Memory Lane 07/12/1968. Southend United 10, Brentwood Town 1

[B.B.The Legend Lives On.]

With all the crap that is currently going on at our beloved football club I thought I would post this up today and bring some early Christmas cheer especially as it is 54 years to the day just to bring a little bit of happiness to all of the misty-eyed supporters of a certain age who like me were fortunate enough to have been at the match and will never forget that special day when we scored an amazing 10 goals of which 7 were scored in the second-half. Earlier this afternoon I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with our very own Billy Best spending over 30 minutes on the phone, calling him at exactly the time of the first of his 5 goals(72mins, boy did he laugh). Our line-up that day was as follows:-Trevor Roberts, Tony Bentley, Graham Birks, Sammy McMillan, Mike Beesley, John Kurila, Eddie Clayton, Billy Best, Gary Moore, Chico Hamilton, & Phil Chisnall. Our goalscorers that day were Gary Moore(4), Billy Best(5) and Sammy McMillan with Reg Stratton scoring for Non-League Brentwood Town. The attendance that day was 13,107 but for all of the Southend United supporters out there who went to this particular match, what if any are your abiding memories of that remarkable match all these years later??

 

[Johnners]

I was there that day as an 8 year old. Sadly my memory does not recall much detail of the game but I seem to remember (hopefully correctly) that whilst Southend did score first Brentwood equalised to make it 1-1 before the Shrimpers took full control of the game. This win came in the 2nd Round shortly after we had beaten Kings Lynn at home in the previous round by a mere 9-0. (I also went to that one).

What a player Billy Best was !.

Happy days.

 

[annie1954]

Remember the great score and the team sir billy best & Gary Moore would to see that team play again happy memories Dave plus it’s great you still keep in touch with billy, happy memories Dave cheers for posting ( we all need cheering up at the moment)

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I was there in the North Bank, and I remember the Brentwood defence couldn't handle King Billy on the ground and Gary Moore in the air. There was an all round gulf in class between the two teams as in the Kings Lynn Game.

 

[blues exile]

Thanks for posting this and recalling what a special day that was. That line up produced so many memorable performances at a time when watching the Blues was a pleasure and guaranteed entertainment whatever the result. If only the cameras had been there, but I can still picture Billy Best running riot in those last twenty minutes.

 

[Voice of Reason]

I was ten years old and that was the start of my love affair with sufc and King Billy

 

[ozzie]

Was also in the North bank for this game as i was for the Kings Lynn game.
What a team and entertainment:Sadly we will not see such things again at Roots Hall.
It was a privilege to watch (IMO) the most entertaining team Southend ever had.
Im sure after that game,either in the papers or on tv it was said that Billy Best could be called up to the Scotland squad.Sadly for him (and us) that never happened.Not forgetting that Jock squad then,was one of the BEST squad/teams they ever had.
King Billy would walk into that squad nowadays....happy days...now for Swindon away??

 

[Zeuss]

I was away at university so didn’t manage to see this or the Kings Lynn game though I did get to the 3rd and 4th Round games at Swindon and Mansfield.
In those days hardly any minutes were played after the 90 but if I’m not mistaken,we scored 4 in the last 5 minutes that day (with the part-timers tiring dramatically!)

 

[Cricko]

I was in the paddock that day, I was far to young to mix with you ruffians in the North Bank.

The whole team was something special in those days.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Was in the North Bank with you guys!
There was quite a Lynn following in what is now Block A, East. They only cheered once: when their team ran out at the start!
I can see a Gary near post header for the first, but have only faint recollection of the second; third, fourth etc.
The KL keeper was Norman Coe: two years earlier he played for Northampton in the top flight!

 

[Cricko]

Was in the North Bank with you guys!
There was quite a Lynn following in what is now Block A, East. They only cheered once: when their team ran out at the start!
I can see a Gary near post header for the first, but have only faint recollection of the second.
The KL keeper was Norman Coe: two years earlier he played for Northampton in the top flight!

Wrong game sir.

 

[shallowshrimper]

I remember the Brentwood manager confidently predicting we would never beat them 9 - 0 as we had Kings Lynn in the previous round and of course he was correct. I was on the old south bank for this one and IIRC we won at Swindon next round. ( Now I think about it not sure of that) Oh happy days.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Wrong game sir.

Damn! Having a senior!
Yes; this was massacre No2. Wake up, self!
Don't remember much other than a lot of close finishes into the North Bank in the second half.

 

[Cricko]

I remember the Brentwood manager confidently predicting we would never beat them 9 - 0 as we had Kings Lynn in the previous round and of course he was correct. I was on the old south bank for this one and IIRC we won at Swindon next round. ( Now I think about it not sure of that) Oh happy days.

Was that the Swindon game Don Rogers played in? I think we won 2-0 when they were down to easily beat us. I do remember going to it.

 

[shallowshrimper]

Yes that's what I thought, I seem to remember being in Southend High Street when scores came through while we were looking in tv shop window. And to think I was only 46 at the time :)

 

[kaymac]

Was that the Swindon game Don Rogers played in? I think we won 2-0 when they were down to easily beat us. I do remember going to it.

Yep, sure was. They went on to beat Arsenal 3-1 in the League Cup final that season

 

[B.B.The Legend Lives On.]

I was away at university so didn’t manage to see this or the Kings Lynn game though I did get to the 3rd and 4th Round games at Swindon and Mansfield.
In those days hardly any minutes were played after the 90 but if I’m not mistaken,we scored 4 in the last 5 minutes that day (with the part-timers tiring dramatically!)

Billy Best's goal times were as follows:- 71, 84, 87, 88, 89 minutes. These are the quickest 5 goals scored consecutively in the history of the F.A.Cup.
Gary Moore and Billy Best scored back to back hat-tricks against Kings Lynn & Brentwood Town. This is the only time this has happened in the history of the F.A. Cup from the first round proper.
The following text is taken from last season's F.A.Cup Final programme between Liverpool & Chelsea:- Southend's Billy Best scores the competition proper's fastest hat-trick against Brentwood Town - in just three minutes.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

I was in the paddock that day, I was far to young to mix with you ruffians in the North Bank.

The whole team was something special in those days.

Same as me, being 11!. My Granddad used to take me in the North paddock.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I was in the North Bank, but only at the front, side of the goal. I was too young to be in with the lads and the Pak further up. I was hit in the back of the head by a bog roll one game, Lol, much to the amusement of my mates.

 

[Blue Yonder]

South Bank for this one. Been a few highlights in the subsequent 54 years and a whole lot of misery and disappointment. It is only football though. Hopefully there is still a club in another 54.