exiledinwatford Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 After our failed comeback yesterday it made me think of a successful comeback - Mansfield of course was amazing, Hartlepool was pretty special but one sticks out in my mind as it was imo quite pivotal in our recent history. On Good Friday April 9th 1971 a rampant Luton Town came to Ashton Gate after successive promotions from the 4th and 3rd divisions they were on course to go straight up to the 1st division - they were 4th in the table, 2 points behind second place Cardiff with a game in hand. City meanwhile were 4th from bottom in 19th place with Charlton, two places below only three points behind with a game in hand (2 points for a win in those days). City had managed just 8 wins from 35 games and had just come off the back off successive 1-0 defeats. Alan Dicks had replaced Fred Ford three years earlier but was under fire as City had finished 19th, 16th and 14th in the three previous seasons and were in serious danger of relegation with just 7 games to go. In front of a holiday crowd of 18,846 City found themselves 2-0 down at half time with Lutons' star strike pair of Viv Busby and Malcolm MacDonald (yep the same Super Mac who was to get seriously embarrassed when City beat Arsenal at Highbury a few years later) helping themselves to a goal each. I remember the atmosphere being pretty downbeat - what chance did we have of even a point against high flying Luton with converted left back Ray Cashley in goal for only his 6th game in for injured legend Mike Gibson. It looked pretty hopeless for out of form City and pretty hopeless for Alan Dicks too. Out came a different City in the second half and leading from the front, captain Dickie Rooks got City back into the game with two goal hero Chris Garland (as he was to become again a few years later in the top flight against Liverpool) completing the most amazing and unlikely comeback I have ever seen from a City side (I missed Mansfield) with 3 goals in 7 minutes and City had won 3-2. We're proud of you we sang at the end. The very next day City won 2-0 at home to Portsmouth and although they couldn't manage another win in any of their last five games City finished safe in 19th spot four points ahead of relegated Blackburn and Alan Dicks was still in charge. Lutons' season went backwards and they finished sixth. Citys team against Luton was: Cashley, Jacobs, Drysdale, Wilson, Rooks ©, Hill, Tainton, Garland, Galley, Wimshurst, Gow, Sub. Merrick. Following that close escape Dicks introduced Sir Geoffrey Merrick with Gerry Sweeney as first team regulars for the next season and we finished 8th with 22 goals from John Galley. In 1972/73 Tom Ritchie and David Rodgers became regulars whilst Donnie Gillies and Gary Collier were brought in as we finished 5th. In 73/74 without a decent goalscorer it was a disappointing finish - 16th but we did introduce Clive Whitehead and late in the season a certain Paul Cheesley. In 74/75 our promotion team was complete with the introduction of Jimmy Mann finishing 5th before promotion the following year in 75/76 with the team that Dicks built. Thinking back to Good Friday, April 9th 1971 0-2 down to Luton at half time, what a different future we could have had without that great fight back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wilson was outstanding in that game, the pitch was a total mud heap ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemmyredjeff Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wilson was outstanding in that game, the pitch was a total mud heap ! A loan signing that was actually successful along with Hill who made less impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22A Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 A loan signing that was actually successful along with Hill who made less impact. When AD secured the loan of Wilson & Hill (from then 1st division Wolves & Coventry), the EP ran an article stating AD had used his contacts in the Midlands to give City an UNFAIR advantage against their relegation rivals and that the loan system should therefore be abolished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 When AD secured the loan of Wilson & Hill (from then 1st division Wolves & Coventry), the EP ran an article stating AD had used his contacts in the Midlands to give City an UNFAIR advantage against their relegation rivals and that the loan system should therefore be abolished. The Evil was a nest of Gasheads, then as now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwwtk Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 At the risk of making you feel old, I think calling it "pivotal in our recent history" might be pushing it a bit, nothing recent about it any more I'm afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 At the risk of making you feel old, I think calling it "pivotal in our recent history" might be pushing it a bit, nothing recent about it any more I'm afraid If it's after WWII, it's recent, mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 At the risk of making you feel old, I think calling it "pivotal in our recent history" might be pushing it a bit, nothing recent about it any more I'm afraid Of course it was pivital. If we'd lost we could have well gone down and ALL of our history would have been re-written ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwwtk Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Of course it was pivital. If we'd lost we could have well gone down and ALL of our history would have been re-written ! Pivotal? certainly, recent? not quite so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exiledinwatford Posted February 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Pivotal? certainly, recent? not quite so OK - call it whatever part of our history you like, I don't mind honest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie andrews Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Pivotal? certainly, recent? not quite so show a bit of respect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwwtk Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 show a bit of respect respect to what? A light hearted comment that maybe events 44 years ago aren't particularly recent seems to be upsetting far more people than it should! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse With No Name Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 After our failed comeback yesterday it made me think of a successful comeback - Mansfield of course was amazing, Hartlepool was pretty special but one sticks out in my mind as it was imo quite pivotal in our recent history. On Good Friday April 9th 1971 a rampant Luton Town came to Ashton Gate after successive promotions from the 4th and 3rd divisions they were on course to go straight up to the 1st division - they were 4th in the table, 2 points behind second place Cardiff with a game in hand. City meanwhile were 4th from bottom in 19th place with Charlton, two places below only three points behind with a game in hand (2 points for a win in those days). City had managed just 8 wins from 35 games and had just come off the back off successive 1-0 defeats. Alan Dicks had replaced Fred Ford three years earlier but was under fire as City had finished 19th, 16th and 14th in the three previous seasons and were in serious danger of relegation with just 7 games to go. In front of a holiday crowd of 18,846 City found themselves 2-0 down at half time with Lutons' star strike pair of Viv Busby and Malcolm MacDonald (yep the same Super Mac who was to get seriously embarrassed when City beat Arsenal at Highbury a few years later) helping themselves to a goal each. I remember the atmosphere being pretty downbeat - what chance did we have of even a point against high flying Luton with converted left back Ray Cashley in goal for only his 6th game in for injured legend Mike Gibson. It looked pretty hopeless for out of form City and pretty hopeless for Alan Dicks too. Out came a different City in the second half and leading from the front, captain Dickie Rooks got City back into the game with two goal hero Chris Garland (as he was to become again a few years later in the top flight against Liverpool) completing the most amazing and unlikely comeback I have ever seen from a City side (I missed Mansfield) with 3 goals in 7 minutes and City had won 3-2. We're proud of you we sang at the end. The very next day City won 2-0 at home to Portsmouth and although they couldn't manage another win in any of their last five games City finished safe in 19th spot four points ahead of relegated Blackburn and Alan Dicks was still in charge. Lutons' season went backwards and they finished sixth. Citys team against Luton was: Cashley, Jacobs, Drysdale, Wilson, Rooks ©, Hill, Tainton, Garland, Galley, Wimshurst, Gow, Sub. Merrick. Following that close escape Dicks introduced Sir Geoffrey Merrick with Gerry Sweeney as first team regulars for the next season and we finished 8th with 22 goals from John Galley. In 1972/73 Tom Ritchie and David Rodgers became regulars whilst Donnie Gillies and Gary Collier were brought in as we finished 5th. In 73/74 without a decent goalscorer it was a disappointing finish - 16th but we did introduce Clive Whitehead and late in the season a certain Paul Cheesley. In 74/75 our promotion team was complete with the introduction of Jimmy Mann finishing 5th before promotion the following year in 75/76 with the team that Dicks built. Thinking back to Good Friday, April 9th 1971 0-2 down to Luton at half time, what a different future we could have had without that great fight back! Did we really play two home games in two days? I know we used to play on successive days but thought one would have been away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I think I remember they substituted MacDonald with about 10 minutes to go and brought on a defender. I remember my dad saying we had them scared it was going to be a bigger defeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I think I remember they substituted MacDonald with about 10 minutes to go and brought on a defender. I remember my dad saying we had them scared it was going to be a bigger defeat. " Macdonald's a duck....quack,quack,quack,quack!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Orns Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 respect to what? A light hearted comment that maybe events 44 years ago aren't particularly recent seems to be upsetting far more people than it should! It was 2 years and 2 days before I was born.....don't make me feel any older Rich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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