Result: 1-1 (HT 1-0) Evans 26 / Lees 50
Attendance: 8,634
Hereford United: Hughes, Carver, Naylor, McLaughlin, Tucker, Tavener, Evans, Jenkins (Owen), Redrobe, Radford, Rudge.
Opposition: Rankin, Butler, Williams, Keen, Lees, Welbourne, Bond, Morrisey, Jennings, Lindsay, Farley.
League Position: 10th (5 games in)
On the Pitch: Hereford go into the game with form of WWLD. The defeat was away to Charlton, and the point was away to Bristol Rovers, though the latter must have felt like a defeat (see Colin's Comments). It was played at Eastville, Bristol Rovers' former ground, in front of 12,720 at what must have been a lively evening. The former dogtrack is now the site of an Ikea and a Tesco, and it gave Bristol Rovers their 'Gas Heads' nickname due to the adjacent gas works.
Colin's Comments: He kicks off his piece acknowledging how tough those first four fixtures were, before praising the players and summarising the two away games. He also congratulates Brian Evans for making the Wales squad for their World Cup qualifier against Poland. I recall a (more) child like me finding via the Rothman's football yearbook that a Hereford player had played international football quite a big deal. It goes to show how international football has changed as the Hereford teams of this period were dripping with talent when compared to the more recent era's that have seen players regularly going away for international duty.
In the Opposition: Goalkeeper Andy Rankin was involved in the match that keeps on giving - the 1966 FA Cup final - as a squad player when he was at Everton, who he would play 85 times for between 1963-71. During that time, Everton won the FA Cup (1966) and the league (1970). The league win gave Everton a go in the European Cup, and Andy Rankin had the distinction of saving the crucial penalty in the European Cup's first ever penalty shoot out, against every '70s kids favourite European Team name, Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Rankin would play 329 times for Watford before rounding his career off at Huddersfield in 1980 at the age of 36. He would play a further 71 times for Huddersfield, hanging up his gloves in 1982.
Rankin was Watford's player of the year the season before and after this one. Rankin just missed out on Watford's golden 80's era, a club that prior to that had spend most of their time in the lower two divisions of English football, never having played higher than the third flight until 1969.
Fan of the Week: Always a great snapshot of old United fans, there is plenty to see in this edition, including the staple of going to the game, something amusing going down.
Edgar Street Chatter: Hereford announce record season ticket sales. 1,779 split 1,242 and 537 between the seats and standing accordingly. The terrace tickets were more commonly known as ground tickets back then. There is plenty going on as ever at boom time Edgar Street. A brass band played before the game, with the RAF gymnastics' team due to entertain the crowd before the next home game (Tranmere). The club have also bagged the use of a fancy new bus from Canyon Travel.
It would also appear that you could enter the ground back then and transfer up to the seats subject to availability, something that you occasionally see to this day in non-league football.
Third Division Round Up: Mark Palios of Tranmere Rovers gets a mention, someone who would go on to become a high up in the FA after hanging up his boots, before quitting due to according to Wikipedia the delightful people that are the British press. It also suggests he was doing a good job at the time.
Supporters' Corner: A hangover from the previous season, the relationship with the council isn't great. Phil Godsall was unhappy about the rise in ground rent, despite it being a below inflation 400%. He does point out that the ground is being transformed by the clubs success, with the council not having to pick up the tab, before stating that the club bring plenty of general revenue in including council car parks, which with 5 figure crowds quite common is a fair point. One thing that is clearly marring this fantastic period is crowd behaviour.
Going by Car: A 1970s trip to Halifax feels like it has a consultation with the AA written all over it.
In the News: 8th - 12th September sees a mainland bombing campaign by the IRA with Manchester, London shopping areas Oxford Street and Sloane Square, together with London stations Victoria, Euston, and Kings Cross targeted.
In the Charts: Young Love by Donny Osmond is at No.1
In the Maternity Ward: Athlete Darren Campbell was born on 12th September 1973.
Click on photos to enlarge.
