Margaret Lewis, curator of Honiton Museum, writes for the Midweek Herald.

Exmouth Journal: Margaret Lewis (outside the Honiton Museum) is keen for the building to host the town's new TIC. mhh 25-16TI 2287. Picture: Terry IfeMargaret Lewis (outside the Honiton Museum) is keen for the building to host the town's new TIC. mhh 25-16TI 2287. Picture: Terry Ife (Image: Archant)

Maurice Edgar Setters was born in Honiton on December 16, 1936, the second son of Leonard, a builder’s labourer, and Emily (nee Pavey) a fondly remembered dinner lady at Honiton primary school.

Local people have always regarded Maurice as Honiton’s premier sportsman, but repeated requests to the authorities to have a road named after him have always been unheeded.

As a youngster Maurice was a boy scout and, in his teens, he was always playing football on Allhallows field. In the summer months he was a talented fast bowler on the cricket pitch. He was a youth player for Exeter between 1952 and 1954 when he turned professional.

His transfer fee to West Bromwich Albion in January 1955 was £3,000. Maurice was described as ‘a terrier of a player with plenty of bite in the tackle’ and ’the crew cut soldier boy.’

Maurice was doing his National Service in the Royal Horse Artillery.

He was given special leave to play in football matches. He was stationed at St John’s Wood, London where his duties were to check, repair and issue sports equipment.

In May 1957 West Bromwich Albion asked the Football Association to appeal to the War Office for permission for Setters to go on their two week tour of Russia.

Leave was eventually granted on the evening before their flight.

They won 4-2 in the Lenin Stadium, despite Maurice scoring an own goal.

Maurice was demobbed on July 6th, 1957 and was selected as a reserve for England’s 1958 World Cup squad. He made sixteen appearances for the England under 23s side.

He married Kathleen Fletcher and on the following day flew he out with the England team to play France in an international match at Lyon.

After playing 120 games for West Bromwich Albion, Maurice transferred to Manchester United for £30,000 in 1960.

He was Bobby Charlton's best man when he married Norma in 1961.

Maurice won a FA Cup winners medal in the 1963 final when Manchester United beat Leicester 3-1.

Setters played 159 games for Manchester before moving to Stoke City, later Coventry City and then Charlton Athletic and he had a short stay in America with Cleveland Stokers.

Maurice hung up his boots in 1970 and was appointed as manager of Doncaster Rovers in May 1971.

He was dismissed in 1974 and later won a case for unfair dismissal.

In 1977, he became Jack Charlton's assistant at Sheffield Wednesday and stayed on as caretaker manager when Charlton resigned.

Setters became assistant manager and coach at Rotherham United in 1983 and in 1984 was chief scout at Newcastle United.

He joined up with Jack Charlton again from 1986 to 1995 as assistant manager with the Republic of Ireland senior squad. Maurice died on 22 November 2020 at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary, aged 83 years.