It was 1963/64 season, I was also at the game. If we had lost, we would have been relegated by a point.
I can remember it being announced over the tannoy soon after full time that we had stayed up.
It was quite a good point in the end because Rotherham finished quite high up the table that season.
Yes,
of course, I should have remembered that. It was goal average in those days. I went to my first away match that season, Boxing Day at Southampton. And, against all odds we won. But the table still made poor reading with us 2 points adrift and we had played FOUR more games that the team above us and three more than the team third bottom.
Going into our final game the table looked like this. In their 41st game Argyle had drawn at Leeds who were already champions. That was the 19th game of a run that had seen only 3 defeats, all of them away.
19 Swansea Town 40 12 7 21 59 70 31 Goal average 0.84
20 Plymouth Argyle 41 8 15 18 45 67 31 Goal average 0.67
21 Grimsby Town 41 9 1 19 45 73 31 Goal average 0.62
22 Scunthorpe Utd 41 10 10 21 50 79 30 Goal average 0.63
On the final day Scunthorpe lost 3-2 at mid-table Huddersfield, Swansea drew 3-3 home to Man City (who were 5th), Grimsby drew 2-2 with Sunderland (who were 2nd) and Argyle drew 0-0 at home to 7th place Rotherham.
19 Swansea Town 42 12 9 21 63 74 33 (0.85)
20 Plymouth Argyle 42 8 16 18 45 67 32 (0.67)
21 Grimsby Town 42 9 14 19 47 75 32 (0.63)
22 Scunthorpe Utd 42 10 10 22 52 82 30 (0.63)
Goal average was calculated by dividing the goals for by the goals against. So Argyle had survived by 0.04 of a goal. It was the most remarkable of escapes. Thank you for the reminder demportdave
