Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Villa Lew on January 29, 2019, 10:08:34 AM
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Villa 2 Southampton 1 29th January 1969 FA Cup 4th Round Replay
One of the great FA Cup matches played under the lights at VP. Southampton had a good side in those days with players like Mick Channon, Ron Davies, Terry Paine, Jimmy Gabriel and their hard man John McGrath in their line up. Channon opened the scoring for them and then Peter Broadbent equalised. The winner came from a Dave Rudge cross, which Lionel Martin turned in for the winner.
I remember the atmosphere that night was incredible with nearly 60,000 there. It was a few weeks after Doug took over.
Villa team Dunn, Bradley, Aitken, Hole, Edwards, Turnbull, Rudge, Broadbent, Godfrey, Martin, Anderson. Tommy Docherty Manager
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1976 away at the dell was a really colourful affair with hundreds of balloons
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Yes I was there, it was the best and scariest atmosphere I can remember.
These were the days when you literally crammed into your standing spot, as a young lad it was pretty frightening.
When Lionel's goal went in in front of the Holte End, the crowd surged forward and I found myself carried from the back of the Holte where we stood, to the front, and had to find my way back somehow to where my Dad and brother were standing, only to find the same had happened to them.
After literally squeezing your way into a spot it was common that you couldn't move your hands from your pockets...tell that to the kids of today and they couldn't comprehend it, but that's what it was like.
The game? I think the late Peter Broadbent was superb in the match, he bossed the game.
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I was at that match too and was also at the 2-2 draw at the Dell. Absolutely tremendous atmosphere, one of those nights when you really got to know what Villa Park is all about.
I remember McGrath, acreal meat merchant if ever there was one, no football in him whatsoever. I recall him scything down Ridge at one point in the game and wondering if There would ever walk again let alone carry on in that match.
IIRC, Blues had a replay against the Arse I think it was the night before and they won. I went to that too with my old man. In the crush and shuffle on the way out some Nose roared out: ' there's fifty thousand here tonight, let's see the fucking Villa beat that!'. He wasn't all wrong, they did have a near 50k crowd but, as Lew says, we had what I think was 59k. Obsessed with us even back then.
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I can't remember if it was this match or the League Cup semi with Man Utd that we were on a bus at the top of The Ridgeway and we were going nowhere due to the traffic being so bad. Half a dozen of us young 'uns jumped off and started to run to the ground. There were some of the less fit ones coughing and spluttering as we turned into Brookvale Road and the bus went past us with the rest of the passengers shouting and giving us the Vs.
It amazes me when some people can recall what actually happened in some of these matches. I remember the occasions but hardly anything that went on in the games.
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Went to both games. I think we had a good 7k following down there. A very crisp bright day and we were winning 2-1 thanks to a Brian Godfrey free kick. I always liked going to The Dell, a funny looking ground all round.
The replay was something else, I can still see little Dave Rudge running down the right wing and crossing for Lionel Martin to score. I think there's some TV footage around but I may be mistaken.
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I was at the replay, for me aged 9 the first game I'd attended with such a huge crowd.
I wasn't at the game at the Dell, but I do remember the Sunday Mercury the next day, with a double middle page spread of photos from the game.
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Went to both games. I think we had a good 7k following down there. A very crisp bright day and we were winning 2-1 thanks to a Brian Godfrey free kick. I always liked going to The Dell, a funny looking ground all round.
The replay was something else, I can still see little Dave Rudge running down the right wing and crossing for Lionel Martin to score. I think there's some TV footage around but I may be mistaken.
You are right ALITA. I remember my mom and dad waking me up to watch the highlights on Sportsnight. We were on tv so rarely in those days that it was a big event, all the more so as we won.
I had a few mates at school whose mom and dad did the same for midweek games. Bed at 7-8 (I was only 6) and woken up at kick off on the highlights. Somebody mentioned this to a teacher and they had us show our hands if we had watched the game- she was amazed at the numbers after a midweek England game I recall.
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http://themowdog.blogspot.com/2018/06/aston-villa-2-1-southampton-fa-cup.html
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95OF6gH5UJM/WxEU27CSZzI/AAAAAAAAsXk/VtTcfZmoWm4jtlGDDm8W2lpec6OYC7YEQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180531_0012.jpg)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fi_WskpUpy8/WxEUzqe0iAI/AAAAAAAAsXc/QukcLJUf4FAHRcqcyYTVwdZW0BorC56owCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180531_0009.jpg)
The rolled-over waistband and the wooden thighs were about to reach the Villa man and McGrath’s wicked eyes were trained on the ball and Rudge’s legs. The Saint bore down on the Villa winger side-on and launched himself forwards, propelling boots, studs and tree-stump legs, like battering rams at a mediaeval door. At the point of impact however, Rudge, probably having sensed the attack, or death, nudged the ball on and sprang over the lunging McGrath’s committal, skipping clear. Gasps were audible as McGrath slid over the touchline like a Baseball batter struggling to make fourth base and the unsightly Saint crashed off the pitch and slid towards the surrounding wall in a sorry heap.
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50 years,boy where has the time gone? I was at the game and remember the attempted McGrath tackle on Davie Rudge and Peter Broadbent being the best player on the pitch.The other thing i remember about that night is when i arrived home after the match. I lived at the top of Reservoir Road in Erdington and my mother told me she knew the Villa had won because she had heard the cheers when we scored.
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I heard the cheers as me and my mate walked down Trinity Road -we'd finally got fed up of not being able to see anything of the match on the Holte, despite being tall enough to see under normal circumstances.
Villa had clearly allowed too many into the Holte that night.
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Do the highlights still exist anywhere as shown on Sportsnight?
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I was at that match too and was also at the 2-2 draw at the Dell. Absolutely tremendous atmosphere, one of those nights when you really got to know what Villa Park is all about.
I remember McGrath, acreal meat merchant if ever there was one, no football in him whatsoever. I recall him scything down Ridge at one point in the game and wondering if There would ever walk again let alone carry on in that match.
IIRC, Blues had a replay against the Arse I think it was the night before and they won. I went to that too with my old man. In the crush and shuffle on the way out some Nose roared out: ' there's fifty thousand here tonight, let's see the fucking Villa beat that!'. He wasn't all wrong, they did have a near 50k crowd but, as Lew says, we had what I think was 59k. Obsessed with us even back then.
I'm not proud of remembering this but it was Sheffield Wednesday that SHA were playing, their scores were exactly the same as ours, 2-2 away and won 2-1 at home.
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I was not at the game, but I do have the said pull out from the Mercury in my Tin box of Villa mementoes.
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Went to both games. I think we had a good 7k following down there. A very crisp bright day and we were winning 2-1 thanks to a Brian Godfrey free kick. I always liked going to The Dell, a funny looking ground all round.
The replay was something else, I can still see little Dave Rudge running down the right wing and crossing for Lionel Martin to score. I think there's some TV footage around but I may be mistaken.
You are right ALITA. I remember my mom and dad waking me up to watch the highlights on Sportsnight. We were on tv so rarely in those days that it was a big event, all the more so as we won.
I had a few mates at school whose mom and dad did the same for midweek games. Bed at 7-8 (I was only 6) and woken up at kick off on the highlights. Somebody mentioned this to a teacher and they had us show our hands if we had watched the game- she was amazed at the numbers after a midweek England game I recall.
Used to do the same for MOTD on Saturday nights. Great excitement going to bed knowing my old man was going to wake me up in a couple of hours to watch the footy. Villa being in the the third division were rarely on although recall the Bournemouth game being shown
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http://themowdog.blogspot.com/2018/06/aston-villa-2-1-southampton-fa-cup.html
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95OF6gH5UJM/WxEU27CSZzI/AAAAAAAAsXk/VtTcfZmoWm4jtlGDDm8W2lpec6OYC7YEQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180531_0012.jpg)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fi_WskpUpy8/WxEUzqe0iAI/AAAAAAAAsXc/QukcLJUf4FAHRcqcyYTVwdZW0BorC56owCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180531_0009.jpg)
The rolled-over waistband and the wooden thighs were about to reach the Villa man and McGrath’s wicked eyes were trained on the ball and Rudge’s legs. The Saint bore down on the Villa winger side-on and launched himself forwards, propelling boots, studs and tree-stump legs, like battering rams at a mediaeval door. At the point of impact however, Rudge, probably having sensed the attack, or death, nudged the ball on and sprang over the lunging McGrath’s committal, skipping clear. Gasps were audible as McGrath slid over the touchline like a Baseball batter struggling to make fourth base and the unsightly Saint crashed off the pitch and slid towards the surrounding wall in a sorry heap.
That is quite superb.
I would love to see footage of that fantastic night.
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I was there too - in the Witton End - having travelled down from Uni at Manchester for the game.
59084 was the gate - a number etched into my memory.
Magnificent experience - matched by my being present at the ManU - Villa LC SF 1st Leg Dec 16th 1970 at OT
to see Andy score. Sadly I couldn't make it to the 2nd Leg.
How many of us could look ahead and see a League title in just over 10 years ??
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Did we play Tottenham in the next round? I remember heading down South from Brum and having to turn back at Coventry as the game had been postponed
The atmosphere for the Southampton game was electric
Dave Rudge.....what a trier he was
I remember him breaking his leg at Deepdale - you could hear the crack on the terraces
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Brian Godfrey centre forward? I thought he was a midfielder.
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Brian Godfrey centre forward? I thought he was a midfielder.
Godfrey was a forward signed from Preston in a joint deal with Brian Greenhalgh. He was converted to midfield later by Vic Crowe.