AN appeal has been launched to trace the lost lid off the top of the oldest football trophy in England before it goes on display in a museum.

The Saturday County Cup has been competed for since the 1881/82 season making it the country’s oldest in continuous use but its cover disappeared some time between the 1960s and 1980s.

And the distinctive cup was won in 1887 by Darlington FC who boasted the world’s first professional black player in its ranks – Arthur Wharton.

Now the race is on to find the missing lid, competed for by teams in Cleveland, before it goes on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester in a week’s time.

Dave Roberts from the North Riding FA said: “The trophy is of incredible historic importance and is the second oldest in the world. The only cup which is older than the Saturday County Cup is the Scottish Cup.

“In some ways it is quite sad that its working life is coming to an end, but it is vital that cup is preserved and looked after for prosperity. It would be absolutely fantastic if someone who knows about the cup could come forward, so we can reunite it with its lid.

“Somebody, somewhere, must know what has happened to it. It would be amazing if we were able to hand the trophy over to the museum fully intact.

“How the lid went missing is a complete mystery, and I just hope it is found before it goes on display.”

The cup was first competed for in the 1881/2 season in a professional club tournament and was known as the Cleveland Cup.

The trophy then became the North Riding County FA (NRCFA) Senior Cup in 1890/91 season so becoming an amateur competition, and was competed for by amateur teams.

In 1975, NRCFA introduced a second tier of amateur competition (the Challenge Cup), so the trophy was re-named the NRCFA Saturday County Cup and the current holders are Boro Rangers.

Though the trophy is going on display at the National Football Museum it will still be presented to its winners each season.

Mr Wharton, the world’s fastest man after running the 100 yards in ten seconds flat in 1886, won the trophy as goalkeeper in 1887, beating Darlington St Augustine’s FC 4-1 in front of 6,000 fans in Middlesbrough and was photographed with the cup.