1973-74 match reports and photos (50 years ago today)

[Silent Blade]

My 15th birthday! Went to the game on National Coach from Pond St.

A day before my 12th birthday! I missed the school Talent Contest on the night of my birthday. The Senior Matron made me miss it as a punishment for sneaking into the classroom before breakfast to find out from the papers how we got on in the home game against Ipswich earlier in the month.

 

[bornablade]

We were probably cursing Bob Hatton that day not knowing just how important he would prove to be to us in the next decade.

Bob Hatton probably described as a 'journeyman footballer' was totally underrated. It looks as though Bob Latchford had left Brum in a big figure transfer to Everton and Trevor Francis was eventually sold to Forest for a £miilion.

Bob Hatton was as important as those two to the teams he played for.

 

[Greenwich Blade]

A day before my 12th birthday! I missed the school Talent Contest on the night of my birthday. The Senior Matron made me miss it as a punishment for sneaking into the classroom before breakfast to find out from the papers how we got on in the home game against Ipswich earlier in the month.

That's harsh. Or maybe it wasn't, depending on the talents your school chums were displaying that night - I bet at least half of the acts were doing magic tricks.

 

[Silent Blade]

That's harsh. Or maybe it wasn't, depending on the talents your school chums were displaying that night - I bet at least half of the acts were doing magic tricks.

I was on my own in my dormitory waiting for the others to return after the Talent Contest, when they returned, all said that they had enjoyed the acts

 

[Silent Blade]

6/4/1974

Blades 0 Coventry 1 (Hutchison)

For the past few days I feared that I would not be attending the match despite that I would be home for the school Easter holidays. My class teacher was disappointed with with my school work and reported me to the Principal who then wrote a letter for me to hand over to my parents for when I go home by train on the Friday. I feared that my dad being disappointed would not take me to anymore football matches until I improve in my school work. When I got home on Friday afternoon I handed the letter to my mum. She was disappointed in me and the next few hours was more nerve wracking as my dad hadnt yet returned home from work. After tea I had gone out to play football in the park. I noticed through the back window of the house that my dad had just returned from work. I saw him pick up the letter, sat down on the dining table to read the letter. I could see him showing disappointment so I decided to get back into the house to say "sorry" and promise that I would work harder from when I return to school in three weeks time.

To my relief, my dad still carried on taking me to matches! I do not remember much about the Coventry game.











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

1974-04-06

From the programme

 

[bornablade]

6/4/1974

Blades 0 Coventry 1 (Hutchison)

For the past few days I feared that I would not be attending the match despite that I would be home for the school Easter holidays. My class teacher was disappointed with with my school work and reported me to the Principal who then wrote a letter for me to hand over to my parents for when I go home by train on the Friday. I feared that my dad being disappointed would not take me to anymore football matches until I improve in my school work. When I got home on Friday afternoon I handed the letter to my mum. She was disappointed in me and the next few hours was more nerve wracking as my dad hadnt yet returned home from work. After tea I had gone out to play football in the park. I noticed through the back window of the house that my dad had just returned from work. I saw him pick up the letter, sat down on the dining table to read the letter. I could see him showing disappointment so I decided to get back into the house to say "sorry" and promise that I would work harder from when I return to school in three weeks time.

To my relief, my dad still carried on taking me to matches! I do not remember much about the Coventry game.

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

1974-04-06

From the programme
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My recollection of this game was on the Monday (April 8th ) I left Sheffield and so my chances of watching every home game would be limited. My parents always sent me Green Un's and newspaper cuttings.

On the Sunday (April 7th) I heard the song that had won the Eurovision. Some obscure Swedish group. I thought they wouldn't last long. My knowledge of music is about as impressive as my knowledge of football.

 

[Big Hitter]

Crikey - one team there had Colin Franks at centre-forward.! Do not remember that one. Did he play there again.?

 

[Silent Blade]

Crikey - one team there had Colin Franks at centre-forward.! Do not remember that one. Did he play there again.?

Played upfront quite a few times. He did when he scored twice in the 4-0 win against Burnley in September 1978

 

[Bell4]

Start of our downfall when we started recruiting players like Franks - Garbett - Field imo

 

[Silent Blade]

Derek Dooley visits TC at the hospital where he had the cartilage operation.

 

[Silent Blade]

8/4/1974

Blades 1 (Nicholl) Liverpool 0

Remember the night well apart from Eddy's penalty being saved by Ray Clemence (dont remember it). Terry Nicholl's goal at the Lane End seemed to happen in a slow motion as he broke through the Liverpool defence, got a touch to the through ball, the ball bouncing slowly into the net. Then the eruption of joy from the crowd!

The result was a big blow for Liverpool's title hopes. Before the game Liverpool were 4 points behind Leeds with 3 games in hand.









From the programme




I had thought I would be able to see Woody's testimonial before the end of the school Easter holidays. Why was the original date postponed?

 

[Silent Blade]

13/4/1974

Derby 4 (Davies, Hector 3) Blades 1 (Woodward)

I dont remember any of the goals, hadnt realised until tonight that Hector scored a hat trick. Maybe I was feeling miserable and didnt care to find out who were Derby's scorers. I remember coming back in the Branson coach (organised by SUSC Dronfield branch) telling my dad that I didnt fancy going to Elland Road for the Easter Monday match. He then told the coach organiser that I wasnt bothered about going to Leeds in two days time. I probably feared another thrashing!






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

1974-04-13

 

[Silent Blade]

15/4/1974

Leeds 0 Blades 0

I had calmed down since feeling low after the 4-1 defeat at Derby two days earlier, I was at my Auntie Ellen's house in Parson Cross on that Easter Monday. She and my cousin , Denise, decided to take me to a park (I think it was Ecclesfield Park). I was more interested in how we got on at Elland Road so my kind auntie said she would listen to the score on her transistor radio. She did have problems on hearing the commentary because of the crackling noise. Dont remember the moment when I got the final score. I was disappointed that I wasnt at Elland Road to see us get a point against league leaders.







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

1974-04-15

 

[Silent Blade]

16/4/1974

Blades 0 Leeds 2 (Lorimer 2, 1 pen)

I remember there were loads of Leeds fans at the Lane but the memory of the goals by Lorimer were wiped off from my memory even after looking in the below video.




TC, recovering from the knee op, watches the match from the Directors box.



Bramall Lane End













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

1974-04-16

From the programme

 

[Silent Blade]

20/4/1974

Blades 1 (Eddy pen) QPR 1 (Givens)

A late penalty by Keith Eddy guaranteed us another season in the first division. I dont remember any of the goals but remember Gary France making his debut and after the match many Blades fans were waiting to see if Boro had scored more than 6 goals against Wendy as we watched the scoreboard man getting ready to confirm the score at Ayresome Park. He didn't have a number 8 so he excitedly ran up the steps of the scoreboard and held up a 6 and a 2 together with a big beam on his face! We all laughed on the way out of the ground.

I remember being disappointed that the date for Woody's testimonial had been postponed and that I would miss it because I was due back at Mary Hare school on the 29th of April.















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

1974-04-20

From the programme

 

[Silent Blade]

27/4/1974

Ipswich 0 Blades 1 (Woodward)

My dad and I decided not to go to Ipswich as we had been there twice and I was going to have a long journey back to my school two days later. My Uncle Pete took me to watch Wendy v Bolton. Wendy needed a win to avoid the drop to the 3rd division. We sat in the North Stand. It wasnt a memorable first 80 minutes and there was a lot of tension showing from both teams. With 5 minutes left, Bolton had put the ball into the net, my Uncle Pete stood up and said "I have had enough and we are going!". I had a little smirk on my face but quickly realised that the ref had disallowed the goal but there was no stopping Uncle Pete so we got into the concourse heading for the exits and then through a gangway we stopped for a little bit as we could tell the Bolton keeper getting ready for a Wendy attack and we saw the ball flash into the roof of the net, there were wild celebrations and my Uncle Pete punched his fist in the air and shouted "Knighton" but we still headed for the exits before the final whistle.



When we got into my Uncle Pete's car, he switched the car radio on and was telling me that Man U had got relegation despite that the crowd invasion after Denis Law's goal caused the ref to abandon the match after 82 minutes.




He was telling me the other scores. When he told me that Cardiff had drawn, I knew that Wendy were now safe but he didnt realise this and he showed his dismay on hearing that Crystal Palace had won. He thought Wendy still had a chance of going down so I corrected him that it was either Cardiff or Palace that will get the 3rd relegation spot because they were due to face each other a few days later and it wasnt possible for both to finish above Wendy. A few days later Malcolm Allison's Palace failed to win their last match so Palace went down.






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

1974-04-27