1970-71 (55 years ago today) match reports and photos

[Silent Blade]

My first full season as a committed Blade although my dad didnt buy season tickets for us. He had never been a season ticket holder at that point. He often went to matches at the Lane but for some reasons he never thought it would be worth having a season ticket. During the summer I enjoyed watching the World Cup on tv, my first memory of watching Wimbledon, British Open Golf, the Commonwealth Games and Test cricket (England v Rest of the World) on tv was during that year!

I was in the Lord Mayor Parade too!


Many writers predicted that the Blades would get promotion, quite a few thought both Sheffield clubs could go up!

 

[Silent Blade]

 

[ancientblade]

the beggining of the best team ive witnessed in over 60 years of following united and the week that started it was the comeback from 0 - 3 down to draw 3 - 3 with bristol city followed by the demolition of leeds in the league cup in midweek 1 - 0 but could easily have been 3 or 4 they couldnt cope with our pace that night

 

[Bell4]

the beggining of the best team ive witnessed in over 60 years of following united and the week that started it was the comeback from 0 - 3 down to draw 3 - 3 with bristol city followed by the demolition of leeds in the league cup in midweek 1 - 0 but could easily have been 3 or 4 they couldnt cope with our pace that night

My first game too

What a season

What a time to be alive and young -

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

View attachment 217249

Now that's a team!
Anybody got a time machine?

 

[reedy63]

All those players in 1970- 1971 and the early part of 1971-72, up to the Leeds game, emigrated to Sydney, Australia, the day after beating Everton away.
were, in my opinion, Legendary.The greatest team I have ever seen.The privilege of watching from the packed Kop.Beating Leeds in the League Cup. Beating wendy 3-2, Tuder scored the winner straight through wendy's keeper's legs. going out of the ground at full time on John Street, it was packed full of Blade Fans, you could lift your feet up and get carried along. Who could forget that game against Hull, the dirtiest team I have ever seen How the ref didn't send Chilton and Wagstaff was beyond me.
Luton Town, who we beat 2-1, with Woodward scoring two reght goals. the Millwall game and Birmingham,wendy away. The best game ever for me was beating Cardiff 5-1 in front of a packed Bramall Lane; the Kop was rammed full. The Atmosphere was electric. The Watford game was the only time I stood at the Bramall Lane end. A friend of my Dad had a silver disc and got me in for nowt. Again, the Kop was packed. The celebration after the game, the Fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate memories to last a lifetime. The games against Southampton and the last game I saw leeds, we played them off the park so to speak. Alan Woodward and Tony Currie are my favourite players.

 

[ancientblade]

All those players in 1970- 1971 and the early part of 1971-72, up to the Leeds game, emigrated to Sydney, Australia, the day after beating Everton away.
were, in my opinion, Legendary.The greatest team I have ever seen.The privilege of watching from the packed Kop.Beating Leeds in the League Cup. Beating wendy 3-2, Tuder scored the winner straight through wendy's keeper's legs. going out of the ground at full time on John Street, it was packed full of Blade Fans, you could lift your feet up and get carried along. Who could forget that game against Hull, the dirtiest team I have ever seen How the ref didn't send Chilton and Wagstaff was beyond me.
Luton Town, who we beat 2-1, with Woodward scoring two reght goals. the Millwall game and Birmingham,wendy away. The best game ever for me was beating Cardiff 5-1 in front of a packed Bramall Lane; the Kop was rammed full. The Atmosphere was electric. The Watford game was the only time I stood at the Bramall Lane end. A friend of my Dad had a silver disc and got me in for nowt. Again, the Kop was packed. The celebration after the game, the Fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate memories to last a lifetime. The games against Southampton and the last game I saw leeds, we played them off the park so to speak. Alan Woodward and Tony Currie are my favourite players.

was at all of those games we ended up watching the cardiff game from the kop steps every aisle was packed from top to bottom ive never seen the shoreham as packed as it was that night 43k inside majority on 3 sides great days and great memories

 

[MagnifiqueShorehamStreet]

My favourite ever season supporting the Blades.So looking forward to this one.
Could also have something to do with, at 15, I also discovered girls, and alcohol, this season.
All 3, i. e. the Blades, the opposite sex, and alcohol, have proven to be my downfall over the years, but wouldn’t change, much of it.

 

[Silent Blade]

30/7/1970

Pre season friendly

Swansea 2 (Evans 2) Blades 3 (Woodward 2, Reece).

I dont remember being aware of the friendly. Looking at Swansea's squad list, it is interesting that Len Allchurch (left us in 1965) was still playing.

 

[Bell4]

30/7/1970

Pre season friendly

Swansea 2 (Evans 2) Blades 3 (Woodward 2, Reece).

I dont remember being aware of the friendly. Looking at Swansea's squad list, it is interesting that Len Allchurch (left us in 1965) was still playing.

View attachment 217607

View attachment 217608

Albert Reece ?

 

[Silent Blade]

31/7/1970

Getting ready on the day before we play in the first ever Watney Cup.

 

[reedy63]

Silent Blade.
Sheffield Star, I know you can see all the papers on file in the Library on Surry Street.
Is there a place on Shoreham Street that has them? I would like to buy copies.
Is the Green Un there as well?

 

[Silent Blade]

Silent Blade.
Sheffield Star, I know you can see all the papers on file in the Library on Surry Street.
Is there a place on Shoreham Street that has them? I would like to buy copies.
Is the Green Un there as well?

Sheffield Archives on Shoreham Street do have the copies but they are not for sale. You can view the copies by appointment only only if the Sheffield Library dont have them on microfilm. There was no Green Un for some of the 1974-75 season on microfilm at the Library so I was able to view the 1974-75 copies at the Sheffield Archives on Shoreham Street.

 

[reedy63]

Thanks, Silent Blade.

 

[1066blade]

Great stuff Silent. Was that team better than Wilder's 18-19 team? Discuss..

 

[Silent Blade]

Great stuff Silent. Was that team better than Wilder's 18-19 team? Discuss..

2018-19 was the better team but none of the players were as good as TC or Woody

 

[Silent Blade]

1/8/1970

Watney Cup 1st round. Match kicked off at 7.30pm on Saturday night

Aldershot 0 Blades 6 (Currie 2, Addison, Woodward 2, Reece)

The other 3 Watney Cup 1st round matches (all kicked off at 3pm)

Reading 2 Man U 3
Fulham 3 Derby 5
Peterborough 0 Hull 4


The Watney Mann Invitation Cup (normally referred to as simply the Watney Cup) was a short-lived English football tournament held in the early 1970s.

It was held before the start of the season, and was contested by the teams that had scored the most goals in each of the four divisions of the Football League the previous season who had not been promoted or admitted to one of the European competitions.Two teams from each division took part, making eight participants in total.

The competition was a straight knockout format, each match was a one-off with no replays. The final took place at the home ground of one of the finalists, rather than a neutral venue.

The competition was so named thanks to a sponsorship deal with the Watney Mann brewery; the first tournament for English Football League clubs to sell its naming rights. The tournament ran four times, from 1970 to 1973, before being discontinued.

From the second season of the competition, the off-side law was applied from the edge of the penalty areas only (instead of the half-way line).This measure was designed to reduce midfield congestion and promote more goals, at a time when defences were becoming much better organised.

 

[Maurice Maurice]

My first game was in 1967 and I did quite a few after that but 70/71 was the first season my dad started taking me regular. I know us old dinosaurs bang on about the old days but in my 60 odd years I've never experienced anything like that season. It was nothing short of magical and the game's changed so much that there'll never be anything like it again. There was an honesty about it, a grittiness and the smell of Woodbines and Bovril on a Tuesday night is gone forever.

I'm a Blade, always will be but I don't enjoy it anymore. Too many poncey hair do's, plastic boots, tights instead of socks, the whole charade is as much about image as it is about quality goals by quality players. I'm looking forward to this one Silent but it'll be mixed emotions that's for sure.

UTBFTP

 

[ancientblade]

Great stuff Silent. Was that team better than Wilder's 18-19 team? Discuss..

different eras but as an oldie but young at the time the 70-72 united side under john harris is the best ive seen at the lane closely followed by furphys 74-75 side then wilders side

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

When football used to be football!!

 

[metalblade]

was at all of those games we ended up watching the cardiff game from the kop steps every aisle was packed from top to bottom ive never seen the shoreham as packed as it was that night 43k inside majority on 3 sides great days and great memories

Like sardines on the kop that night, we'd had enough by HT and moved out of the mob to the side where it was a little less packed. For those who weren't there imagine at least 20,000 on the kop and the noise was just incredible. I started work in 71 and got my first ST the next season in those days they were a little book with a load of vouchers inside in case we progressed in the cup but we never did in those days somehow.

 

[Bell4]

Incredible stuff

 

[Silent Blade]

5/8/1970

Watney Cup semi final

Derby 1 (McGovern) Blades 0


It was my second away match. The route to Derby was different as it is nowadays because I remember being in my dad's car as we were going through the village of Denby. The A38 from Derby to Mansfield was completed a few years later.

My memories of the match were standing behind the goal (see red circle in below photo), Hodgy's despairing dive failing to stop a stunning shot by John McGovern, we wore black socks with red tops, John Barnwell's trick by feinting to kick a ball making an opponent turn his back (and jumping up) leaving space for Barnwell to push the ball into and then finding a team mate to pass the ball to. It was a clever move that I copied over the years when playing football at school or on a park near my home. At the time I thought Barnwell was going to be our key player for our promotion push!



You can see McGovern's goal from 0 mins 28 seconds in below video









The other semi final saw the first ever penalty shootout in the world after Hull and Man U drew 1-1. George Best was the first scorer in the shootout and Denis Law was the first to miss, Ken Wagstaffe then missed for Hull and Ian McKechnie missed Hull's 5th penalty making Man U win by 4-3 on penalties.

 

[ancientblade]

hated the baseball ground never saw us score there in 3 visits

 

[232 Bramall Lane]

Hated it also.
Never saw us win, but once saw a draw!

 

[HighfieldBlade]

31/7/1970

Getting ready on the day before we play in the first ever Watney Cup.
View attachment 217768

Interesting. Article says Watney Cup was the first British football competition to introduce penalty shoot-outs. I didn't know that.

 

[Silent Blade]

Interesting. Article says Watney Cup was the first British football competition to introduce penalty shoot-outs. I didn't know that.

First competition in the world to introduce penalty shootouts

 

[Pedro Verde]

5/8/1970

Watney Cup semi final

Derby 1 (McGovern) Blades 0


It was my second away match. The route to Derby was different as it is nowadays because I remember being in my dad's car as we were going through the village of Denby. The A38 from Derby to Mansfield was completed a few years later.

My memories of the match were standing behind the goal (see red circle in below photo), Hodgy's despairing dive failing to stop a stunning shot by John McGovern, we wore black socks with red tops, John Barnwell's trick by feinting to kick a ball making an opponent turn his back (and jumping up) leaving space for Barnwell to push the ball into and then finding a team mate to pass the ball to. It was a clever move that I copied over the years when playing football at school or on a park near my home. At the time I thought Barnwell was going to be our key player for our promotion push!

View attachment 218253

You can see McGovern's goal from 0 mins 28 seconds in below video




View attachment 218254
View attachment 218255
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View attachment 218257

The other semi final saw the first ever penalty shootout in the world after Hull and Man U drew 1-1. George Best was the first scorer in the shootout and Denis Law was the first to miss, Ken Wagstaffe then missed for Hull and Ian McKechnie missed Hull's 5th penalty making Man U win by 4-3 on penalties.

I went to that game with my Dad first time I realised Dave McKay was a dirty twat but cant remember much else about the game

 

[ancientblade]

popside was lively in our 3 - 0 4th round cup defeat in 70 lol

 

[Silent Blade]

10/8/1970

Friendly match

Rotherham 0 Blades 2 (Currie, Colquhoun)

First time I saw us play in our change kit which were white with red trims and black shorts. I think my dad and I arrived for the match late and missed TC's opener. I have a clear memory of Colquhoun heading in our 2nd from a Woody corner.

We all knew that in 1970 the 2-3-5 formation were already out of fashion for a number of years but the programme editor probably wasnt aware of this!