REG Cutler – a hero and headline-maker of Cherries’ epic run to the sixth round of the FA Cup in 1957 – died on Saturday following a long illness.

The outside-left followed Freddie Cox to Dean Court in June 1956 and made headlines when he brought a goal frame crashing down during Cherries’ fourth round win at Wolves.

He created numerous goalscoring chances for the likes of Stan Newsham and Dickie Dowsett and netted 21 times in 96 league games for Cherries before again linking up with Cox at Portsmouth.

Born in Rowley Regis in the Midlands, Mr Cutler played five games for WBA before moving to Dean Court where he scored the only goal – and broke the goalpost – which knocked out the then-mighty Wolves at Molineux in January 1957.

He will always be remembered for netting the goal against Wolves as Cherries went on to reach the quarter-finals, a club record, against the Busby Babes of Manchester United.

The tie was just five minutes in when Mr Cutler ended up in the net after an aerial challenge with goalkeeper Bert Williams, causing one of the goalposts to collapse, leading to a seven-minute delay while the goal was re-assembled.

Mr Cutler dusted himself down to score the winner just before half-time and Cherries, then in Third Division (South), hung on for what was hailed as one of the greatest FA Cup giant-killings.

He was in the team which beat Tottenham 3-1 in the fifth round before losing the quarter-final 2-1 to league champions United in front of a still-record crowd of 28,799 at Dean Court.

Mr Cutler played 107 games and scored 14 goals for Portsmouth between 1958-62, finishing his league career with 12 months at Stockport before spells in non-league with Bromsgrove and Worcester.

After his playing career had ended, he settled in Penn, Wolverhampton, where he became a landlord offering young Wolves players lodgings, including future first-teamers Martin Patching, Gary Pierce, Mick Matthews and John Humphrey.

He worked as a supervisor at Weldless Steel in Wednesfield until the age of 55 when he set up a plant nursery business.

Mr Cutler died at his home in Wolverley, near Kidderminster, aged 77, and leaves wife Ivy, sons Kevin, 53, and Gary 49, and two grandchildren.