1975/76: Diary of a Season
Part Two
Burnley v Wolves
‘Love Hurts’
15th November 1975
Wolves came to Turf Moor with a dire away record, just a
solitary point gained from seven games. But on a day of teeming rain, they simply buried
us. Richards and Kindon rampaged in panzer mode while Steve Daley (yes, him!) and Kenny
Hibbitt marauded with total freedom. With Morgan and James totally bogged down in the
cloying mud, Hankin got little change out of Munro or McAlle. Our inept defence sprung
water all over the place. We were three down and undoubtedly out at the interval. Early in
the second half, Hankin rescued Morgan’s pathetic penalty attempt but this only
spurred Wolves into inflicting further damage. Richards and Daley shared four goals and
Hibbitt made it a nap hand. Wolves almost doubled their away goals tally in this ‘no
contest’. Worse still, with the two points gained they jumped above us, consigning us
to the relegation zone. Just to cap it all bloody MOTD chose to cover the carnage.
However, the really bad news didn’t end there.
It was Leighton James’ last game for Burnley before his shock
transfer to Derby for £310,000. Adamson lamented James’ lack of form this season and
publicly contrasted Taffy’s sparkling displays for Wales with his frequent lacklustre
performances for Burnley. Apparently, James put in a transfer request immediately
following the Wolves’ debacle and asked to be rested for the ensuing QPR game after
playing for Wales in midweek. This prompted Adamson into agreeing the Derby move. Jimmy
explained, ‘Leighton no longer had his heart in his job with us, we could not
motivate him, and so when he handed us a written transfer request we had to be positive
and decisive.’ James’ explanation was brief and to the point. ‘It’s
ambition that makes me want to leave Burnley.’ Despite Jimmy’s assurances that
the club was still ambitious, the writing was on the wall. It was official. We were in a
relegation dogfight, more by merit than ill fortune.
QPR v Burnley
‘What A Diff’rence A Day Makes’
22nd November 1975
Surprisingly, Jimmy made just one change, with young Paul
Bradshaw replacing the listed James. However, this was a much more convincing performance.
The back four of Docherty, Waldron, Thomson and Newton held together on the firmer Loftus
Road surface and Hankin battled well up front strongly supported by Morgan, Summerbee,
Flynn, Collins and Bradshaw. Burnley should have been awarded a penalty when Bradshaw was
blatantly brought down by keeper, Parkes but the referee let it pass. This made
Bowles’ winner all the more difficult to stomach.
Spurs v Burnley
‘Right Back Where We Started From’
29th November 1975
I wanted to revise my premature judgement about our just
desserts. This was too much. We started well. Midway through the first half, Hankin
scrambled us into the lead after Pat Jennings and his defenders had got their wires
crossed. We seemed capable of holding our advantage, too. Even Ralph Coates couldn’t
get Spurs going and with Fletcher complementing Hankin’s aerial power, Willie Young
and Co. were given a difficult time. Then before the interval we lost two players to
injury. Collins was thought to have suffered a second leg fracture (he hadn’t) and
Bradshaw replaced him. Shortly afterwards, Morgan was carried off. Even insipid Spurs with
their poor home record were able to make the numerical advantage count (only one
substitute was allowed then). Duncan buried two chances, leaving us to chalk up our fifth
League defeat in a row. Thank God November was over.
Burnley v Middlesbrough
‘You Sexy Thing’
3rd December 1975
It was quarter final night but still only 15,500 were enticed
to Turf Moor. Having again played Fletcher before he was properly ready, Jimmy proceeded
to select the far-from-fit Noble and Collins for this tie. It made no difference. David
Mills put Boro’ one up within the first 30 seconds and despite a dogged battle,
Burnley were rolled over. Willie Maddren secured victory with a second half goal, exacting
full revenge for their August drubbing.
Burnley v Liverpool
‘Sky High’
6th December 1975
Jimmy urged us to sing our hearts out for the lads and how we
did. Despite a disappointing 18,400 crowd (20,000 plus had turned up for the League Cup
tie), we gave our team furious support. Sometimes adversity can be a galvanising force.
Today was a case in point. Jimmy didn’t mess about this time. He ruled out Fletcher,
Collins and Noble. Morgan was not ready to return, either, so former apprentice, Kevin
Kennerley, made his debut in midfield. More surprisingly, Jimmy dropped the ever-present
Alan Stevenson, drafting in young Gerry Peyton. Certainly, the ex-Atherstone keeper with
the diver’s boots did us all proud, snaffling cross after cross with total aplomb. On
this grey afternoon, Liverpool had most of the play but we refused to lie down. It was a
magnificent rear guard action. A 0-0 draw was just reward.
Burnley v West Ham United
‘I Believe In Father Christmas’
13th December 1975
On a bright crisp afternoon, Burnley turned up the heat on the
Hammers. Flynn was brilliant. Twisting and turning on the frost-hardened surface, he had
the West Ham defenders at sixes and sevens. We were two up in the first half hour. Hankin
cracked in the first after Flynn had opened the way and young Kennerley ran in a second
after a ricochet left him with an open goal. Burnley should have rubbed in their advantage
but we were satisfied with the two points and yet another clean sheet. This time MOTD captured
us at our best. It was about time. What’s more we left the relegation zone.
Nineteenth was our best position for over a month.
Arsenal v Burnley
‘All Around My Hat’
20th December 1975
Arsenal were still in turmoil and perilously placed just above
us. With the ‘Double’ days long gone, the Gooners were voting with their feet.
Only 16,500 thought this fixture to be more important than Christmas shopping. But as
flawed as Arsenal were, Radford and Stapleton still packed a tidy punch up front. The
former made all the difference in this drab game.
Burnley v Newcastle United
‘It’s Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas’
26th December 1975
Flynn should have put us ahead in the very first minute when he
wriggled free of the dozing Geordie defenders but, alas, he shot wide of Mahoney’s
left-hand post. Thereafter, chances were few in this attritional contest but little Tommy
Craig made the most of the one that came his way. Jimmy insisted that good times were just
around the corner. Hmm.
Man U v Burnley
‘Golden Years’
27th December 1975
Morgan and Collins were restored to face a resurgent United
(who’d just re-emerged from the Second Division), replacing Ingham and Kennerley.
Despite Burnley’s narrow defeat, this was Morgan’s day.
Morgan’s departure from Old Trafford was signalled once Steve
Coppell, the Tranmere economics graduate, had been signed for £40,000. However,
Willie’s exit was hastened by his public condemnation of his former boss, Tommy
Docherty. Docherty reacted by suing Morgan for libel. The case was heard three years
later. The unseemly affair became messier when Docherty withdrew his legal action,
resulting in the abrasive Scot being charged with perjury. Docherty was finally acquitted
in 1981.
Morgan came into this game determined to prove a point. He did his
damnest to secure two, for he excelled in front of the 60,000 crowd he still regarded as
his own. Switching from one flank to the other and flitting in and out of despairing
lunges, he proceeded to run both Forsyth and Houston ragged. At last Hankin had a gold tap
service. For too often this season he had to use his strength to carve out limited
chances. When the opportunity came, he didn’t spurn it. Latching onto a low cross
from Morgan he stabbed the ball past Stepney to give us a first half lead. Unfortunately,
after the break we couldn’t maintain the momentum against the second-placed club.
Attacking the Stretford End and urged on by a baying crowd, Macari and McIlroy turned the
game around. However, we took solace from the fight and skill shown. As for Morgan, he
remained on the pitch after his team mates had disappeared, soaking up the applause from
the Stretford End. It seemed like a valedictory performance. Although Morgan didn’t
short change us, it seemed quite apparent where his heart was.
So ended 1975, a year in which Bruce Springsteen introduced us to
‘blue collar’ rock and when US ‘New Wave’ bands (Patti Smith,
Television, the Ramones, Suicide, the prototype Pere Ubu, Talking Heads, Blondie etc.)
were showcased at the CBGB club in New York. On the tele we had been introduced to the
‘Raj Quartet’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’ but bade a relieved farewell to
Hudson, Mrs Bridges and the wretched cast of ‘Upstairs Downstairs’. Despite the
spiralling inflation, a large sliced loaf cost us a mere 14p, six eggs cost 20p and 5lbs
of spuds just 35p. If you liked your Christmas gifts to be touched with romance, a vacuum
cleaner would cost you less than £20. The New Year came in like a lion, with Britain
ravaged by hurricane force winds. Twenty-six people were killed and over £100million
damage caused on the night of Friday 2nd January when the storm was at its
height.
Blackpool v Burnley
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
3rd January 1976
Jimmy assured us, "Bloomfield Road is a happy hunting
ground (for us). We have rarely lost there and we will be going into the match with a very
fine edge in determination." As for Harry Potts, then Blackpool’s boss, he
seemed bucked by the game’s financial prospects; as well he might, as the
Seasiders’ gates continued to fall (they were then averaging around 7,000). Blackpool
drew around 15,000 in their later First Division days and well over 20,000 during their
pomp in the fifties. Harry looked forward to a "full house" to watch "two
clubs making every attempt to keep up with their more prosperous big city
counterparts." Harry scored on both counts. A crowd of 20,500 turned up and his team
triumphed, promising another good earner.
As for Burnley, they produced a miserable, tepid performance on
this cold, blustery afternoon. The only heat generated came from Hankin’s tongue,
which earned him a late dismissal. Just when we thought that this awful contest would end
goal-less, defender Bill Bentley crashed in a header from a corner and we were sunk.
Afterwards, the radio reporter told us of a savage dressing room
row involving Jimmy and his team. Allegedly, there had been a deputation of senior players
demanding Adamson’s resignation. Actually, Adamson did resign on the following
Tuesday but I still cannot believe the accuracy of the radio report. After all, the senior
players such as Waldron, Collins and Fletcher were totally loyal to Jimmy and, as far as
I’m aware, remain so. Moreover, some of them were never the same players after
Jimmy’s dismissal. Waldron seemed to shrink in stature and Collins, on his own
admission (as reported in his article for the Weekly News), lost his appetite for
the cause. Joe Brown, Adamson’s former deputy, became the wholly inadequate
replacement. Despite presiding over a string of poor results, I am certain that
Burnley’s last chance of avoiding relegation went with Adamson’s demise. Many of
his team seemed as committed to him as to their club. For them, his departure must have
been like a family bereavement. The Leeds players experienced a similar reaction when Don
Revie left them for the England job. Perhaps this is an inherent weakness of teams run on
‘family’ lines. After all, everyone is a hired hand.
Norwich City v Burnley
‘Wide Eyed And Legless’
10th January 1976
Despite the turmoil and the loss of Hankin, I really thought we
could get something from this game. Norwich were only just outside the relegation frame.
They hadn’t won since the beginning of December and they had spent two hours
ploughing through the Spotland mud in midweek. They hadn’t looked very good either,
ragging a second FA Cup replay (0-0). But on a grey, murky day Burnley capitulated. The Claret
and Blue match magazine insisted that there was a "brave fight back at Norwich
but no change in fortune." What rot! From start to finish Burnley were in the
crumpliest of crumple modes. Only Keith Newton managed a shot in anger and by the time his
fierce drive found Keelan’s top right corner, it had ceased to matter. We defended
dreadfully. Both Peters and defender, Forbes, were given time and space to pick their
target at set pieces. And of course we had to give Boyer his customary goal. Frank Casper
returned but he was quite obviously unfit. Besides, he had far too much to do on his own
with David Loggie utterly hopeless as a target man.
It drummed home the fact that Burnley could no longer exist as a
selling club. Whereas in the sixties, we could call upon reserve young talent (Lochhead,
Irvine, O’Neil, Coates, Morgan etc.) who would perform impressively on the big stage,
now we had no one of that calibre. Obviously, it is easier for young reserves to make an
impact in a successful side. But since Flynn graduated, there did not seem to be anyone
capable of making that step up, at least at First Division level. With all of our rivals
gaining vital points today, it was a long, dark and deeply depressing drive home. Little
did I know that on a London bound train, the London Clarets were starting to take shape.
Burnley v Derby County
‘Art For Art’s Sake’
17th January 1976
On this bright, mild January afternoon, James returned to bite
the hands that had recently fed him. Screeching whistles greeted his appearance. Stung by
the rebuff, he stabbed in a loose ball from close range to give Derby an early first half
lead. Determined to milk his moment, he then proceeded to cavort along the Longside,
ramming his vindictive joy down our gullets. This prompted a huge angry surge. In what
quickly became a grudge match we gave our lads furious, incensed support. Driven on by our
raging vocals, Burnley tore into Derby and when Fletcher’s sizzling second half drive
found goal our roar almost shot the Longside roof into orbit. Alas, vindication was
short-lived. Another disgraced emigrant, Charlie George, lashed in a late winner at the
Cricket Field end and we left to swallow our bile.
Everton v Burnley
‘Mamma Mia’
31st January 1976
Somewhere along the snowy East Lancs Road, we were overtaken by
Bob Lord’s limousine. Wrapped up in a large coat, he looked suitably grim. But our
downbeat expectations were to be confounded. On this freezing sunny afternoon, Burnley
performed magnificently. Brown played the restored Fletcher and Noble up front supported
by the nimble Morris, the industrious Ingham and the scurrying Flynn in midfield. Rodaway
bolstered centre backs, Waldron and Thomson, allowing Derek Scott and Keith Newton to push
up on either flank. Burnley’s mobility had Everton in constant difficulty. Noble
quickly reminded us of what we’d missed as he skipped through the unguarded inside
left channel, to clip the ball past advancing keeper, Lawson. With the Everton defence in
disarray, Flynn then doubled our account with a low shot. Hamilton kept Everton in
contention before half-time, but Burnley continued to dominate. Deep into the second half,
Scott cracked in a superb debut goal from the right edge of the box. However, we
weren’t allowed to enjoy this rare win without a fright. Hamilton ragged another goal
and we were left hanging on desperately for our well won gains. With Morris having filled
the wing berth so capably, we wondered whether we might have a brighter future.
Burnley v Ipswich Town
‘Forever and Ever’
7th February 1976
Today, Frank Casper conceded defeat to his knee injury.
Although Joe promptly gave him a new opening as youth team coach, perhaps the bigger story
concerned our new big money signing, Under-23 international, Tony Morley, a £100,000
acquisition from PNE. It smacked a bit of 1970/71 when we signed a young Paul Fletcher to
help right our listing First Division prospects. Surely it was too much to expect that
this 21-year old, plucked from the Third Division, would immediately fill James’
boots? Although Morley gave glimpses of his abundant talent, Burnley were unable to make
much progress against a robust Ipswich side. Kevin Beattie thumped in the deciding goal in
a game of few chances, teaching us yet again that hope is a risky commodity in a
relegation battle.
Middlesbrough v Burnley
‘Love To Love You Baby’
14th February 1976
Burnley battled well against Jack Charlton’s side on this
bright, chilly afternoon. Ray Hankin signalled his return to the side with a well-placed
first half header to equalise Stuart Boam’s opener. Hankin might have won the game,
too. Unfortunately, his powerful header from Fletcher’s cross fell short and despite
the heavy surface, the ball bounced over the bar with Platt well beaten. Burnley had
several other opportunities to seal the game but couldn’t make their advantage count.
With safety five points away, it was a disappointing conclusion although Joe Brown
considered this to be ‘a very satisfactory result.’ We agreed that a home win
against mid-table Leicester on the following Tuesday was a must.
Tim
Quelch
May 2001
Part three
