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Sunday, November 24, 2024

Old Programmes - 1973-74 Season - Hereford United v Huddersfield Town - Division Three - Saturday November 17th 1973

Result: 0-1 Loss (HT 0-1) Alan Gowling scored the game’s only goal for Huddersfield in the 30th minute. In fairness, they had paid Manchester United £65k for his services the previous season - that works out a cool £1M in 2024. If former Hereford United players was a Pointless question you would probably do well to avoid Ronnie Radford, instantly remembered for one thing. The magic of the FA Cup would trick you into believing that he was also some plucky trier who had his moment of magic (slight understatement). What his 33 starts in the 73-74 season revealed was he could more than hold his own in what is now League 1 at the age of 30.

Attendance: 7,925

Hereford United: Hughes, Mallender, Naylor, McLaughlin, Tucker, Tavener (Gane), Rudge, Lee, Hinch, Gregory, Radford.

Opposition: Poole, Hutt, Garner, Pugh, Saunders, Marshall, S.Smith, Dolan, Gowling, Summerhill, Hoy.

League Position: The recent run of DLDL, including this defeat (the first time HUFC have lost two home games on the spin since joining the league), sees Hereford drop to 14th (18 games in). Huddersfield are 6th. That sequence did include a good point the last time out though, a 0-0 draw at York, a team no one had beat in 17 matches, including no goals conceded in the last 9 matches.

Click on photos to enlarge. 

Colin's Comments: In his notes, Colin acknowledges that his name gets a mention whenever someone fires up the managerial merry-go round. See Tony Galvagni below.

Third Division Round Up: Top work by Ted with this last paragraph. 

How's this for co-incidence? When Rochdale entertained Grimsby Town three weeks ago the gate was 1,549. Last Saturday when Watford visited Spotland the official attendance was also 1,549. I wonder if the same 1,549 people attended the two matches.

I remember that Rochdale had that re-election hanging-on-in-there vibe, with poor gates and a crummy ground. Whilst they eventually got there in the end, finding their way into the National League last season, their ground is now one we would take in a heartbeat. 


In the Opposition: This was a squad that had that old skool trademark collection of players that banged in 200 plus games for single clubs, including defender Dennis Clarke. He had kicked his career off at WBA though, and has the distinction of being the first ever substitute to be used in an FA Cup final (1968 WBA v Everton). It worked too, the Brom prevailing 1-0 after extra time courtesy of a Jeff Astle winner. Graham Pugh played in the gift that keeps on giving, the 1966 FA Cup final. It's claimed Les Chapman would go on to be in probably Blur's biggest hit Parklife - I am not going to lie to you, I wasn't expecting to write that. Meanwhile, former Busby Babe Jimmy Nicholson was capped 41 times for Northern Ireland (more than George Best). 

Doing these, you repeatedly discover that the players of the day would largely do the rounds of the local clubs, with a spell at the likes of Halifax borderline compulsory for this cohort. Finally, some things haven't changed. Like modern day fellow pro Wayne Rooney, Alan Gowling would also go into management in the Derbyshire area, becoming a general manager in a chemicals company in Buxton.    

Fan of the Week: A couple of now in their 60's young uns in a serious looking crowd, brothers looking at their hair. I think anyone who was a child in '70s had that exact haircut, including me. 

Edgar Street Chatter: A great stat to kick off with. 1924, the year Hereford United were formed, was the first of Huddersfield hat-trick of league wins on the spin. They were the only times they ever won the title.  

Meanwhile, three outlying towns are in the spotlight; Ross, Leominster, and Gibraltar. Ross are launching a branch of the Supporters Club (the "management" comprising, Eric Williams, brothers Henry and Tim Rubery, and Rita Baynham). Leominster youngster Tony Galvagni, aware that even in 1970's football, money talked, donated his 5p sweet money to the club to (successfully) sway Colin Addison into staying at Edgar Street when he got wind that Nottingham Forest were sniffing round him. 

Forest had just lost the services of Scottish football legend Dave Mackay, who returned to former club Derby, a decision that would see them win only their second title the next season (the first was in the Newcastle season - 71/72). Forest were still one manager away from their most famous ever appointment, fellow Scot Allan Brown getting the gig for two seasons. Addison being in the conversation though gives you an indication of the value of his stock.


Going by Car: Following on from the previous programme, Block D is flying up. Not something you would be doing to Chesterfield looking at the pre-M42 recommended route.


In the News: Anne (the Princess Royal) married Captain Mark Phillips on 14th November 1973.

In the Singles Charts: I Love you Love Me Love by Gary Glitter was No.1.

It is clear that despite the early seventies falling comfortably within the golden era of music the No.1s were largely shocking; time to get the rescue club out. Moving forward the Album chart can do the heavy lifting.

In the Album Charts: Pin Ups by David Bowie was No.1, a covers album apparently as he was getting hassle off his record company. A solid start though. 

Meanwhile on 20th November The Who kicked off their Quadrophenia tour in San Francisco, although their legendary drummer Keith Moon passed out half way through the performance, only to be replaced by a member of the crowd, 19 year old Scot Halpin. So to sum up, singles charts not great, but on the flip side there were concerts that were off the charts.

On TV: The Beeb and ITV give the royal wedding the full works, with Dad's Army also getting into the spirit of things, the episode "The Royal Train" being shown in the evening. The 19th November sees The Streets of San Francisco starring Michael Douglas kick off on ITV.

In the Maternity Ward: Homes Under the Hammer/Place in the Sun Presenter Johnnie Irwin, who passed away in February, was born on 18th November 1973.