Hereford, though, found themselves kicking off 1973 with a Welsh Cup fixture against Pembroke Borough. Google suggests that the higher profile Welsh football set up of more recent times has passed them by. Last season they lived in Division Three of the Pembrokeshire League along with the likes of Haverfordwest Cricket Club and Penmar Robbins 2nds.
Back in 73 they were in the Welsh Football League Premier Division. Hereford dispatched them 6-1 courtesy of goals by Owen (2), Tavener, Rudge, Tucker, and Slattery. As 1972 became 1973 the novelty of watching Hereford didn't appear to be wearing off with an impressive 4100 in attendance. Once the 1970's boiled over that attendance would have slotted in as the highest gate for roughly half of Hereford United's subsequent league seasons. Ron Parrott's Good Book reveals that Pembroke made a very handy £600 from their share of the gate receipts (roughly £6k in todays money). The 73-74 season saw them finish as runners up in the Welsh Prem, about as good as it has got for them.
In the Opposition: The centre spread of the programme gives a nice run through all things Pembroke Borough choosing Keith Todd as their link to Hereford United. He won the Welsh Cup with Swansea City in 1966 (although I believe they were still Swansea Town until 1969). In that team were Welsh football legend Ivor Allchurch together with Roy Evans and Brian Purcell. Evans and Purcell would join Hereford from Swansea in 1968, sadly passing away in a car crash in early 1969 en route to meeting the team bus for an away match against Nuneaton Borough. The tragedy is commemorated by a plaque in the entrance to the Hereford Suite. The story is better told in this Hereford FC article from 2019 https://www.herefordfc.co.uk/news-bulls-to-remember-two-players-who-lost-their-lives-en-route-to-away-game/
In the Charts: Little Jimmy Osmond remained at No.1 with Long Haired Lover from Liverpool.
In the News: 1st January 1973 sees the UK enter something called the European Economic Union along with Denmark and Ireland. I have googled whatever that is and whether the UK are still in it, but the internet has come up with a complete blank sorry.
On TV: 4th January - Last of the Summer wine is aired for the first time, a show that would be on our tellies for a remarkable 37 years.
In the Maternity Ward: 1st January - Jimi Mistry of East is East, The Guru and Corrie fame was born. He would also make it through to week 6 in the 2010 season of Strictly Come Dancing.
Click on photos to enlarge.
