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

[Stuart W]

Just a year after I started supporting the Blues, and what a “consolation” for having to miss the Kings Lynn game was seeing the 10-1 destruction of Brentwood three weeks later.
Bizarrely in my first fifteen months of following the Blues, we beat Workington 7-0 in the league (which I saw as well), Bournemouth 6-1 away in the League Cup (which I didn’t) and Brentwood 10-1 in the FA Cup. 54 years later and none of those victory margins have been exceeded or even equalled by us in any of those three main competitions.

 

[LCBB72]

Just a year after I started supporting the Blues, and what a “consolation” for having to miss the Kings Lynn game was seeing the 10-1 destruction of Brentwood three weeks later.
Bizarrely in my first fifteen months of following the Blues, we beat Workington 7-0 in the league (which I saw as well), Bournemouth 6-1 away in the League Cup (which I didn’t) and Brentwood 10-1 in the FA Cup. 54 years later and none of those victory margins have been exceeded or even equalled by us in any of those three main competitions.

We did beat Aldershot 10-1 in the Leyland Daff Cup and Torquey 7-0 in the next round .

 

[Sammy Shrimper]

This was my first season. I was seven and watched the game in the north paddock with my dad. Don’t remember much about the game but do remember having a navy blue rosette!
Do remember watching for the results to come in at the newspaper office with dad for the next game at Swindon.
I also recall attending the later Aldershot and Torquay games mentioned above and bought the VHS videos!

 

[Whispering Bob]

I was kinda there (we bunked in at the end, full of ice cream and jelly after a party).

 

[annie1954]

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 :)

I can remember standing outside the Southend standard office in cliff town road with several supporters and the scores was put in the window when a goal came in maybe you was watching from there ( early days of communication lol )

 

[annie1954]

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??

You will know the answer to this I’m sure didn’t the blues score a goal later in the cup not sure if it was v Swindon or Mansfield and it was disallowed then it was discovered there was a hole in the back of the net?

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

You will know the answer to this I’m sure didn’t the blues score a goal later in the cup not sure if it was v Swindon or Mansfield and it was disallowed then it was discovered there was a hole in the back of the net?

I'm pretty sure the 'holey' net was an evening away match at Brentford.
Gary 'scored' and Bees keeper Chick Brodie, later assaulted by a dog on the pitch that all but ended his career, had the presence of mind to run around the outside of the net and retrieve the ball.
The referee was Maurice Fussey.
I can't remember what I had for dinner on Monday, but I recall that!
Age, I guess.

 

[Billy is the best]

The hole in the net Goal was Gary Moore at Brentford. One report I read in the newspapers stated” old men will still be discussing the goal that never was sitting at the end of Southend pier in fifty years time.”

 

[Billy is the best]

Stood on the Norh bank for the Kings Lynn and Brentwood games. Wonderful memories.
The following season I went to watch Brentwood Town play Northampton town in the FA cup. They had 4000 fans packed into a very muddy ground. The press box was an old double decker bus. They lost 0-1 and Northampton went on to play Manchester United in the famous match where George Best rounded the goalkeeper twice before scoring.
Sorry nothing to do with Southend United

 

[shallowshrimper]

I can remember standing outside the Southend standard office in cliff town road with several supporters and the scores was put in the window when a goal came in maybe you was watching from there ( early days of communication lol )

Yes that was it, glad your memory serves you better than mine

 

[Rayleigh boy]

different times ...I got the bus fropm Rayleigh paid the money (6d ?? ) and went and stood on the north bank - aged 10.

went home afterwards ....

no drama .. no replicas hirt .. no fuss ... Dad "Did you go to football - how did they get on"

that was it ..

 

[Reynardine]

From a scrapbook I kept at the time. I'll try to scan the main report at top left shortly, so that the text is legible.

 

[Reynardine]

And here's a scan of Alf Smirk's report, which should be just about legible...

 

[Mick]

And here's a scan of Alf Smirk's report, which should be just about legible...

View attachment 23731

..... and a World Cup Final referee (6 years later) in charge.

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

I’m sure I read somewhere the goals we scored in that run, 22, are still the most in the FA Cup. I suppose this is feasible as even the winners will only play six games (replays aside) and they’d have to score 3+ per game. Anyone know for sure?

 

[40yearsafan]

My second game, watched from the north paddock with my dad as a nine year old. My first game at Roots Hall was the previous round against Kings Lynn. The memories have definitely faded but I'm still hoping for another Billy Best and Gary Moore partnership up front.

 

[B.B.The Legend Lives On.]

I’m sure I read somewhere the goals we scored in that run, 22, are still the most in the FA Cup. I suppose this is feasible as even the winners will only play six games (replays aside) and they’d have to score 3+ per game. Anyone know for sure?

Great Question Nick??, I have found it is so very hard to find out so many things regarding the F.A. Cup even with the internet to help. For example since 1946 I believe only 2 players have scored 10 F.A.Cup goals in any one season?? Our own Billy Best in 1968-69 scoring against Kings Lynn(3); Brentwood Town(5); Swindon Town(1) & Mansfield Town(1) 10 goals in four matches. Moving forward to 1971-72 Ted McDougall scored an incredible 9 goals against a Margate side(11-0) which included former Shrimpers Eddie Clayton, John Baber & reserve player Alan Butterfield, then in the following round Bournemouth were drawn at home against Southend Utd. winning 2-0 with goals from Phil Boyer and Ted McDougall taking his tally also to 10 in just 2 matches. Bournemouth were then beaten 1-0 at Walsall in the following round. Let's hope there is someone on here who may be able to help or know someone who can??

 

[Stuart W]

We did beat Aldershot 10-1 in the Leyland Daff Cup and Torquey 7-0 in the next round .

That is why I said “the three main competitions.”

 

[Stuart W]

I’m sure I read somewhere the goals we scored in that run, 22, are still the most in the FA Cup. I suppose this is feasible as even the winners will only play six games (replays aside) and they’d have to score 3+ per game. Anyone know for sure?

Don’t know about that, but what I do know is that in the 1968/69 season we were leading scorers in both the FA Cup and the Football League (all 92 clubs).

 

[Mick]

I’m sure I read somewhere the goals we scored in that run, 22, are still the most in the FA Cup. I suppose this is feasible as even the winners will only play six games (replays aside) and they’d have to score 3+ per game. Anyone know for sure?

Given that Preston won a first round match 26-0 way back, I'd say not.