1969-70 (55 years ago) match reports and photos

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Silent Blade

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16/7/1969

I wasnt really into football at the time, the comics I was reading were Dandy, Beano, Sparky and the Marvel comics (Thor, Avengers and Hulk etc) every week. I was excited about watching Star Trek for the first time at my maternal grandmother's in Hartley Brook Road on Saturday 12th July 1969. Four days later I can remember watching the Apollo 11 take off on tv at Maud Maxfield with the other pupils.

I think it was one summer evening in 1969 I was at my paternal grandmother's front garden mingling with my Uncle Ronnie and his group of friends. One of his friends called me over and asked me if I like football, I said "Yes", he then asked "who is your team?". I hesitated in answering, looking at Ronnie. He was a bit concerned that I would give the wrong answer so he advised "not Sheffield Wednesday?" I replied to his friend "Not Sheffield Wednesday!". After that, over the next few months I was aware that Ronnie, my dad and my cousin David Beardow are Blades but all my mum's brothers were all Wendy.

I think the below photos were taken before Rowley signed John Flynn and after Bernard Shaw had moved to Wolves.

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John Short (coach) top left and Arthur Rowley (manager) top right added to below photo
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17/7/1969

We sign John Flynn from Workington Town for a fee of £5,000.

Years later, at the 1971 promotion reunion in 2011, Ted Hemsley made the audience laugh by saying "We signed John Flynn from Workington Town for £5,000 but we thought it was too much !"

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It would be fascinating to understand how scouting worked, back then. How did word get to us that players like Flynn might be capable of stepping up two divisions and, ultimately, being good enough to hold down a place in a promotion winning team?

No EFL highlights TV programmes, detailed statistics, FM databases, online highlights reels or, dare I say it, fans forums to trawl for clues before sending a scout.

I guess it was word of mouth from your own playing squad, maybe reading newspaper reports from local rags and the good old Rothmans Yearbook.
 
John Flynn was a great signing for us. his partnership at center half with Eddie Colquhoun is one of the best for us in my opinion.
flynn was a very underated centre half his partnership with eddie was outstanding and they both got their fair share of goals from corners big part of our success in that era
They formed a great defensive centre back partnership, remember well the headed goals they scored from Woody’s in swinging corners
 
24/7/1969

I remember Monday morning July 21st watching the news of Apollo 11 astronauts landing on the moon and it wasnt easy to see what was going on on my black and white tv wondering why the astronauts were bouncing as they were walking. I didnt understand gravity at the time. July 24th was the splashdown.

The big news at the Lane was that Alan Woodward couldnt find his passport which made him miss the coach taking the team to the pre season tour of Holland and Germany.

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July 23rd to 25th 1969. Ted Hemsley played for Worcestershire at Bramall Lane and then after the match he travelled to Holland! Not sure if he travelled with the SUFC tour party.

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This was my last year on the U18 Academy team. I graduated from Hope Valley College High School in 1970 and didn't get an apprenticeship offer like I did 2 years before (which I turned down to stay at school until I was 17. At that time you could leave HS at 15, not sure if you still can?)

John Short was my manager at that time I think. Tom McAllister had taken my GK spot on the Hatchard and U18 teams so there was no room for me. So I went back to playing for Bradwell Sports in the Hope Valley League and then represented Sheffield Poly under John Warnock. We played in the Yorkshire League at that time.

Then I came to the US on 1981 and played for a local Toledo men's team playing in the Michigan League (which was full of older ex-EFL players). I played behind a center half by the name of Quini (sp) who had played for Real Madrid before moving to Toledo because of an American woman like me!!

The photo attached was taken in 1983 v a team of ex-pats in Toledo.

Silent, a piece of trivia for you to research: I played at Valley Parade for the U18 around 1969: when was the Valley Parage fire that destroyed the main stand?

I'm 71 now so that was a looooonnnggg time ago. But once a Blade, always a Blade...

toledo
 

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This was my last year on the U18 Academy team. I graduated from Hope Valley College High School in 1970 and didn't get an apprenticeship offer like I did 2 years before (which I turned down to stay at school until I was 17. At that time you could leave HS at 15, not sure if you still can?)

John Short was my manager at that time I think. Tom McAllister had taken my GK spot on the Hatchard and U18 teams so there was no room for me. So I went back to playing for Bradwell Sports in the Hope Valley League and then represented Sheffield Poly under John Warnock. We played in the Yorkshire League at that time.

Then I came to the US on 1981 and played for a local Toledo men's team playing in the Michigan League (which was full of older ex-EFL players). I played behind a center half by the name of Quini (sp) who had played for Real Madrid before moving to Toledo because of an American woman like me!!

The photo attached was taken in 1983 v a team of ex-pats in Toledo.

Silent, a piece of trivia for you to research: I played at Valley Parade for the U18 around 1969: when was the Valley Parage fire that destroyed the main stand?

I'm 71 now so that was a looooonnnggg time ago. But once a Blade, always a Blade...

toledo
The fire at Valley Parade was in May 1985
 

Nice one Silent 👍
Remember the Evans signing, he came with ringing endorsements having been with Rangers. Watched his (maybe?) only appearance in a reserve game at the Lane, after which I think he returned to Scotland citing homesickness as the reason.
 
Nice one Silent 👍
Remember the Evans signing, he came with ringing endorsements having been with Rangers. Watched his (maybe?) only appearance in a reserve game at the Lane, after which I think he returned to Scotland citing homesickness as the reason.
His only reserves game

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Wow! I probably bought the programme but as ever it got chucked away (me mum no doubt!)
Looking at the Sunderland team, names evoke memories there....
Dennis Teuart, Bobby Kerr, Ralph Brand, Bruce Stuckey...
All players I remember well that era.
Roger Welch in Blades team was someone I knew really well, grew up same estate, two years above me at school and played with him at Olive Grove after United released him.
Real nice reserved lad, eventually joined police force after his football career faltered .
 
Wow! I probably bought the programme but as ever it got chucked away (me mum no doubt!)
Looking at the Sunderland team, names evoke memories there....
Dennis Teuart, Bobby Kerr, Ralph Brand, Bruce Stuckey...
All players I remember well that era.
Roger Welch in Blades team was someone I knew really well, grew up same estate, two years above me at school and played with him at Olive Grove after United released him.
Real nice reserved lad, eventually joined police force after his football career faltered .
Just checked the 1968-69 reserves programmes in Sharrowblade 's collection, it seems Gordon Butler was a centre back



It looks like he was released from the club after Rowley was sacked as the below is the last I can find of him appearing in the reserves line ups

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29/7/1969

Gil Reece (back from international duty) and Alan Woodward (had his passport issues solved) travel with chairman Dick Wragg and general manager John Harris to Holland to join the tour party. Wragg and Harris had a two hour meeting with the players to try and solve a dispute about the bonus scheme. In the end , the players rejected the terms offered by Wragg and Harris. Soon after that, Arthur Rowley ordered the players to go on a coach to a pony trotting meeting at Hilversum.

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2/8/1969

Tour match

De Graafschap 0 Blades 3 (Addison pen, Hemsley, Salmons)

Our line up; Hodgkinson, Badger, Harmston, Barlow, Colquhoun, Hemsley, Woodward, Currie, Tudor, Addison, Salmons.



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3/8/1969

Tour match

Elinkwijk (Holland) 2 (Monsanto, Van der Merkt) Blades 2 (Tudor, Currie)

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5/8/1969

Last pre season friendly before league football starts in 4 days time.

Walsall 1 (Woodward) Blades 1 (Currie)

John Woodward playing against Alan Woodward! Phil Parkes, who later played for QPR and West Ham also won an England cap in 1974, played in goal for Walsall.
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6/8/1969

Three more days left to the start of the season and Arthur Rowley gets the sack! John Harris returns as the manager, John Short becomes the assistant manager, Cec Coldwell becomes the first team coach and "trainer" with bucket and sponge.

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The below is what Keith Farnsworth explained in his "Football in Sheffield" book.
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The pay dispute is settled but Len Badger and Alan Woodward requested their names to be on the transfer list. The board rejected both requests.

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What the Green Un said three days later

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The fans have their say

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6/8/1969

Three more days left to the start of the season and Arthur Rowley gets the sack! John Harris returns as the manager, John Short becomes the assistant manager, Cec Coldwell becomes the first team coach and "trainer" with bucket and sponge.

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The below is what Keith Farnsworth explained in his "Football in Sheffield" book.
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The pay dispute is settled but Len Badger and Alan Woodward requested their names to be on the transfer list. The board rejected both requests.

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What the Green Un said three days later

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The fans have their say

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best decision the club made in the 60s what a master tactitian john harris was best manager weve had in my 60 odd years supporting the club very quietly spoken but the players knew they couldnt take liberties with him
 

Not sure when this photo was taken but it was the squad of 12 players for the opening league game of the 1969/70 season (v Boro at home). Ted Hemsley not in the team until November.
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