Today’s nostalgia section looks at some classic football images taken around the area over the past six decades.

This week sees the return of both the Champions League and Europa League, with millions of viewers around the world watching Europe’s biggest football teams face each other in group and knockout stages to decide who is the continent’s strongest side.

The country is well represented this season, with both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea taking part in the Champions League. Meanwhile Leicester and West Ham join Scottish clubs Rangers and Celtic in the Europa League.

To commemorate the return of European action, the News and Star have searched the archives for different football images that have been placed in the newspaper, dating back to the 1970’s!

The oldest image retrieved comes from Lancashire in 1974, when a Carlisle United side unfortunately conceded four goals against a Blackpool side featuring Hall of Fame member Micky Walsh. Fortunately for the Cumbrian side they finished above the Seasiders in third, achieving promotion to the old Division One.

Also included in the collection are photos of Wigton Thomlinson junior school’s 1979 side who won the Carlisle Junior B football league in June of that year. A year earlier, Newlaithes Junior School football squad who won the Carlisle junior schools seven a side tournament. Abbeytown’s 1972 squad also feature in the section.

In the 80’s, we see an image of Fir End School’s seven-a-side football team.

More recent images include George West having a kickabout for Carlisle United’s Walking Football side in 2016. The same year we saw Dearham School Year 6 football team winning gold as well as a FA football skills day in at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith. The Bill Barker memorial football match at Whitehaven Amateurs club featured also took place five years ago.

If you see yourself in any of these images, let us know!