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Memory Lane 50 Years ago Today- 1971-72 Promotion Season - Wednesday 3 May 1972 - We finish as runners up! - Southend United 2 Gillingham 2

Yep Billy.Pr ,a good lad,done a GTC on bricklaying a while before i did.
Has a younger brother,forgotten his name.
Mick.Bo...,was/is a great bloke,bailed me out off a few "sticky situations"at away games.
I tried once to help him out,away at Wrexham 74?75?...a bunch of "taffs"started to give him stick.As Peter knows,Mick was not a bloke to back down.So when it "kicked off",i went in to help Mick out.
It ended up...an old school copper..rather chubby, dragging Mick out,with his head under one arm and my head under the other arm...to the cheers of the Wrexham fans.
Remember Mick in the van after the game(GTFC) talking about a massive "fish head" fan wanting to know who/where the Sarfend fans were.
I thought Peter drove the van,but im wrong.Dont know who did.Not even sure if Fertie was in the van.
It seems everybody in the van has memory loss mostly because of the night before...other than me(only 15) i didnt drink then.
How many of us were in the van,maybe ten???
 
Billy P's younger brother is Johnny. Sadly the booze got a hold and in a bad way last I heard. He was always up the White Horse, as the Ps came from the Newington Avenue estate up Hamstel Road. Billy is still very fit and going strong the last time I saw him.
 
BBBL...you wrote three are no longer with us.Sadly i know Gus is not,but who were the other two?
I only remember Gus,Mick.B(he was from sth/nth Shields?),Simon and Billy.
DoDTS was as well,but the rest??
 
Billy P's younger brother is Johnny. Sadly the booze got a hold and in a bad way last I heard. He was always up the White Horse, as the Ps came from the Newington Avenue estate up Hamstel Road. Billy is still very fit and going strong the last time I saw him.
Thats sad news,Johnny was a nice lad.When i was living in Exeter 85-90..Johnny was also in Devon.Not sure if it was work,but one of the brickies met him a few times.So John told him about "times before"watching the Blues.
He wanted a "meet",but sadly it never happened.
If you see them,give them my regards
 
Thats sad news,Johnny was a nice lad.When i was living in Exeter 85-90..Johnny was also in Devon.Not sure if it was work,but one of the brickies met him a few times.So John told him about "times before"watching the Blues.
He wanted a "meet",but sadly it never happened.
If you see them,give them my regards
I will do. Not seen or spoke to Johnny for years. Billy went on to become a bricklayer, and builder.
 
Mods, can you have a unique subsection dedicated to memory lane? Lovely as it is, it just shows how much better we were then (or how crap we are now) half full, half empty POV.
 
Friday 7th January 1972 - 3-1 win against Hartlepool a Roots Hall

After the drubbing at Grimsby a home game against bottom of the table Hartlepool on a Friday night was just what was needed to start the new year.

One surprise was Arthur Rowley making a change to the starting XI with Bernie Lewis being dropped and young Peter Taylor brought in for only his 2nd start of the season. Other than for injuries, this was the first change made to the starting XI since Bernie was brought into the side on 11 September -19 league and cup games. Bernie got on when Bill Garner went off injured.

The second surprise was that following the biggest crowd of the season for the Xmas fixture and the large crowds through the Autumn only 6,327 turned up to watch. This was the 3rd lowest home crowd of the season. Probably a cold Friday night in January against uninspiring opposition but is was a massive drop on the numbers that had been attending before Xmas.

Terry Johnson put us 1 up at half time and Billy Best and an own goal from Tony Parry saw us home.

Parry played one more game for the Pool before his former manager Brian Clough took him to Champions Derby where he only made 6 appearances. I'm sure Clough was just helping out his former club putting some cash their way.

Neil Warnock was still on the left wing for them and they had given a debut to a 19 year old goalkeeper who they had signed on loan from York - Ron Hillyard. Ron was just 5ft 10 and a bit tall and ended up playing 647 League games and a record 657 League and Cup Games for Gillingham before he retired in 1991 due to a back injury. Decent goalkeepers didn't need to be 6ft 5in tall 50 years ago ( or even 30!). (and he was by no means the shortest in the league)

Still bottom of the table with 15 games to go and facing demotion from the League, Hartlepool rallied with 10 wins and a draw to finish in 18th position.

For us, 23 games half way through the season and 29 points - a repeat performance in the second half of the season would surely see us promoted.

Next up -away to 3rd from bottom Crewe - a nice short walk from the station!
 
Friday January 07, 1972 - Division 4
Southend Utd (1) 3 (Parry 28' (og), Johnson 50', Best 78')
Hartlepool (0) 1 (Young 57')
Venue: Roots Hall KO: 7.30
Attendance: 6,328

Southend Utd: J Roberts, R Ternent, A Smith, D Elliott, B Albeson, J Jacques, T Johnson, B Best, B Garner (B Lewis 90'), G Moore, P Taylor.
Hartlepool: R Hillyard, G Potter, A Goad, M Dawes, T Parry, M Spelman, N Sharkey, B Smith, B Green (B Veart 70'), R Young, N Warnock.
* Gary Moore (Southend Utd) sent off after 76 minutes.

Match Report
Long after the final whistle had sounded in this Blues’ promotion-chasing win at Roots Hail on Friday night, the biggest talking point among the 6,328 spectators was the reason for the sending off of United’s Gary Moore 15 minutes from the end, writes ALF SMIRK.

Even an hour after the game had finished the reason was still obscure as Tonbridge referee Ron Challis said all the facts behind the sending off would be contained in his official report to the authorities.

They were certainly obscure from my place in the stand at least 60-70 yards away from the incident, but they must have been equally as obscure to most of the people much nearer the scene of conflict.

Three fervent fans, none of whose eyesight or word I have any reason to doubt, all swore blind they were within a few yards of the incident yet all three gave me different versions and, in fact, different names of the opposition players they thought were involved.

Officialdom being what it is, it is extremely doubtful if we will ever find out the true story!

Without any comment whatsoever, I can only repeat that a visiting sports journalist informed me that Moore was the third opposition player to receive marching orders in the last four Hartlepool fixtures!

But apart from the sending off and the booking of Pool’s Tony Parry and Bobby Smith, the game had little to commend it except that the result kept United in the promotion race, although they deserved full marks for netting the clincher after they had been reduced to 10 men.

In the early stages it was the visitors, still searching for their first away win of the season, who looked the more promising as they went close through, Bill Green and Neil Warnock. It was Warnock, gliding along the left touchline, who provided most of the danger to the United defence.

They had still had the better of the exchanges when Blues went in front after 28 minutes. A left wing corner was played on by Billy Best and Terry Johnson’s shot was helped Into the roof of the net as Parry tried desperately to clear off the line.

The result should really have been all sewn up when United increased their lead five minutes after the interval. A right-wing corner was played off twice in the
Hartlepool box before Johnson was left clear to hammer his shot into the net.

But the visitors got back into game when they reduced the arrears seven minutes later. A quick free-kick was middled by Green and Ronnie Young headed past John Roberts.

Strangely enough, United continued to power forward after Moore’s departure and settled the result after 78 minutes. Spud Taylor, who was United’s most impressive forward, crashed in a tremendous tree-kick from the edge of the box, goalkeeper Ron Hillyard did well to parry it out but Best was handy to apply the finishing touch.

For the records, Hartlepool brought on substitute Bob Veart for Green in the 70th minute and Bernie Lewis took over from Bill Garner for the last two minutes of injury lime.

The downpour which kept down the crowd must also have made conditions difficult for the players, and although it took United some time to settle down, there was never any doubt at the end that they thoroughly deserved their victory.

It was Blues’ tenth home league win of the season, the last nine in succession, as the game marked the halfway stage in the programme. A continuance of this home form with a few more points picked up from the away fixtures and their promotion prospects can indeed be said to remain rosy!

League Table
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Sorry I have to admit it was the first league/cup game at Roots Hall I missed in three seasons . I was in love and my favorite film The Alamo was on BBC 1 at 6.30 and I did not want to miss it .
LCBB72...please,that film was nearly as poor as John Waynes film.the Green berets !!!
 
Spot on.

Knew Alf as he played cricket with my dad on occasions and was mates with Barna’s family.

Fantastic style of football reporting from someone who had played 100 games for the Blues and told it how it was.
I got to know Alf very well when following the team home and away between 1966 & 1971. We would often travel back from games together, Alf was one of those people who had so many fantastic stories to tell you and to be fair you were just in awe of him when telling you one story after another. One particular story I would like to share with you all was when we played at Grimsby Town back in April 1970. I had arranged to meet Alf pre-match in the bar because he was travelling up the day before our game to meet some friends. There was about ten (yes just 10) of us had travelled up by train in the morning of the game and Alf arrived about 13,30 and went to the bar buying me my usual pint of coke then came over with our drinks and handed me a small brown envelope saying this is a gift for you and thanks for your company this season. When I opened it there was 2 tickets for the F.A. Cup Final between Chelsea v Leeds for me. It was a real Wow!! moment for me as back in those days Cup Final tickets were so hard to get your hands on.. Yes Alf was a lovely man and it was a real pleasure to spend so much time with him travelling all around this country following the Blues.
 
Friday September 17, 1971 - Division 4
Southend Utd (0) 3 (Best 48', 66', 74')
Grimsby Town (1) 1 (Hickman 43')
Venue: Roots Hall KO: 7.30
Attendance: 6,211

Southend Utd: J Roberts, R Ternent, A Smith, D Elliott, B Albeson, J Jacques, T Johnson, B Best, B Garner, G Moore, B Lewis. Sub: K Lindsey.
Grimsby Town: H Wainman, D Worthington, A Campbell, J Thomson, G Rathbone, C Wigginton, S Brace, S Gray, M Hickman, D Boylen, A Woodward.

Match Report
Billy Best, the man the Blues have been trying to convert into a midfield terrier, showed just what he thinks of the idea at Roots Hall on Friday night. With Gary Moore in midfield, Best was pushed forward into the striking role he loves and he celebrated with a vintage second-half hat-trick, writes Colin Price.

It completely destroyed previously unbeaten Grimsby Town and must set them worrying about their promotion prospects. Although the Town’s lively forwards pushed the ball around neatly and ran intelligently they never showed the attacking variety that was needed to break down Southend’s much tighter defence.

Southend, however, know just what to do. The created and missed a number of first-half chances but even when they fell behind to an untidy Hickman goal two minutes before the break I thought it only a matter of time before Blues got their just reward.

And it came three minutes into the second half. Former Welsh Under 23 international Bernie Lewis gave a glimpse of his old magic with a teasing piece of touchline play before centring perfectly for the unmarked Best to head home.

Stuart Brace gave the Blues defence some anxious moments before Best struck again for the best goal of the game. Ray Ternent picked up a clearance from just outside his own penalty area, sped down the wing and another centre found the diving head of Best and Southend were 2-1 up.

It was all United now and the effervescent Blues striker completed a great hat-trick in the 74th minute when he turned in a short corner again from the left.

So at last the Blues fans had something to shout about - and they did just that. Manager Arthur Rowley must have been delighted with the way In which the crowd answered his call for more patience and support. Even when things weren’t going quite right In the first half the players got plenty of encouragement and, eventually, they kept faith.

That first half was memorable for two fine Blues efforts. The first was in the opening minute when Best fired his first warning with a lob which bounced off the top of the crossbar.

After a Gary Moore piledriver had cannoned off the chest of a surprised Wainman, the Grimsby goalkeeper pulled off a great reflex action save from the same player.

It was a great pity that such an entertaining match was spoilt by the name-taking of two players. Grimsby defender Alan Campbell and Blues’ Alex Smith, both for offences which would probably have earned them only a talking-to last season.

In this vastly improved performance, none did better for Southend than skipper Joe Jacques on whom many a Grimsby attack foundered and he was often the springboard for United’s counters. And up front Best showed most of his old sharpness while Bill Garner had one of his best games.

League Table
View attachment 16744
Friday September 17, 1971 - Division 4
Southend Utd (0) 3 (Best 48', 66', 74')
Grimsby Town (1) 1 (Hickman 43')
Venue: Roots Hall KO: 7.30
Attendance: 6,211

Southend Utd: J Roberts, R Ternent, A Smith, D Elliott, B Albeson, J Jacques, T Johnson, B Best, B Garner, G Moore, B Lewis. Sub: K Lindsey.
Grimsby Town: H Wainman, D Worthington, A Campbell, J Thomson, G Rathbone, C Wigginton, S Brace, S Gray, M Hickman, D Boylen, A Woodward.

Match Report
Billy Best, the man the Blues have been trying to convert into a midfield terrier, showed just what he thinks of the idea at Roots Hall on Friday night. With Gary Moore in midfield, Best was pushed forward into the striking role he loves and he celebrated with a vintage second-half hat-trick, writes Colin Price.

It completely destroyed previously unbeaten Grimsby Town and must set them worrying about their promotion prospects. Although the Town’s lively forwards pushed the ball around neatly and ran intelligently they never showed the attacking variety that was needed to break down Southend’s much tighter defence.

Southend, however, know just what to do. The created and missed a number of first-half chances but even when they fell behind to an untidy Hickman goal two minutes before the break I thought it only a matter of time before Blues got their just reward.

And it came three minutes into the second half. Former Welsh Under 23 international Bernie Lewis gave a glimpse of his old magic with a teasing piece of touchline play before centring perfectly for the unmarked Best to head home.

Stuart Brace gave the Blues defence some anxious moments before Best struck again for the best goal of the game. Ray Ternent picked up a clearance from just outside his own penalty area, sped down the wing and another centre found the diving head of Best and Southend were 2-1 up.

It was all United now and the effervescent Blues striker completed a great hat-trick in the 74th minute when he turned in a short corner again from the left.

So at last the Blues fans had something to shout about - and they did just that. Manager Arthur Rowley must have been delighted with the way In which the crowd answered his call for more patience and support. Even when things weren’t going quite right In the first half the players got plenty of encouragement and, eventually, they kept faith.

That first half was memorable for two fine Blues efforts. The first was in the opening minute when Best fired his first warning with a lob which bounced off the top of the crossbar.

After a Gary Moore piledriver had cannoned off the chest of a surprised Wainman, the Grimsby goalkeeper pulled off a great reflex action save from the same player.

It was a great pity that such an entertaining match was spoilt by the name-taking of two players. Grimsby defender Alan Campbell and Blues’ Alex Smith, both for offences which would probably have earned them only a talking-to last season.

In this vastly improved performance, none did better for Southend than skipper Joe Jacques on whom many a Grimsby attack foundered and he was often the springboard for United’s counters. And up front Best showed most of his old sharpness while Bill Garner had one of his best games.

League Table
View attachment 16744
The Grimsby sub—not used !—that night was none other than Owen Simpson.
 
Saturday January 15, 1972 - Division 4
Crewe Alexandra (0) 1 (East 90+1')
Southend Utd (1) 2 (Taylor 26', Johnson 87')
Venue: Gresty Road, Crewe. KO: 3.00
Attendance: 1,577

Crewe Alexandra: E Adams, T Lowry, P Leigh, R Gater, D Rosser, H Riley, A Tewley, N Turner, K East, A Bradshaw, R Bird.
Southend Utd: J Roberts, R Ternent, A Smith, D Barnett, B Albeson, J Jacques, T Johnson, B Best, G Moore, D Elliott, P Taylor. Sub: G Duck.

Match Report
If United had lost this one at Gresty Road on Saturday they should have been hung, drawn and quartered! And I would suggest the same punishment for any team that lose there, writes Alf Smirk.

Crewe, without any doubt, were one of, if not the worst professional team I have ever seen. They had so little to offer that they are the only team I have heard booed on to the pitch before the game started and had to suffer this indignity most of the 90 minutes before being booed off at the finish.

United played it so cool and calm they always looked as though they could win and were content enough to be highly satisfied to do it by even the narrowest of margins.

The hypothetical petard upon which one is supposed to hoist himself was saved from manifestation only by a Terry Johnson goal three minutes from the end. It gave Blues a two-goals lead instead of one and Crewe hit back with a goal with practically the last kick of the game.

One feels depressed as soon as one leaves Crewe Station. The Gresty Road Ground does nothing to relieve the depression and the display of their team only confirmed it.

Without the services of the flu-bugged Bill Garner, manager Arthur Rowley introduced Dave Barnett in the middle line of a 4-3-3 formation to team up with Dave Elliott and Billy Best and switched Gary Moore into a striking role.

The fact that the means justified the end result Cannot be argued against. The final score line should never have been as close as it was.

Crewe were actually allowed to have more of the early play, but never looked like getting anywhere unless the United defenders had a rush of blood to the head. United, on the other hand, built up carefully if, at limes, somewhat laboriously, but always looked the more likely to score. This they did the first time they really had a go.

Alex Smith sent Elliott away on the wing in the 25th minute, and Elliott’s centre was headed against the bar by Moore. After a bit of a skirmish on the goal-line, Spud Taylor applied the finishing touch.

Crewe lived up to their reputation by squandering to fairly reasonable scoring chances before half-time, but United were never really put under any heavy pressure.

Elliott managed to get himself booked by Liverpool referee E.R. Garner shortly into the second half and must still be wondering why. He ran across a Crewe player to intercept and was then rightly penalised for obstruction. But if ever a free-kick was sufficient punishment, then this was one of those offences.

Only a few minutes earlier a Crewe player had hurled the ball at a linesman in disgust at a decision and got away with a lecture.

Best and Moore on two occasions livened up the United efforts and were quite near the target. Crewe’s only effort came from Alan Bradshaw and was capably dealt with by John Roberts.

The United clincher three minutes from the end came when Barnett back-headed a Taylor corner to the near post and Johnson had only to push the ball home.

The game had just gone its 90 minutes when Crewe spoiled United’s goal average. A short corner on the right was crossed by Peter Leigh and from a packed Blues’ goalmouth it as the foot of Keith
East which gave Crewe some slight consolation.

Two points were Invaluable to United and they came home happy, but Manager Rowley must have been anything but contented. When the build-ups came off Blues were working well, but far too many broke down in midfield when possession was lost at the crucial stage.

United’s successes were Ray Ternent; Best, in his new role in the middle who seemed to enjoy it; Elliott, who master-minded most of the system, and Moore, back up front who did a great stand-in job for Garner.

The game as a spectacle provided little entertainment for the 1,577 spectators. In sympathy with them I must admit I would much rather watch United every week than Crewe!

League Table
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