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League Cup semi final 1973-74
- Thread starter DTKS
- Start date
G
Greenskin
Guest
Kentishgreen":39ew2hqs said:
It was 2-0 at Maine Road and I don't think there was a penalty. The first leg was a classic game of two halves-Argyle dominated the first half and the City keeper made some excellent saves to keep them in it before their superior fitness took over in the second half-it took a header from a corner by Booth to equalise though.Some people seem to have struck it lucky as far as being given time off school-certainly wasn't the case at Tavistock comprehensive but there were a whole load of absence notes being written that evening. It was in the 3 day week but Manchester City were able to access their own generator to get the second leg played under floodlights.
I was there.....
Yea i was at St Boniface which i guess at that time (the old school site now being a housing estate) was one of the closest schools to Home Park. We were given the afternoon off which was pretty surprising for that school!
Was pretty strange being on a weekday afternoon but the atmosphere was still great (Vi's bell ringing out...)
The 3 day week was due to power cuts due of course to the miners strike...
Good memories...
COYG
Yea i was at St Boniface which i guess at that time (the old school site now being a housing estate) was one of the closest schools to Home Park. We were given the afternoon off which was pretty surprising for that school!
Was pretty strange being on a weekday afternoon but the atmosphere was still great (Vi's bell ringing out...)
The 3 day week was due to power cuts due of course to the miners strike...
Good memories...
COYG
...sorry...my mistake i think...i was a long time ago!
'Umbrella' Vi was a character of a supporter who was ever present by the half way line of the Lyndhurst stand...dressed in green with a green umbrella waving around. She maybe had a rattle. The bell probably was the city supoorter.
Vi was quite a legend ...i was just a kid...im.sure others can tell you more...altho thats not really related specifically to that City game you are interested in.
'Umbrella' Vi was a character of a supporter who was ever present by the half way line of the Lyndhurst stand...dressed in green with a green umbrella waving around. She maybe had a rattle. The bell probably was the city supoorter.
Vi was quite a legend ...i was just a kid...im.sure others can tell you more...altho thats not really related specifically to that City game you are interested in.
I was a very wet-behind-the-ears 20-year-old and working for an insurance company in Plymouth at that time. We had an authoritarian martinet of an office manager and he put the fear of Christ up most of us. It was with extreme wariness, therefore, that I approached him for a day off to travel to London to see the Q.P.R League Cup game, two matches before the Man City Semi-Final. Much to my surprise he granted me the leave. I agree with 'Jerry' that the 0-3 scoreline was the absolute highlight of my Argyle times (we absolutely pulverised Q.P.R) - although I do appreciate that other opinions are available!
Anyway, having beaten three top flight teams in a row (Burnley, Q.P.R and Birmingham City) AND on their own grounds in each case, the stage was set for the Man City match. This one had to be the biggest glamour match since I started following Argyle in 1967 (even allowing for Santos and Pele a year earlier). Man City were huge and it seemed that they had more internationals in their squad than we had players. As has already been established, we were in 'three-day-week' territory and excessive use of power and electricity was banned. No floodlit evening matches unless the club could lay their hand on a spare generator or get the crowd to turn up in their cars and park them with the headlights facing the pitch. So, a working day afternoon kick off it was - just like it used to be before the war (I am told!)
Having pushed my luck with the trip to London, I was even more wary about asking the boss if I could go but it seemed like he had 'got the bug' where Argyle were concerned, and he even half-cracked his face into a smile as he granted me and my mates the afternoon off. I don't remember an awful lot about the match itself, apart from the goals and the quagmire of the pitch. Oh, and the crowd, of course - 30,390. It is indicative of Argyle (and probably a lot of other clubs) that after the 'glamour' match the crowd for the next home game (vs Southend) was 6,955. 'Twas ever thus...
)
The other thing I remember was being driven to the match in my mate's car and listening to the radio that was playing (amongst others) 'Radar Love' by Golden Earring and 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' by Bachman Turner Overdrive. I can never hear either of those again without it conjuring up memories of the Man City game. Funny old thing, the memory...
Anyway, having beaten three top flight teams in a row (Burnley, Q.P.R and Birmingham City) AND on their own grounds in each case, the stage was set for the Man City match. This one had to be the biggest glamour match since I started following Argyle in 1967 (even allowing for Santos and Pele a year earlier). Man City were huge and it seemed that they had more internationals in their squad than we had players. As has already been established, we were in 'three-day-week' territory and excessive use of power and electricity was banned. No floodlit evening matches unless the club could lay their hand on a spare generator or get the crowd to turn up in their cars and park them with the headlights facing the pitch. So, a working day afternoon kick off it was - just like it used to be before the war (I am told!)
Having pushed my luck with the trip to London, I was even more wary about asking the boss if I could go but it seemed like he had 'got the bug' where Argyle were concerned, and he even half-cracked his face into a smile as he granted me and my mates the afternoon off. I don't remember an awful lot about the match itself, apart from the goals and the quagmire of the pitch. Oh, and the crowd, of course - 30,390. It is indicative of Argyle (and probably a lot of other clubs) that after the 'glamour' match the crowd for the next home game (vs Southend) was 6,955. 'Twas ever thus...
)The other thing I remember was being driven to the match in my mate's car and listening to the radio that was playing (amongst others) 'Radar Love' by Golden Earring and 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' by Bachman Turner Overdrive. I can never hear either of those again without it conjuring up memories of the Man City game. Funny old thing, the memory...
Great story, Mark 58 !
I love the references to Golden Earring [Dutch group ?] and Bachman Turner Overdrive as I NEVER linked them to these games !!
Keep the Faith :scarf:
I love the references to Golden Earring [Dutch group ?] and Bachman Turner Overdrive as I NEVER linked them to these games !!
Keep the Faith :scarf:
IJN":7tb58rny said:
I went to the Burnley game at Turf Moor. I was only 14 so mum managed to find someone whose older son was going to look after me, don't remember much think he was called Neil and he worked in the dockyard, as IJN said though didn't have a clue we had scored only Bobby Saxton raising his arms on the half way line in celebration gave it away. I seem to remember they were halfway through building a new stand on one side of the ground. Remember getting back at stupid o'clock in the morning and someone on the coach had chronic wind the whole way back which was a bit rough! Happy days!
We were on the same coach!
The farter was Dustbin a sort of Noddy character but pre Noddy. The trip took us about 18 hrs in total. The first sniff of a Motorway was Bristol in those days. It was a hard hard slog.
Talking of windy stuff, we bunked up to the QPR game on a train. The guard that afternoon was on his game so we had to hide away in one of the loos (3 of us) all the way from about Newton Abbott. Suffice to say the person that had āusedā the toilet twixt Plymout must have a strong curry the night before.
Good old days! :greensmile:
The farter was Dustbin a sort of Noddy character but pre Noddy. The trip took us about 18 hrs in total. The first sniff of a Motorway was Bristol in those days. It was a hard hard slog.
Talking of windy stuff, we bunked up to the QPR game on a train. The guard that afternoon was on his game so we had to hide away in one of the loos (3 of us) all the way from about Newton Abbott. Suffice to say the person that had āusedā the toilet twixt Plymout must have a strong curry the night before.
Good old days! :greensmile:
This is turning into a 'Remember the cup exploits of Waiters' Wonders?' thread but is none the worse for that - I love the way some threads on PASOTI meander organically, like Chinese whispers! )
I had never considered Argyle to have been a 'Cup' side (still don't!) and in the seven or so seasons that I had watched them before 73/74 they had done diddly squat in that arena. Which is why it was absolutely astonishing that they suddenly turned into formidable giantkillers almost overnight in the autumn of 1973. We were drawn away to Torquay In the first round of the Football League Cup (that's what it was called then - before sponsorship turned it into the Milk Cup, the Littlewoods Cup, the Rumbelows Cup, the Carling Cup etc etc. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and holding my breath for the Kim Jong-un Cup - it's only a matter of time...)
In those days there was little love lost between the two sides (no 'cuddly little Torquay' then) and encounters were just as feisty as the Argyle/Exeter matches nowadays (seriously!) So much so that when I attended I didn't wear my colours and I was respectfully mute on the terraces when Steve Davey got a brace to seal the tie. Apart from that result, Argyle were not exactly getting off to a flying Division Three start. Just two weeks later, therefore, Tony Waiters made three team changes for an evening league match against Rochdale. He played his 'kids' card and brought in Brian Johnson, Alan Rogers and a certain Paul Mariner (for the first time) from the Reserves. The result was a jaw-dropping 5-0 win and the performance was something that I had never seen from an Argyle team before. I have no doubt that this change had a lot to do with the cup exploits of that season.
The next League Cup tie was at home to Pompey (then Second Division to our Third) and we absolutely leathered 'em 4-0. I remember Ernie Machin playing out of his skin - oozing class - and yet another brace from Steve Davey. The third round was away to Burnley, as others have noted on this thread. Much to my shame, I have to admit that it didn't even occur to me to try and get to the match. At that time Burnley were an established top flight side and, let's face it, what chance did we have, two Divisions below? I went out to watch the Reserves at Home Park instead. Decades before mobile phones and the internet, there used to be a rudimentary system for relaying the First Team scores to the hardy few hundred who were huddled in an echoey Home Park. I wouldn't have been surprised if it relied on semaphore signals and the lighting of beacons along the coast but the news filtered through from Turf Moor that we were 1-0 down. Hardly expecting any better, I resigned myself to, perhaps, a glorious failure. Towards the end of the Reserves game, however, there was a frisson of activity and murmuring amongst the crowd as it was being rumoured that we had equalised. Could it be? The final whistle went at Home Park and a gaggle of us waited in the ground for news from Burnley. I have never taken much notice of the process to choose a new Pope but the nervousness and anticipation of the Home Park 'masses' were probably on a par. When the news came that we had actually won 1-2 we all wandered back to our homes in a state of disbelief.
When reality kicked in and the draw was made for the Fourth Round (Q.P.R) there was no way I was going to miss that one and I attended, as previously described. Waiters' Wonders struck again which meant that we landed a Fifth Round tie away to Birmingham City. That was another afternoon match (three-day-week again...) but there was no way I was going to get off work so I sneaked a little portable radio under my desk and repeatedly dropped my pen to catch up on the match commentary. The Blues were going strong in the First Division and had a lot of names in their side - none less than Mr Trevor Francis, who had chosen to join them from school, rather than his home team (it takes all sorts...) Despite the Wunderkind, Argyle won AGAIN (1-2) and Steve Davey was on the score sheet AGAIN.
That takes us up to the Man City Semi-Final - but not before the little matter of an F.A. Cup Third Round match away to Manchester United. That was on a Saturday afternoon and I DEFINITELY travelled up to that one, in one of the fleet of coaches leaving the South West. There was very little between the sides and it was Lou Macari that scored the only goal. The only notable thing about that match was that George Best had been dropped having gone 'walkabout' beforehand (as was his wont...) and, I believe, never played for United again. After the match I was waiting with my mates at the bus stop outside Old Trafford for our coach to turn up when a young lad of about 9 or 10 came up to us. In an accent that came straight out of the 'Accrington Stanley? Who are THEY?' milk commercial that was all the rage, he asked us if we were from Plymouth and whether we were waiting for our coach. Ever polite and open to pleasant discourse, I was expecting him to congratulate our 'plucky little team' on its showing and wish us well for the rest of the season. 'Yes, we're waiting for our coach.' I replied, to which he shouted, 'Well I hope it crashes!' and ran away laughing with his mates. Nice...
)I had never considered Argyle to have been a 'Cup' side (still don't!) and in the seven or so seasons that I had watched them before 73/74 they had done diddly squat in that arena. Which is why it was absolutely astonishing that they suddenly turned into formidable giantkillers almost overnight in the autumn of 1973. We were drawn away to Torquay In the first round of the Football League Cup (that's what it was called then - before sponsorship turned it into the Milk Cup, the Littlewoods Cup, the Rumbelows Cup, the Carling Cup etc etc. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and holding my breath for the Kim Jong-un Cup - it's only a matter of time...)
In those days there was little love lost between the two sides (no 'cuddly little Torquay' then) and encounters were just as feisty as the Argyle/Exeter matches nowadays (seriously!) So much so that when I attended I didn't wear my colours and I was respectfully mute on the terraces when Steve Davey got a brace to seal the tie. Apart from that result, Argyle were not exactly getting off to a flying Division Three start. Just two weeks later, therefore, Tony Waiters made three team changes for an evening league match against Rochdale. He played his 'kids' card and brought in Brian Johnson, Alan Rogers and a certain Paul Mariner (for the first time) from the Reserves. The result was a jaw-dropping 5-0 win and the performance was something that I had never seen from an Argyle team before. I have no doubt that this change had a lot to do with the cup exploits of that season.
The next League Cup tie was at home to Pompey (then Second Division to our Third) and we absolutely leathered 'em 4-0. I remember Ernie Machin playing out of his skin - oozing class - and yet another brace from Steve Davey. The third round was away to Burnley, as others have noted on this thread. Much to my shame, I have to admit that it didn't even occur to me to try and get to the match. At that time Burnley were an established top flight side and, let's face it, what chance did we have, two Divisions below? I went out to watch the Reserves at Home Park instead. Decades before mobile phones and the internet, there used to be a rudimentary system for relaying the First Team scores to the hardy few hundred who were huddled in an echoey Home Park. I wouldn't have been surprised if it relied on semaphore signals and the lighting of beacons along the coast but the news filtered through from Turf Moor that we were 1-0 down. Hardly expecting any better, I resigned myself to, perhaps, a glorious failure. Towards the end of the Reserves game, however, there was a frisson of activity and murmuring amongst the crowd as it was being rumoured that we had equalised. Could it be? The final whistle went at Home Park and a gaggle of us waited in the ground for news from Burnley. I have never taken much notice of the process to choose a new Pope but the nervousness and anticipation of the Home Park 'masses' were probably on a par. When the news came that we had actually won 1-2 we all wandered back to our homes in a state of disbelief.
When reality kicked in and the draw was made for the Fourth Round (Q.P.R) there was no way I was going to miss that one and I attended, as previously described. Waiters' Wonders struck again which meant that we landed a Fifth Round tie away to Birmingham City. That was another afternoon match (three-day-week again...) but there was no way I was going to get off work so I sneaked a little portable radio under my desk and repeatedly dropped my pen to catch up on the match commentary. The Blues were going strong in the First Division and had a lot of names in their side - none less than Mr Trevor Francis, who had chosen to join them from school, rather than his home team (it takes all sorts...) Despite the Wunderkind, Argyle won AGAIN (1-2) and Steve Davey was on the score sheet AGAIN.
That takes us up to the Man City Semi-Final - but not before the little matter of an F.A. Cup Third Round match away to Manchester United. That was on a Saturday afternoon and I DEFINITELY travelled up to that one, in one of the fleet of coaches leaving the South West. There was very little between the sides and it was Lou Macari that scored the only goal. The only notable thing about that match was that George Best had been dropped having gone 'walkabout' beforehand (as was his wont...) and, I believe, never played for United again. After the match I was waiting with my mates at the bus stop outside Old Trafford for our coach to turn up when a young lad of about 9 or 10 came up to us. In an accent that came straight out of the 'Accrington Stanley? Who are THEY?' milk commercial that was all the rage, he asked us if we were from Plymouth and whether we were waiting for our coach. Ever polite and open to pleasant discourse, I was expecting him to congratulate our 'plucky little team' on its showing and wish us well for the rest of the season. 'Yes, we're waiting for our coach.' I replied, to which he shouted, 'Well I hope it crashes!' and ran away laughing with his mates. Nice...
IJN":1poeqcz8 said:
Ha! How funny! I remember someone saying " That smells like a walking bacon sandwich" which put me off bacon sarnies for about one day!
I couldnāt get time of school so of course arranged an urgent dental appointment. At that time I supported both Argyle with City being my favourite first division side due to the fact my uncle lived near Manchester. Remember my dear old dad telling me I had to support one side or the other and naturally chose the greens. Never had any allegiance to any first division or premier side since.
I recall Keith McRae in goal for city and he made a number of good saves, notably one blast from outside the box which I recall was from one Johnny Hore
I recall Keith McRae in goal for city and he made a number of good saves, notably one blast from outside the box which I recall was from one Johnny Hore
Must have walked down from Beacon Park past DHS for Girls with Liverpool Green. Remember I stood near the front of the Demport but canāt remember what I did with my school uniform.
Went to Birmingham that year as well- those Zulus werenāt happy when Steve Davey volleyed in the winner!
Went to Birmingham that year as well- those Zulus werenāt happy when Steve Davey volleyed in the winner!