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

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27/4/1971

Blades 5 (Dearden 2, Flynn, Currie, Reece) Cardiff 1 (Derrett)

What a night it was! My dad bought tickets in advance for our usual seats in the BLUT. I was expecting a close game but it turned out to be a brilliant performance by us!

Just before the kick off the crowd booed when ex-Wendy Alan Warboys' name was mentioned as the announcer was naming Cardiff's line up and there was a smirk on his face.

Early in the game Billy Dearden broke through at the Kop End and placed a low firm shot past keeper Eadie for the first goal of the night

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Billy's usual goal celebration was polite handshaking with his teammates, he had a serious look on his face while trotting back to the centre circle but this was an exception as he went wild with delight . In the below photo Len's left elbow is blocking the photographer's view of me and my dad.

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Billy didnt seem to know where he should be running to so he celebrated with his teammates on the touchline near the cricket square rather than running towards the fans in the Kop
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Nearly half hour later John Flynn made it 2-0 heading in a low cross
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Not long after, Cardiff's Steve Derrett tried a long shot from outside the box but it took deflection off Trevor Hockey's back and wrongfooted John Hope who could only watch the ball go in the opposite top corner of the net.

Just before half time John Hope had a long treatment from trainer Cec Coldwell after suffering a cut nose after an aerial clash with Warboys.

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In the opening minutes of the 2nd half, Cardiff were putting pressure towards our goal.
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Then in the 55th minute TC headed in a Woody corner and immediately I noticed keeper Eadie falling flat on his back as if he was injured. After the match Cardiff's manager , Jim Scoular claimed TC had punched the keeper, looking at the photos it didnt seem to be the case.
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Midway in the 2nd half Gil Reece scored the best goal of the night by volleying in an assist by Woody, it happened too quick for the cameras.
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In the last 10 minutes Dearden made it 5-1 to top off a memorable night!
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After the final whistle there was a bit of a pitch invasion and there were smiles around the ground, the Cardiff fans must have left the ground before the final whistle! The scoreboard revealed that Leicester had beaten Bristol City so they go up as champions. We need to beat Watford at the Lane to get the 2nd promotion place.
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An ex-workmate of mine told me of when he went to the Nags Head pub (now the Bowshaw) near Dronfield to celebrate the win, he saw Cardiff fans crying in their beer. It was the first time he had seen grown men crying.

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27/4/1971

Blades 5 (Dearden 2, Flynn, Currie, Reece) Cardiff 1 (Derrett)

What a night it was! My dad bought tickets in advance for our usual seats in the BLUT. I was expecting a close game but it turned out to be a brilliant performance by us!

Just before the kick off the crowd booed when ex-Wendy Alan Warboys' name was mentioned as the announcer was naming Cardiff's line up and there was a smirk on his face.

Early in the game Billy Dearden broke through at the Kop End and placed a low firm shot past keeper Eadie for the first goal of the night

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Billy's usual goal celebration was polite handshaking with his teammates, he had a serious look on his face while trotting back to the centre circle but this was an exception as he went wild with delight . In the below photo Len's left elbow is blocking the photographer's view of me and my dad.

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Billy didnt seem to know where he should be running to so he celebrated with his teammates on the touchline near the cricket square rather than running towards the fans in the Kop
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Nearly half hour later John Flynn made it 2-0 heading in a low cross
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Not long after, Cardiff's Steve Derrett tried a long shot from outside the box but it took deflection off Trevor Hockey's back and wrongfooted John Hope who could only watch the ball go in the opposite top corner of the net.

Just before half time John Hope had a long treatment from trainer Cec Coldwell after suffering a cut nose after an aerial clash with Warboys.

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In the opening minutes of the 2nd half, Cardiff were putting pressure towards our goal.
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Then in the 55th minute TC headed in a Woody corner and immediately I noticed keeper Eadie falling flat on his back as if he was injured. After the match Cardiff's manager , Jim Scoular claimed TC had punched the keeper, looking at the photos it didnt seem to be the case.
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Midway in the 2nd half Gil Reece scored the best goal of the night by volleying in an assist by Woody, it happened too quick for the cameras.
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In the last 10 minutes Dearden made it 5-1 to top off a memorable night!
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After the final whistle there was a bit of a pitch invasion and there were smiles around the ground, the Cardiff fans must have left the ground before the final whistle! The scoreboard revealed that Leicester had beaten Bristol City so they go up as champions. We need to beat Watford at the Lane to get the 2nd promotion place.
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An ex-workmate of mine told me of when he went to the Nags Head pub (now the Bowshaw) near Dronfield to celebrate the win, he saw Cardiff fans crying in their beer. It was the first time he had seen grown men crying.

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We had to win and we hammered them.

Bert can't think of a better permorfance from United in his lifetime.

The best game he's ever seen at The Lane.
 
We had to win and we hammered them.

Bert can't think of a better permorfance from United in his lifetime.

The best game he's ever seen at The Lane.
There are times now when I sit in my seat on the kop watching the shambles on the pitch before me and I wonder how I ever became passionate about eleven blokes in red and white shirts kicking a ball around. I believe this match could actually be the answer.
 
The best match I have ever seen at Bramall Lane, I can remember walking down Fitzwilliam Street, where my uncle Mike parked his car, a Hillman Minx.
Unitedites streaming to Bramall Lane. Plenty of fans queued at the Kop turnstiles, and we got in within five minutes. Then my Dad and Uncle Mike got to the spot where we stand, a few yards from the White wall, a few steps above the path in the middle. I have forgotten what they called it. I was very Excited when the players came through the tunnel on John Street terrace. A loud cheer went up. The atmosphere was the loudest I have ever heard.After 5 minutes, we scored. I jumped up and celebrated.
My Dad and uncle Mike did as well..The crowd was very loud, but I loved it. With more goals, the atmosphere was electric. At the final whistle, a tremendous roar.
When we got outside onto John Street,I lifted my feet and got carried a few Yards. That night was something I will remember to the day I die.
A legendary team with Woodward and Currie.A privilege to watch from The Spion Kop.
 
The best match I have ever seen at Bramall Lane, I can remember walking down Fitzwilliam Street, where my uncle Mike parked his car, a Hillman Minx.
Unitedites streaming to Bramall Lane. Plenty of fans queued at the Kop turnstiles, and we got in within five minutes. Then my Dad and Uncle Mike got to the spot where we stand, a few yards from the White wall, a few steps above the path in the middle. I have forgotten what they called it. I was very Excited when the players came through the tunnel on John Street terrace. A loud cheer went up. The atmosphere was the loudest I have ever heard.After 5 minutes, we scored. I jumped up and celebrated.
My Dad and uncle Mike did as well..The crowd was very loud, but I loved it. With more goals, the atmosphere was electric. At the final whistle, a tremendous roar.
When we got outside onto John Street,I lifted my feet and got carried a few Yards. That night was something I will remember to the day I die.
A legendary team with Woodward and Currie.A privilege to watch from The Spion Kop.
Best match I've seen too and best atmosphere at the lane I've witnessed, couldn't wait to get home from school and get to the match, sat in bramall lane upper tier with my dad and enjoyed every minute
 
As a 11yr old on the kop the only way to watch a game was either hanging on the railings or getting a spot above the pathway running through the middle of the kop, , l was in that spot the night of the Cardiff game as l was at most games that season.
What a night that was, l remember it as if it was yesterday, we knew that was the night we had promotion in our grasp, onto Watford on the Saturday
 
This was my first season as a Blade…a 14 year old kid from Donny. Like a lot have said already this was an amazing match, one of the best ever. (The best ever for me were the first two or three home games of the following season)
I was, as usual, on the Kop, standing behind the goal (just to the right) and a few rows up from the bottom. I used to love the surge when we scored (or when we went close), being lifted off the ground and moving in a great cheering mass of Blade-y humanity. A murmuration of Blades. We certainly did some cheering and surging that night, that season and for a few seasons after too. Happy, happy days
 
I was in the forces stationed near Cardiff so went to the away fixture sitting among the Cardiff fans, by the time of the home fixture I was stationed in Lincolnshire luckily a mate had a car & wanted to see the game otherwise wise I wouldn't have made, when Saturday came I was back on the kop with my mates but didn't invade the pitch
 
I nearly as excited reading this than I was back then .

Pray that we beat Watford - hear that this Scullion guy is a bit special

Doubt that I’ll sleep 😮

I’ll be catching the supporters coach at 1am with my uncle Mick as usual , stops outside my nans at the top of Wesley Avenue . Think it’s going to be a hot day so better not wear my Parker , I’ll opt for my new tank top instead .
 



1/5/1971

Blades 3 (Woodward pen, Reece 2) Watford 0

An unforgettable day for me and for many Blades who were there. My dad decided to buy 4 seat tickets in the BLUT so that my mum and my little sister could attend the promotion party with us (they dont have much interest in football but both enjoyed the day and the atmosphere)..

Fast forward to nearly 40 years later I was at the 1971 promotion squad reunion in the South Stand and the club showed some footage of the match filmed by a Blade at the back of the BLUT. There were some incidents of the match from the footage that I remembered and some I couldnt remember. Watford were wearing light blue shorts and I had always thought they wore black shorts. The Watford team had 4 players who went on to play for the Blades in the next few years. They were Keith Eddy, Colin Franks, Terry Garbett and Stewart Scullion. The ref was the legendary Roger Kirkpatrick!

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Early in the game a Watford defender got in the way of a Woodward shot and it got the wind knocked out of him as he was on the floor for a while before needing treatment from the trainer. For some years I had been reading about a shot Stewart Scullion hitting the bar at the Kop End before we had scored the first goal but I didnt remember that and the footage at the reunion did include that incident. The footage didnt capture Eddy's foul on Gil Reece for the penalty but it did show the fans cheering at the penalty decision.

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Now back to 1/5/1971, I was wondering if we would have a new penalty taker because Ted Hemsley had missed our last penalty. I looked at my dad who showed excitement on his face when Woodward placed the ball on the spot. I was thinking at the time "Why didnt we have him before as he is our best striker of the ball?". The last penalty he took was when Ken Mulhearn saved Woody's effort in our home game against Man City in January 1968. I wasnt aware of that at the time but it looked like Woody didnt want to take the responsibility again for a long time? Back to the footage you could see Kirkpatrick bending down like an eccentric but he wanted to make sure there was no encroachment and he was letting the players at the edge of the box know. Woody didnt disappoint as he blasted the penalty to the roof of the net (the camera at the back of the stand went off focus and difficult to control as soon as the ball got into the net because of the cheering)


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Three Blades fans ran on the pitch celebrating the opener but soon ran towards the pavilion because the policemen were chasing after them. Two of the fans managed to jump over the railings and disappearing into the crowd but the luckless third fan was caught by a policeman as he was about to jump over the railing and I think he got escorted out of the ground. The footage captured this incident and it brought laughs at the reunion 40 years later!

Not long after celebrating we looked at the pavilion scoreboard and it revealed that Cardiff had just scored in their home game against Orient which made me a little bit nervous. Soon after that Reece hit a thumping volley from a Woody cross that ended up in the net to increase our lead (there is footage of that too but the camera went off focus a fraction of a second after because of the cheering)
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First half action
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Not long after half time we went 3 up when Bill Dearden's good work on the right drew the keeper out of the goal and he laid a low cross for Reece to have an easy chance but Reece fluffed his shot against a defender on the line but recovered quickly enough to nod in the rebound (the footage did capture this too) despite the keeper rushing back to the 6 yard box and completely missing the rebound.
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The crowd were singing "We are going up" and clapping, even Eddie Colquhoun in the centre circle when the ball was still "live" on the pitch joined in the chorus and clapping his hands above his head.

At the final whistle watching from the BLUT, I see the fans swarming on the pitch from all areas.


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Ted Hemsley chaired by fans
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From the BLUT I was aware that our players got into the directors box in the John Street stand to acknowledge the crowd but it was difficult to make out what was happening. I wasnt aware of Colquhoun's crafty fag till I saw the photo in the papers.
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John Harris acknowledging the crowd
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After the match outside the John Street players entrance, I got to meet Roger Kirkpatrick who said "Congratulations, I hope you will enjoy the first division" also chairman Dick Wragg who said a few words saying that it is an unforgettable day or something like that!

If you are in Facebook and you are a member of the Handsworth Facebook group then you should be able to see footage by clicking on the below link.




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