IPSWICH Town Football League Championship-winning defender John Compton is selling his medal to give the money to his grandchildren in Australia.

Compton’s nine-carat gold medal for winning the Football League title in 1961-62 – the only time they have been crowned champions in the club’s history – is set to fetch up to �5,000 in an auction.

Compton, who is now 74 and lives in the Bournemouth area, said: “It is nearly 50 years since we won the First Division, and in all that time I have had the medal out only around a dozen times to look at.

“No-one has ever asked to look at it, and so I have decided to sell it and leave the money to my grandchildren as the medal would be no good to them out in Australia.

“I have two granddaughters in Brisbane and a grandson and granddaughter in Perth. My grandson is interested in moto-cross and not football, so it would not mean anything to him. I plan to split the money between the four of them, although they will have to each wait until they are 18 – the eldest girl in Brisbane is 16 – before they receive it.

“I am 75 next birthday and you don’t know what is around the corner. If I was to pass on my wife would then have to try to sell it, and who knows whether she would then want to do that?”

The medal is expected to sell for between �4,000 and �5,000 at Graham Budd Auctions at Sotheby’s in London next Tuesday, and Compton said he had put a reserve price of �4,000 on it.

“I will not sell it for less than that,” revealed Compton, who said it was his most treasured possession.

“The medal is a great memory – there are not too many of them about – but I have got my own memories which are worth more to me than the medal.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Ipswich. They are a fantastic club and it was terrific to play for them.”

Compton admitted: “Over the last few days I have been feeling guilty that I am doing this. I am not aware any of the other players – I think there are six of us left – have done the same.

“I am not well off, but I am okay,” added Compton.