Southend United against Chesterfield on April 15th 1967 was not a particularly noteworthy match for most. The Shrimpers were in 4th place in the Division 4 table at the time and, therefore, in line for promotion if they maintained that. There were 7 games to play but United won only two and narrowly missed out. Chesterfield were at the time and stayed there until the campaign's conclusion.
But the game had special significance for me as it was the first time I was allowed to go to a game on my own. In fact, it was only the 2nd game I had ever attended, after being taken to the League Cup Final 5 weeks earlier. My lifelong love of QPR had begun at Wembley but as My father had no interest in football there was no chance of getting into London anytime soon. United’s ground was on a direct bus route from near my house in Rayleigh so it was deemed safe enough to go to the game.
You’ll be able to tell from the cover that this programme is the original, clutched in my hands during the game and stuffed in a pocket for the journey home. But despite the prominent top and tail adverts, the cover is an attractive one with a very good action shot dominating. Inside, it’s noted that the image is of Colin Platt scoring a late winner against York City in the previous game.
Inside notes from the manager Alvan Williams are optimistic that winning the remaining home games will lead to promotion (sorry Alvan), and he congratulates ‘burly’ Ray Smith on reaching 17 goals for the season. Williams was an interesting character who managed Hartlepool United, Southend and Wrexham. According to Wikipedia he once refused to allow the Southend centre-half, Eddie May, to come off with a broken nose during a match. He was ordered back on the pitch for the remaining 33 minutes with a sponge strapped to his nose! Wiki also suggests that Williams almost returned to Hartlepool in 1966 but after failing to agree on terms that club appointed Brian Clough. A potential small, but significant, deviation in football history. Sadly for Southend, he will be remembered there for being the first manager to see a relegation in their league history.
Straightforward pen pictures of the Chesterfield players follow, and the subsequent pages continue to be dominated by advertisements for, primarily, local companies. Stand-out is one for Channel Airways, flying direct from Southend, enticing the reader to 15 days in Spain during the coming winter from only £37 10s!
Several motor-related ads surround the team spread; for taxis, used cars and vans and, mirroring the cover page, BMC warranted used cars. The team sheet has a smaller font than ideal but there’s enough room for me to have noted that Birks had been dropped for Matthews, as had Chesterfield’s Clarke, replaced by Tait. There is also room for two autographs I hurdled the stone surround to get my thrusting my autograph book in front of 2 players who I had no idea were.
From the home team, Andy Smillie, playing at 7 that day, signed floridly across his name. I obviously didn’t know it then, but Andy had slipped down the divisions after starting at the top with West Ham. But he was a fine servant for Southend, notching up 164 games and 29 goals.
The other player was from Chesterfield; Kevin Randall. Kevin was noted in the programme’s pen pics as ‘a youngster who shows quite a lot of promise’. He accumulated 182 goals in 556 appearances playing exclusively in the north of England and even managed Chesterfield briefly in the late 80’s. I wasn’t aware of it until I wrote this article but he was even a scout, under Neil Warnock, at my club, QPR. I was saddened to hear of his death in 2019 as I remembered, even then, that he’d signed this programme - though I hadn’t looked at it in many years.
It would have been apt if Randall had been Chesterfield’s goalscorer that day but that honour went to the number 11, Peter Bishop. His goal was the only one of the first half and it led to one of those seated in the main stand to shout at Alvan Williams ‘ What’s that rubbish all about Williams?’. A rude awakening for a sheltered Rayleigh boy followed as Williams replied with a V sign and ‘fuck off you fucking bastard!’
Perhaps he said something along those lines in his half-time team talk and the disgruntled spectator would have had to rethink his opinion as the 6895 spectators saw United hit 4 in the 2nd half without reply. Nonetheless, as I mentioned above the run-in was not a good one for the home team and Williams moved on to Wrexham in the close season.
One of his trainers/coaches is featured on the next page ‘Man on the Touchline’. Peter Gordon was primarily a right-sided forward with Norwich, Watford, Exeter and Newport County before taking a coaching role with Hartlepool under Alvan Williams. He followed Williams to Southend before a brief time at Northampton. He left football in 1975 and died, aged only 58, in 1990.
Anyone who’s lived in, or near, Southend will have heard of the Kursaal and it is an advert for that place, and the Half time scoreboard key, that ends the programme.
For those not in the ‘know’ the Kursaal here called itself ‘Britain’s BRIGHTEST Amusement Park’ and mentions Modern Ballroom Dancing, Conference facilities and a Casino. It had opened in 1901 and was the home of Southend United between 1919 and 1934. But by the date of this game, it was on the decline. Nonetheless, before the bulk of the site closed 6 years later acts such as The Move, The Troggs, Uriah Heap, Status Quo, Rod Stewart and the Faces and Mott the Hoople appeared. The residue of the attraction closed in 1986.
Yorumlar