1964-65 - Part 4 (Albion & Walsall win but Wolves & Villa in trouble)

Posted by Tony Hutton


SATURDAY 23RD JANUARY, 1965

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT THE HAWTHORNS, WEST BROMWICH

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 (Cram, Clark) TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS O

Potter; Cram, Williams G.; Fraser, Jones, Simpson;
Foggo, Howshall, Astle, Hope, Clark;

Brown W.; Knowles, Henry; Mullery, Brown L., Clayton;
Robertson, Greaves, Gilzean, Jones, Dyson;

Referee:- G. Martin, Whitchurch.

The one and only Jimmy Greaves












 Greaves in typical goalscoring mood, but couldn't produce anything like this today.

WEDNESDAY17TH FEBRUARY 1965

FOOTBALL LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL SECOND LEG AT STAMFORD BRIDGE

CHELSEA 1 (Graham) ASTON VILLA 1 (Hateley) Chelsea won on aggregate 4-3

Bonetti; Hinton, Harris; Hollins, Mortimore, Boyle;
Murray, Graham, Bridges, McCalliog, Tambling;

Withers; Wright, Aitken; Parker, Chatterley, Deakin;
Baker, Park, Hateley, Woosnam, Burrows;

WEDNESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY, 1965 

F.A. CUP FIFTH ROUND REPLAY AT MOLINEUX, WOLVERHAMPTON

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0 ASTON VILLA 0

Davies; Thomson, Harris; Flowers, Woodfield, Kirkham;
Wharton, Woodruffe, McIlmoyle, Miller, Wagstaffe;

Withers; Lee, Aitken; Wylie, Pountney, Deakin;
MacEwan, Stobart, Hateley, Woosnam, Burrows;

Referee:- A. Edge, Liverpool

After a 1-1 draw in the first game at Villa Park on Saturday, these two local rivals met again in a fiercely contested fifth round replay. It proved to be another game of missed chances by both sides.
This only confirms the fact that these two famous teams are currently at the bottom of the first division table, with Wolves five points behind Villa. The two other West Midlands sides West Brom. and Birmingham City are both well into the bottom half too.

Wolves have already survived replays in the competition this season against Portsmouth and Rotherham. The prize for tonight's winner is a home draw against favourites Manchester United.

Wolves dominated the early stages and Woodruffe, scorer of Saturday's goal for Wolves, missed two early chances first heading wide and then having rounded the goalkeeper had his shot cleared off the line by centre half Pountney. Villa came back strongly and after Burrows, Stobart and Deakin had all gone close Hateley had the best chance so far after 22 minutes but shot over from only six yards out.

Wolves looked vulnerable in defence but Villa failed to take advantage of several easy chances. The visitors looked dismayed at this and fell back on defence but Wolves too could not take advantage. Just before half time Villa half  back Alan Deakin was injured and went on the wing with MacEwan falling back in defence. Even Hateley was called upon to head away a series of Wolves corners.
Half time 0-0.

The above pictures were some of the first ever to appear in colour in a British newspaper, the Birmingham Planet did not last long going out of business before the end of the 1960s but as part of the Woodrow Wyatt empire pioneered the use of web offset printing.

MacEwan misses yet another chance for Villa.

Deakin, still limping badly, played a wandering role in the Villa forward line during the second half, but did manage to set up a chance for Harry Burrows, who fired high over the bar. Miller had what seemed a simple chance for Wolves but headed well over the bar again. Withers looked confident in the Villa goal, dealing easily with crosses from the wing.

Wylie was Villa's best player, and with Deakin seeming to have run off his injury and returning to his normal position the visitors looked favourites to win the game in extra time, when both teams suffered from cramp and other injuries. Again both teams had plenty of opportunities to win the game but Withers saved well from Kirkham and finally Hateley volleyed another chance over the bar. So it finished in a goal less draw and the sides will meet for a third time next Monday at the Hawthorns, West Bromwich.

Stobart misses for Villa towards the end of extra time.

(In that second replay Wolves somehow managed to win 3-1 and so faced Manchester United in the sixth round. United won an epic encounter 5-3.)


SATURDAY 13TH MARCH, 1965

LEAGUE DIVISION THREE AT FELLOWS PARK, WALSALL

WALSALL 2 (Clarke 2) EXETER CITY 1 (Rees)                    Attendance 6,463

Carling; Gregg, Harris; Sissons, Bennett, Atthey;
Satchwell, Clarke, O'Neill, McMorran, Taylor;

Shearing; Smyth, Patrick; Mitchell, Harvey, Anderson;
Welsh, Rees, Curtis, Hancock, Ley;

SATURDAY 20TH MARCH, 1965

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT MOLINEUX, WOLVERHAMPTON      Attendance 20,945

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 3 (Buckley, Woodruff, Wharton) STOKE CITY 1 (Burrows)

Today's first division league table showed three West Midlands teams firmly locked at the bottom -
Birmingham City played 34 - 23 points, Aston Villa played 30 - 20 points and Wolves played 31 - 19  points. With the teams above them four points clear it looked as if two of the three local clubs would be relegated. Stoke just below half way in the table were in the comfort zone. So a lot at stake for Wolves today.