The headline in the Birmingham Post screamed out: "Solid Villa send shudder through Second Division."And, no wonder. The 3-0 away win over Notts County had teams in the league above quaking as Villa continued their charge to promotion.Ian Willars was very complimentary in the paper after witnessing the away day wonders.He wrote: "It was not so much the result itself which must have been eminently satisfying for Villa. It was the manner of the performance."So solid and sweeping, it was enough to send shudders through the Second Division. There was scarcely a mistake."The first half was solid and the second was immaculate.Villa destroyed County's will almost from the off and they played adventurous football after the break, bringing them three goals - two headed ones for Pat McMahon and a fine strike from Ray Graydon.Willars pointed to three main reasons for the "depth and strength of Saturday's all-consuming performance" - the form of Ian Ross, the return of Willie Anderson and the quality of Jim Cumbes.He continued: "Ross's performance gave Villa a numerical and psychological advantage in midfield."Ross imagined he was to play as sweeper when he was signed from Liverpool two weeks ago. He confesses to being mildly surprised at being asked to play in midfield."But he enjoyed himself and his cool control, neat passing and thoughtful interceptions have given Villa a sound base in the area of the field where they have usually been exciting but sometimes brittle."Willars continued: "Then there was the return of Anderson after he missed three matches with a pulled hamstring."Anderson, revealing a voracious appetite for the ball, again added width to the attack and had a head in the last goal."Willars added: "The third reason for Villa's dominance was Cumbes. His influence was not so much because of his skill but rather for the confidence he has given the defence."This has been accumulating for weeks now. Cumbes has played 14 league games for Villa and conceded only five goals. On nine occasions he had kept a clean sheet."In spite of his picking out of those trio of stars, Willars handed the man-of-the-match award to Fred Turnbull, adding:"Fred was Villa's outstanding player and was only a hair's breadth ahead of the rest."George Curtis played all but a minute of the match with a broken nose too, despite Tony Hateley's repeated exhortations that he should go off because "your nose looks terrible."The win for the claret and blues put them three points ahead at the summit of the Third Division, with 47 points from 31 games. Bournemouth were second with 44 points from the same amount of games.Notts County: Brown, Brindley, Worthington, Carlin, Stubbs, Jones, Nixon, Bradd, Hateley, Masson, Crickmore. Sub: CozensVilla: Cumbes, Wright, Aitken, Rioch, Curtis, Turnbull, Graydon, McMahon, Lochhead, Ross, Anderson. Sub: Vowden.Attendance: 34, 208
Is my old memory pissing me about again but did I see the Villa shove six past Notts County sometime in the early eighties? Could have been in one of the cup competitions. I have recollections of being cold and standing on railway sleepers.
I went to the 3-0 and Fred Turnbull was immaculate -his best-ever game for the Villa?
Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.
Author
Topic: Notts County, away, Third Division (Read 3047 times)
