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March 1974

As appeared in Rothman's Football Yearbook 1974-75 (5th year) :

The Queen Anne Press, London 1974

March 1974

1 Mansfield striker Dudley Roberts signs for Scunthorpe.

2 Wolverhampton win the League Cup with a dramatic late goal by John Richards. It brings the first major honour to manager Bill McGarry, skipper Mike Bailey, and star striker Derek Dougan. After the final whistle, Rodney Marsh walks into the dressing room snubbing the usual presentation of tankards to the runners-up. . . Billy Bonds scores his first-ever hat-trick against Chelsea, on an afternoon when he is presented with 'Player of the Month' awards by both London evening newspapers . . . Two players, Bobby Kerr and Denis Tueart, are sent off at Sunderland in the local derby v Middlesbrough, and Millwall manager Benny Fenton is warned by the referee at Portsmouth, where he runs on to the pitch to remonstrate with one of the Pompey players. Fenton is told to leave the bench and take a seat in the stand.

4 After a four-hour board meeting at Chelsea it is reported that the club has decided to keep Osgood and dismiss manager Dave Sexton, who during his six years at the London club won the FA Cup and the European Cup-Winners' Cup with them. With several star players on the transfer list and the team in the relegation zone, the situation has reached crisis point, and the directors appear to have sided with the discontented few. As one player put it to an Evening Standard reporter: 'Osgood has proved to be greater than the club and Dave Sexton' . . . The PFA have announced their selections for their awards. Player of 1973 is Norman Hunter, and Young Player of 1973 is Kevin Beattie. Special awards for services to football go to Bobby Charlton and Cliff Lloyd.

5 The situation at Chelsea changes completely. Brian Mears states that Sexton is staying with the club and there has been a misunderstanding by the Press. Later, the manager confirms that he has no intention of leaving, and Osgood is still available for transfer. The break between the club and player seems final, as the England international asks for his cards and says that he'll retire from football.

6 Roy Stewart of Glentoran, who played against Moenchengladbach in the Cup-Winners' Cup tie yesterday, dies after a heart attack. . . Both Ipswich and Tottenham win their matches in the UEFA Cup. . . Shock result of the European Cup - Red Star Belgrade 0, Atletico Madrid 2 . . . Danny Williams is back at Swindon as manager. His present club Mansfield have reluctantly released him from his contract.

7 Aldershot sign Leicester defender Joe Jopling for a club record 13,000 pounds fee. . .
Dave Stainforth joins Bristol R. from Sheffield V. for 25,000 pounds. . . Denis Tueart of Sunderland is on the transfer list, and his colleague Micky Horswill has also put in a written request for a move.

8 West Ham put Bobby Moore up for sale! The former England captain says that he would like to find a new club and a fresh challenge before next Thursday's transfer deadline. Manager Ron Greenwood pays this tribute to Moore: 'Grateful is hardly the word for what he has done for the club and football. He is a splendid advertisement for the game.' . . . Denis Howell is the Minister for Sport in the new Labour Government.

9 Cup drama at Newcastle! Nottingham F. are awarded a penalty in the second half and the vehemently protesting Pat Howard is sent off. Lyall scores from the spot to put the visitors 3- I up, and the crowd invades the pitch. Referee Gordon Kew takes the players off the field, but after an eight-minute break, play resumes. Ten-man Newcastle then score three times to win the quarter-final 4--3! . . . At Q.P.R., third choice Leicester midfielder John Waters, a 20-year-old Eire youth international, scores both goals in a 2-0 victory . It is Waters' first-ever game for the first team! . . . Burnley and Liverpool end the cup runs of Wrexham and Bristol C. respectively. . . Leeds are back on the winning trail. They beat Manchester C. 1-0 through a disputed penalty.

10 Three Plymouth players are sent off in a League match at Port Vale. Referee Kevin McNally gives marching orders to Steve Davey (17th minute), and David Provan and Bobby Saxton in injury time.

11 Nottingham F. ask for the annulment of last Saturday's Cup result at Newcastle.
But the draw for the semi-finals includes Newcastle and a decision will be made later. Leonard Conroy, one of the pitch-invaders, is sentenced to six months imprisonment for breach of the peace and assaulting a police officer. . . Harry Gregg, manager of Swansea, is also in court - for swearing at a referee. He pleads guilty to using indecent language and is fined 20 pounds . . . Another substantial package deal takes Denis Tueart (250,000 pounds) and Micky Horswill (100,000 pounds) from Sunderland to Manchester C., and Tony Towers moves from Manchester C. to Sunderland for 125,000 pounds . . . Sir Alf Ramsey includes Stan Bowles, Duncan McKenzie, and Denis Tueart in his squad for the Inter-League match against Scotland and for the full international friendly in Lisbon v Portugal.

12 36,099 people turn out for the George Armstrong Testimonial match at Highbury. Barcelona beat Arsenal 3-1 , with Johan Cruyff playing a star part in their victory .

13 Peter Osgood signs for Southampton in a 275,000 deal pounds. . . Other transfers to beat the deadline: Nigel Cassidy, Oxford to Cambridge for 28,000 pounds and Dave Simmons, Cambridge to Brentford for 12,000 pounds . . . The England youth team lose 1-0 to Wales and are eliminated from the 'Little World Cup' Finals. England have won this UEFA Tournament for the last three years! . . . Cardiff qualify for the CupWinners' Cup next season by reaching the Welsh Cup final - opponents Stourbridge are English. . . Brian Clough is back from Iran, where the Shah of Persia offered him a 400 pounds per week job to run the national team. Clough has decided to stay with Brighton . . . Chelsea beat Burnley 3-0 in front of their lowest league gate for 36 years - 8171 . . . Trouble at Manchester, where United and City draw 0--0. Doyle and Macari are sent off after a fracas, but they both refuse to leave the field. Referee Clive Thomas takes both teams off the Old Trafford pitch, but the game resumes after seven minutes with 10 men on each side. Four other players (Holton, Summerbee, Forsyth, and Bielby) are also cautioned.

14 Swindon sign Peter Eastoe, the Wolverhampton striker, for a club record fee of 100,000 pounds . . . Jim McCalliog moves to Manchester U. from Wolverhampton for 60,000 pounds, and on the last day of transfer deals, Tony Bailey (Derby) goes to Oldham for 8000 pounds, Cambridge pay 30,000 pounds for Bobby Shinton of Walsall, and the young Manchester U. full-back Roy O'Brienjoins Notts Co. for 40,000 pounds . . . Sheffield U. manager Ken Furphy buys Chesterfield goalkeeper Jim Brown for 60,000 pounds, and Blackburn striker Tony Field for 75,000 pounds . . . But the move of Bobby Moore to Fulham creates the biggest sensation. After 16 years service with West Ham, Moore is sold at the give-away price of 25,000 pounds. Moore himself collects a hefty 20,000 pounds signing-on fee and is guaranteed about 17,500 pounds wages for the next two seasons. . . A special FA commission annuls the result of the Newcastle v Nottingham F. Cup tie and orders the match to be replayed on a neutral ground.

15 'League clubs spent an estimated 7,215,000 pounds on 177 major transfer deals up to last night's deadline - 1 million pounds less than in the previous year,' - writes the Daily Express. . . Newcastle are fuming over the FA's decision. Joe Harvey, manager, says: 'Diabolical! If the result doesn't stand how can the sending off and booking still stand ?' Malcolm Macdonald, in a BBC radio interview says: 'My reaction is one of disgust, but not surprise. I half-expected a ridiculous solution, and they came up with one. The FA have taken all integrity away from referee Gordon Kew.'

16 Liverpool beat Leeds 1-0 and narrow the gap at the top of the table. . . Four players are sent off - John Dunn (Charlton), Steve Piper (Brighton), Ken Stephens, and Bruce Bannister (both Bristol R.) . . . Sunday football is banned for the rest of the season by the FA - only four games, which have already been arranged for March 24, are exempt.

18 At Everton, Newcastle draw ~ with Nottingham F. after extra time, and the teams will meet again at the same venue on Thursday. . . Brighton are holding both Brian Clough and Peter Taylor to their contracts. Clough says: 'Of course I wanted to go to Iran, but the Board vetoed the move. I'm staying at Brighton to do a job, I am not saying I'm happy here.'

19 Bobby Moore makes his debut for Fulham. It is an unhappy occasion as visiting Middlesbrough win 4-0 at Craven Cottage! . . . At the initiative of Denis Howell, Minister for Sport, a special committee is set up to study player discipline and crowd behaviour. The members of the committee are Alan Hardaker, Ted Croker, Ron Greenwood, Eddie Plurnley, and Walter Winterbottom. Sir Alf Ramsey puts forward a three-point plan to improve England's standing on the international rating list. He wants at least three days to prepare for a friendly international, a week for World Cup and European Championship matches, and an average of one international a month during the season. He adds: 'There has to be a decision club or country? Seven players have dropped out of the squad selected for next Wednesday's Inter-League match. We were told they are injured, but I suggest they will be fit to play this weekend.'

20 Derek Dougan attacks the Denis Howell 'working party'. In a Daily Express interview he says: 'I'm terribly disappointed in Howell. When he came into Government again I expected two quick decisions - an immediate lifting on the energy ban and the re-opening of the Chester Report. If he really wants to help footballand crowd behaviour - he should persuade his colleagues to pour some money back into the game. Then we could have 80 per cent seating in all grounds and our biggest crowd problem would be over.' . . . Rothmans will extend their sponsorship to the Northern and Western Leagues next season. . . The 'new look' Football League team beat the Scottish League 5-0 at Manchester . . . Celtic reach the European Cup semi-final by beating the Swiss club Basle 4--2 in extra-time - Steve Murray scores the decisive goal. . . Tottenham are in the last four of the UEFA Cup, but Ipswich lose on penalty-kicks to Lokomotiv Leipzig.

21 After 300 minutes of football, Newcastle fight their way into the semi-finals of the FA Cup. They defeat Nottingham F. 1-0 with a Malcolm Macdonald goal.

23 Middlesbrough make certain of promotion with a 1-0 home win against Oxford. Jackie Charlton, in his first season as manager, leads the club back into the First Division after 20 years, and is chaired off the field by his players . . . Leeds lose at home to Burnley 1-4 - their worst home defeat under Don Revie . . . Liverpool win at Wolverhampton and the gap now is only four points at the top of the table. . . Referee Iowerth Jones is attacked by the fans after the Orient - Sheffield W. (0-1) match and will report the home club to the FA.

25 Jack Mansell is appointed as assistant manager of Q.P .R. . . Arthur Page, chairman of Orient for seven years, is to resign at the end of June. . . George Cohen, the ex-Fulham player, takes over Tonbridge, the Southern League club.

26 At Brentford, Frank Davis - 46 years a director - chairman Walter Wheatley, and vice-chairman Eric Radley-Smith are voted off the board. Ron Blindell, 18-yearold son of Ronald Blindell, who once bailed the club out of trouble, Poyton, and Colin Wheatley are the only directors still in office and the club faces a 'constitutional crisis.' Brian Lane, manager of the 'Yes' pop group, offers financial help, but his bid cannot be considered until a board with a quorum is elected.

27 A Scotland team- without the Leeds contingent -loses 2-1 against W. Germany in Frankfurt. . . Celtic decide not to playa benefit match for Tony Green at Newcastle because of the recent crowd troubles at that ground. . . Deputy referee Bob Armstrong books seven players at the Crewe v Reading game in Division 4.

28 Newport are fined 200 pounds and have a point deducted by the Football League for playing an ineligible player. . . Leeds are to fight a two-match suspension given to Norman Hunter. They will apply to an Independent Tribunal, so Hunter can play in the vital Easter programme while his appeal is considered. However, a similar ban for Allan Clarke is not contested. Clarke was booked by referee John Homewood during the Stoke match, and was reported to the FA for remarks made to the official after the game.

29 Halifax are allowed to postpone their league match v AFC Bournemouth, because injuries and illnesses have reduced their squad to ten players only.

30 Middlesbrough are champions of the Second Division after winning 1-0 at Luton . . . Newcastle reach the Cup Final for the record 11 th time, by beating Burnley 2-0 with two Malcolm Macdonald goals. . . Leicester and Liverpool draw the other semi-final and as they will replay on Wednesday, several players withdraw from Ramsey's Portugal-bound squad. . . Leeds lose their third successive league match - 1-3 at West Ham.