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Post by gazz on Feb 23, 2014 16:29:34 GMT
With this forum being made up mostly of the relatively younger fan, there has never been enough mention for the 1966/67 side that won the Fourth division under Jimmy Meadows. Now I'm no Phil Brennan or Richard Harnwell (RIP), so I am hoping that, for the benefit of us 'young uns', Lennie, Archie and whoever else that was lucky enough to see them can share some of their memories and opinions of the chairman, manager, players and stand out games from that season, or indeed that era.
They may not have been seen by many of us, but they are still legends of our great club, and deserve their place on CH.
Over to you, guys, that is if you don't mind of course....
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Post by Admin on Feb 23, 2014 16:58:07 GMT
Sadly overshadowed by the 91, 97 and 08 teams it would seem, not that it's less of an achievement it's just they all had huge significance in their own way and are all a lot more recently in our memories!
I too would love to hear about our 67 team!
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Post by sirroger on Feb 23, 2014 17:51:01 GMT
Eleven when the season started. Memory is poor and hazy. Recall dark blue/white/blue kit?, Johnny Price on the wing, could land a ball on a sixpence. A souvenir programme v Lincoln that was in booklet form?; wish it was still with me today. Had a rattle that would fail to meet H&S standards today; massive, dangerous and loud. A scarf. Fog during winter.
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Post by archie on Feb 23, 2014 19:23:03 GMT
Sadly, I wasn't in the area from 64 to 67 so I never got to see them. I was aware that they'd signed a couple of experienced centre halves (central defenders in today's money) with the aim of stiffening the defence and that worked a treat. Interesting to see the average home attendance that season was 9820, principally because of Friday night home games that attracted a good few City and United people.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Feb 23, 2014 19:24:06 GMT
Main memories of that fabulous team:-
First time for many years that County had put together a team to challenge for honours (usually re-election material)
Games played on Friday night to catch the Utd/City brigades including "celebrity" supporters from Coronation St etc.
Chairman - Vic Bernard reintroduced the blue/white kit and spent money persuading some old stagers to turn out for County - Len White, Len Allchurch, Matt Woods, Eddie Stuart etc Manager - Jimmy Meadows.
Other stars - Ken Mulhearn (sold to City and swopped for Alan Ogley) Billy Haydock (first overlapping full back), Tommy Henderson, Johnny Price, Steve Fleet, Jim Fryatt, Keith East, Bill Atkins.
Highlights - Beat City 1-0 in a friendly (Tony Book og and nearly had my scarf nicked by a City oik. Gave him a good smack and nicked it back getting a kick up the backside for my troubles), beating Stoke in a friendly when East outjumped Gordon Banks to score with a back header, 7-1 away win at Bradford (can't remember if it was PA or City). Allchurch picking up the ball in his own half, a mazy dribble cutting inside and unleashing a 30 yard piledriver that hit the eliptical crossbar. It was still vibrating 20 minutes later at the end of the match. Mulhearn bring off an acrobatic back flip save (in his all green kit) at the railway end. The crowd outsinging the the Kerrygold pre-match marching band with a 10 minute redition of Summer County, Summer County.
Crowds were often 14-16K for local derbies with the likes of Crewe, Chester, Bury, Rochdale, Southport etc.
Involvement of Bert Trautmann as goalkeeping coach who brought over Hamburg FC for a friendly with 3 World Cup finailst in the team from 1966. Uwe Seeler, Helmut Haller and another German guy who I forget.
The bouncing open steps that made up the Cheadle End. The wind swept railway end sleepers. The massive popular side that went back for ever and ever. The sudden wild scream from the Cheadle End followed by a pair of ladies knickers gracefully landing on the goal netting. Appearing with my 6 mates in the Manchester Evening Pink spot the crowd competition picture (if you had a ring around your face you won a fiver - they missed us out by 2 heads either side !!!)
The football wasn't half bad. Goals to be scored from all positions on the pitch.
We never missed a home game for 3 years (until we discovered girls)including the last day of the season victory parade against Lincoln City (bottom of the league) - we lost 5-4 to them !!!
Happy memories.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Feb 23, 2014 19:27:13 GMT
Archie, the centre halves were Matt Woods (ex Blackburn) and Eddie Stuart (ex-Wolves) who had played against each
other in the 1960 FA Cup Final (the Whelan broken leg day).
They never conceded a headed goal all season. Woods was made captain.
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Post by archie on Feb 23, 2014 19:44:29 GMT
Woods played all 46 league games and Stuart 44 and if it hadn't been for that last match the goals conceded (37 in the first 45 games) would have been lower than any league season apart from the champion side of 1921-22 (21 in 38 games). Of the 26 league wins, 12 were 1-0. Having said that, I think the signing of Bert Lister was a big factor as he scored 11 in 16 starts including 10 in the last 12 games.
The other thing that I remember from those days is how difficult it was to follow your team from afar. Teletext didn't come in until the 70s and there were basically 3 TV channels and 4 BBC radio channels that didn't show a lot of interest in lower league football.
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Post by sirroger on Feb 23, 2014 19:52:52 GMT
Len,that Lincoln game, confirm to me that the match programme was a "special" and much bigger than normal. I need to know just to make sure my memory hasn't completely gone.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Feb 23, 2014 20:00:44 GMT
Yes, Rog, think it was a season's celebration issue. The normal programmes had a football league
supplement in each game.
The guy who owned the Belgrave Hotel had something to do with the financial backing and then Scrap Merchant
Freddie Pye came on board.
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Post by sirroger on Feb 23, 2014 20:05:08 GMT
Cheers, Len.
Excellent post by the way.
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Post by gazz on Feb 23, 2014 20:15:29 GMT
Cheers guys, just what I was wanting. How would they compare to the great sides we've seen since, do you think any of the guys from today's great teams would have improved that 66/7 side, and the same applies to the 60s side, would any of the Meadows side improved Danny's era for example?
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Feb 23, 2014 20:35:36 GMT
I think any one of the team would have enhanced any future side.
Jones and Mulhearn/Ogley were just as decisive to the foundation of the defence. Flynn and Woods
would have complimented each other.
Allchurch, White, Lister, Francis, Preece, East and Armstrong would have been a superb attacking force
to work around with.
Francis would have scored double what he did with the delivery Price and Henderson offered.
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Post by gazz on Feb 23, 2014 20:38:11 GMT
Cheers, Lennie.  |
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Feb 23, 2014 20:41:32 GMT
Just remembered, Eddie Stuart was one of the first South African's to make a name in the
English game.
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Post by archie on Feb 24, 2014 9:19:36 GMT
It's interesting that, although Allen, Allchurch and Lord had done well enough in the first half of the season, when Lord was sold and Keith East brought in the results took a downward turn. I think that Len Allchurch was injured in March but the last dozen or so matches featured Atkins, Kevan and Lister with wee Johnny Price the only constant in the front four. And yes, it was 4-2-4/4-4-bl**dy2.
Lennie will have seen the direct comparison but my impression being back in the area for the 67/68 season was that that team was actually slightly more attacking than its predecessor. Partly because it was a division higher and partly because Woods and Stuart were definitely veterans by then, quite a lot more goals were conceded but the Allchurch, Atkins, Fryatt, Price front line was almost irresistible on its day and, as a unit, I'd have it ahead of Durkan, Armstrong, Angell, Jeffers.
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