1972-73 match reports and photos (50 years ago today)

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

18/11/1972

Coventry 3 (Alderson 2, MacKenzie og) Blades 0

A miserable 1st half as we were easily beaten. I was sat with my dad and Malcolm Sylvester in the main stand. During the 2nd half I had lost patience in watching the match and Malcolm was telling me to get a grip and not "give up". I remember looking at the Green Un headlines that evening "Alderson's
magic stuns the Blades" and it pissed me off even more!

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

1972-11-18

Never mind the Utd defeat, what about the Amateur Cup report of Hallam losing 2-1 at Leeds Carnegie to a controversial late goal? Dodgy officials favouring Leeds again…

 

[Silent Blade]

25/11/1972

Blades 1 (Dearden) Wolves 2 (Richards, Hibbitt)

I struggle to remember anything about this match and I dont remember watching the tv highlights of the match in the next day. Dearden's goal can be viewed from 33 mins 47 seconds in below link.





















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

1972-11-25

From the programme

 

[Jon Bon II]

Who was TC sticking two fingers up at, after he scored the equaliser at Derby (29:00)? Could it have been Clough by any chance? You can see it as the players are congratulating him after scoring. Definitely giving someone the rods.

 

[Bladeloyal]

15/7/1972
I am on the left side of the lorry wearing my keeper jersey probably waving to my grandmother and my Uncle Ronnie (both lived on Stonelow Road) on Oakhill Road. My dad and SUFC Commercial Manager Harold Rumsey made the arrangements for a Blades themed lorry float filled with young Blades around my age to parade through the roads of Dronfield before ending up at Cliffe Park . I had forgotten that there were ads about the forthcoming Watney Cup tournament until I saw the photo a few years ago.

At Cliffe Park there was a Blades stall selling scarves, badges, souvenirs and pennants etc. My dad and two or three other parents helped out Harold Rumsey behind the stall.

Mike and Bernie Winters were at the park entertaining the crowd.

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Uncle ronnie

 

[Silent Blade]

2/12/1972

Our match at Selhurst Park was postponed by referee Jack Taylor due to a waterlogged pitch despite that both Palace and Blades players were already in their kit in the changing room also a few thousand spectators had already paid to get into the ground.

Neither my dad or I made the trip to London probably because we didnt fancy the long trip.

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

1972-12-02

 

[Silent Blade]

9/12/1972

Blades 1 (Woodward) Manchester City (Bell)

I remember Woody's equaliser because it was unusual to see him score a tap in as he usually score screamers! Credit to him for his quick thinking anticipating that keeper Joe Corrigan would push out a shot from Dearden

Dearden shoots and the shot is saved by Corrigan

Woody appeared from nowhere to tap in the equaliser

and celebrates

The most memorable moment of the game was the sending off of Francis Lee. My dad often spoke to Ted Hemsley at the bookmakers in Jordanthorpe in the early 1970s. He told my dad that he dislikes Francis Lee and that was before this match. Near the halfway line on John Street side, the pair had got into a tussle in a chase for the ball and Ted was on the ground. The ref decided to send Lee off. To be honest I thought a booking would be the better decision and the crowd cheered as Lee made his way toward the tunnel.














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

1972-12-09

From the programme

 

[dublin 10 blade]

Close friend of mine had an encounter as a dangerously young girl with Mr Winters back in the 1970s

Quite aware of the legal issues and protecting the site, but let me just say it's a good job the goofy cunt is fucking dead now.

Eeeeeeeeeee-eeeeh, etc.

pommpey

Mate sent me a video from the “ Not the Nine o’clock comedy show “
At the end there rounding up kids and throwing them into a big van and drive off with loads of kids in it
As it pulls away written on the side is The Rolf Harris TV show
I remember that fuckers painting in Sheaf valley baths

 

[Silent Blade]

16/12/1972

Blades 2 (Woodward pen, Hockey) Leicester 0

Geoff Salmons back in the team after a long absence due to an injury 3 months earlier in a League Cup tie at Workington.

My only memory of the game is the 2nd goal scored by Trevor Hockey at the Lane End near the end of the match. Peter Shilton had blocked a shot and Hockey was quick to blast in the follow up to the roof of the net
.


Hockey goal














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

1972-12-16

From the programme

 

[Silent Blade]

 

[Rufus Smalls]

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It seems bizarre that with a great Blades line up, being in the top division and not that long after our superb promotion in 71, that we could only manage just over 17,000 for a home game . That would be unthinkable today.

 

[Summers & Pace]

It seems bizarre that with a great Blades line up, being in the top division and not that long after our superb promotion in 71, that we could only manage just over 17,000 for a home game . That would be unthinkable today.

I remember this match and the poor attendance.
Our present day attendances are really good numbers wise but in my opinion the lesser attendees in this era were considerably more passionate than at present.

 

[ancientblade]

I remember this match and the poor attendance.
Our present day attendances are really good numbers wise but in my opinion the lesser attendees in this era were considerably more passionate than at present.

fully agree last saturdays atmosphere was non existent

 

[Silent Blade]

Players' children's Xmas party

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

It seems bizarre that with a great Blades line up, being in the top division and not that long after our superb promotion in 71, that we could only manage just over 17,000 for a home game . That would be unthinkable today.

The season ticket sales are one of the big differences. You are much more likely to go to a game if you have already paid for it.

 

[Silent Blade]

23/12/1972

Spurs 2 (Chivers, Perryman) Blades 0

Didnt go. I do not remember anything about the day. I hadnt realised that the match was on "The Big Match" in the next day until the evening we played at Spurs in the League Cup semi final 1st leg on January 2015. Before the game, Spurs TV screen were showing footage of the goals scored by Chivers and Perryman.









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

1972-12-23

 

[Freddie]

Aged 13 I was there. Where has the time gone ?

 

[Silent Blade]

26/12/1972

Blades 0 Liverpool 3 (Boersma, Lawler, Heighway)

A miserable day and we got hammered by Liverpool for the second time in 3 months!

In the morning SUSC Dronfield u12s were hammered 6-0 by a team from Calver (one of the players was called Ian who was a season ticker holder at the back of BLUT with his dad and his older sister) and I was in goal for that game!

In the afternoon, I wasnt confident of our chances against Liverpool and I remember all the goals. Phil Boersma at the Kop end, Chris Lawler (a full back with a good scoring record- 41 goals in 406 games for Liverpool) and Steve Heighway (who was a boyhood Blades fan)










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

1972-12-26

From the programme

 

[Silent Blade]

30/12/1972

Newcastle 4 (Tudor, Nattrass, MacDonald, Craig) Blades 1 (Dearden)

I was going to go to the game and my dad had agreed with John Tudor that we should meet before the game but I had flu symptoms (probably the same virus as Eddie Colquhoun and few of our players had) and it was decided that myself and my dad should not make the trip to Newcastle. We saw goals of the match on YTV in the next day. Dearden's goal can be viewed from 34 mins 15 secs in below video.

I got a letter from John Tudor in the following week or two. He apologised for scoring against us again and explained that he is being paid to do well for his club and score goals!

It was Trevor Hockey's final 1st team game for us and I dont think many of us were expecting this.










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

1972-12-30

 

[United Aren't Back.]

You still got the Tudor letter? I got a postcard of thanks from Gareth Taylor once, replied to my letter to him about his two goals at Stoke.

 

[Silent Blade]

You still got the Tudor letter? I got a postcard of thanks from Gareth Taylor once, replied to my letter to him about his two goals at Stoke.

My mum may still have the letter but there are other things I want to see again but my mum has either thrown them away or has forgotten where they are

 

[Silent Blade]

6/1/1973

Blades 3 (Dearden 2, MacKenzie) WBA 0

Cannot remember the goals but remember just before half time Mick Speight was lying in agony in the centre circle and my dad telling me "it looks like he has broken his leg". He got carried off. After the match my dad and I saw Mick standing up outside the players entrance talking to a group of people. My dad asked him about his injury, Mick said he hasnt broken his leg as it was feared at first.

Billy Dearden scores 1st goal













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

1973-01-06

 

[Silent Blade]

I remember the taxi driver (called Terry) who often took me and Dronfield/Eckington based pupils to Maud Maxfield school telling me "Hockey is being mardy!"

 

[Blade56]

Mike and Bernie - they were my favourites at the time

They played in the All Stars team in the first game I ever went to. Think Bernie the big one was in net.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

6/1/1973

Blades 3 (Dearden 2, MacKenzie) WBA 0

Cannot remember the goals but remember just before half time Mick Speight was lying in agony in the centre circle and my dad telling me "it looks like he has broken his leg". He got carried off. After the match my dad and I saw Mick standing up outside the players entrance talking to a group of people. My dad asked him about his injury, Mick said he hasnt broken his leg as it was feared at first.

Billy Dearden scores 1st goal
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Scores, scorers, line ups and league tables are in below link

1973-01-06

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(Apologies if this has been asked before) Photos from the 60s and 70s seem to confirm the impression that Utd kicked towards the Kop in the first half more often than is the case nowadays. Is this impression correct, and if so, has there been a change in tactics by away teams, or has there been a rule change on who gets to decide?
I have no idea whether there was any proof that the away sides benefited from ‘kicking the wrong way.’

 

[ancientblade]

(Apologies if this has been asked before) Photos from the 60s and 70s seem to confirm the impression that Utd kicked towards the Kop in the first half more often than is the case nowadays. Is this impression correct, and if so, has there been a change in tactics by away teams, or has there been a rule change on who gets to decide?
I have no idea whether there was any proof that the away sides benefited from ‘kicking the wrong way.’

i think in those days hodgy if we lost the toss our opponents would always send us playing towards the kop in the first half nowadays possibly even if we lose the toss away teams prefer to kick towards their supporters on the lane end 2nd half

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

i think in those days hodgy if we lost the toss our opponents would always send us playing towards the kop in the first half nowadays possibly even if we lose the toss away teams prefer to kick towards their supporters on the lane end 2nd half

At least up to the early 60s(?) we could walk round past the cricket pavilion and stand behind the goal at the Lane end in the second half with our rattles and 2-4-6-8 chants, which seemed to annoy the old gits who regularly stood there more than it inspired the Blades. If only we had had the internet then, we could have started a thread about having them removed elsewhere. We all end up being old gits…

 

[Silent Blade]

(Apologies if this has been asked before) Photos from the 60s and 70s seem to confirm the impression that Utd kicked towards the Kop in the first half more often than is the case nowadays. Is this impression correct, and if so, has there been a change in tactics by away teams, or has there been a rule change on who gets to decide?
I have no idea whether there was any proof that the away sides benefited from ‘kicking the wrong way.’

1970-71 (21 league & 1 cup game) we attacked the Kop 16 times in the 1st half and 6 times towards BL end (QPR,Bolton,Charlton, Blackburn, Norwich and Watford). Am not saying that Colquhoun won the toss only 6 times at the most if he was intending to choose attacking the BL End in the 1st half if he won the toss as I do not remember if we took the kick off for most of the matches!


1971-72 (21 league & 4 cup games) we attacked the Kop 17 times in the 1st half and 8 times towards BL end (Liverpool, Coventry, Wolves, Cardiff, Man C, Everton, Newcastle and Palace)


1972-73 (21 league & 3 cup games) we attacked the Kop 15 times in the 1st half and 5 times towards BL end (Spurs, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Man C) but cannot remember which half in 4 games (Charlton LC Cup 1st match, WBA, Birmingham (I was in bed with flu) and Palace)

 

[ancientblade]

1970-71 (21 league & 1 cup game) we attacked the Kop 16 times in the 1st half and 6 times towards BL end (QPR,Bolton,Charlton, Blackburn, Norwich and Watford). Am not saying that Colquhoun won the toss only 6 times at the most if he was intending to choose attacking the BL End in the 1st half if he won the toss as I do not remember if we took the kick off for most of the matches!


1971-72 (21 league & 4 cup games) we attacked the Kop 17 times in the 1st half and 8 times towards BL end (Liverpool, Coventry, Wolves, Cardiff, Man C, Everton, Newcastle and Palace)


1972-73 (21 league & 3 cup games) we attacked the Kop 15 times in the 1st half and 5 times towards BL end (Spurs, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Man C) but cannot remember which half in 4 games (Charlton LC Cup 1st match, WBA, Birmingham (I was in bed with flu) and Palace)

amazing stats silent where do you get em all from lol and yes hodgy we did all use to walk round to lane end if we were kicking that way 2nd half was a few clashes under the old cricket pavilion in the 60s leeds tried coming round the other way twice in 70 and 71 and came unstuck both times

 

[Silent Blade]

13/1/1973

FA Cup 3rd round

Watford 0 Blades 1 (Eddy)

I didnt go to the game because I was with my school class watching the Pinocchio show at the Crucible theatre.

After the show , my dad picked me up and told me that we won with a Keith Eddy goal. I was thinking that the Watford fans must have felt the same as I did when John Tudor scored against us.

 

[Greenwich Blade]

13/1/1973

FA Cup 3rd round

Watford 0 Blades 1 (Eddy)

I didnt go to the game because I was with my school class watching the Pinocchio show at the Crucible theatre.

After the show , my dad picked me up and told me that we won with a Keith Eddy goal. I was thinking that the Watford fans must have felt the same as I did when John Tudor scored against us.

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Was that the start of the chant, "Sit down Pinocchio"?

That is cruelty to children, though; making them watch Pinocchio when there's good football to be had!