Merthyr Imp
Vital Champions League
9th August 1969 - Lincoln City 3 Colchester United 3 (Football League Division Four)
The previous season had started with high hopes of a promotion challenge in Division Four but after being in the top four places for most of the first half of the 1968/69 season the Imps had fallen away to finish 8th. Consequently, hopes were less high going into the new season and this was reflected in an attendance of 7,061 which was down from the 8,000-plus of the opening game a year before.
For Colchester, this was their second season in the bottom tier as they rather yo-yoed between the Third and Fourth divisions in the 1960s.
The teams were:
City:
1. Colin Withers
2. Phil Hubbard
3. Graham Taylor
4. Billy Taylor
5. Ray Harford
6. Jim Grummett
7. Jack Lewis
8. Rod Fletcher
9. Bobby Svarc
10. Dave Helliwell
11. Dave Smith
12. George Peden
Colchester:
1. Graham Smith
2. Bert Howe
3. Brian Hall
4. Roger Joslyn
5. Bob Howlett
6. Micky Brown
7. Steve Pitt
8. Roy Massey
9. Danny Light
10. Brian Gibbs
11. Ray Whittaker
12. Jim Oliver (for Pitt)
City had three players making their debuts having joined in the close season, the most notable being Scottish midfielder Bill Taylor who at the age of 30 had been on the fringes of Nottingham Forest’s first team for a number of years. He had effectively replaced Jim Smith in the squad, a player whose release had come as a surprise, and who at the age of 28 had joined Boston United as player-manager to start his lengthy managerial career. With Taylor being more of a ball-playing schemer than the industrious Smith the two might well have complemented each other if they had played together.
Partnering Bill Taylor in a new-look midfield was the only close-season signing to have cost a fee – 21-year-old Dave Helliwell, who cost £4,000 from Blackburn Rovers for whom he had played a dozen or so games in the Second Division. He soon lost his place in City’s side, and after a few further games on the wing was released at the end of the season. While sometimes described as ‘pencil-slim’ it’s maybe too easy to say his lack of success in midfield for City was due to being too lightweight for the rough and tumble of the Fourth Division as he went on to play around 200 games for Workington.
Perhaps with some lingering doubt over John Kennedy’s fitness after the fractured elbow that caused him to miss the second half of the previous season, another new signing was goalkeeper Colin Withers from Aston Villa. On the face of it this was quite a coup, as at the age 29, he was an established First and Second Division keeper with around 250 appearances for Villa and Birmingham City. However, there perhaps should have been alarm bells over the fact that he had ceased to be first choice at his previous club a year before.
A surprise in the team selection was left back George Peden being left out for the first time since joining the club just over two seasons before. With Graham Taylor moving over to the left, Peden’s place was effectively taken by Phil Hubbard who at the age of 20 had already shown plenty of versatility with some debate about what was in fact his best position – although there had been lots of indications that manager Ron Gray thought it was right back.
With Gordon Hughes recovering from a cartilage operation his place on the right wing was taken by Jack Lewis, a player forever in and out of the side despite being as many (including me) thought one of the most exciting players in the division.
Up front, Rod Fletcher, after a scoring run at the end of the previous season that just came too late, was partnered by Bobby Svarc, a player signed with high hopes from Leicester City the previous autumn but who had disappointed.
Colchester’s manager was Dick Graham in the middle of a four-year spell in charge of the club. Under his guidance the ‘U’s were to achieve fame the following season by beating First Division Leeds United in the FA Cup with three of the giant-killing side featuring in this game – ex-Notts County goalkeeper Graham Smith, long-serving left back Brian Hall and experienced attacker Brian Gibbs. Also in the side were 19-year-old midfielder Roger Joslyn who would later feature in Graham Taylor’s Watford sides that rose from the Fourth to the Second Division, and Micky Brown who a few years earlier had been linked with a possible move to City. (Note – not to be confused with the City full back of the same name).
After an even start City took the lead after 20 minutes when Billy Taylor for what was to be the first of several times in the season supplied a through pass for Rod Fletcher to run onto. He shook off an attempted trip inside the penalty area and hit a low shot past the keeper. From the re-start Colchester immediately lost possession and Jack Lewis’s cross was hooked into the net by Fletcher for a second goal within 30 seconds to carry on his scoring form of the season before.
Looking well set up for a victory the Imps were pegged back on the half hour when Brian Gibbs headed in a cross with Colin Withers seeming reluctant to come off his line. The visitors equalised six minutes later when Withers was again rooted to his line as Gibbs scored again following a free kick out on the left.
Although with efforts at goal from Dave Smith, Bobby Svarc and Jack Lewis after the break much of the play was confined to midfield. But after City got the ball into the net from a free kick which had to be taken again Colchester went straight to the other end from the goal kick. Danny Light and Roy Massey combined for the latter to put the ball into the net after 66 minutes. Svarc put the ball over the bar for City and it was left to centre half Ray Harford to rescue a point ten minutes from the end when he headed a Smith free kick into the net.
In the Football Echo, Maurice Burton found City’s display not entirely convincing, finding Billy Taylor the best of the new men on view but criticising Dave Helliwell as “seldom in the picture” and finding Colin Withers “not entirely blameless” for the two first half goals.
After a 2-1 League Cup defeat at Watford the following midweek the much-criticised Withers lost his place and featured only once more in City’s first team.
Remarkably, the next home game also saw a 3-3 draw, this time with the other Essex club, Southend, and it was the ninth game of the season before City registered their first league win by which time they had slumped to 23rd place.
Colchester were to have a good start to the season with only one defeat in the first ten games but eventually slipped to mid-table and finished 10th, two places below City.
If you would like to read the full story of City's 1969/70 season don't miss the first issue of Gary Hutchinson's new Stacey West fanzine which replaces 'A City United' and I'm told will be available to buy very soon.
The previous season had started with high hopes of a promotion challenge in Division Four but after being in the top four places for most of the first half of the 1968/69 season the Imps had fallen away to finish 8th. Consequently, hopes were less high going into the new season and this was reflected in an attendance of 7,061 which was down from the 8,000-plus of the opening game a year before.
For Colchester, this was their second season in the bottom tier as they rather yo-yoed between the Third and Fourth divisions in the 1960s.
The teams were:
City:
1. Colin Withers
2. Phil Hubbard
3. Graham Taylor
4. Billy Taylor
5. Ray Harford
6. Jim Grummett
7. Jack Lewis
8. Rod Fletcher
9. Bobby Svarc
10. Dave Helliwell
11. Dave Smith
12. George Peden
Colchester:
1. Graham Smith
2. Bert Howe
3. Brian Hall
4. Roger Joslyn
5. Bob Howlett
6. Micky Brown
7. Steve Pitt
8. Roy Massey
9. Danny Light
10. Brian Gibbs
11. Ray Whittaker
12. Jim Oliver (for Pitt)
City had three players making their debuts having joined in the close season, the most notable being Scottish midfielder Bill Taylor who at the age of 30 had been on the fringes of Nottingham Forest’s first team for a number of years. He had effectively replaced Jim Smith in the squad, a player whose release had come as a surprise, and who at the age of 28 had joined Boston United as player-manager to start his lengthy managerial career. With Taylor being more of a ball-playing schemer than the industrious Smith the two might well have complemented each other if they had played together.
Partnering Bill Taylor in a new-look midfield was the only close-season signing to have cost a fee – 21-year-old Dave Helliwell, who cost £4,000 from Blackburn Rovers for whom he had played a dozen or so games in the Second Division. He soon lost his place in City’s side, and after a few further games on the wing was released at the end of the season. While sometimes described as ‘pencil-slim’ it’s maybe too easy to say his lack of success in midfield for City was due to being too lightweight for the rough and tumble of the Fourth Division as he went on to play around 200 games for Workington.
Perhaps with some lingering doubt over John Kennedy’s fitness after the fractured elbow that caused him to miss the second half of the previous season, another new signing was goalkeeper Colin Withers from Aston Villa. On the face of it this was quite a coup, as at the age 29, he was an established First and Second Division keeper with around 250 appearances for Villa and Birmingham City. However, there perhaps should have been alarm bells over the fact that he had ceased to be first choice at his previous club a year before.
A surprise in the team selection was left back George Peden being left out for the first time since joining the club just over two seasons before. With Graham Taylor moving over to the left, Peden’s place was effectively taken by Phil Hubbard who at the age of 20 had already shown plenty of versatility with some debate about what was in fact his best position – although there had been lots of indications that manager Ron Gray thought it was right back.
With Gordon Hughes recovering from a cartilage operation his place on the right wing was taken by Jack Lewis, a player forever in and out of the side despite being as many (including me) thought one of the most exciting players in the division.
Up front, Rod Fletcher, after a scoring run at the end of the previous season that just came too late, was partnered by Bobby Svarc, a player signed with high hopes from Leicester City the previous autumn but who had disappointed.
Colchester’s manager was Dick Graham in the middle of a four-year spell in charge of the club. Under his guidance the ‘U’s were to achieve fame the following season by beating First Division Leeds United in the FA Cup with three of the giant-killing side featuring in this game – ex-Notts County goalkeeper Graham Smith, long-serving left back Brian Hall and experienced attacker Brian Gibbs. Also in the side were 19-year-old midfielder Roger Joslyn who would later feature in Graham Taylor’s Watford sides that rose from the Fourth to the Second Division, and Micky Brown who a few years earlier had been linked with a possible move to City. (Note – not to be confused with the City full back of the same name).
After an even start City took the lead after 20 minutes when Billy Taylor for what was to be the first of several times in the season supplied a through pass for Rod Fletcher to run onto. He shook off an attempted trip inside the penalty area and hit a low shot past the keeper. From the re-start Colchester immediately lost possession and Jack Lewis’s cross was hooked into the net by Fletcher for a second goal within 30 seconds to carry on his scoring form of the season before.
Looking well set up for a victory the Imps were pegged back on the half hour when Brian Gibbs headed in a cross with Colin Withers seeming reluctant to come off his line. The visitors equalised six minutes later when Withers was again rooted to his line as Gibbs scored again following a free kick out on the left.
Although with efforts at goal from Dave Smith, Bobby Svarc and Jack Lewis after the break much of the play was confined to midfield. But after City got the ball into the net from a free kick which had to be taken again Colchester went straight to the other end from the goal kick. Danny Light and Roy Massey combined for the latter to put the ball into the net after 66 minutes. Svarc put the ball over the bar for City and it was left to centre half Ray Harford to rescue a point ten minutes from the end when he headed a Smith free kick into the net.
In the Football Echo, Maurice Burton found City’s display not entirely convincing, finding Billy Taylor the best of the new men on view but criticising Dave Helliwell as “seldom in the picture” and finding Colin Withers “not entirely blameless” for the two first half goals.
After a 2-1 League Cup defeat at Watford the following midweek the much-criticised Withers lost his place and featured only once more in City’s first team.
Remarkably, the next home game also saw a 3-3 draw, this time with the other Essex club, Southend, and it was the ninth game of the season before City registered their first league win by which time they had slumped to 23rd place.
Colchester were to have a good start to the season with only one defeat in the first ten games but eventually slipped to mid-table and finished 10th, two places below City.
If you would like to read the full story of City's 1969/70 season don't miss the first issue of Gary Hutchinson's new Stacey West fanzine which replaces 'A City United' and I'm told will be available to buy very soon.
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