football League matches, he lived in London and ran his own engineering firm.

He died in 1996 while on holiday in Spain, aged 67.