The Cambridge United family lost a second significant figure in the space of two days with the death on Wednesday, at the age 81, of former winger Roly Horrey...
Nicknamed the Galloping Major by the local press, Horrey was at the Abbey Stadium between 1968 and 1972, and was a highly effective and popular part of the squad that won election to the Football League in 1970.
While at Newmarket Road he made a total of 146 appearances and scored 36 goals in all competitions, making many more for his teammates at the same time. He was inducted into the Cambridge United Hall of Fame in 2021.
Rowland Horrey was born in Bishop Auckland in 1943. As a young man he played for his local club and then Ferryhill Athletic, before, at the age of 21, transferring to Blackburn Rovers, where he made a handful of appearances.
In 1966 he moved to York City for a fee of £4,000. There he showcased his speed, power and technical ability and scored nine goals in 74 Football League games.
United manager Bill Leivers signed Horrey on a free transfer in the summer of 1968 as he started to assemble the squad that would win two successive Southern League championships. He played in the season’s first game at Poole Town and scored his first United goal in a 3-1 win over Burton Albion at the end of August.
His barnstorming runs down the wings – usually on the right but sometimes on the left – made Horrey a crowd favourite. He once said that he often preferred away matches to those at the Abbey: ‘I like to pick up the ball in deep positions and run at a defence. I cannot do this effectively at the Abbey Stadium, where we are always faced with packed defences.’
He also preferred the typically heavy grounds of the era – once he got going on a muddy surface, his speed and power could carry him through, he explained.
Having played a major part in United’s first two seasons of League football, Horrey left for Chelmsford City in January 1972, with, as a token of thanks for his three and a half years of loyal service, no fee demanded. He later transferred to Bedford Town.
Like many of his United contemporaries, Horrey stayed in the Cambridge area and made his home in Saffron Walden for many years.
He died, surrounded by his family, after a short illness on Wednesday, December 4.
A minute's applause will take place ahead of Saturday's game against to Shrewsbury, to remember Roly Horrey, John Docherty and Jack Merritt.