Sammy Morgan - a request

[dave.woodhall]

Does anyone have the links to either of the 74 cup games against the arse

As mentioned on a previous Sammy Morgan thread...
The Highbury game was televised and shown on LWTs Big Match. The games were played during the power crisis,  the BBC cameras were at the replay, but highlights of the match were not shown that night (or were shown for maybe 5 minutes only), as television transmission shut down at about 10pm.
I've never found any links on the internet to either game, hopefully the tapes were not wiped and will maybe turn up one day.

I remember this being the days of the 3 day working week (I'd just started work a few weeks earlier) and we had to do most of our 38 hour week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays when we could have the heating and lighting on and we did short days on Thursdays and Fridays.

I also remember the tv shutting down at 10.00pm, but I also remember coming home (absolutely delirious) and watching the highlights on tv - if it was a 7.30pm kick off (or was it 7.15pm because of the energy crisis ?) it couldn't have finished until 9.10pm - anyone remember night games finishing around then ?   It was always an hour or so after the game finished that I got home to Great Barr, so something doesn't add up somewhere.

I've searched Utube more than once for anything on the replay, if anyone ever comes across anything, please, please, please put the link on here.

The game would have finished at about 9.10 and TV shut down at 10.30. Sportsnight would have been on after the nine o'clock news ended at 9.25.

[castlefields_villan]

Cheers Dave - I'd forgotten about Sportsnight (with Coleman) being on a Wednesday night at 9.25pm after the 9.00pm news on BBC1.

I remember the first game being on ITV, so was the replay on Sportsnight ?

Following on that famous win - anyone else remember going to Burnley (then a top side in the old first division) for the 5th Round ?

[West Derby Villan]

I was also at both games.
The return at VP is amongst my top memories, Villa ran out first and went down to the Witton end.
which meant Wilson had to warm up in front of the Holte. Villa Park was a cauldron, by the time it kicked off Wilson was a wreck, "Wilson wants an Oscar" being the most repeatable chant.
Fairy tale time as Sammy scores.
Another Memory, although a bit vaguer, after the Antwerp game away, we were on a bar crawl. I can not remember if it was in a hotel or bar but we stumbled in and having a drink was, Phillips, cumbes, Gidman and Morgan probably others (Bernie help out). Sammy said, or words to the effect " I have had every goalkeeper in the first division except cumbes, but if he plays again like he did tonight I will have him as well"
True legend..
Happy Birthday Sammy

It was a bar in Antwerp; I can't remember exactly which players other than the ones mentioned were there, I think Frank Pimblett was there and came over as a bit if a miserable sod. I do remember Sammy & Cumbes seemed to be particularly good mates and were pouring beer over each other's heads.
Happy Birthday Sammy

I too was in that bar in Antwerp and my recollection of Sammy (although I was a very inebriated 17 year old) was that he didn't look like a footballer let alone the colossus that terrified Bob Wilson, due to his thick glasses and haircut. He will never be forgotten by Villa fans of my generation....or Bob Wilson

[Godfrey Brian]

Cheers Dave - I'd forgotten about Sportsnight (with Coleman) being on a Wednesday night at 9.25pm after the 9.00pm news on BBC1.

I remember the first game being on ITV, so was the replay on Sportsnight ?

Following on that famous win - anyone else remember going to Burnley (then a top side in the old first division) for the 5th Round ?

Sammy Morgan led the line in that one too. I chiefly remember it for the huge convoy of travellers club coaches on the M6 and ,I think, it was the opening of The Bob Lord Stand at Turf Moor.

[b23]

From the Evening Mail

FA Cup Flashback: Aston Villa beat Arsenal in 1974 titanic tussle

IF Aston Villa will be underdogs away to Arsenal in the FA Cup on Sunday, they were even more so when Vic Crowe’s side visited the Gunners in the fourth round in 1974.

IF Aston Villa will be underdogs away to Arsenal in the FA Cup on Sunday, they were even more so when Vic Crowe’s side visited the Gunners in the fourth round in 1974. But they went through after a titanic two-game tussle thanks to a sterling effort from players and fans alike.
Brian Halford reports on a cup conquest which owed much to the Holte End’s hounding of a star goalkeeper.

OVER the years, many FA Cup ties have been swayed by a crowd getting involved and roaring their team to victory – cranking up the noise to drive the players on to find that vital inspiration.

Such support is often described by players and managers as “the extra man.” An unseen force that lifts the 11 blokes on the pitch to new levels.

This notional additional team-member, comprising thousands of voices, affects the whole team – a collective force which galvanises collectively. But its input can also be specific. To devastating effect. Especially when a sense of grievance is thrown into the mix.

That’s what happened when Aston Villa met Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1974. Gunners’ goalkeeper Bob Wilson made an enemy of Villa’s fans in the first game at Highbury and when the replay arrived at Villa Park, four days later, they were waiting for him.

Never mind the extra man, Wilson was effectively “extra man-marked.” And that was a huge factor in Villa, 11th in Division Two, knocking the First Division side out of the cup which they had recently lifted.

After a 1-1 draw at Highbury, Villa won the replay 2-0 in front of a crowd of 47,821, including very few from north London.

“The mountain of humanity known as the Holte End must be included in the scoreline,” reported the Mail. “There are times when a crowd can be very much part of a performance. This was one of them.”
The seeds of that momentous Villa Park night were sown in the 63rd minute of the first match at Highbury.

Vic Crowe’s men had travelled down to the capital in poor form, adrift of the Second Division promotion race after 11 league games without a win. In none of those games had they scored more than one goal.

Crowe badly needed new players but the board insisted he had to sell to buy, a strategy which had just begun with agreement to sell Trevor Hockey, a £40,000 signing from Norwich six months earlier, to Rotherham for just £25,000.

Villa’s only win in two months had been over little Chester in the cup third round, so their supporters travelled south more in hope than expectation.

But right from kick-off their expectations rose as their team put in a storming start which evoked memories of the memorable League Cup semi-final win over Manchester United three years earlier.

“For the armada of Villa supporters enjoying a day out in the soccer sun,” the Mail said, “the opening 11 minutes was akin to the display against Manchester United and culminated in Sammy Morgan’s goal when he nodded Ian Hamilton’s cross past Wilson.”

Villa still deservedly led 18 minutes into the second half when Morgan and Wilson were involved in the powder-keg moment. The striker chased the ball into the box and Wilson collected it then, somewhat belatedly, went down as if pole-axed.

“Wilson has the Leeds United habit of wanting to help referee the game,” observed the Mail, “and this was a factor in Morgan’s dismissal.



Wilson’s excessive appealing to referee Clive Thomas had helped the decision to book him for his initial innocuous challenge on the goalkeeper. This proved expensive two minutes later as Morgan challenged for a 40/60 ball in favour of Wilson and ended up in the dressing-room after being sent off.”

Villa’s travelling fans were enraged, not least because the Gunners’ custodian had made quite sure he collected the ball before going down.

While Morgan headed for the bath, Wilson was – surprise, surprise – fit to continue and Villa’s ire only increased two minutes later when Ray Kennedy pulled Arsenal level.

‘That’s that then,’ thought the North Bank. Now, surely, the Second Division side, a man short for the last 25 minutes, would be steamrollered.

Not so. Villa, with Chris Nicholl, pictured right, and Ian Ross rocks at the back, held on. All back to Villa Park four days later – four days in which the pot of this spicy affair was kept bubbling nicely as Morgan and Wilson continued their spat via the papers.

Crowe did his best to keep a lid on the feud – “It’s being built up as a potential bloodbath but is nothing of the kind” – but by the time Wilson ran out for the replay he had full ‘public enemy number one’ status. His reception was not entirely friendly.

This was a poor season in a poor era for Aston Villa but, among the dying embers of Crowe’s waning reign, here was a great cup night.

A 2-0 win and, as the Mail put it, “Wilson was mercilessly barracked by the Holte End and, in the second half, the Witton End took over – and the customers in the stands were not silent either!”

The key moment arrived early. In the 12th minute Wilson, at the Holte End, prepared to clear a routine ball.

“As he came out, the barracking cascaded deafeningly from behind him,” said the Mail. “At the same time, Paddy McMahon ran in to harass him from the front. Wilson, obviously put off, cleared hastily, straight to Alun Evans.”

Evans crossed and Morgan headed home with Wilson scambling back in vain and Villa’s fans erupting in ecstasy.

The match was not all about Wilson, though. A strong, vastly-experienced Arsenal side, including Alan Ball, Peter Storey, Pat Rice and Bob McNab with the precociously talented Liam Brady on the bench, was superbly contained by a Villa team impressive all over the pitch.

John Gidman had winger George Armstrong in his pocket. When Armstrong switched flanks, Charlie Aitken did a similar job on him and Gidman was freed up to get forward. It was a night when Villa had all the answers.

“Arsenal simply could not cope,” reported the Mail. “They were not capable of living with Villa in a footballing sense.”

Midway through the second half, Bruce Rioch rode three tackles before pulling the ball back for Evans to make it 2-0.

Villa had breathing space and closed the tie out without alarm as the celebrations got underway. Jim Cumbes, in goal, was never stretched.

The chap at the other end, meanwhile, could not get out of Villa Park fast enough, albeit with dignity in tact. “There are no hard feelings,” Wilson said. “I expected the crowd reaction as the situation had been blown up out of all proportion.”

He had been a bit less composed two hours earlier with 15,000 Holte Enders on his case...

[b23]

Sammy Morgan helps celebrate a Bruce Rioch goal.

Blink and you'll miss it. About 1 minute 10 seconds.

Happy 70th to you

[MorrisNielson]

I posted this some time ago: the Leeds Centenary match in 1974. Sammy played in it.




upload multiple photos

[Brend'Watkins]

He's 70 soon and his family would like a few reminiscences about him. So - get reminiscing.

Hang on, a quick check on Wiki' and I'm fully aware it might be incorrect but....

Date of birth    3 December 1946 (age 70)?

[Tony Erdington]

6 foot 2, eyes are blue

[wittonwarrior]

Sammy Morgan helps celebrate a Bruce Rioch goal.

Blink and you'll miss it. About 1 minute 10 seconds.

Happy 70th to you

Its a national scandal that there is no footage available of the Arsenal cup ties despite them both being televised. 

I remember Brian Moore having a fit about Sammy at Highbury - living in London at the time it was the main game shown at 2pm on the Sunday  afternoon highlights  but they were brilliant.  Felt 6'2 myself  going into school  on the Monday - little Aston Villa giving Arsenal a  footballing lesson and it was even better after the replay.

[Carl]

We are having a garden party for him in the summer - yes his birthday has passed but we are waiting for the nicer weather for an outdoor celebration!

He's 70 soon and his family would like a few reminiscences about him. So - get reminiscing.

Hang on, a quick check on Wiki' and I'm fully aware it might be incorrect but....

Date of birth    3 December 1946 (age 70)?

[Carl]

HI MorrisNeilson,

did you get my reply to your message? New to this forum so wanted to double check...

I posted this some time ago: the Leeds Centenary match in 1974. Sammy played in it.




upload multiple photos

[montague]

Does anyone have the links to either of the 74 cup games against the arse

As mentioned on a previous Sammy Morgan thread...
The Highbury game was televised and shown on LWTs Big Match. The games were played during the power crisis,  the BBC cameras were at the replay, but highlights of the match were not shown that night (or were shown for maybe 5 minutes only), as television transmission shut down at about 10pm.
I've never found any links on the internet to either game, hopefully the tapes were not wiped and will maybe turn up one day.

I remember this being the days of the 3 day working week (I'd just started work a few weeks earlier) and we had to do most of our 38 hour week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays when we could have the heating and lighting on and we did short days on Thursdays and Fridays.

I also remember the tv shutting down at 10.00pm, but I also remember coming home (absolutely delirious) and watching the highlights on tv - if it was a 7.30pm kick off (or was it 7.15pm because of the energy crisis ?) it couldn't have finished until 9.10pm - anyone remember night games finishing around then ?   It was always an hour or so after the game finished that I got home to Great Barr, so something doesn't add up somewhere.

I've searched Utube more than once for anything on the replay, if anyone ever comes across anything, please, please, please put the link on here.

The game would have finished at about 9.10 and TV shut down at 10.30. Sportsnight would have been on after the nine o'clock news ended at 9.25.

There was no Sportsnight that evening. At 9.25 was Till death us do Part followed by European figure skating and 1020 closedown. Early evening was dominated by Commonwealth games coverage.

[castlefields_villan]

The highlights were definitely on the tv afterwards though.

[wittonwarrior]

The highlights were definitely on the tv afterwards though.

And bbc1