Villa v Bournemouth 1972

[willywombat]

Thanks Andy, been bugging me for ages!

[Pat McMahon]

Thanks Andy, been bugging me for ages!

Thanks for clearing that one up, gents. My abiding memory was of the 5-1 v Torquay where - if I remember correctly of course - Andy Lochhead received the Evening Mail Midlands player of the year award before kick off and I think Brian Little made his debut. I thought that may have been the final game of the season, but maybe it was the first home game after clinching promotion at Bradford the week before. It certainly was a special day in my memory. I seem to remember a crowd of 46k too, but again I was only a nipper so may be wrong.

[big 1st serve]

 5-1 v Torquay, was also my 1st game.
 I think they might have had Dick Edwards playing for them that day.
 Sat in Witton Lane seats,
 Proper kit, great atmosphere I thought it would be like that every week.
 I can remember waiting to watch the Bournemouth game on MOTD, only for a power cut to cause a black-out, well it was 1972, power cuts , strikes, ricketts etc.

[frank]

Thanks for clearing that one up, gents. My abiding memory was of the 5-1 v Torquay where - if I remember correctly of course - Andy Lochhead received the Evening Mail Midlands player of the year award before kick off and I think Brian Little made his debut. I thought that may have been the final game of the season, but maybe it was the first home game after clinching promotion at Bradford the week before. It certainly was a special day in my memory. I seem to remember a crowd of 46k too, but again I was only a nipper so may be wrong.

The game that clinched promotion was on a freezing Monday night at Mansfield - the wind was blowing off the moors straight into our stand -  and the Torquay game, when we became champions, was the following Saturday. Like you, I'd always thought that the Torquay game was Sir Brian's debut, but it appears from the Complete Record that he came on as a sub against Blackburn earlier in the season.

[Pat McMahon]

A great game with a fantastic atmosphere.

I seem to remember a similar encounter against Notts County with Don Masson.

Proves you dont need the CL sides to provide the memorable times (or perhaps its because Im an old grump!).

UTV

That one is on the BBC official history video, our keeper had a crap game but ended up saving a penalty and won us the game!

I was at that game too, with my dad in the Trinity enclosure. If I remember correctly there were around 34,000 there that day and Notts County should have won. Tommy Hughes was in goal - this is my sole memory of him playing for us - and he was utter tripe, but somehow managed to save a penalty from Don Masson (later to play for Scotland). It was one of those handballs that would have merited a direct red card today. We scored at the Witton End - I think Ray Graydon nabbed it and I remember we were on the box that night where Barry Davies commented on the fact that Tommy Hughes had done nothing right all day and earned the points with his penalty save.

Villa being on the box was a fairly rare treat in those days so it meant that I savoured the memories and commentary in my head for days, and as a special bonus I got to stay up till 11 when my dad brought home chips after the pubs closed! Oh happy days...

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

The Notts County home game was Tommy Hughes's final appearance in a Villa jersey, but the writing was already on the wall for him.  I saw him have a stinker a couple of weeks earlier when we were knocked out in the 1st round of the FA Cup at 4th division Southend. I dont recall if he was at fault for the goals, but the game in between that was a 4-4 draw at Port Vale.
His place between the sticks was taken by big Jim Cumbes who debuted in the 6-0 win away to Oldham and he didnt miss a game for 2 1/2 seasons , we never looked back.

For the record, the attendances for the games mentioned were Notts County 37,462, Bournemouth 48,110, Torquay 37,582, Chesterfield 45,586.

Other notable attendances that season Walsall 45,953, Bristol Rovers 41,518, 

[willywombat]

The Notts County home game was Tommy Hughes's final appearance in a Villa jersey, but the writing was already on the wall for him.  I saw him have a stinker a couple of weeks earlier when we were knocked out in the 1st round of the FA Cup at 4th division Southend. I dont recall if he was at fault for the goals, but the game in between that was a 4-4 draw at Port Vale.
His place between the sticks was taken by big Jim Cumbes who debuted in the 6-0 win away to Oldham and he didnt miss a game for 2 1/2 seasons , we never looked back.

Yep, he had a mare at Port Vale - a game we should have won comfortably. He looked like his confidence had been shot after the game at Southend. Old juggling Jim was the final piece of the jigsaw for that team in much the same way as Peter Withe was for the championship winning team

For the record, the attendances for the games mentioned were Notts County 37,462, Bournemouth 48,110, Torquay 37,582, Chesterfield 45,586.

Other notable attendances that season Walsall 45,953, Bristol Rovers 41,518, 

[Pat McMahon]

The Notts County home game was Tommy Hughes's final appearance in a Villa jersey, but the writing was already on the wall for him.  I saw him have a stinker a couple of weeks earlier when we were knocked out in the 1st round of the FA Cup at 4th division Southend. I dont recall if he was at fault for the goals, but the game in between that was a 4-4 draw at Port Vale.
His place between the sticks was taken by big Jim Cumbes who debuted in the 6-0 win away to Oldham and he didnt miss a game for 2 1/2 seasons , we never looked back.

For the record, the attendances for the games mentioned were Notts County 37,462, Bournemouth 48,110, Torquay 37,582, Chesterfield 45,586.

Other notable attendances that season Walsall 45,953, Bristol Rovers 41,518, 

Cheers Andy.  Even now, I remember that as a special season. I was at the Walsall snooze fest with 46,000 others but I honestly thought the Torquay crowd was nearly as big. I remember it being awful weather and the pitch was a mudheap, but I thought our final Saturday match of the season was close to capacity.

[Oscar Arce]

The Notts County home game was Tommy Hughes's final appearance in a Villa jersey, but the writing was already on the wall for him.  I saw him have a stinker a couple of weeks earlier when we were knocked out in the 1st round of the FA Cup at 4th division Southend. I dont recall if he was at fault for the goals, but the game in between that was a 4-4 draw at Port Vale.
His place between the sticks was taken by big Jim Cumbes who debuted in the 6-0 win away to Oldham and he didnt miss a game for 2 1/2 seasons , we never looked back.

For the record, the attendances for the games mentioned were Notts County 37,462, Bournemouth 48,110, Torquay 37,582, Chesterfield 45,586.

Other notable attendances that season Walsall 45,953, Bristol Rovers 41,518, 

Cheers Andy.  Even now, I remember that as a special season. I was at the Walsall snooze fest with 46,000 others but I honestly thought the Torquay crowd was nearly as big. I remember it being awful weather and the pitch was a mudheap, but I thought our final Saturday match of the season was close to capacity.

Tommy Hughes was awful in the Notts County game, but ended up saving Don Masson's penalty to earn us the 1-0 win, but he was becoming a liability.
You're right, in the game before he had a nightmare in a 4-4 draw at Port Vale, and then we were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round by Southend which forced Vic Crowe to act, Cumbes signed and you can't get a better debut than 6-0 away from home against Oldham !
After that we never looked back and the Championship was in the bag.

[Simba]

Bournemouth game was the one where the posh buggars in the Trinity started a slow banging of the old wooden ( so much better than plastic) seats then to the same slow rythm VI-  LLA , VI- LLA.... 

We picked it up in the Holte until the whole ground was at it for ages. The players were looking up in awe and I am sure it won us the game. Incredible atmosphere.

btw nice touch, when McDougal got the diving header the Holte applauded him back to the centre circle.

[E I Adio]

Bournemouth game was the one where the posh buggars in the Trinity started a slow banging of the old wooden ( so much better than plastic) seats then to the same slow rythm VI-  LLA , VI- LLA.... 

We picked it up in the Holte until the whole ground was at it for ages. The players were looking up in awe and I am sure it won us the game. Incredible atmosphere.

btw nice touch, when McDougal got the diving header the Holte applauded him back to the centre circle.

Posh buggers - bloody cheek! I've always been proud of the fact that I scraped the money together for my first season ticket in the Trinity the year we were relegated to the Third Division - and I think you'll find that the noise us posh buggers made that day was by stamping our feet on the wooden floorboards. It really made a deafeningly awesome sound.

I also remember applauding Ted McDougal's spectacular goal, as very many other Villa supporters in the ground did. Don't think that sort of thing is allowed today is it?

[Simba]

You are right it was stamping ( you posh buggars had shoes....) .  Forgot - I mean, wooden floors seems so strange now but I did see a few standing and banging the seats.

I have also spent many a happy game in the old Trinity. Drinking Bovril out of the best china with my little finger in the air.    In fact my first games were sitting there when my uncle took me at age about seven.

I loved that stand.

[E I Adio]

You are right it was stamping ( you posh buggars had shoes....) .  Forgot - I mean, wooden floors seems so strange now but I did see a few standing and banging the seats.

I have also spent many a happy game in the old Trinity. Drinking Bovril out of the best china with my little finger in the air.    In fact my first games were sitting there when my uncle took me at age about seven.

I loved that stand.

Now who's the posh bugger? I had to stand in the Witton Lane lower with my old man when I was about seven. I was well into my 20's before I set foot in the Trinity.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I was a posh bugger in the Trinity seats as I was for all the home games that season, 14 years old sitting with my Mom and Dad. Went to all the away games apart from one, if my Mom and Dad went it was in the seats otherwise I would go with my older brother and have a chance to sample the terracing at places such as Oldham, Shrewsbury, Rochdale.
I think it was the next season I escaped to the Holte End, lost the plum in my mouth and developed a brummie accent.

[ClarrieBlue]

I was in the Witton Lane Stand with my Dad. What surprised me was that it had only been built for about 6/7 years for the 1966 World Cup and it already seemed pretty crap and rabbit hutch-ish. I remember watching Boyer and MacDougal in the first few mins and being a bit worried cos they seemed to have great movement and understanding. However the banging of the seats was awesome and it was a fantastic day all round in the end. Off to watch YouTube clip now.