1955-56 - Part four

Posted by Tony Hutton


Two months have passed and I was able to leave the frozen north for the comfort of a more southerly base in beautiful Herefordshire to be trained not as you might think in the SAS, but as a mere typist to fight the enemy from behind a desk. However my touch typing training is still with me today and helps me do these blogs some sixty years later! Things became much more free and easy, regular night outs to sample the local scrumpy cider and even weekend coach trips home to the Midlands, where football was once again on the agenda.

SATURDAY 25TH FEBRUARY, 1956

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT THE HAWTHORNS, WEST BROMWICH

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 (Barlow, Griffin, Lee) SUNDERLAND 0

Sanders; Howe, Millard (capt); Dudley, Kennedy, Summers;
Griffin, Setters, Barlow, Barlow, Allen, Lee;

Fraser; Hedley, McDonald; Anderson, Daniel, Aitken;
Bingham, Fleming, Holden, Elliott, Shackleton;

There were signs that Albion's great cup winning side of 1954 was breaking up, with youngster like Don Howe, Gerry Summers and a tearaway from Exeter called Maurice Setters coming into the side. Barlow was once again tried as an experimental centre forward with Summers taking his normal place at left half.

On a snow covered pitch Albion played cool and purposeful football and split the Sunderland defence on numerous occasions whereas the star studded Sunderland forward line could make little impression on Albion's solid defence in which Howe and Kennedy were outstanding. Indeed it was Kennedy who saved Albion several times by coming across to rob Bingham, after the little Irishman had proved much too fast for the veteran Millard.

Howe, after only a handful of games, appeared for England under 23s last month and has improved greatly, his coolness and careful distribution being his outstanding qualities. The other two youngsters in the team had quite good games. Summers in particular impressed with his clever positional play and Setters' keenness made up for his lack of experience against such powerful players as Daniel and Aitken.

After twenty minutes play Griffin put Allen away on the left and his low fierce cross was prodded home by Barlow - his first goal since conversion to centre forward some nine weeks ago. Then a minute later Allen sliced a shot out to Griffin, who cut in and suddenly swerved inside his man and let fly with his left foot. This caught all the defenders by surprise and the winger's shot crashed against the far post, back to the near one, and into the net!

Albion were in great form now and when Barlow centred, Allen chested it down, brushed past one opponent and when  about to let fly was robbed at the last minute. Lee then dashed into the middle and smashed a right foot into the net but was given off side. Half time 2-0.

In the second half Sunderland came more into the game and went close on three occasions, first when Fleming hit a hard centre across which struck and rolled along the crossbar, then Bingham sent over a great corner and Fleming jumping high, headed with great power but Sanders leapt and touched it over the bar.
Bill Holden, the recent signing from Burnley, took a first time shot from the edge of the area. He shot with great power but the ball sailed over the bar.

Holden made one of his first appearances for Burnley at the Hawthorns and as an unknown he impressed with his boundless energy and ability to shoot, but now as a fully fledged star, with the qualifications of long transfer negotiations and a spell in the reserves, he looked a very ordinary player. Little was seen of Shackleton's genius and he appears to be wasted on the wing. Elliott also appeared to be out of place at inside left.

Albion missed two glorious chances, Lee clean through the centre seemed puzzled when no one challenged him and glanced round before shooting against Fraser's legs. Then Allen headed against the post for the ball to bounce back into Fraser's welcoming arms. Nine minutes from time Lee was presented with a goal to make up for his earlier lapse, Griffin rolling the ball past Fraser from the left, for Lee to gently tap it home.
One almost wished that goal poacher supreme, Johnny Nicholls, was around to crash it fiercely into the net.

Albion's team for the future is starting to take shape and with other youngsters like goalkeeper Brown and forwards Jackson and Crowshaw waiting in the wings, the future looks bright.

As for Sunderland, my old Grandad who followed them between the wars, would be tearing his hair out if he had any left. As it was I wrote to him, still living in Leeds, to say that although Ray Daniel, the Welsh centre half, tried a long powerful shot similar to the one which beat Sheffield United in a cup replay last Wednesday, their attempts at goal were few and far between. For such a big name side, full of expensive buys, they were very disappointing.



SATURDAY 3RD MARCH, 1956

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM

ASTON VILLA 1 (Pace) CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 (Leary pen.)

Jones; Lynn, Aldis; Baxter, Dugdale, Crowe;
Smith, Sewell (capt), Pace, Dixon, McParland;

Bartram; Campbell, Townsend; O'Linn, Hewie, Ufton (capt);
Ayre, Gauld, Leary, White, Kiernan;

Referee:- E.E. Smith, Newport

Charlton continued with their experimental side, Hewie retaining the centre half position and Ufton recovered from injury coming in a left half. Villa, now bottom of the league, needed two points desperately.

Villa went all out right from the start, the best move came when a lovely long pass from Baxter put McParland through, but from his centre Dixon ran in front of Smith who sliced his shot wide. Hewie was playing extremely well to stop the lively dashes of Derek Pace. Then in Charton's first real attack they almost scored. Gauld sliped

 Gauld had the Villa defence in constant trouble with a series of quick dashes down the field, once in possession it is very difficult to get him off the ball. However, all too often, his final pass was intersepted by Dugdal, who had a fine game and has soon established himself as a firm favourite with the critical crowd here, since his transfer from West Bromwich.

Lynn brough Bartram into action with a long lob just under the crossbar from the touchline, but the veteran goalkeeper confidently touched it over the bar. Then Villa went near again, the ball bobbing about inside the Charlton penalty area for some time vefore Hewie stepped in to clear. Half time 0-0.

Ufton slowly led his men out of the tunnel for the second half still puffing away at his cigarette. Campbell then delayed the start by coming out late and special derisory cheer was given to him and then to O'Linn who promptly passed back to Batram from fully forty yards. Guld had another thrilling burst, racing past Dugdale and Aldis, but Jo0nes ran out of goal to kick off his feet.

Jackie Sewell had a great chance to score but suddenly crumpled to the ground, with no other player near him. He had to leave the field. Bartram twice punched clear, once from McParland and then from a terrific drive from 'Stan the Wham' Lynn. Then Sewell, who had returned to the fray, put Pace through with only
Bartram to beat from only five yards out, but the goalkeeper double fisted it away.

After seventy seven minutes Gould yet again outpaced all the opposition , rounded Jones and shot, but Lynn threw himself at it and pushed it into the net with his hands. The ball then spun out again, the referee at first awarded a goal but after consulting a linesman awarded a penalty. Leary calmly side-footed it past Jones and Charlton were deservedly ahead.

Villa went all out to equalise and Vic Crowe sent in a terrific shot which beat Bartram's flying dive and struck a post. With only nine minutes remaining Smith headed the ball down through Townsend's legs onto the goal line and in a frantic scramble Pace forced not only the ball, but two Charlton players, into the back of the net to earn his side a point.



SATURDAY 10TH MARCH 1956

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT THE HAWTHORNS, WEST BROMWICH

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0 MANCHESTER CITY 4 (Johnstone 2, Hayes, Dyson)

Sanders; Howe, Millard (capt); Brookes, Kennedy, Summers;
Crowshaw, Robson, Kevan, Allen, Lee;

Trautmann; Leivers, Little; Barnes, Ewing, Paul (capt);
Spurdle, Hayes, Johstone, Dyson, Clarke;

Referee:- Mr L. Richardson, Doncaster.

Albion, who lost 5-1 at Blackpool last week, included their new signing from Fulham, Bobby Robson, but had also to field three reserves, Brookes, Crowshaw and Kevan because of injuries to Dudley, Griffin and Barlow. City fielded the side which took them through to the FA Cup semi final by beating Everton last week.

Albion start off well with several combined moves in which Robson showed nice touches but their finishing was very poor. Thie best chance came when Allen burst throught but shot just wide. Then Robson put Crowshaw away, his centre bounced awkwardly and it was fumbled by Trautmann before he managed to turn it round the post.

City soon spotted  Albion's defensive weakness against their deep lying centre forward plan and they took the lead after twenty five minutes. Johnstone was having plenty of room and from a pass by Barnes he set off at speed, everyone expected him to pass, but he ran on and sent a powerful shot into the far corner of the net. Johnstone then beat Kennedy with ease, something few centre forwards can do, but Summers covering well cleared the danger. At this stage Allen was playing a lone hand in the Albion attack.

Dyson, from the left wing, crashed the ball against the crossbar, it rebounded to Spurdle who lobbed it back into the middle where Brookes cleared with a wild kick. After forty one minutes Johnston pushed a long ball down the centre and little Joe Hayes sped past Brookes, chasing from behind, and Sanders advancing from the goal, to score. Just before the interval Allen almost reduced City's lead when he crashed a terrific shot from the right wing which Trautmann never saw, but which hit the corner of the goal before rebounding into play. Half time 0-2.

The Albion went from bad to worse in the second half, the defence not knowing who to mark in the brilliant Manchester forward line which switched positions continually. The home side's attack was also completely disjointed, Kevan and Crowshaw being particularly inefficient. Barnes and Paul were almost faultless at wing half for City.

After fifty nine minutes Sanders failed to hold a long ball down the centre and Johnstone was on hand to drive it into the net. Eight minutes before the end of the game came the best goal of the match. The Lancashire cricketer, Dyson, got the ball on the edge of the penalty are with a packed defence in front of him. He picked his way round Brookes and Summers with very little room in which to manoeuvre and as Sanders ran out of goal, sent him the wrong way, walked round him and put the ball in the net. A brilliant piece of ball control.

On this form City should beat Spurs in the cup semi-final and have a good chance of winning the Cup in their second successive Wembley appearance. The only possible weakness is the centre half Ewing, whose awkward style and big kicking are out of place in a team of ball players. Few teams can match their strength at wing half and inside forward and although not needing to display his ability today they have the best goalkeeper in Britain.

As for the Albion this was a pityful performance even allowing that three reserves were in the team. Sanders had a shocking game and replacements for him and Millard, who was run off his feet, must be found. Summers was the pick of the half backs and it seems incredible that the normally faultless Kennedy could have such a poor game.


SATURDAY 17TH MARCH, 1956

SOUTHERN LEAGUE AT EDGAR STREET, HEREFORD

HEREFORD UNITED 2 (Bowen, Anslow) HEADINGTON UNITED 3 (Smillie 2, Rees)


GOOD FRIDAY 30TH MARCH, 1956 

CENTRAL LEAGUE AT THE HAWTHORNS, WEST BROMWICH

WEST BROMWICH ALBION RESERVES 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 0

 Brown; Williams (S), Perkins; Horne, Brookes, Setters;
Crowshaw, Carter, Whitehouse (B), Jackson, Williams (G);

Crompton (capt); Fulton, Kennedy; Whitefoot, Cope, Whitehurst;
Scott, McGuiness, Webster, Bent, McFarlane;

Referee:- G.D. Swinton, Stafford

The only item of interest in this goal-less game came when the Manchester United team was announced. It had nine changes from the team in the programme with such notables as Bill Foulkes, Bobby Charlton, Albert Scanlon and Jackie Blanchflower all missing. However United are enjoying a very successful season with the first team almost certain to win the First Division Championship and the Reserves are currently two points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Central League in which Albion are fourth.


SATURDAY 31ST MARCH, 1956

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT MOLINEUX, WOLVERHAMPTON               Attendance 31,940

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 2 (Mullen, Murray) NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 (Keeble)

Williams; Stuart, Shorthouse; Slater, Wright (capt), Flowers;
McDonald, Broadbent, Murray, Wilshaw, Mullen;

Simpson; Lackenby, McMichael; Scoular (capt), Stokoe, Casey;
Milburn, White, Keeble, Hannah, Mitchell;

Referee:- W. Hickson, Wigan

Wolves opened their holiday programme with a late victory over Newcastle after having apparently surrendered the initiative. Early exchanges favoured the Wanderers with Broadbent their most dangerous forward. He tested Simpson with a drive and made an opening for Murray to essay a shot which the Newcastle goalkeeper dived sideways to save.

Newcastle, whose attacks had been few up to that point, took the lead in the third minute. White centred from long range and Keeble got his head to the ball to beat Williams. Wolverhampton continued to attack and forced a series of corners.

In the second half Wanderers were guilty of weak finishing and Newcastle were the more determined and Mitchell and Keeble were close to scoring. A foul by Newcastle goalkeeper Simpson on Wilshaw just outside the penalty area provoked a demonstration from the crowd behind the visitors' goal which called for the referees intervention.

In the 79th minute Wolverhampton were awarded a free kick from which they equalised. Shorthouse ran over the ball and Flowers passed it sideways to the unmarked Mullen who beat Simpson from an angle. The closing minutes had no lack of excitement and with tempers becoming frayed there were several incidents. Williams saved well from another header by Keeble. Then two minutes from time Murray got the winning goal from a pass by McDonald.

(Match report from the Birmingham Post)

 
MONDAY 4TH APRIL, 1956                                                Attendance 15,179

LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH AT FELLOWS PARK, WALSALL

WALSALL 0 COLCHESTER UNITED 0

Davies; Haddington, Vinall; Dorman (capt),McPherson, Guttridge;
Morris, Richards, Hodgkisson, Taylor (D), Cooper;

Ames; Fisher, Fowler; Fenton, Stewart, Dale;
Blake, Dobson, McCurley, Hill, Wright;

Referee:- S.L. Overton, Chaddesden, Derby

Walsall are still next to bottom of the League and once again re-election is staring them in the face. However the fact that they have three games in hand on Reading, who are level on points, leaves them with a fighting chance of getting clear for the first time in five seasons.

After their promising start to the holiday programme by drawing both away games, Walsall badly disappointed a large holiday crowd at Fellows Park in sharing with Colchester a goalless draw. With every point of immense value in their effort to avoid the last two places in the table, Walsall may regret

the forward ineptitude which enabled Colchester to escape the drubbing their general play deserved.

Playing an attacking formation in which the two inside men Taylor and Richards acted as joint centre forwards, with chosen leader, Hodgkisson, lying far back, Walsall did well enough in approach. When near goal some of the misses were unbelievably bad. The nearest Walsall came to scoring was when Guttridge raced through to crash the ball against the Colchester woodwork. The visitors immediately swung the ball to the other end where McCurley headed against the bar with Davies beaten.

The experiment of playing a two pronged spearhead was a success but Hodgkisson was unfortunately well below form and unable to provide accurate passes. Cooper also had an unhappy day failing with two point blank chances when Walsall were so much on top it was almost a case of one way traffic. The one bright spot of a rather drab game was the attendance of  15,179 which was the second best league game of the season. It was a pity they did not have more to cheer about.

(Match report from Birmingham Post).


SATURDAY 14TH APRIL, 1956                              Attendance 23,000

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM

ASTON VILLA 3 (Pace 3) SHEFFIELD UNITED 2 (Grainger, Wilkinson)

Sims; Hogg, Aldis; Baxter, Dugdale, Crowe;

Smith, Southren, Pace, Dixon, Lockhart;

Burgin; Coldwell, Mason; Hoyland, Johnson, Iley;

Ringstead, Hagan, Wilkinson, Howitt, Grainger;

Whatever Aston Villa's shortcomings might be there is no mistaking their enthusiasm in their fight to avoid relegation. It was sheer will to win, more than anything else, which enabled them to beat Sheffield United at Villa Park and leave themselves with a slender chance of escape. Slender because they have only two games to play whereas United have three and have a point more and Tottenham Hotspur who have three more.

Not for a long time have the Villa Park spectators been roused to such enthusiasm as by Pace's hat trick scored within forty minutes of the start helped by a goal within ten seconds, scored after only three men had touched the ball. Pace's dash thoroughly unsettled the United defenders and his success was well deserved. United's policy of reserving Hagan for the last desperate matches has paid dividends and looked like paying more when he was the prime mover in a goal headed by Grainger from a cross by Ringstead  in 17 minutes.

There were none of Hagan's stature in the side other than Iley a grand left half and Villa soon regained command. Pace scoring a second in 35 minutes from a corner by Lockhart after a move involving Dixon and Pace. Six minutes later Pace completed his hat trick. Burgin and Johnson tried to clear a free kick taken by Smith and the goalkeeper with his centre half back in the way, dropped the ball, enabling Pace to shoot into the net.

Hagan's scheming was as usual a delight to the student of football, but United expected his genius to solve their problems by itself. He was too closely watch to be capable of that and Villa survivied their second half attack, fortune and good positioning by Baxter saving them when two Sheffield forwards shot from close range. United also had their escapes particularly when Burgin tipped two shots from Lockhart over the crossbar.

Villa's defence was much sounder than Sheffield's, Dugdale playing Wilkinson out of the game, until the centre forward scored with 14 minutes remaining to play to put life into the closing minutes.

(Match report from Birmingham Post)    

One game I was sorry to miss at the end of the season was the benefit match for Walsall' s long standing favourite Fred Morris. Through thick and thin (mainly thin!) he has given his all and deserves a well supported game on 30th April at Fellows Park. He later went on to play for Liverpool with some success partnering the Scottish legend Billy Liddell on the opposite wing.

Some pictures and cuttings from his career are attached.

 End of season review

As expected Manchester United won the First Division title by a margin of eleven points, Blackpool who finished level on points clinched second place by goal average. The two Yorkshire sides Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United were relegated to the Second Division.

The promoted sides were two other Yorkshire clubs in Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United, with Plymouth Argyle and Hull City relegated. Grimsby just pipped Derby County for promotion from the Third Division North and Leyton Orient were one point ahead of Brighton in the Third Division South.
Rejoicing at last for Walsall who managed to finish in 20th place two places and four points above the dreaded re-election area.

FA Cup winners, at the second attempt, were Manchester City who beat Birmingham City at Wembley thanks to the heroics of their injured goalkeeper Bert Trautmann.