Talk 60's 70's Football at Yahoo! Groups sixtiesandseventiessoccer

Thirty Years Ago

Bob 70-71

Home

Note : The news from thirty years ago has an archive below

Click to see April 1970-71

April 1975

As appeared in Rothman's Football Yearbook 1975-76 (6th year) :

The Queen Anne Press, London 1975

April

1 Both Derby and Ipswich win their home matches and are now level on points with Everton on top of the table. Leicester beat West Ham 3-0 - Garland scores twice to take his total to six in five games since his transfer from Chelsea ... Representatives of Crystal Palace and Colchester are interviewed by a joint committee of the Football Association and the Football League following an inspection of their books.

3 Alec Stock gambles on John Mitchell in the semi-final against Birmingham. All the other teams have injury problems and won't announce their line ups until Saturday.

4 Everton drop a home point to Burnley . .. Ron Yeats, the ex-Liverpool player, is sacked at Tranmere, where he was player/manager for two years, and manager for one.

5 The first double deadlock in the FA Cup semi-finals for 23 years ... Mitchell takes the lead for Fulham, but Gallagher equalizes on Birmingham's behalf. The clash between West Ham and Ipswich is spoilt by injuries to Beattie and Hunter. Beattie stayed on as a semi-fit striker, and Hunter was substituted. Trevor Whymark did a splendid job as an emergency centre-back ... In the league, Derby grab a point with a last minute goal at Middlesbrough. Liverpool are back on top after winning 2-0 at Leeds. Tottenham register their third successive win and have a fighting chance to stay up. Carlisle are doomed to go straight back to Division Two. Manchester U. are certain of promotion. They beat Southampton 1-0 at the Dell.

7 Manager Don Howe is leaving West Bromwich. He is told that his contract won't be renewed at the end of the season. Howe, who was the first-team coach at Arsenal in the 'double' season, decides to leave immediately ... Colin Meldrum is sacked at Workington ... Derek Dougan, the Wolves striker and chairman of the PFA, announces that he will retire at the end of the season . . . Charlton win 1-0 at Tranmere and are clear favourites for promotion from Division Three.

8 The Welsh FA agree to play in Belfast provided certain conditions are observed. The match will take place if the ceasefire is still in operation, and the Yugoslav match -due to be played there on April 16 - remains incident free. Crystal Palace lose 2-1 at Grimsby. Three players are sent off by referee John Hough and four booked. The Palace players and manager Allison bitterly attack the referee and ask for the game to be replayed. Phil Holder says, 'The linesman used foul language to me when inspecting my boots in the dressing room.' AJlison: "This was the most incredible thing I have ever seen on a football pitch. We will report the referee and get him banned for life. If there is any justice, these points will be thoroughly investigated.' Sheffield W. put more players on the transfer list.

9 The FA Cup final will be an all-London affair. For the first time since 1967 two teams from the capital - Fulham and West Ham - reach Wembley. The Second Division side beat Birmingham 1-0 at Maine Road. John Mitchell, formerly with St Albans, gets the winner in the last minute of extra time. West Ham defeat Ipswich 2-1 at Stamford Bridge with two goals by Alan Taylor - a £40,000 buy from Fourth Division Rochdale. The 21-year-old striker also scored twice in the Sixth Round against Arsenal.. . Leeds take an early lead against Barcelona through Bremner in the European Cup semi-final first-leg tie at Elland Road, but Asensi equalizes in the 65th minute, and a Clarke goal gives the home side a narrow 2-1 advantage. In the other semi, St Etienne and Bayern Munich draw 0-0... George Knoebel, who resigned a week ago, changes his mind and signs a four year contract as manager of the Dutch National side ... Airdrie beat Motherwell 1-0 in a Scottish FA Cup semi-final and reach the Final for the first time in 51 years.

12 Derby beat West Ham 1-0 and are now odds-on to win the title ... Stoke are out of the race, but Liverpool, Everton, and Ipswich still have a chance to overhaul the leaders. Both Chelsea and Tottenham are beaten, and their clash next Saturday at White Hart Lane could send either of them into Division Two ... Derek Robbins leaves Coventry, and his son Peter will also resign from the Board. Informed gossip links Jimmy Hill with his old club.

14 Phil Boyer appeals against suspension in front of an Independent Tribunal. This ploy makes the Norwich striker available for the vital promotion battles.

15 Plymouth are promoted into Division Two. They beat Colchester 1-0 at home in front of a 23,551 crowd ... Scunthorpe, beaten by Brentford, will have to apply for re-election for the first time in their history. . . Bristol C., led by skipper Geoff Merrick, walk off the Orient pitch when the floodlights fuse, but referee Lester Shapter orders them back and they lose 1-0 - their promotion chances ruined!... Kevin Beattie gets his first full cap for England v Cyprus.

16 Malcolm Macdonald scores all five England goals in the European Championship tie v Cyprus at Wembley-an all-time record at the famous stadium, and the highest individual score for an England striker since 1938 ... Wales score a sensational 2-1 win in Budapest - a first home defeat for the Hungarians in a competitive fixture . . . Sweden and Scotland draw in a friendly, but Northern Ireland beat Yugoslavia 1-0 with a Bryan Hamilton goal . . . Chelsea make coach Eddie McCreadie manager, and Ron Suart will be the club's general manager.

18 New manager McCreadie drops captain John Hollins from the team v Tottenham. Hollins says that he wishes to leave the club ... Millwall lose at Southampton and are relegated from Division Two .. . Jimmy Hill is offered a seat on the Coventry Board . .. Southend skipper Dave Elliott is appointed as player/manager at Newport.

19 Derby are virtual champions! They draw at Leicester, while all their rivals lose. Liverpool and Everton are out of the race, but Ipswich can still catch the Mid-landers, if Derby fail to get at least a point at home against Carlisle ... Tottenham beat Chelsea 2-0 in the all-London relegation battle. The gate is 51,064 and thousands are locked out. Before the match, an unruly crowd invades the pitch, and the police fail to clear the playing area. Then referee Jack Taylor walks out with the teams and disperses the troublemakers ... Crowd trouble was also sadly evident in Nottingham, where Manchester U. clinch the Second Division title . . . Hudders-field are definitely relegated into Division Four! . . . Four players are sent off, taking the figures for the season over the 100 mark.

20 Jimmy Hill is the managing director of Coventry City. He'll take up his duties at once. The job - new in football - is an unpaid one, and Hill says that he won't interfere, with new manager Gordon Milne's work. Milne's promotion means tha,t Joe Mercer will get a seat on the board.

21 England will play in Belfast on May 17. That is the official FA decision following the example of the Welsh, who are also willing to travel there. But Don Revie emphasizes that players may withdraw from the party without jeopardizing their international future . . . Birmingham chairman Clifford Coombs calls a crisis meeting to discuss the recent record of the team and that of manager Freddie Goodwin.

23 A truly important night for English football!... Leeds reach the European cup final by drawing with Barcelona 1-1. Lorimer puts the visitors ahead early in the first half and Clares equalizes in the 70th minute. Soon afterwards, Gordon McQueen is sent off for striking the same Spanish player. Leeds - only the second English finalists in the history of the competition - will face Bayern, 2-0 winners over St Etienne, in Paris on May 28 for the trophy ... In the other major European tournaments, there will be an all-eastern European final in the Cup-Winners' Cup between Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros of Hungary, and a Moenchengladbach v Twente final in the UEFA Cup ... Derby clinch the Championship without playing. Ipswich drop a point at Maine Road against Manchester C., making Derby the First Division Champions . . . Chelsea's gloom deepens after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge v Sheffield U. - now only a near miracle can keep them in Division One , . . Aston Villa make sure of their promotion by beating Sheffield W. 4-0 away . .. Alan Mullery is the Footballer of the Year.

26 A quiet end to the League season as the last full Saturday programme is played off. Derby draw 0-0 with Carlisle. Immediately after the game they start to dig up their much criticized pitch and there will be a new surface laid for next season ... Liverpool and Ipswich make sure of their UEFA Cup places, alongside League Cup winners Aston Villa - the fourth spot will go to Stoke or Sheffield U.... Chelsea are relegated, but Tottenham could save themselves if they get a point against Leeds on Monday at White Hart Lane ... Aston Villa beat Sunderland 2-0, and as Norwich win at Portsmouth, the promotion race ends ... Two of last year's relegated sides, Manchester U. and Norwich, are back at the first attempt, and Aston Villa are in Division One after eight years' absence ... Cardiff go down to Division Three with Millwall and Sheffield W.

28 Tottenham escape relegation by beating Leeds 4-2. Chivers, recalled after two months' absence, scores one of the goals ... Chester are promoted for the first time in the club's 43-year League history ... Lincoln are beaten at Southport and finish behind Chester on goal average . . . Blackburn are the Third Division champions, after a scoreless home draw against Wrexham. The crowd - 21,290!

29 Charlton go back into Division Two after a 3-1 win over Preston . . . Sheffield U. draw at Birmingham and fail to clinch a UEFA Cup place ... In Division Three, Watford lose at home and are relegated to Division Four.