MAY DAY FOR ALF

May 1st 1974 was a memorable May Day, because the FA decided to sack Alf Ramsey as manager of the national team, a job Alf had held since 1963. In 113 internationals he had won 69 and drawn 17, added to this the World Cup win in 1966. He also took England to 3rd place in the Euros in 1968. England had failed to reach the Euros Final in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974, including the disappointing draw with Poland, who had not qualified for the World Cup since 1938. Ramsey had asked the Football League to cancel the round of matches the previous weekend so he could get his team together. Alan Hardaker, the FL Chairman refused saying that "it is a football match not a war!" This was the first time England had failed to qualify for the World Cup.

With seven internationals coming up in a month, Joe Mercer was persuaded to leave Coventry City and he managed 3 wins and 3 draws and a defeat to Scotland.
In July 1974 Don Revie left Leeds United to take over the national role....you may know the rest.

Walter Winterbottom was the England manager prior to Ramsey, very much an FA "puppet" who had nothing to do with selection but was allowed to coach the national team. In 1962, England had reached the quarter-finals of the Chilean World Cup, losing to Brazil.

Ramsey had been in charge at unfashionable Ipswich Town and had taken them through as Third Division South champions in 1956-7, then the Division Two title in 1959-60 and on to the England Division One Championship in 1961-62. Ramsey then managed England from 1963 until 1974, he had a short spell, 1977-8, at Birmingham City, when he was 58 years old and in 1979-80 was Technical Director at Panathanaikos.

Ramsey had announced that he was going to take England to win the World Cup in 1966, a statement that didn't make him very popular, and he appointed the youthful Bobby Moore as captain. Two risky moves. He had success with England of course, but his departure was not elegant ,as he faced the wrath of Harold Thompson, the FA Chairman. Many of his faithful players were stunned by his sacking. Ramsey died in 1999 aged 79 following alzheimers and prostate cancer. He then had a stroke on the eve of the 1998 World Cup.

Sports' historian, Frank McLynn said that "he was a humourless bore and stifling tactician whose reputation rests on one single undeserved triumph."

REMEMBERING RECORDS

Jerry, for ever a stats man, challenged us today with tasks like "Who scored the most Premier League goals in a season?" la, la, la. A can of Amstel outside a Cretan bar at lunchtime was never enough to wreck our memory, so we did get close to some of his questions. Terry Bly got a mention but it wasn't necessarily an answer he was looking for.

On April 29th 1961, Terry scored 52 goals in one season when leading the line with Peterborough United and on April 1961 a hat trick against Barrow at London Road, created a post-war best for the Football League, This being a Division 4 game, Barrow were bottom of the division and The Posh, as Peterborough were known, reached 134 goals in the season earning them promotion to Division Three in top position. Over 15,000 watched the game. Terry began his career at Bury Town, played for Norwich City 29 apps/4 goals, then went to the Posh 88 times and scored 81 goals. At Coventry 32 apps 25 goals, Notts County 29/4 and Grantham 199/125,not a bad investment!
Terry Bly, a proper centre-forward.

On the same day in 1992, Gary Lineker scored his 48th goal for England against The CIS in Moscow. With 6 more internationals in his locker, he scored no more goals for his country, including missing a penalty against Brazil in a 1-1 draw at Wembley. This left him one short of Bobby Charlton's England record of 49 goals in 106 appearances. Wayne Rooney has since passed Charlton's record

On the 30th April 1988, Peter Shilton overtook Terry Paine's record of Football League appearances by notching his 825th match when he played in a 1-1 at Vicarage Road against Watford for Derby. Shilton went on to appear 1005 times.

In 1960 (30th April) Tom Finney played his last game for his beloved Preston North End against Luton Town in a Division One (top) match, helping his team to a 2-0 win. He made 433 appearances for North End and turned out once more in September 1963 for the Irish club, Distillery when they took on Portuguese stars, Benfica in a European Cup tie. At home the Irish lads got a brilliant 3-3 draw. They lost 0-5 away.

FOOTBALL IN CRETE

 I have been trying to find a game to watch this week, finding myself lounging with a few chums on the Greek island of Crete; mountains covered in snow, warm Mediterranean seas and sharing a pleasant "let" somewhere near Rethymno. You know where that is?

But getting here at the end of one weekend (Easter to the Greeks) and leaving on a another weekend is not going to help. No sign of midweek football here.

Two teams stand out on the island: OFI (Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou)-badge above- founded in 1925 as part of a gymnastic club and Ergotelis founded in 1929. These two clubs dominate Cretan football and OFI have recently ventured in to the Greek Super League and Ergotelis in the Football League. Two other Cretan sides, AO Chania and Plantanias play in the Football League.

The first meeting between OFI and Ergotelis was on 18th August 1929 when Ergotelis won 1-0. The most recent meeting was on January 24th 2019 when in the Greek Cup Round 16 they drew 1-1 and Ergotelis won 3-4 on pens.

OFI have had most wins between the two in the Greek Derby. It is fair to say that the two clubs have had their issues, for one,  trying to get involved in the Greek National league. The Hellenic Football Federation set out a "stall" that said that regional teams outside of the mainland had to jump through many "hoops" before getting involved in top national competitions.

The Second World War didn't help,  as Crete was a pivotal point in the Mediterranean conflict and isolated and more recently, the Greek Military Junta in 1966-7 put a spanner in the works, when there was a dictum that "one club only from a regional city could play in the Greek League". Imagine Manchester or Liverpool being put under such regulation. Clubs therefore were forceably moved from the top division in the Greek League to Division Two.

Despite this the clubs battled on and OFI became the only club Cretan club to win the National Cup in 1987. OFI have won 25 of the meetings between the two rivals and drawn 11. Erogtelis have managed only 7.
OFI in 1954

Ergotelis in1966-7

CHARLTONS FROM ASHINGTON, WHITE HORSE, SOUTH SHIELDS.

Bobby Charlton and brother Jackie both had landmarks on April 28th, when Bobby played his last game (606th) for Manchester United (he did go on to Preston NE briefly), losing to Chelsea 0-1 at Stamford Bridge. United were left just above the relegation zone.
Jackie retired from professional football outright, having spent all his time at Leeds Utd. His last game was played at the Dell v Southampton.
28th April 1923 was the first Wembley FA Cup Final which became known as the "White Horse Final". The new national stadium at Wembley had been long waited for and an official crowd of 126,047 was recorded and since it was not "all ticket", estimates suggested that more than 200,000 crammed into the stadium. Clearly there was a danger so the police got to work clearing the pitch and the famous police horse had to be employed to push the crowd back behind the touch lines. The match started 45 minutes late and Bolton Wanderers won 2-0.

On their way to final, in Round 1 Wanderers beat Norwich away 0-2, Leeds 3-1 at home, then met holders Huddersfield Town whom they eventually defeated 1-0 after a 1-1 draw in Huddersfield. The Trotters then dispatched Charlton away 0-1 and in the semi-final Sheffield United 1-0 at Old Trafford.

West Ham United beat Hull away 2-3 in Rd 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 at home in Rd 2 after a 1-1 draw away, Plymouth 2-0 at home in Rd 3, Southampton away 1-0 at the neutral Villa Park after two 1-1 draws in Rd 4 and a resounding 5-2 defeat of Derby at Stamford Bridge in the semi-final.

South Shields made great progress in the cup beating Halifax Town 3-1 in Rd 1, Blackburn Rovers 0-1 away after a 0-0 home draw in Rd 2 and finally giving in to QPR 3-0 in Rd 3. QPR then lost to Sheffield United.

LAW NOT ABANDONED ENTIRELY

On this day in 1974, Denis Law completed a back heel for his team, Manchester City against derby rivals United, which scored a vital goal after 85 minutes, completing the relegation of the club to Division 2. (actually he found out that United would have gone down anyway) Law was substituted as the crowd invaded the pitch. In the next season, under Tony Book's new managership, Law played in a Texaco Cup game, when he scored a goal against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and then had a final appearance at Maine Road against Oldham Athletic; he retired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HQhV3ujyg
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2135817/Manchester-derby-Goal-haunts-Denis-Law--38-years-on.html
Hearing this week, that Bolton Wanderers were struggling to survive and that the players were not being paid, this is nothing new.

On December 29th 1894 Walsall Town Swifts were on the brink of relegation and their players were not being paid. On the 29th, the players went on strike and said "no pay, no play". Just before kick off the players agreed to a settlement and before a 2000 crowd they played against Newcastle United and by half time were 3-0 down. In the second half the Swifts pulled two goals back but soon it was the weather that took over with rain, sleet and gales along with fading light at that time of the year, the referee decided to call it a day. After 78 minutes the ref abandoned the game, Walsall sacked five players and persuaded the rest to play for expenses. The Swifts conceded twelve goals in the next two matches.

On the 9th March 1895 the Swifts played Newton Heath, you know who??,  and lost the Division Two match, 14-0. The Swifts complained about the state of the pitch, which at that time of year was just sand and mud. The League agreed and the match was declared void and replayed on April 3rd, when Newton Heath won 9-0. Newton Heath eventually came 3rd in the division, Swifts 14th out of 16.  The next season saw Newton Heath remain in mediocrity in Division Two and there was no representative from Walsall. The Walsall club rejoined the league in 1896.

In Division Two that season were Manchester City, Woolwich Arsenal and Newcastle United. Other clubs included Burton Wanderers, Burton Swifts, Leicester Fosse (now City), Darwen and Burslem Port Vale.

LEYTON'S LISBEI LINKS TO THE VASE AND TROPHY

 Where is Brackley? Northamptonshire! The club is based at St James' Park, Brackley and the Saints are holders of the Buildbase FA Trophy, the Trophy designed in 1969 for Non-League clubs playing between Tier 5-8. (Tier 4 being Football League Division 2).

Last season Brackley won the FA Trophy beating Bromley 5-4 on penalties at Wembley after a thrilling 1-1.

The final was played on the same day as the Buildbase FA Vase Final, also a Non-League competition for clubs below Tier 8, a competition founded in 1974.

These two competitions took the place of the FA Amateur Cup when the national game went "professional" for all. The standard of entry is decided by which level of the Pyramid clubs are in after the previous season.

Last season's FA Vase Final saw Thatcham Town, the Kingfishers, from Berskshire beat Stockton Town 1-0 from the North-east, also at Wembley, on Non-League Day.

On May 19th this year at Wembley, Leyton Orient take on AFC Fylde with a winner's pride of £20,000.

FA Trophy winners get £60,000 and runners up £30,000. Semi-final winners get £20,000.
FA Vase winners earn £30,000 and Losers £20,000 whilst semi-final winners earn £5500 and losers £1750.

This season's Trophy final will be between Leyton Orient and AFC Fylde. Orient beat AFC Telford Utd 3-1 over the two leg semi-final and are coached by Kevin Lisbei-see below- who played 111 times for the Orient and ten times for Jamaica.
Fylde beat Stockport County 3-2.

The Vase Final will be between:
Cray Valley Paper Mills from Eltham near Greenwich, play in the Southern Counties East Premier, and have beaten St Austell FC in the South-west, Irlam in the North-west, West Auckland in the North-east and back to Northwich Victoria amongst their nine conquests. Lisbei played briefly for "Paper Mills" at the end of his playing career.

Chertsey Town, 

The "Curfews" (named after a local church bell that rang out as night fell-hence the curfew) from Surrey play in the Combined Counties League. Town have not travelled quite so far but have beaten NINE clubs including St Panteleimon, Baffin Milton Rovers and Canterbury City.

APRIL SHOW-ERS

I have a few days to cover because there are such a number of what I regard as interesting moments in late April.
On the 20th April 1955 Ivor and Len Allchurch (left) and John and Mel Charles (right) played for Wales in a Home Country international against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park. John Charles, a formidable giant of a man, scored a hat trick in his country's 3-2 victory.


On the 21st April 1909 Nottingham Forest beat Leicester Fosse (now City) 12-0 in a First Division relegation battle. Fosse had just arrived in the First Division having been promoted in 1908. A internal club inquiry revealed that team mate in the Fosse camp, Turner, had a wedding two days before the match which lasted through the early hours of the morning before the match. Fosse were 9 points adrift at the end of the season coming an easy 20th. Forest were 9th.

22nd April 1964 Forfar 5 East Fife 4.

On 23rd April 1927 the FA Cup left England for the first and only time when Cardiff City beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley, the first time that "Community Singing" was introduced to the pre-match celebrations. The first conductor was T.P.Ratcliffe who wore white trousers and shirt and became known as the "Man in White". The band of the Grenadier Guards played the music. After the war, he was followed by Arthur Caiger. a London School headmaster. Later Frank Rea took over and stood on his raised dais until the 1970s when modern tastes changed (apparently). Songs sung included "Pack up your troubles", "Its a long way to Tipperary" and of course "Abide with Me". So a Welsh team won what was then known as the English FA Cup and their goal was scored by Hughie Ferguson, a Scot.

23rd April 1948 saw Stanley Matthews of Blackpool awarded the first ever "Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year" award. The next day Blackpool played Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley but Matthews couldn't manage a winners' medal also, his team lost 2-4 from a 2-1 lead, with 21 minutes to go.
Stanley and Stanley Junior