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

[LBBlue]

Those of us of a certain age - late 50s onwards will remember that joyous season 50 yearsve Win S ago when we clinched a promotion for the very first time.

The season kicked off on 14 August 71, and we started with a very inauspicious 2-0 defeat at Peterborough in front of 4500 spectators.

The team that day was John Roberts, Keith Lindsey, Alec Smith, Dave Elliott, Brian Albeson, Dave Barnett, Terry Johnson, Billy Best, Bill Garner, George Duck and Ray Ternant with Gary Moore as sub.

With a double legged League Cup defeat to Aldershot we only won 1 of the first 8 games before we hit on a settled side and it all clicked from mid September onwards. Edit - the League Cup we actually lost a replay at home 2-1 after draining 1-1 at Aldershot - wasn‘t 2 legs.

We should celebrate this 50th anniversary season and hope it inspires the lads to repeat it! A good example of a season being a marathon and not a sprint.

 

[ozzie]

Very true.
That season as a 15 year old,i was lucky,i went to every home and away game.
What a great season that was,still a bit sad that Ernie Shepherds teams 66-70 could not get promoted.Still think that was our most entertaining teams/football we ever played...happy days

 

[ozzie]

George Duck,blimey thats a blast from the past.
Didnt last long.Did he come from Millwall??

 

[LCBB72]

George Duck,blimey thats a blast from the past.
Didnt last long.Did he come from Millwall??

George came from Millwall , Southend played Millwall as part of the deal in a preseason 'friendly and beat them 4-1 . It did not work out for George at Roots Hall and he went to Wealdstone , where he became a legend and all time record goalscorer .
'

 

[gazza]

I always seem to think our most successful seasons were where we lost our first game. The stats probably won’t bear this out but it is always something that I have at the back of my mind starting a season.

 

[Mick]

Those of us of a certain age - late 50s onwards will remember that joyous season 50 years ago when we clinched a promotion for the very first time.

The season kicked off on 14 August 71, and we started with a very inauspicious 2-0 defeat at Peterborough in front of 4500 spectators.

...

Indeed, a day that was ridiculously wet for mid-August. Camping overnight, we combined this trip with Sunday cricket at Leicester – lost that too !

 

[Shrimper in France]

Bunked off school and hitched to Scunthorpe on a Tuesday night to see King Billy head the goal which gave us a 1 - 1 draw and got us promoted!

Happy happy memories.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

I always seem to think our most successful seasons were where we lost our first game. The stats probably won’t bear this out but it is always something that I have at the back of my mind starting a season.

I'm with you there - obviously I'm not keen on seeing Southend lose & I would like to go the whole season unbeaten but I have always thought a disastrous series of pre-season games augured well for the coming campaign.

 

[LBBlue]

I'm with you there - obviously I'm not keen on seeing Southend lose & I would like to go the whole season unbeaten but I have always thought a disastrous series of pre-season games augured well for the coming campaign.

Having toured Russia we had one pre season friendly at home in 1971 beating then second division Millwall 4-1 with a Bill Garner hat trick which set pulses racing….

 

[LBBlue]

Indeed, a day that was ridiculously wet for mid-August. Camping overnight, we combined this trip with Sunday cricket at Leicester – lost that too !

It was a lot cheaper splitting the train journey at Huntingdon - trouble was I got drenched getting back to the station for the next train to Peterborough - I remember it well!

 

[ozzie]

You should start LLBlue every game "thread"from our first game to the last 71-72 season.
Games like Villa (home).B&Bfcc (away) Brentford Southport & Lincoln away...
Im with you,Mick,DoDTs,Nobbler etc remember those great days as well.
Maybe even 70`s can put a picture of that matchday prog on.
The North Bank,Pak,Brother Grimm,King Billy its endless.....and i even had hair and bellbottoms what days
50,yes 50 years ago NOW... its worth a thread on its own.
Im off for another beer and maybe dig out those old progs inc that Blues Russia one

 

[B.B.The Legend Lives On.]

You should start LLBlue every game "thread"from our first game to the last 71-72 season.
Games like Villa (home).B&Bfcc (away) Brentford Southport & Lincoln away...
Im with you,Mick,DoDTs,Nobbler etc remember those great days as well.
Maybe even 70`s can put a picture of that matchday prog on.
The North Bank,Pak,Brother Grimm,King Billy its endless.....and i even had hair and bellbottoms what days
50,yes 50 years ago NOW... its worth a thread on its own.
Im off for another beer and maybe dig out those old progs inc that Blues Russia one

Slightly off topic but the topic is the same, 52 years ago tonight Billy Best scored his first hat-trick of the season when we thrashed Scunthorpe United 3-0 (Even with Kevin Keegan in their team nobody could stop the King Billy from scoring)

 

[LCBB72]

Slightly off topic but the topic is the same, 52 years ago tonight Billy Best scored his first hat-trick of the season when we thrashed Scunthorpe United 3-0 (Even with Kevin Keegan in their team nobody could stop the King Billy from scoring)

Didnt the programme read Kevin Geegan .

 

[LBBlue]

You should start LLBlue every game "thread"from our first game to the last 71-72 season.
Games like Villa (home).B&Bfcc (away) Brentford Southport & Lincoln away...
Im with you,Mick,DoDTs,Nobbler etc remember those great days as well.
Maybe even 70`s can put a picture of that matchday prog on.
The North Bank,Pak,Brother Grimm,King Billy its endless.....and i even had hair and bellbottoms what days
50,yes 50 years ago NOW... its worth a thread on its own.
Im off for another beer and maybe dig out those old progs inc that Blues Russia one

I thought I would do one a week all through this season. Lots of memories from that season. I was in my second year at university in Southampton so getting back for games on a Friday night was a bit eventful. There were 4 of us Blues supporters there, including @mfurok so I did have a scrapbook of all the newspaper cuttings of match reports but now I regret getting rid of it and other stuff in one of my house moves. One of my most memorable games was the 4-1 win at Reading.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

The football clubs Daily mirror card.

 

[mfurok]

I thought I would do one a week all through this season. Lots of memories from that season. I was in my second year at university in Southampton so getting back for games on a Friday night was a bit eventful. There were 4 of us Blues supporters there, including @mfurok so I did have a scrapbook of all the newspaper cuttings of match reports but now I regret getting rid of it and other stuff in one of my house moves. One of my most memorable games was the 4-1 win at Reading.

It was a very enjoyable drive back from Reading to Southampton.

Almost a home game!

Today’s Wessex men can nip to watch the Blues at Eastleigh where the great MFUROK inter mural team won the first division title in style (Eastleigh’s new ground was built on Wellington sports ground).

 

[Whispering Bob]

The football clubs Daily mirror card.

Piekalnietis ?? I have no memory of him whatsoever....

 

[LCBB72]

Piekalnietis ?? I have no memory of him whatsoever....

He came from Nottingham Forest , played a couple of games and went off to Yeovil .

 

[Whispering Bob]

Ah-ha. Cheers.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Cold war Russia.

Piekalnietis ?? I have no memory of him whatsoever....

A Centre Back. Just looked it up, as I couldn't remember John Piekalnietis either.