Aston Villa 2 - Portsmouth 0 - 23rd Nov 1974

[Dr Butler]

Little and Hamilton one each, special mentions for Brown, Robson, Phillips and Carrodus...great players

UTV
The Doc

[dave shelley]

I was there, stuck where I always was behind the goal at the Witton End.  Great to see the old Witton.  Very sad that that match took place two days after the pub bombings.  Bad memories.

[The Left Side]

Lovely to see, thanks for posting...I was born 7 days later in Solihull Hospital

[montague]

Brian Moore was 42 then - supports my theory that as the years pass people are becoming younger looking and generally better looking.

[Flamingo Lane]

I was at that game, remarkable really that the game went ahead, just two days after the Birmingham pub bombings.  Strange also that Brian Moore made no comment on the tragedy in his introduction to the game.

[steamer]

I have posted on many threads over the years about my experience and thoughts of the night Thursday the 21st November 1974.
I can not understand why our home game two days later does not evoke same memories.
I would have been there.
Checking the reference books the attendance was only 16800.  seven days later at home to Oxford 18500
only from Feb did our crowds start climbing, UTD 39000, Southampton 31000, Albion 47000b(one day a memories story about that one ) Oldham 36000, promoted at home against Sunderland, 57000.
lots of pictures on the pitch of that one, particular reference, Ron Saunders Scrap Book.
This weekend Iam going to dig out the Portsmouth Programe to see if I made any notes on it.

[Godfrey Brian]

I have posted on many threads over the years about my experience and thoughts of the night Thursday the 21st November 1974.
I can not understand why our home game two days later does not evoke same memories.
I would have been there.
Checking the reference books the attendance was only 16800.  seven days later at home to Oxford 18500
only from Feb did our crowds start climbing, UTD 39000, Southampton 31000, Albion 47000b(one day a memories story about that one ) Oldham 36000, promoted at home against Sunderland, 57000.
lots of pictures on the pitch of that one, particular reference, Ron Saunders Scrap Book.
This weekend Iam going to dig out the Portsmouth Programe to see if I made any notes on it.

I was at this game. Surprisingly the crowd seems quite noisy during the match. Beforehand it was understandably subdued reflecting a grim passage of the City's history. I always felt it was absolutely right for the game to go ahead with respect being shown by a minutes silence and black armbands worn by both teams. It seemed appropriate somehow that the first chance ordinary brummies had the chance to collectively and publicly vent their feelings was at a football ground and The Holte End played its part in that. The tension,shock and sadness around Birmingham at the time was palpable so a major gathering was risky but,I think, helped to show that ordinary things could continue. Wasn't it the following Wednesday that we played Hartlepool in the league cup and their supporters spontaniously organised a collection for the families and injured on the way down-I thought that was really touching.

[dave shelley]

Wasn't it the following Wednesday that we played Hartlepool in the league cup and their supporters spontaniously organised a collection for the families and injured on the way down-I thought that was really touching.

I can't remember if that was the date of the Hartlepool game but, the gesture was definitely true and, as you say, extremely touching.  I think we beat them 6-0 which, for the aforementioned reason I felt really bad about.

[BC54 VFC]

Thanks for posting, Dr Butler. The Hartlepool game (6-1) was just two days later on the Monday.

[dave.woodhall]

Thanks for posting, Dr Butler. The Hartlepool game (6-1) was just two days later on the Monday.

Brian Little's 21st birthday. Nobody has ever explained why it was played on Monday.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Brilliant find. Thanks for posting that, Doc.

I was at the game, in the Witton End, no doubt somewhere near the front. Strange seeing Leighton Philips playing as a midfielder and without a centre forward. I'm trying to remember who we had at the time, Sammy Morgan, Keith Leonard, Alum Evans?

As Streamer pointed out about attendances, it was a roller coaster of a season. Saunders had replaced Vic Crowe and I think we drew most of our games at the start of the season, hardly the greatest start but what a season it turned out to be.