Despite the much needed win the previous Saturday Hereford were stuck in 21st place, 8 points behind the last promotion spot. That would equate to 13 in 3 points for a win money. Although Mansfield are top of the table, with it being a midweek game and wins still a rarity the inevitable happened and a meagre crowd of only 10095 bothered to turn up. At the time that remarkable crowd was a record for Hereford United in the league. To put that into context, almost to the day a decade later 24th placed United hosted promotion chasing Hull City for a midweek fixture, Hull a team that shouldn't have been in the fourth tier of the football league. The attendance was 2320.
Hereford were showing that they were still learning though, they hadn't yet mastered the art of forgetting to turn up when faced with an unusually high crowd. Instead they took table topping Mansfield down 3-1 courtesy of two late goals - Wallace 11, Redrobe 75, Owen 85, former England international Frank Wignall made it 1-1 before HT before getting sent off.
On the Pitch: Both Colin Addison and Phil Godsall take the opportunity to welcome new signing Eric Redrobe - just in time for his first ever goal for the whites. Addison expresses his satisfaction with Saturdays 2-0 win, identifying the early goal as being vital to open up your away team of the days park the bus formation. There were still almost 10 more years of the 2 points for a win era, an era that would meet it's demise due to the negativity of away teams.
Off the Pitch: News that the previous Saturdays game had bagged Doris Vaughan a modest sounding £10 prize via the Golden Goal competition, courtesy of the 1972 gift that kept on giving Ronnie Radford. Not for the first time this season there is some top pipe smoking action in the Fan of the Week photo.
There is more talk about what would become the Len Weston stand with Phil Godsall suggesting that it will afford the best view in the ground. This was until recently the home of the original Edgar Street main stand on the traditional sun to your backs west side of the pitch. A stand whose demise came about with the need to widen Edgar Street, turning it into the free flowing super highway it has remained to this day.
In the Opposition: Following on from Mike Trebilcock who was in the Torquay team earlier in the season, fellow 1966 FA Cup finalist Sam Ellis lines up for Mansfield. His Sheffield Wednesday team also lost that day to a Mike Trebilcock inspired Everton.
Meanwhile the leagues top scorer John Fairbrother who spearheaded the Stags attack had scored for Northampton at Edgar Street two years previously in the first of five FA Cup games between the two sides in consecutive seasons.
In the Charts: Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon was still No.1.
In the News: 23rd October sees the launch of your flexible friend the Access credit card.
On TV: 23rd October was also marked by the BBC announcing that a new teletext service and future friend of football fans throughout the land, Ceefax was being launched.
In the Maternity Ward: Footballer Lee Clarke was born on 27th October 1972.
Click on photos to enlarge.
