1967-68 (55 years ago) match reports and photos

[Silent Blade]

23/4/1968

Blades 2 (Fenoughty, Woodward) Fulham 3 (Conway, Barrett, Gilroy)

I remember my dad recalling the anguish on the evening when we threw a two goal lead away to bottom placed Fulham who scored 3 times in the last 20 minutes. My dad said there were Wednesday fans in the BLUT cheering the Fulham goals.




Scores, scorers, line ups and league tables from below link

1968-04-23

From the programme

 

[Silent Blade]

27/4/1968

Blades 1 (Reece) West Ham 2 (Hurst 2)











Harry Redknapp got the year wrong in his own autobiography!


Scores, scorers, line-ups and league tables in below link

1968-04-27

From the programme

 

[ancientblade]

27/4/1968

Blades 1 (Reece) West Ham 2 (Hurst 2)

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Harry Redknapp got the year wrong in his own autobiography!
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Scores, scorers, line-ups and league tables in below link

1968-04-27

From the programme
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oh no silent knew this one was on its way the defeat that sent us down absolutely cruising at 2 - 0 up then bang bang bang 3 - 2 down what a disastrous night that was ⚔⚔⚔

 

[Silent Blade]

1/5/1968

Stoke won 2-0 at Fulham which relegated Fulham. We drop into the relegation places.



Wolves
Chelsea (h)
Spurs (h)

Stoke
Everton (a)
Leicester (a)
Liverpool (h)

Coventry
West Ham (a)
Southampton (a)

Blades
Burnley (a)
Chelsea (h)

Fulham
Southampton (h)
Everton (a)

 

[Silent Blade]

4/5/1968

Burnley 0 Blades 2 (Currie, Reece)






We climbed out of the relegation places as Stoke lost 3-0 at Everton , Coventry managed a 0-0 draw at West Ham. This is how the bottom of the 1st division table looked that night.


The remaining games

Coventry
Southampton (a)

Blades
Chelsea (h)

Stoke
Leicester (a)
Liverpool (h)

Scores, scorers, line ups and league tables in below link

1968-05-04

 

[Silent Blade]

10/5/1968

The Star previewing Blades v Chelsea match due to play in next day

 

[ancientblade]

10/5/1968

The Star previewing Blades v Chelsea match due to play in next day

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oh no silent here we go again

 

[Silent Blade]

11/5/1968

Blades 1 (Hill) Chelsea 2 (Osgood, Baldwin)

First time we wore black shorts for a home game that season.

Some years later my dad was telling me that he was at this fateful match. He remembers Hodgy being in tears after the match. In the late 1980s Ernie Hunt told a Sunday paper that Southampton players took a bribe so that they dont beat Coventry in the final match.


Celebrating Mick Hill's opener to give us the lead at the break

Tommy Baldwin's winner











Scores, scorers, line ups and league tables in below link

1968-05-11

From the programme

 

[ancientblade]

11/5/1968

Blades 1 (Hill) Chelsea 2 (Osgood, Baldwin)

First time we wore black shorts for a home game that season.

Some years later my dad was telling me that he was at this fateful match. He remembers Hodgy being in tears after the match. In the late 1980s Ernie Hunt told a Sunday paper that Southampton players took a bribe so that they dont beat Coventry in the final match.

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Celebrating Mick Hill's opener to give us the lead at the break
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Tommy Baldwin's winner

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Scores, scorers, line ups and league tables in below link

1968-05-11

From the programme
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yeah sad day that was silent why did we not wear the white shorts and socks we had worn all season ? as i remember we were comfortable at 1 - 0 and think we had a couple of good chances to double the advantage 2 headed goals at lane end wasnt it where a few hundred wednesday fans were congregated mixed with chelsea fans we repaid em for that 2 years later with loads of blades on their kop when they got relegated 2 - 1 against city

 

[Silent Blade]

yeah sad day that was silent why did we not wear the white shorts and socks we had worn all season ?

Not sure if the club made the decision about the black shorts themselves or were pressurised by the fans who wrote to the club asking to bring back the black shorts?

 

[ancientblade]

Not sure if the club made the decision about the black shorts themselves or were pressurised by the fans who wrote to the club asking to bring back the black shorts?

well should always be black shorts imo but why the red socks didnt clash with chelsea they wore all blue when they usually play in white socks

 

[Silent Blade]

Ken Mallender won the Player of the year award



League Appearances

42
Len Badger

41 + 1 sub
David Munks

41
Alan Hodgkinson
Bernard Shaw

36
Ken Mallender

35
Gil Reece

33
Willie Carlin

32 + 1
Alan Woodward

24
Mick Hill

20
Frank Barlow

19 + 5
Barry Wagstaff

17 + 3
Tom Fenoughty

17
Alan Birchenall

16
Colin Addison

13
Tony Currie

9 + 3
Reg Matthewson

8
Mick Jones

7 + 4
Phil Cliff

5
Pat Buckley

2
Bill Punton
Tony Wagstaff

1 +1
Geoff Salmons

1
Bob Widdowson


League goals

Gil Reece 13
Alan Woodward, Mick Hill, Colin Addison 6
Mick Jones, Tony Currie 4
Willie Carlin, Phil Cliff, Barry Wagstaff 2
Frank Barlow, Alan Birchenall, Tom Fenoughty, Bernard Shaw 1



League Cup appearances (1 each)
Alan Hodgkinson, Len Badger, Bernard Shaw, Ken Mallender, Reg Matthewson, David Munks, Gil Reece, Phil Cliff, Mick Jones, Alan Birchenall, Bill Punton, Alan Woodward (sub)

League Cup Goals
Alan Birchenall, Bernard Shaw


FA Cup appearances
Len Badger, Willie Carlin, Ken Mallender, David Munks, Bernard Shaw 4
Colin Addison, Mick Hill, Alan Hodgkinson, Gil Reece, Alan Woodward 3
Frank Barlow, Tony Wagstaff 2
Pat Buckley, Phil Cliff, Tom Fenoughty, Barry Wagstaff, Bob Widdowson 1


FA Cup goals
Phil Cliff 2
Colin Addison, Mick Hill, Alan Woodward 1

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

11/5/1968

Blades 1 (Hill) Chelsea 2 (Osgood, Baldwin)

First time we wore black shorts for a home game that season.

Some years later my dad was telling me that he was at this fateful match. He remembers Hodgy being in tears after the match. In the late 1980s Ernie Hunt told a Sunday paper that Southampton players took a bribe so that they dont beat Coventry in the final match.

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Celebrating Mick Hill's opener to give us the lead at the break
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Tommy Baldwin's winner

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Scores, scorers, line ups and league tables in below link

1968-05-11

From the programme
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This is the relegation that caused me the least grief, because I am in effect reading about it for the first time. May/June I was taking final exams at University (8 3-hour exam papers, the whole degree assessed on that single run of exams), so I have to confess that I barely noticed the relegation. Such isolation from reality would be hard to achieve now. 18 months later I was back in Sheffield, married to Mrs HBT, and first of our junior Blades had been born. So I was able to enjoy the pleasure of the following promotion without suffering the pain of the relegation that preceded it. The confessions of a part-timer…

 

[Yewsman]

was at that one silent on that big side terrace we were so unlucky that day hit crossbar twice and post once played really well we deserved to win that game

I was also there. My recollection is that during this season Hodgey had started to look a bit suspect in goal and that the Leeds goal basically came from his mistake. We felt hard done by as we should have beaten them.

 

[Addison]

In the late 1980s Ernie Hunt told a Sunday paper that Southampton players took a bribe so that they dont beat Coventry in the final match.

Confirmed by Terry Paine Southampton Captain in his autobiography a few years ago. SISU Chairman Robbins bribed them not to win. Hence my dislike of everything connected to that bent club including Jimmy Hill. As they managed to avoid the drop a record 10 times over the years you wonder how many bribes were paid out by that charlatan.

Yes I was there with my dad on the last day against Chelsea. The fans were sold down the river by the Board that season with the sale of Jones and Birchenall. The wearing of black shorts was done as a last act of desperation, we never wanted the white shorts, as the drop off in performances at the Lane ultimately cost us.

 

[ancientblade]

In the late 1980s Ernie Hunt told a Sunday paper that Southampton players took a bribe so that they dont beat Coventry in the final match.

Confirmed by Terry Paine Southampton Captain in his autobiography a few years ago. SISU Chairman Robbins bribed them not to win. Hence my dislike of everything connected to that bent club including Jimmy Hill. As they managed to avoid the drop a record 10 times over the years you wonder how many bribes were paid out by that charlatan.

Yes I was there with my dad on the last day against Chelsea. The fans were sold down the river by the Board that season with the sale of Jones and Birchenall. The wearing of black shorts was done as a last act of desperation, we never wanted the white shorts, as the drop off in performances at the Lane ultimately cost us.

dick wragg certainly sold us down the river selling jones and birchenall those 2 decisions cost us our division 1 place didnt know about the southampton players allegedly being bribed not to beat coventry and it definetly happened in 94/95 with wimbledon players at goodison and if anybodys read andy johnsons book (he was one of evertons top boys) he confirms it in the book along with the fact that vinnie jones and his pals wouldnt have got out of goodison in one piece if they hadnt lost that game

 

[Silent Blade]

13/5/1968

Chester 2 (Metcalfe 2) Blades 3 (Staniforth, Hill, Carlin pen)

Team: Bob Widdowson (his last match before moving to York managed by Joe Shaw), Len Badger, Tom Fenoughty, Barry Wagstaff, Ken Mallender, Frank Barlow, Dave Staniforth, Willie Carlin, Mick Hill, David Munks, Geoff Salmons. sub Willie Smith

 

[Silent Blade]

15/5/1968

County Cup semi final

Doncaster Rovers 1 (Jeffrey) Blades 1 (Hill)

Debut for keeper Barry Gordine

 

[Programmechap2]

Why would

In the late 1980s Ernie Hunt told a Sunday paper that Southampton players took a bribe so that they dont beat Coventry in the final match.

Confirmed by Terry Paine Southampton Captain in his autobiography a few years ago. SISU Chairman Robbins bribed them not to win. Hence my dislike of everything connected to that bent club including Jimmy Hill. As they managed to avoid the drop a record 10 times over the years you wonder how many bribes were paid out by that charlatan.

Yes I was there with my dad on the last day against Chelsea. The fans were sold down the river by the Board that season with the sale of Jones and Birchenall. The wearing of black shorts was done as a last act of desperation, we never wanted the white shorts, as the drop off in performances at the Lane ultimately cost us.

Why would they bribe them "not to win", given that if United won, a draw would send Coventry down? Southampton v Coventry did indeed end up 0-0.

If there were bribes going on, surely it would have been to let Coventry win, which would have guaranteed safety for them.

 

[Silent Blade]

Why would

Why would they bribe them "not to win", given that if United won, a draw would send Coventry down? Southampton v Coventry did indeed end up 0-0.

If there were bribes going on, surely it would have been to let Coventry win, which would have guaranteed safety for them.

Hunt said in the papers that Coventry were confident we wouldnt beat Chelsea. He also said David Icke (Coventry youth keeper) was one of the players that wasnt aware of the bribe and he was running about in the stands trying to get updates of the Blades v Chelsea score

 

[Addison]

Why would

Why would they bribe them "not to win", given that if United won, a draw would send Coventry down? Southampton v Coventry did indeed end up 0-0.

If there were bribes going on, surely it would have been to let Coventry win, which would have guaranteed safety for them.

" Bribed not to win" were the words quoted in Paines autobiography.

 

[Programmechap2]

Seems a bit unlikely to me. Why on earth would you take the huge risk of bribing someone without even being sure of getting what you want from the bribe...

Hunt said in the papers that Coventry were confident we wouldnt beat Chelsea. He also said David Icke (Coventry youth keeper) was one of the players that wasnt aware of the bribe and he was running about in the stands trying to get updates of the Blades v Chelsea score

 

[Programmechap2]

Seems a bit unlikely to me. Why on earth would you take the huge risk of bribing someone without even being sure of getting what you want from the bribe...

Hunt said in the papers that Coventry were confident we wouldnt beat Chelsea. He also said David Icke (Coventry youth keeper) was one of the players that wasnt aware of the bribe and he was running about in the stands trying to get updates of the Blades v Chelsea score

 

[Programmechap2]

Seems a bit unlikely to me. Why on earth would you take the huge risk of bribing someone without even being sure of getting what you want from the bribe...

Hunt said in the papers that Coventry were confident we wouldnt beat Chelsea. He also said David Icke (Coventry youth keeper) was one of the players that wasnt aware of the bribe and he was running about in the stands trying to get updates of the Blades v Chelsea score

 

[Silent Blade]

Seems a bit unlikely to me. Why on earth would you take the huge risk of bribing someone without even being sure of getting what you want from the bribe...

That is what Ernie Hunt said in the papers! Terry Paine said the same thing in his autobiography!

I am not making it up!

 

[Programmechap2]

I know! I'm just a bit sceptical of their stories. It doesn't make any sense. If you're found out to have been offering bribes, you're not going to be punished less for asking for a draw than a win, so why would you not ask for a win when in asking for a draw you might still get relegated?

That is what Ernie Hunt said in the papers! Terry Paine said the same thing in his autobiography!

I am not making it up!

 

[Silent Blade]

I know! I'm just a bit sceptical of their stories. It doesn't make any sense. If you're found out to have been offering bribes, you're not going to be punished less for asking for a draw than a win, so why would you not ask for a win when in asking for a draw you might still get relegated?

Ernie Hunt is no longer alive so try asking Terry Paine!

 

[ancientblade]

I know! I'm just a bit sceptical of their stories. It doesn't make any sense. If you're found out to have been offering bribes, you're not going to be punished less for asking for a draw than a win, so why would you not ask for a win when in asking for a draw you might still get relegated?

everton 3 wimbledon 2 was the most fixed game ever so it does happen how hans segers got away with his antics that day was unbelievable mind if they hadnt thrown that game that day they wouldnt have got out of liverpool in one piece

 

[Programmechap2]

I think footballers quite often stretch the truth in their autobiographies for the sake of a good story. I think that's what happened here

Ernie Hunt is no longer alive so try asking Terry PaFootballer

 

[Bell4]

Do you think the Weds players were bribed v Pboro - or that the couldn’t care less - or were pissed - or just plain crap ?