With great thanks to John, the series of the exclusive Villa Chronicle’s for this blog are over with the ultimate entry. I do hope though John will hopefully still contribute occasional articles.

The start of the season found a re-energised Tony Morley. He had not previously taken on board his manager’s requirement for his players to be committed in an all-round way, but Morley was now finding his feet. His performances were now helping to convert the Villa into a formidable unit, particularly now he had a big target man to aim at in Peter Withe.

Villa fan Steve Ford wrote the following which precisely encapsulates some significant and wonderful points about the Villa’s championship side that season:

“Ron Saunders had remodelled the side around more workmanlike players, seemingly less dashing than those they replaced, and his final jigsaw piece was an ageing target man with a penchant for giving referees the full benefit of his vast Liverpudlian vocabulary.
“But Peter Withe, what a player; dominant in the air, lay-offs with chest, thigh, foot – always falling to the quicksilver Gary Shaw or the scurrying Tony Morley. In midfield, Denis Mortimer and Des Bremner the stokers of the engine room, feeding the blessed talents of the seemingly fragile yet wirily determined ‘Sid’ Cowans.
“In defence, the controlled brutality of Ken McNaught and converted centre-forward Allan Evans ensured that most attacks faltered without breaching the Claret and Blue battlements and allowed marauding runs from wingers-turned-full-backs Colin Gibson and Kenny Swain.
“A shiver passes up my spine even now as I imagine a crunching tackle from Evans, the loose ball liberated by Mortimer who slips the ball to Sid to ping a searching pass to the chest of Withe who lays it off to Shaw, he picks out Morley who throws a shoulder inside the full-back before hurtling past on the outside. He looks up before launching a high cross to the far post where Withe awaits, sweatband-clad arms balancing the huge frame in the air before dispatching another unstoppable header past yet another helpless keeper.”

After the Boxing Day programme, Liverpool and Villa were separated only by the greater number of goals that Liverpool had scored – both teams were on 33 points (it was the last season when a win gained only 2 points) and both had a goal difference of 19. One point behind, Bobby Robson’s Ipswich also had a goal difference of 19, and they had played two games less!

Prior to Boxing Day, the Villa had been faltering after an 11-match unbeaten league spell in the Autumn, but the Villa side that eventually grabbed the title did so with great panache. Having lost disappointingly at Ipswich in the FA Cup by 0-1 on 3 January, the Villa girdled their loins for the league title and in the next match they impressively defeated Liverpool 2-0 to take the lead in the championship and start a great run of seven successive wins, in the process scoring 13 goals against 4. Included in that run was a fine 3-1 win at Everton, when Morley scored the first goal with a blistering shot from outside the penalty area. After a speedy run from the half-way line and down the left, Morley cut inside to unleash an unstoppable shot full of venom.

It was a goal that rightly became the BBC’s ‘Goal of the Season’ on their ‘Match of the Day’ programme.

The winning run was ended (but not by defeat) when Manchester United paid their visit to Villa Park. A 3-3 scoreline was the outcome after a glorious match, the very same result as at Old Trafford earlier that season.
Defeat at Spurs in the next match ended a run of 10 league games undefeated since the Boxing Day win over Stoke, but the Spurs match in turn precipitated a further 3 straight wins before what was thought to be the crucial mid-week encounter with challengers Ipswich at Villa Park. The result of that match went to Ipswich, and with Ipswich being one point behind with one game in hand, the national press claimed that Bobby Robson’s Ipswich would take the title. But even with only four matches left, the Villa had other ideas, and Ipswich also slipped at the final hurdles; Villa took the title despite their final game at Arsenal ending in defeat.

No doubt about it, the Villa faced tremendous opposition in those Ipswich and Liverpool sides, and in finishing with 26 wins in a long season of 42 matches, including a double win over Birmingham City, the Villa had deserved their triumph.

Sadly, the economic recession then taking place had its affect on the turnout at Villa Park. Though the ground limit had been set to 48,000 for safety reasons, the average attendance was little over 33,500 to see Villa gain their first championship in 71 years.

Villa’s achievement was based on a season of super-consistent teamwork and availability of key players, seven of which were ever-present. Only 14 players were used during the whole of the season.

The international selectors were happy to select Morley and Withe in preparation for the 1982 World Cup, but it took awhile for the skills of the likes of Cowans and Evans to be appreciated. Other key players—including Bremner and Mortimer—went unrewarded.

As for the ‘Wunderkid’ Gary Shaw, his career would ultimately turn much the same way as the unfortunate Brian Little. Both these sublimely talented and home-grown players were prematurely retired from the game.

© 2010 John Lerwill

The first season back in the top-flight was not an easy one for Villa and consolidation was the keyword. In fact, the demands of the top-flight proved to be too great for keeper Jim Cumbes and also Charlie Aitken, who, nevertheless, completed 660 appearances in all first-team matches before his farewell in January, 1976.
Not long into the 1975-76 season, another Scot—Andy Gray—had captured the fans’ imagination, and although he scored just 10 in his 30 League matches, his dare-devil and committed play was loved by everyone. In his first season he proved he would be a handful in seasons to come.

The sad aspect of Gray’s arrival had been that it came about due to the enforced retirement (through injury) of the still-young Keith Leonard, who had shown such promise. And another change, due to a lengthy period out through injury for Brian Little, was the emergence of local youngster John Deehan who promised much with 7 goals in 15 League matches.

There was, however, a second major signing that season. Dennis Mortimer arrived from Coventry, and showed his class soon into his debut match against West Ham. His smooth forays down the left were just a hint of things to come.

However, the now well-established names of Gidman, Robson, Graydon (top scorer), Ross, Phillips, Hamilton, Carrodus and Nicholl were there at the core of the team and doing well. Chris Nicholl, though, gained a dubious distinction when he managed to score all four goals in a 2-2 draw at Leicester in March at about the time of the sixth anniversary of the last occasion of Villa playing there when the goal that was disallowed virtually caused Villa’s relegation to the Third Division.

Villa’s sixteenth place in the League and early exits in the cup competitions (including Villa’s first entry into the UEFA Cup) reflected on a season of little hope of any trophies coming Villa’s way, but (to use a pun) there was a Little hint of a Gray future!

The 1976-77 season was to prove to be a fascinating one, all starting with Doug Ellis standing down as chairman and being replaced by Sir William Dugdale.

Then, having acquired a new full-back in Gordon Smith, a dynamic performance in the opening game (v West Ham, 4-0) and soon after against Ipswich (5-2, with Gray capturing a hat-trick), seemed to indicate that the Villa were moving up a gear as they went to the top of the table. However, I had moved back to the south-east in the summer, and went down to see Villa at Loftus Road in their next game. Yes, there was promise, and yes, Gray popped up to score his sixth goal in five games, but Villa did not win this one. And who was the thin fellow that came on as sub? An unlikely player, I thought, this Gordon Cowans! Yes, Cowans was making only his second appearance for Villa, and little did I think then that he would have such a dramatic influence over the next 15 years (and since, in the Youth Academy).

Defeat at home against the Blues seemed to put Villa’s progress into reverse, but the next week Villa signed a new midfielder from Arsenal by the name of Alex Cropley, and this started a run that by Christmas had sent Villa into third place behind Liverpool and Ipswich, the team that Villa had already beaten, 5-2.

Arsenal were another team that were doing fairly well, yet when they came to Villa in late October, they also had five put passed them (5-1). Then, after a five games unbeaten run for Villa, the great Liverpool came down to Villa Park. What happened that evening has been played over and over again. Amazingly, Villa were 5-1 up at half-time, yet that was also the final score. It was a win from a Villa team that dazzled; every cog played its part in a total team performance that made the nation stare at the headlines. But it was a defeat that acted as a spur to Liverpool as they went on to win the European Cup that season.

Gray accumulated 7 goals in those three 5-goal matches and would finish the season with 25 goals in 36 League matches, and 29 goals overall; he may well have achieved more but for injuries in the second period of the season. Nevertheless, Gray had the unusual distinction of receiving both the Footballer Of The Year and the Young Player Of The Year awards.

Little, whose scoring ability had taken a back seat in the League in favour of his goal-making abilities, scored 14 goals in 42 League games, yet he scored 26 overall. Deehan, who did not come back into the team until November, finished the season with 13 goals in 27 League games and 18 goals overall.

The main reason for so many goals being scored in cup competitions was simple—Villa again won the League Cup, but only after three matches (against QPR) to decide the semi-final and a further three matches (against Everton) to decide the Final. Only the last of those three Final matches ‘caught light’ and only in the later stages of the match. Magnificently, Villa came from behind to win in the last minute of extra time, 3-2. This had been Saunders’ fourth League Cup Final in five years; he been there with Norwich, Manchester City and Villa (twice).

Having also got to the fifth round in the FA Cup, Villa’s League fixtures piled up to the extent that Villa’s season did not finish until 27 May. Seven League games were played in 19 days during that month with hardly any team changes during that period. Villa ultimately finished fourth in the League, mainly thanks to a thumping 4-0 final game over neighbours West Brom, who were challenging with Villa for a high spot.

It was Villa’s highest League finish since 1933, 44 years before, but for some strange reason Villa failed against some very low-order teams that season. A moment’s reflection and analysis shows that if they had done better against that opposition, Villa would most probably have won the championship. Ron Saunders, however, thought that Villa were still two or three years away from being a top side.
Villa’s fans saw their team score 55 goals in 21 League games at Villa Park that season, with, sadly, Birmingham the only team to win at Villa. The Villa also finished as the top-flight’s leading scorers. Another 20 goals (in 7 matches) were scored by Villa in cup competitions at Villa Park.

In the last games of the season, the usual team was: Burridge; Smith, Robson; Phillips, Nicholl, Mortimer; Deehan, Little, Gray, Cropley, Cowans. Ray Graydon played in the early games of the season but sustained injury, and came back for the last League Cup Final match and other matches in April after Carrodus, in turn, was injured. But Graydon left Villa Park after that season, as did Chris Nicholl.
Nicholl, Villa’s captain and remembered for his explosive equaliser in the recent League Cup Final, was simply allowed to go when Southampton came in for him, to the astonishment of pretty well everyone.

© 2010 John Lerwill
Next week: Steadying the Ship.

Ron Saunders admitted that he was impressed with the contingent of players that he found at Villa Park on his arrival. He also has stated that he was limited on how much he could spend without selling, but in fact he did not sell at the start. He did, instead, make a significant signing for the start of the season—Frank Carrodus from Saunders’ previous club, Manchester City. Carrodus was a greyhound of a player, he would here there and everywhere in supporting the attack.

It was not long, however, before Saunders bought another player to add bite to the midfield—Leighton Phillips. And it was the signing of both Carrodus and Phillips that made a substantial difference as Villa’s ‘OK’ start gathered momentum. Nevertheless, it was not until the introduction of youngsters Bobby McDonald (in midfield) and Keith Leonard (striker) that Villa really showed their intent from January onwards. Before that, Villa’s position in the League was not a highly promising one for promotion.

In the last 18 League games of the season, Villa won 15 and drew two, thus losing only one match. They even won all their last eight matches, scoring 26 goals and only conceding three in that period. Brian Little scored 10 of those 26.

Each of those eight wins was as though it was a cancellation of each of the eight years away from the top-flight, and at that stage you felt that Villa were unbeatable; their confidence was so self-evident.

I was at Hillsborough to see Villa qualify for promotion in April by trouncing Wednesday 4-0, and one of those goals particularly stands out in my mind. Bobby McDonald received the ball on the left wing and on or just over the centre-line. He swiftly swung over a lovely centre to catch Brian Little coming through the middle on the run, whereupon, from fully 30 yards, Little cracked home a shot on the volley. The shot sped into the net having travelled barely three inches above the ground all the way. A wonderful goal, and one of two for Little that night. He had been a scoring success all season, and acquired 20 League goals. Graydon scored 19, yet those two players were very average in size. What they both lacked in inches was made up for by enthusiasm and enormous skill—Little in particular.

‘Chico’ Hamilton cracked 10 League goals, and under Saunders he became an even better player—certainly a more energetic one. Keith Leonard (on 7 goals in 22 games) was a player who could hold up the ball and play the ball off with great skill. Charlie Aitken, after 14 years a Villa player, played in every single match in that promotion season and was the sole survivor from the Villa’s last appearance in the top-flight under the old pre-Ellis regime. Under Saunders, he was serving his sixth Villa manager.

In also winning the League Cup, Villa obtained a form of ‘double’ that season. Their run started with the demolition of Everton on their ground in September, and finished by beating fellow promotion colleagues Norwich City at Wembley, but in an undistinguished match. Villa had largely held sway over the match but the former Bournemouth star—Ted McDougall—came closest to scoring when Ian Ross had to bundle the ball away off the line. The solitary goal that did come from Graydon was untidy—his penalty kick had rebounded to him from former Villa ’keeper Kevin Keelan. Thus, as a result of that win, Villa qualified for European competition for the first time in their history.

Already assured of promotion, the last match at home that season was against Sunderland, who also had a chance for promotion. They had stars such as Dave Watson, Dennis Tueart and Montgomery (in goal) and they were no mean side. It was a tremendous match with the ubiquitous 50,000-plus crowd urging Villa on to victory. The celebratory scenes in and around Villa Park following that win are indescribable; the pitch was covered by a mass of spectators.

Just to emphasise Villa’s supremacy, though, Villa beat Norwich 4-1 at their ground in the last match of the season, leaving Norwich as the third-place promotion team behind Villa and the champions, Manchester United.

What a season it had been—yet that success came with very few changes to the contingent of players that had been pulled together by Vic Crowe. The players had, however, become much sharper and fitter than before, and probably with a better sense of teamwork.

The return of Villa to the top-flight had come after considerable developments to Liverpool and Manchester United in the intervening years 1967-75. After Celtic had become the first British winners of the European Cup in 1967, Manchester United also won the European Cup in 1968 to become the first English winners of that trophy. However, after the retirement of Sir Matt Busby, United dipped, and in 1975 they returned to the First Division with Villa after dropping a rung.

© 2010 John Lerwill
Next week: The Stars Arrive – and Twinkle

Having acquired such strong players in Graydon, Cumbes, Ross and Nicholl, there was high optimism around Villa Park that return to the First Division was just around the corner. Those signings were then supplemented by striker Alun Evans from Liverpool, a player who had originally made a big name for himself with Wolves and possessed untapped talent.

The first two months went well—despite a hefty blip at Burnley in the third match—so that by the end of September, Villa were top of the division with games in hand.

But Villa were not scoring many, and then results started going the wrong way. Inevitably, these results heralded team changes, and Willie Anderson, a stalwart who had worked his socks off since Villa’s last top-flight days, played his last game, as did Michael Wright.

The likes of John Gidman and Brian Little came to the fore, and Jimmy Brown (still Villa’s youngest-ever first-team player) returned to the scene. Another player with plenty of top-class experience, full-back John Robson, joined Villa’s ranks from Derby.

In late January, there were signs of Villa’s form recovering, and a visit I made to Swindon seemed to confirm that; Villa were easily the masters that day in a 3-1 win that confirmed them in third place. But our hopes soon subsided as that form did not continue; Villa finished the season in third place, but quite some distance off the two promoted sides, Burnley and QPR, who had mastered Villa both home and away during that season, especially Burnley.

Sadly, the possibility of promotion from third place was not brought in until the next season and promotion to the top-flight was forced to hang over—to Villa’s centenary season.
Villa now acquired Trevor Hockey to give the Villa extra ‘bite’ in midfield, and then Sammy Morgan to replace Andy Lochhead. The 1973-74 season started reasonably well with two wins and a draw, but these results were then followed by four draws and then two defeats. After a better October, the season did not proceed well.

Indeed, the season became a disappointment. Between November and early March, Villa went through a 13 matches spell without a League win and hovered five points above a relegation position. Villa improved, but laboured to remain in the lower mid-table area. Certain other matters came to a head in the January-February period.

In the FA Cup, Villa were drawn at Arsenal in the fourth round, and there Villa raised their game—and used Sammy Morgan’s belligerence—in gaining a replay. The replay was splendidly won by 2-0, but then Villa’s hopes were dashed at Burnley in the next round.

That exit from the FA Cup brought a simmering issue to the fore—the case of Bruce Rioch. He was now 26, and it had been clear for a long time that his qualities were not to be wasted at the lower levels of the League. With no possible hope of promotion that season and with Villa now out of the FA Cup, Villa could not hold him any longer and received a £200,000 cheque for his services from First Division Derby.
Rioch was a player that would be missed. His qualities in tackling, passing and shooting were high-class, as he would prove at Derby and Everton, and for Scotland.

I can recall a period in the ’73-74 season when Rioch had been injured for awhile and had been sorely missed, but the day came when he was named as substitute for the home Notts County fixture, though still not quite fit. The Villa had been frustrating and frustrated by County, and were losing 0-1. Late in the game, when Jimmy Brown was injured, on came Rioch (to the crowd’s glee). A free-kick had just been given outside the opponent’s penalty area at the Holte End. The crowd’s expectancy was raised … the roars grew … Rioch stepped up and—bang—the ball was in the back of the net! Single-handedly and on the pitch for just a few minutes, he saved Villa from a boring home defeat.

The centenary season was a huge disappointment, and, not surprisingly to some, Vic Crowe and Ron Wylie were sacked. With the Villa support showing signs of flagging (a mid-week game attracted less than 13,000 spectators) Doug Ellis and the board felt that to give Crowe and Wylie a third bite in the Second Division would be too generous, and that was it.

Soon after that sad situation, Villa did come up with an alternative form of Centenary Celebration. Villa pursued former England boss Alf Ramsay to be the club’s next manager, but Ramsay instead pointed Villa to Ron Saunders. Thus, Saunders—after some negotiation—came to Villa having recently been sacked by Manchester City.

© 2010 John Lerwill
Next week: Onwards and Upwards with Ron!

Financially and in general, matters were very favourable at Villa Park regardless of the fact they were still in Division Three. In fact, the club’s financial success enabled the club to acquire and develop a new training ground in 1972, at Bodymoor Heath. The club had been without such a facility for seven years, and at last amends had been made.

But the mistake of not concentrating on the League the previous season was not to be repeated. In fact, the determination of Villa’s management to make better progress quickly came to light in the summer, when Brian Godfrey—a hero to many Villa fans—was allowed to move to Bristol Rovers in a deal that brought winger Ray Graydon to Villa.

The fact was that Villa would not have got Graydon had Rovers not been allowed to take Godfrey, and Graydon proved over and over again in the next six years what an asset he was. He was by no means big except in his heart, yet he had the wonderful combination of speed, ball control, accurate centres and lethal on-the-run shooting. He finished as Villa’s second highest scorer that season with 14 League goals, and probably supplied as many to his colleagues, particularly Andy Lochhead, who finished with 19 League goals. Willie Anderson (with 10), Geoff Vowden (with 10) and Bruce Rioch with 9 from his new wing-half position, added to the goal glut.

It was a steam-roller of a season, with the work really done between October and March. In that spell of 18 League games, Villa won 15, drew 2 and lost just the one.

It has to be said, though, that sometimes Villa’s play was ‘Route One’ stuff. One particular example was a huge kick out of the area by Jimmy Cumbes that caused all kinds of problems in Shrewsbury’s defence with the big Lochhead capitalising on it and scoring his side’s third goal. But Villa’s play, it has to be said, was very flexible. With the quality of the players they had, they could mostly play the game any old way in the Third Division to get the results that were needed.

One of the great games was in early February against promotion competitors Bournemouth, whose play was often worthy of the top division, let alone the Third Division. In Boyer and McDougall they had two star forwards, and in a highly-charged match, Villa won through, 2-1. The match was rightly selected for the BBC’s Match Of The Day.

Only a few days later, the enterprise of Eric Woodward and the Club brought the famed Brazilian side Santos for a friendly at Villa Park, though Santos went on to further matches in a European tour. More famous was one of their players, a certain Pele.

We have to pinch ourselves to be reminded that Villa were still in the old Third Division at this stage, yet were operating with the ambitions of a much higher club. The previous season Villa were tangling with the mighty Manchester United and Spurs—and impressively so—and now it was Santos and Pele.

The Villa thought they were doing well when indications were that 20,000 spectators would turn up, but the actual attendance turned out to be more than 50 thousand! Coincidentally, however, it was the time of the miners’ strike and consequential electricity failures, and Villa was affected by all of that. The Club had brought in a generator, but during the match there was a dispute about the efficacy of the generator and the lighting.
Good diplomacy paid off and the match was finished; despite sublime moments from Pele, Villa won, 2-1.

During March, Villa lost their way a bit for about three matches, but then finished the season on a wave of success and top place in the division. I recall being at the ground of Villa’s challengers’ Brighton in March when they gained a 1-2 win during Villa’s temporary blip, but my main memories of the day are getting a parking ticket and witnessing another Rioch special for Villa’ s goal.

Further foundations for the future were the acquisition of keeper Jim Cumbes from West Brom in November, and then midfielder Ian Ross from Liverpool and centre-half Chris Nicholl from Luton, both arriving in March and providing that extra class for the final push. Villa’s promotion was finally confirmed by a rare Charlie ‘Mr. Reliable’ Aitken goal at Bradford, four games from the end of the season.
Hamilton, Graydon, Cumbes, Ross and Nicholl stayed with the Villa through the next few seasons and played a huge part in the Villa’s return to the First Division. As far as this season was concerned, though, first team journeys to the likes of Halifax, Doncaster and Gillingham were now over.

But the Villa youth team were not to be outdone that season. For the first time in Villa’s history, they won the FA Youth Cup. Their players included the likes of John Gidman, Bobby McDonald and Brian Little, names that would soon be much talked of in Villa supporters’ homes and on the terraces.

© 2010 John Lerwill

Next week: A Temporary Hold-up

Financially and in general, matters were very favourable at Villa Park regardless of the fact they were still in Division Three. In fact, the club’s financial success enabled the club to acquire and develop a new training ground in 1972, at Bodymoor Heath. The club had been without such a facility for seven years, and at last amends had been made.

But the mistake of not concentrating on the League the previous season was not to be repeated. In fact, the determination of Villa’s management to make better progress quickly came to light in the summer, when Brian Godfrey—a hero to many Villa fans—was allowed to move to Bristol Rovers in a deal that brought winger Ray Graydon to Villa.

The fact was that Villa would not have got Graydon had Rovers not been allowed to take Godfrey, and Graydon proved over and over again in the next six years what an asset he was. He was by no means big except in his heart, yet he had the wonderful combination of speed, ball control, accurate centres and lethal on-the-run shooting. He finished as Villa’s second highest scorer that season with 14 League goals, and probably supplied as many to his colleagues, particularly Andy Lochhead, who finished with 19 League goals. Willie Anderson (with 10), Geoff Vowden (with 10) and Bruce Rioch with 9 from his new wing-half position, added to the goal glut.

It was a steam-roller of a season, with the work really done between October and March. In that spell of 18 League games, Villa won 15, drew 2 and lost just the one.

It has to be said, though, that sometimes Villa’s play was ‘Route One’ stuff. One particular example was a huge kick out of the area by Jimmy Cumbes that caused all kinds of problems in Shrewsbury’s defence with the big Lochhead capitalising on it and scoring his side’s third goal. But Villa’s play, it has to be said, was very flexible. With the quality of the players they had, they could mostly play the game any old way in the Third Division to get the results that were needed.

One of the great games was in early February against promotion competitors Bournemouth, whose play was often worthy of the top division, let alone the Third Division. In Boyer and McDougall they had two star forwards, and in a highly-charged match, Villa won through, 2-1. The match was rightly selected for the BBC’s Match Of The Day.

Only a few days later, the enterprise of Eric Woodward and the Club brought the famed Brazilian side Santos for a friendly at Villa Park, though Santos went on to further matches in a European tour. More famous was one of their players, a certain Pele.

We have to pinch ourselves to be reminded that Villa were still in the old Third Division at this stage, yet were operating with the ambitions of a much higher club. The previous season Villa were tangling with the mighty Manchester United and Spurs—and impressively so—and now it was Santos and Pele.

The Villa thought they were doing well when indications were that 20,000 spectators would turn up, but the actual attendance turned out to be more than 50 thousand! Coincidentally, however, it was the time of the miners’ strike and consequential electricity failures, and Villa was affected by all of that. The Club had brought in a generator, but during the match there was a dispute about the efficacy of the generator and the lighting.
Good diplomacy paid off and the match was finished; despite sublime moments from Pele, Villa won, 2-1.

During March, Villa lost their way a bit for about three matches, but then finished the season on a wave of success and top place in the division. I recall being at the ground of Villa’s challengers’ Brighton in March when they gained a 1-2 win during Villa’s temporary blip, but my main memories of the day are getting a parking ticket and witnessing another Rioch special for Villa’ s goal.

Further foundations for the future were the acquisition of keeper Jim Cumbes from West Brom in November, and then midfielder Ian Ross from Liverpool and centre-half Chris Nicholl from Luton, both arriving in March and providing that extra class for the final push. Villa’s promotion was finally confirmed by a rare Charlie ‘Mr. Reliable’ Aitken goal at Bradford, four games from the end of the season.
Hamilton, Graydon, Cumbes, Ross and Nicholl stayed with the Villa through the next few seasons and played a huge part in the Villa’s return to the First Division. As far as this season was concerned, though, first team journeys to the likes of Halifax, Doncaster and Gillingham were now over.

But the Villa youth team were not to be outdone that season. For the first time in Villa’s history, they won the FA Youth Cup. Their players included the likes of John Gidman, Bobby McDonald and Brian Little, names that would soon be much talked of in Villa supporters’ homes and on the terraces.

© 2010 John Lerwill

Next week: A Temporary Hold-up

The arrival of a new manager – which happened to be Tommy Cummings, formerly a star player at Burnley – was of course expected. But the fans were in fact more concerned that the same board was in place. A then very big £78,000 profit had been declared in 1967 (mainly to do with receipts from the World Cup matches held at Villa Park plus a large portion of Hateley’s transfer money), and the fans waited to see how it would be spent.

A further matter of great concern was that transfer requests were put in by three of Villa’s stalwart defenders, Withers, Wright and Seleeuwenhoek. However, only the last-named moved on soon after – to Birmingham City. The other two continued to play their hearts out.
Nothing much changed in terms of results at the start of this season in Division Two; there were seven defeats in Villa’s first nine matches. Although midfielder Tommy Mitchinson arrived early in September, goalscoring was a skill that had seemed to have deserted the Villa.

It was not until nearly the end of September that two new signings began to help stem the tide, yet their appearance also coincided with yet further injuries to Wright and Deakin. The two new players – both bought as strikers – were from Preston; they were Brian Godfrey and Brian Greenhalgh. Both of them were an immediate hit, though it was Greenhalgh that did most of the scoring – he hit 11 goals in his first 15 matches before he sustained injury two games later. When he returned – like John Woodward – he did not recover his scoring form and scored only one goal for the remainder of the season.

Having moved away from Birmingham the year before, I was at Crystal Palace towards the end of Greenhalgh’s pre-injury run. I was impressed by the two BeeGees, and also noted that Willie Anderson was still the whole-hearted battler out on the left wing, as was Lew Chatterley, now at centre-half (‘Slogger’ had already departed to play for the Small Heath team), though Fred Turnbull had been introduced from the reserves into that position that season.

At that point, Villa had lifted themselves out of their poor start and had won more games than they had lost, and also had games in hand whilst lying in 14th place. But, soon after, Greenhalgh was injured and the team did little of note after that. They finished in 16th place, though that was mainly down to Villa losing their last two matches – both at home.

That season did little to inspire the Villa faithful in their hopes for the future, and the Villa Park attendances were continuing to slump.

The supporters had already shown their displeasure at the way things were being run in January, 1968, when a call was made for the resignation of the board en masse. At an EGM, the board managed to survive the crisis – for now.

The 1968-69 season was certainly one of two greatly contrasting halves. The season again started very poorly, with Villa’s first win not occurring until their 11th game, a week after being trounced by Birmingham, 0-4, which firmly fixed Villa at the bottom of the division.

That first win of the season for Villa was not long after the signing of midfielder Barrie Hole from Blackburn, who thus re-joined his former colleague winger Mick Ferguson, who had arrived at Villa Park before the start of the season. Hole was regarded at the time as a fine player and a sound investment, and his signing brought Tommy Cummings’ total expenditure to £200,000 since he took over. However, that was expenditure that seemed to provide little result and the board saw fit to dispense with Tommy Cummings’ services in November following a home defeat by Preston when little more than 13,000 spectators had just about enough and called for the resignation of the Villa board, not the manager.

Then, when Arthur Cox was placed in temporary charge of the team, Hole walked out of the club following an altercation with Cox.

What happened between that November and December was remarkable and is told in detail in Richard Whitehead’s celebrated “Children of the Revolution”. The concerted demands of the supporters brought about the resignation of the board, and in came Doug Ellis, backed by a Pat Matthews-led consortium. By January, the controversial Tommy Docherty arrived as manager, and Villa Park went from a state of dimming lightbulbs to pulsating electricity. Villa stalwart Michael Wright said it all: “It was though we had stepped out of the darkness into the modern era”. The well-known local journalist Eric Woodward came in as the commercial manager and helped to completely transform the public relations set up and approach.
41,250 was the size of the Boxing Day crowd that saw Villa win 2-0 over Cardiff. Only weeks before, the attendances were plummeting towards the 10,000 level.

Though magic was manifest on the pitch and on the terraces, however, examination of the club’s books showed that all was not at all well with the finances, and the board sought help – once more – from the club’s supporters to plug the gap. In addition, the new board found that under the previous administration favours had been widely distributed and had played their own part in the poor state of the club’s finances.

But the ‘feel good’ factor on and around the pitch affected everyone. Barrie Hole had been reinstated and even veteran Peter Broadbent was completely rejuvenated, having spent most of the previous season and-a-half in the reserves. He produced some marvellous performances and is especially remembered for his part in the team’s performances against Southampton in the FA Cup and the next round (though a narrow defeat) at Spurs. Both of these opponents were, of course, top-class sides of that era, and that performance against Spurs showed just how much Villa had ‘travelled’ since the League Cup encounter also against Spurs the previous September, when Villa were ground down in a 1-4 defeat at home.

In the Cup replay against Southampton at Villa Park, a 59,084 crowd were present, making it a fantastic atmosphere. Villa played perhaps their smallest ever forward line at this time, and yet the main memory of that night is of Dave Rudge scorching down the right wing and putting a perfect cross for Lionel Martin to score. It was Broadbent with the pass that put Rudge in for the cross, though – a perfectly weighted defence-splitting pass from the centre circle to the corner flag which even the best player would be proud of. Once Rudge had got to the ball first and skipped over the challenge to square the ball to Martin running in, with Godfrey contributing a deft dummy, there was a split second with the cross still on its way when the whole crowd just knew a goal was inevitable.

In the Derby against Blues near the end of the season, the demand for the match was so great it was made all-ticket! Nearly 53,000 spectators saw Villa win 1-0 in a match that Villa dominated.
But the ‘feel good’ factor was not as good in reality. Villa certainly staved off relegation to the Third Division, but they still only finished 18th. Nevertheless, the new-found optimism was not going to evaporate very easily, particularly as the old board had now been removed, much improved management had been installed, and the fans now seemed to have a real ‘voice’ in the future of the club.

There was one other significant casualty after that season (but not until October). That great servant and Brummie, Alan Deakin, quietly said ‘goodbye’. When he left Villa he was still only 28, yet it seemed as though he had been fighting the club’s cause for so long. Indeed he had, as he first appeared as a regular in the Villa side when still a teenager, but in his near decade in the first team he had only notched up 230 League games owing to his on-going injury problems. Otherwise he might well have been remembered as one of Villa’s ‘greats’ (with a different club management perhaps). Whilst his great England replacement Bobby Moore was set for another World Cup series in Mexico, Deakin went to play out his career at Walsall.

© 2010 John Lerwill

Next week: A False Dawn

Early on in the 1966-67 season, with Phil Woosnam having retired to help kick-start soccer in the USA, and with Tony Hateley soon to move on to Chelsea for £100,000, it began to look as though centre-half John Sleeuwenhoek and goalkeeper Colin Withers seemed to be the main players capable of keeping relegation at bay. Many of the old Mercer Minors were still playing and playing their hearts out too, but too much responsibility had been placed upon them.

As though Chelsea had taken particular lessons from the play in the World Cup held in England that year, September saw the Villa utterly outclassed at Villa Park by a mobile Chelsea in a 2-6 rout, and the following week Villa lost 0-5 at Leicester.

Then some optimism was created when Villa signed John Woodward to replace Hateley. Woodward was a devil-may-care trier and quickly became a fans’ favourite when he scored two goals against Leeds – one a risk-taking diving header – in his first Villa Park match, but injury stopped him in his tracks the following week, and he did not play again that season. There was something about Woodward that was similar to the much later arrival Andy Gray in the way he would throw himself at the ball regardless of danger to himself, but his injury snuffed out that promise too quickly.

What also may have augured not very good portents was the fact of Chairman Chris Buckley (a star player with Villa when Villa had last won the championship in 1910) standing down in the autumn, and the reins being handed over to Norman Smith. Smith, it must be said, was a fine character and had worked tirelessly for years in helping the youth of Birmingham, but he was in fact a simple man and not a businessman, and, in retrospect, it can be seen he was not the personality needed to lead Villa onwards and upwards towards its former glories. His view on football management was still entrapped in the 1930s, and the average age of the board was 70.

Nevertheless, the Villa looked as though they might just escape relegation when the Spurs came to visit. This (now forgotten) match was virtually the anniversary of 19 March the previous year when Villa drew 5-5 at Spurs after being 1-5 down.

Following the signing of the ageing former Wolves international Peter Broadbent and Manchester United winger Willie Anderson (who had been understudy to George Best), the reintroduction of Barry Stobart, and also a 2-0 away win at Leeds the week before, Villa were at that time showing signs of being able to save themselves. Before this match, the table showed the following as the bottom clubs (note two teams relegated and two points for a win in those days):

P W D L F A Pts
18 Southampton 30 9 5 16 51 70 23
19 Aston Villa 29 10 3 16 37 52 23
20 West Brom 30 8 5 17 51 61 21
21 Newcastle 29 6 7 16 23 60 19
22 Blackpool 30 4 7 19 30 56 15

With Newcastle having such a poor goals record and Villa even having the luxury of a game in-hand on the others, Villa fans thought a good show against Spurs in this next match might just be the start for a recovery and security from relegation. The feeling was that this season would be just a repeat of the previous two seasons when it came down to it – that just in time, Villa would climb away from the bottom.

Imagine, therefore, the state of the Park when Villa went into a 3-0 lead within the first half-hour, including a rattling shot from Lew Chatterley that went in off the bar. That first half-hour was played with such effort, though, that when Spurs pulled a goal back before half-time, the thought then really was ‘will we get anything from this match?’ You could see that Spurs’ class was taking a hold on the game and that they were getting the better over the all-out effort from the Villans.
In the second half, Spurs (with their star players including Jennings, England, Mullery, Greaves and Gilzean) pulled the match back to all-square, and Villa, no matter how hard they tried just could not get back into the match, but at least salvaged a point – a no mean effort against a class team.

Team: Withers; Wright, Aitken; Tindall, Sleeuwenhoek, Pountney;
MacLeod, Chatterley, Stobart, Broadbent, Anderson.

But, without the ever-reliable Deakin (injured yet again), Villa’s effort at that point in the season, and still with 12 matches to go, seemed to evaporate. Conversely, Newcastle and West Brom (also very much in the danger area) did the reverse and performed a recovery. The Villa finished the season with no wins in the last nine games, with three sound defeats in the last three matches, including a 2-6 away defeat at fellow-strugglers Southampton in the last game. That was already too late, however, as the 2-4 defeat at home to Everton in the previous match had sealed Villa’s fate – Southampton were then safe.

P W D L F A Pts
13 West Brom 42 16 7 19 77 73 39
…
18 Fulham 42 11 12 19 71 83 34
19 Southampton 42 14 6 22 74 92 34
20 Newcastle 42 12 9 21 39 81 33
21 Aston Villa 42 11 7 24 54 85 29
22 Blackpool 42 6 9 27 41 76 21

The relegation fully reflected on the state of affairs at Villa Park and the events of 1961 to date. The club had clearly failed to be imaginative in its dealings in a new football era and nor was it willing to invest in a suitable infrastructure to befit a club with such a wonderful history. Certainly, the selling of the training ground could only be considered as a piece of retrograde thinking.

Whereas on the previous occasion of relegation (1959) there was a certain amount of optimism that Villa could quickly return, the feeling in 1967 was quite different. It was quite depressing in fact.

Throughout the period since Villa’s return to the top division (in 1960), it was noticeable that when Villa sold on a player at a good price (Hitchens, McParland, Burrows, Hateley) there was rarely a feeling that Villa’s replacement of those players was of the same quality. Money was sometimes spent on good ball-players, but usually they seemed physically not up to the needs of First Division life and were injured too easily, and they were too much of the same type of player.

Meanwhile, the quality of players coming through the youth system was not the same as in the later 1950s. Further, the ground was showing its age, despite the re-building of the Witton Lane Stand, the finances for which largely came out of the FA’s World Cup funds for 1966.

So, replacing manager Dick Taylor with the incoming Tommy Cummings was not likely to produce a positive result without infrastructural change … and it didn’t.

Meanwhile, the new giants in English football were Liverpool, Leeds United and Chelsea, with Manchester United and Spurs – as always it now seemed – co-members of the elite group. The West Midlands, however, had the shock of Coventry City coming up into the top-flight immediately on the departure of the Villa, and with Birmingham City also in the lower division, Coventry really were in a rare supreme moment over their big-city neighbours.

But the contrast between Villa and Coventry was also greatly marked in the forward-looking way in which the Coventry club was marketed. And that example could also be seen across Birmingham at the Warwickshire Cricket Club. In contrast, Villa’s board were still marking time in believing that because Villa were Villa, recovery would just take place by its own momentum. Their pride in the fame of the club had resulted in a serious form of myopia.

© 2010 John Lerwill

Next week: Revolution at Villa Park

Dick Taylor – Joe Mercer’s former assistant – took over the managerial mantle and over the next couple of years there were flashes of hope, but no indication of any development towards the re-instatement of the Villa amongst the elite. Taylor’s third season would prove to be cliffhanger and, as in Mercer’s last days, Taylor was as handicapped as much by injuries as he was by the lack of funds to spend.
The 1964-65 season started as a continuation of the previous season, and it was not until the eighth match that Villa recorded their first win. The departure of old warhorses like Nigel Sims, Vic Crowe and Bobby Thomson had left a chasm behind them.

A home match against Blackburn Rovers, when Villa lost 0-4, seemed to underpin Villa׳s problems as the Blackburn winger Mick Ferguson was allowed to dribble through Villa׳s defence in scoring the last of his side׳s four goals. In fact, Villa signed that player (Ferguson) a few years later, but he was an in-and-out player, form-wise.

The Villa defence was getting hammered whenever it encountered a quality side. Five at Liverpool … seven at Manchester United … four at Notts Forest, Sheffield United and Spurs … and a further five at Blackburn in the return match. Villa went out and bought Colin Withers from Birmingham City – a very agile keeper – but he could do little to stop the rot. And Villa also bought winger Johnny MacLeod (a popular winger at Arsenal) to try to supply goals at the other end. The scoring was left to Tony Hateley, who continued his scoring rate of a goal every two matches in the League, and more than one in every Cup game (ten in five successive League Cup games).

Part of Villa’s problem in attack was the lack of height and weight. Apart from Tony Hateley, Baker, Burrows and MacLeod were not tall and they were also lightweight. Even Phil Woosnam was not a big player, and so the Villa forwards were all too often brushed aside, though that is not saying they lacked skill. Harry Burrows, in fact, a hot-shot who often popped up to score, was sold to Stoke City for £30,000. The story goes that Burrows wanted a pay-rise of £5 per week, but he instead got transferred for his troubles.

Time and again, the pressure was thrown back on the Villa defence, and the likes of Wright, Aitken, ‘Slogger’ and Deakin (whose periods out through injury were increasing) and Withers were often overwhelmed no matter how much stubborn resistance they tried to put up. Wing-half-cum-inside-forward Mike Tindall – another product of the Houghton-Hogan years and a neat ball-player – suffered a broken leg that year and though he did re-appear in the first team later on, he was never the same again.

Having been in a relegation spot for a good portion of the season, the welcome return of Alan Deakin and the infusion of yet another youngster, Lew Chatterley, into the midfield area provided the iron necessary. Villa finished the season with a run of eight games undefeated, and that lifted them to sixteenth place. In point of fact, Villa’s last match of the season was a win over Manchester United who finished as champions. If Leeds had won their last match, Man United could not have been champions following the defeat at Villa.

It had been a desperate finish to the season, and one that again was upset by a fair spate of injuries, but although Villa had done well in acquiring keeper Colin Withers, the Villa’s forwards were too light, and this remained a problem for several years. Far too much pressure was being put on the young players in defence and midfield, and though they were very good players, they needed a strong and experienced captain to properly lead them. Phil Woosnam, the new skipper, was a fine player, but Vic Crowe’s type of leadership was missed.

Another (and highly surprising) departure at the end of the season was Ron Wylie who – early in the season – made a wonderful transition to the half-back line after years as an inside-forward and after that season was named Midland Player of The Year. Those who saw Ron in his new position were elated with his form, but somehow Villa let him go to the Small Heath club.

The 1965-66 season saw the first occasion of the substitute in British competitive football. However, only one was allowed and only in the case of untreatable injury, but it was not long before some managers would send out a message to a player to feign injury in order to get him replaced for tactical reasons. Tactical substitutions were, therefore, not long in being allowed, but the single substitution rule remained in force for many years.

Finances were still a worry with decreasing attendances, and there was a hint of urgency in the club selling its training ground. And the start to the season was again not very bright, but matters soon changed around well enough so that by the end of October the Villa were lying eighth in the table, and this run had included a 6-3 win at Fulham.

By the start of the new year, however, the Villa had dropped down the table again and eventually finished sixteenth. But, though the finishing position was the same as the previous year, the Villa had arrived there without a relegation struggle, though the six-goal hammering received at Manchester United near the end of the season was, perhaps, full of portent. That heavy defeat in fact left Villa in twentieth place, and though it was too late then for Villa to be relegated, it was only a last match win at fourth-placed Chelsea that restored Villa to a more respectable position.

Again, there were great difficulties in achieving a settled and balanced team that season, with Deakin again out for lengthy periods and the midfield and attack being changed around quite a lot. Two new forwards were in fact signed; Willie Hamilton – a talented Scottish inside-forward – and a new left winger in Tony Scott. But, again, though they had skill they were of the lightweight variety and prone to injury.

There was one extraordinary sequence of matches in March. In that sequence, I was witness to a 2-4 defeat at West Ham, who were at the top of their game with Moore, Peters and Hurst outstanding. The following week, relegation candidates Fulham came to Villa Park and gained a 2-5 revenge for the hammering inflicted against them at Craven Cottage. The Villa then went to White Hart Lane, and, being on the end of a 1-5 thrashing by half-time, must have thought their number was up. But all was not lost – Hateley finished the match with four goals with Deakin adding another to bring the score all-square at 5-5. The amazing thing was that Deakin might have won the match for Villa in the final stages. Jimmy Greaves recorded in his autobiography that Hateley seemed to climb into the clouds to head one of his goals.

There was another phenomenon playing in that Spurs’ match; Jimmy MacEwan. Now aged 35, he was still playing the odd game as stand-in and was still showing his craggy skills, but this was his last season.

That season’s forward line did have something remarkable about it. Tony Hateley finished with 27 goals in 39 League games (29 goals in total) and Phil Woosnam provided 15 goals in 35 League games (21 goals in total). Never before had Woosnam been so prodigious as a goalscorer. Phil also had his ideas as a qualified football coach, and it has been inferred that during his latter days at Villa Park he was disappointed that some suggestions that he gave were not welcomed.

The Villa faithful were able to take a respite and forget about their club’s troubles in the upcoming summer – the World Cup was in England (including Villa Park), and there was to be a fine victory to celebrate at the end of it all.

© 2010 John Lerwill
Next week: Down … and Out!

The first few games of this season put the Villa into a League position that mostly remained unchanged until the season finished – in very much the lower reaches of Division 1. Villa ultimately finished 19th but at a time when only two teams were relegated, with 22 teams in the division.

On a happier note, a replacement for ‘the Doog’ had arrived in the shape of Tony Hateley. A young player from Notts County, the best description of him would be to say he reminded many of another Notts County ‘great’, Tommy Lawton. A strapping player, Hateley’s big skill was in the air, and many a time he would seem to climb into the clouds to head home a timely goal. On the ground … well, let us say that the Villa faithful would have their hearts in their mouths if he was presented with a goalscoring chance at ground level.
Hateley’s ground play improved, however, but there is probably no doubt that the fact he was so successful a goalscorer must have been firstly due to his heading ability and secondly to the chances provided for him by the wily Woosnam. Later, after three years with Villa, his six-figure transfer fee hugely bolstered Villa’s coffers, but with Chelsea and then with Liverpool and then his subsequent clubs, he did not quite regain the prolific scoring ability he had with Woosnam at his side. Hateley hit 17 goals in 35 League games in his first season with Villa, and he built on that.

Incidentally, with the mention of Chelsea and Liverpool, we refer to a huge shift in the direction the game was going and which had been initiated by the relaxation over the maximum wage and the influence of continental football.

Bill Shankly’s Liverpool had begun, by 1964, to show the football world that they were there to stay and make a huge impact. Chelsea were great crowd-pleasers with their forward play, but often flattered to deceive and never quite achieved the greatness that some thought would be theirs. Nevertheless, in comparison with the likes of Chelsea, Villa’s playing approach as the seasons rolled on began to look as though it was stuck in a time warp; Chelsea played with a fluid formation whilst the Villa stuck to the (by then antiquated) 2-3-5 system.

There was a brief flurry as the season approached Christmas, with the climax being a wonderful win against Manchester United׳s all-stars, including Pat Crerand, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law. Although United finished the season rather poorly (for them), at the time of Villa׳s 4-0 win United were sixth and had they beaten Villa that day, would have been top of the league. But that match saw Alan Deakin have one of his best-ever wing-half displays, shutting Dennis Law out of the game so much that Law׳s frustration erupted. He kicked Deakin in the face whilst on the ground, after Deakin׳s firm but fair sliding tackle had cleanly taken the ball from Law׳s feet. Law was sent off – an event that was rarely seen in those days. It is said that Law, after getting changed, just got into his car and drove off, not giving the match another look.

Following that win, Villa climbed the table a little with further improved displays, but after Christmas injuries began to plague the team and Villa moved back down the table towards danger. Villa eventually scrambled out of the relegation places, an escape which was not regarded too kindly by supporters who expected better, particularly as Villa had lost 0-3 at home to the Blues towards the end of the season. There was, at least, a partial excuse for this defeat, in the shape of thirteen players missing through illness or injury.
Joe Mercer, dogged by ill-luck in his last two seasons, overwork and (finally) ill-health, was brutally removed from his post in the summer of 1964, having been pilloried by some previously adoring fans. A generally popular and decent man who had given youth a chance, the former Arsenal star׳s subsequent success at Manchester City (and England) probably reflects that he would have been Villa׳s answer with better executive management to back him up. Perhaps Mercer׳s Villa career, and the handicaps he had to work under, were best summed up in a quote he gave several years later: “We were too concerned with solvency at Villa Park.”

And Villa’s gate receipts were now taking a big tumble. There had been average attendances of over 30,000 at the beginning of the ’60s, but the average was now down below 24,000.

However, there had been a youngster on Villa’s books for the previous couple of seasons by the name of George Graham, and a player who my father (always a fine judge of skill) said would be a good ’un. In the immediate post-Mercer period the Villa did not agree, so ‘Stroller’ Graham went to Chelsea for a mere £5,000 – and the rest is history. After making his name with Chelsea he went to Arsenal, was a member of their ‘double’ side of 1970-71 and he eventually went to Manchester United. George Graham, of course, subsequently became a successful manager – particularly with Arsenal.

One more youngster to mention is Michael Wright. He came in early in the season and eclipsed ‘Cammie’ Fraser from the reckoning for the right-back spot. But for injury (or had he been with a successful club – he turned down Liverpool to join Villa) it is possible that Michael might have become a great player. As it was, he played for the Villa for nearly a decade, and was always a great stalwart. A year or two before, Wright’s full-back partner – Charlie Aitken – had a big bid made for him by Liverpool.

© 2010 John Lerwill

Next week: Treading Water.

With hopes raised by the promise of “Mercer’s Minors”, the Villa faithful trooped down to Villa Park to watch the two opening games against the very respectable sides of West Ham and Spurs. The outcome was two fine wins to the Villa, and the one against Spurs was even more significant as Spurs were still a class side with Jimmy Greaves recently added to their ranks, but they had also become a ‘bogey’ side. The Villa had done very badly against them over the several preceding seasons, but this time Dougan’s brace saw them off.

A third win on the trot at Manchester City began to create a state of euphoria at Villa Park, but we were soon back down to earth when our return match at Spurs saw a 2-4 defeat. However, Alan Deakin was injured in this match and for the rest of the season he was in-and-out with various knocks. And this was in the days before substitutes came into being, so Villa’s performance at Spurs was not all that bad considering it was mostly played with 10 men.

A home draw with Blackpool (when Villa suffered several injuries) was followed by the selection of a patched-up side to go and face Arsenal just three days later, but, amazingly, Villa came away from Highbury with a 2-1 win.

After eight games Villa were at the top of the League on the same number of points as Wolves, who held the top spot by virtue of their much better goal average. This was indeed a heady level to be at, but one that Villa could not sustain. Injuries and form took their toll, and it was not until mid-November and the acquisition of ‘Cammie’ Fraser to fill the right-back position that Villa started to recover.

The young Fraser – an under-23 Scottish international, as was Charlie Aitken by this time in the accompanying full-back spot – seemed to do the trick in defence and Villa soon after went to Manchester United and obtained a salutary draw.

But something even better soon took place. Villa signed perhaps one of the best ball-players they have possessed since the Second World War; a Welsh international by the name of Phil Woosnam.

By the time he came to Villa he was already on the verge of being called a ‘veteran’. He had come into professional football late on after graduating at university, and then joined Leyton Orient and then West Ham, each for four-year spells. His signing was the first hint of serious money being spent by the Villa since Gerry Hitchens had been sold as Phil cost a then very respectable £27,000. I recall having seen Woosnam play when he was a West Ham player – we had gone on a short break to London in 1959 and my father took us down to Upton Park to watch the Hammers play Man United. My father’s opinion of Woosnam was very high after that viewing.
Phil was certainly a wise signing to add maturity to Villa’s somewhat youthful ranks, and after his first game he was given a magnificent accolade by the Birmingham press as a result of his play in the demolition of Bolton by 5-0.

The next week I went to see Villa play at Leicester, who had the likes of Gordon Banks and Davie Gibson in their ranks, and after Villa had taken a 3-1 lead (including a Burrows thunderbolt) the temptation was to think back to the end of the previous season and wonder whether the Villa could get near to repeating that 8-3 win. Well that was not to be as Leicester staged a big fight-back and the match finished 3-3, but Woosnam’s class (he was very much a contemporary to Davie Gibson) was for all to see.
After the following week’s draw at West Ham we were into mid-December and then the winter set in for a freeze that had not been experienced since 1947, and until the present day has not been repeated.

Although there had been a couple of Cup games (Villa were on another fine run in the League Cup), bad weather caused the next League match not to be played until 19 January, against Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park. Playing conditions were abominable, and having invested in a Trinity Stand seat, I saw the match being played on an ice rink; it finished 0-0. But the “big freeze” prevented further matches until 13 February (0-4 at Liverpool), and then the next was a Cup match on 7 March. It was two days after that when next League match was played. So, between mid-December till 9 March (nearly three months), the sum of League matches played was three!

On 16 March Villa obtained a fine 4-0 win over Birmingham City at Villa Park. Villa were then seventh, 12 points behind the leaders but had only played 26 as against the leader׳s 29, giving cause for optimism. But then followed eleven successive league defeats, Villa not winning again until 8 May (May was full of backlogged fixtures that year). That sequence of defeats is, sadly, a club record. Villa (having been in fifth place in January) finished in 15th place. Oh – there was further bad news; Birmingham City won the League Cup that year. Villa happened to be the beaten finalists!

Derek Dougan, whose 9 goals return from 28 League matches was not considered good enough, dropped a couple of divisions to play for Peterborough United. However, it was not long before ‘the Doog’ found himself again, for he then joined Leicester with success, and then went on to Wolves, where he remains something of a legend to this day
.
© John Lerwill 2010

Next week: Troubles set in.

The third of John Lerwill’s pieces, looks at what promised to be a golden era but we know how the decade finished.

Mercer’s Minors

1962 – Well, Gerry Hitchens had gone, and in the summer of ’61 in came his replacement – a player who certainly was a colourful character; one Derek Dougan. Could he match Gerry’s ability, we wondered, particularly as Dougan’s reported transfer fee was only £15,000. The club had clearly not tried to spend the money brought in by Gerry’s transfer, but at that point not too many questions were asked.

In Derek Dougan Villa had purchased a player who had – even by the age of 21 – already made some kind of mark for himself at Blackburn Rovers as the spearhead of what was called the 3D attack consisting of Dobing, Dougan and Douglas. With the acclaimed Ronnie Clayton behind them, this forward line had once seemed to be destined for great things, but totally disappointed when they appeared at the 1960 Cup Final and were over-run by Wolves by 3-0.

Dougan was a feisty individual, full of Celtic colour, and his behaviour caused the Blackburn club to be happy to sign him off to Villa for what seemed like a bargain transfer fee. His first appearance at Villa Park, however, attracted considerable attention as he turned out sporting a totally bald head. For those days – it was merely the start of the 1960s – this was something very unusual, but playing-wise he came up with the goods.

Indeed, having scored three goals in his first four League outings for Villa, Dougan seemed to have the promise, but, in the then new days of money-to-burn for professional players, Dougan and Bobby Thomson went out for a spin in a new car, with the result that both of them were quite substantially hurt and were out of the team for several weeks – Dougan longer than Thomson. McParland deputised at centre-forward for Dougan and even scored his first League hat-trick before Dougan returned after missing 14 League games. For the rest of the season, Dougan was to gain a few niggly knocks and played in only 23 League games, scoring 10 goals.

And, of course, Dougan’s unavailability nearly had a disastrous affect on Villa’s chances in the League Cup final that had been carried over into this season. Villa lost the first leg 0-2 and there was a certain amount of desperation in turning round that deficit in the second leg. That Rotherham, Villa’s opponents, were not a top-class side helped Villa’s cause, but they proved to be no push-overs.
Dougan’s first season, therefore, was a bit disappointing, but what had been the bright side of events was the development of Alan Deakin, Harry Burrows, Charlie Aitken and John Sleeuwenhoek (“Slogger” for short). 1961-62 saw these four youngsters establish themselves as first-teamers in their own right, and towards the end of the season Alan Baker also made his mark. Alan Deakin became a regular for England U-23s, and just when it looked as though he might be in line for a full England cap, in came the incomparable Bobby Moore to eclipse poor Deakin from the reckoning. Moore was a very special player, however.

Youth was beginning to hold sway, quietly balanced by the old ’uns such as Vic Crowe and Nigel Sims and the not-so-old Bobby Thomson, but other old favourites like Jimmy Dugdale, Peter McParland and Jimmy MacEwan seemed to be on the way out and Stan Lynn had gone. McParland was replaced on the left-wing by shot-blaster Harry Burrows, and Tommy Ewing was bought as the new right-winger.

Towards the end of the season, a transformation took place. The Villa had been picking up points, but had not been regarded as great goalscorers until the last day of March when they went to Arsenal and scored an amazing 5-4 victory, thanks to a last-minute winner from Tommy Ewing, and then beat Bolton 3-0 at home.

Then, although Villa lost narrowly at Manchester City, Villa came into the Easter week-end full of virility by slamming Leicester 8-3 (Leicester having the great Gordon Banks in goal) and then Notts Forest 5-1 two days later. But, having scored 21 goals over five matches, Villa’s season then petered out quite tamely.
Significantly, however, we thought that those games towards the end of the season were the herald of a really bright future, particularly with the advent of “Mercer’s Minors”, the upcoming young players brought in by Joe Mercer. What was more was that Villa finished seventh in the League – a higher place than the previous season. This, surely, was progress; the Villa had not finished at that level for seven years.

© John Lerwill 2010

Next week: Hit by ice.

John Lerwill in his 2nd exclusive piece for this blg takes a look at the end of the Gerry Hitchens era.

1961 (continued)

After promising so much before Christmas, Alan O’Neill sustained an injury that interrupted the team’s rhythm, but it was about that time that wing-half Alan Deakin became a regular choice. Deakin was one of the most successful products of former manager Eric Houghton’s re-vitalised youth system, and his name would be at the fore of all Villa’s exploits over the next decade.

Double defeats against Wolves over Christmas caused the team to take on a mid-table appearance and the rest of the season was about one thing really – Gerry Hitchens. Gerry’s scoring exploits had been there to see all season, and in the Christmas and New Year period he cracked exactly two goals per game over three games. In the last match of December (against Blackpool) he scored one goal that to this day is vivid in my memory. He chased England full-back Jimmy Armfield to the bye-line, took the ball off him and after moving slightly infield cracked an explosive shot that hit the far post before crashing into the net. I was standing virtually behind his shot towards the Witton End and will swear that he must have hit it from a 20-degree angle and fully 20 yards from goal.

By the time the end of April had been reached, Villa’s chances of winning anything in the League and the FA Cup had long evaporated, but Villa had reached the semi-final of the new-fangled Football League Cup, a trophy that no-one (apart from the Club!) seemed to be taking very seriously.

Villa’s last League match of the season was against second-placed Sheffield Wednesday, whose goalkeeper and centre-half were both current England players. For Villa, manager Mercer decided to play Villa’s much loved old captain, Johnny Dixon, to give him an opportunity to say “goodbye” to the fans, and didn’t he do well! After the match, the Birmingham press declared that Villa’s forward line – with the skilfull prompting of Dixon much in evidence – had been the best on view all season. In a 4-1 win, Gerry scored his inevitable brace of goals, while Dixon scored a wonderful goal that caused the fans to cheer him way past his return to the centre-spot for the match re-start. And to add to the occasion, Dixon also suffered a broken nose for his troubles!

Significantly, that match also saw the debut of a certain Charlie Aitken, who thus started his 15-years’ first-class service to the Club following on immediately from Dixon’s service of similar length.
The end of the season came about the following week when what turned out to be Hitchens’ last match for the Villa took place, against Burnley in the second leg of the Football League Cup semi-final. Of course, Gerry scored another – his 42nd of the season – and very soon played his first match for England. Not long after, having scored a brace in Italy in England’s 3-2 win, Inter Milan came in for him and off he went. The Villa won a reported £85,000 in the deal (a very big sum for those days), but the loss to the club was in fact incalculable. Hitchens was one of Villa’s greatest-ever assets.

Strangely, Hitchens left the club with the days having run out to play the League Cup final, and so it was deferred to the next season, sans Hitchens.

But 1961 had one more event that was to have a huge affect on English football. After a threatened strike, players were no longer fettered by a fixed wage, which at that time was £20 per week (when the national average wage was £16 per week). As Villa player of-the-time Ron Wylie is reported to have said, “All of a sudden our wage went from £20 to £60 per week, and we didn’t know what to do with the extra money!” Fulham’s England international Johnny Haynes became the first player in English football to earn £100 per week that year.

With Johnny Dixon dipping out at the end of an era, Aston Villa’s forthcoming decade, as it turned out, was shaped by two events that season. First the loss of Gerry Hitchens, and secondly the abolition of the maximum wage. The Villa board would prove to be hopelessly equipped to deal with the rapidly changing game.

© John Lerwill 2010

Next week: Mercer’s Minors

John Lerwill the writer of the excellent Villa Chronicles and ex Villa archivist has agreed to do a regular column for this blog.

This is his first piece and concentrates on Villa’s return to the top division in 1961

1961 – Consider that year. Look at that number from every direction and it reads the same. Even from the Villa’s point of view, the year could be looked at differently in how things turned out. It was certainly the end of one era in at least three ways, and it was definitely the start of a new era in other ways. The 1960-61 season had been the
first season back in the top-flight for Villa (after one very eventful season down in Division 2) and it was one of mixed fortunes. At the end of the season, it was regarded as being one of getting re-established in the top flight and the finishing position (9th) was thought to be satisfactory.

The season, however, opened with a sparkling performance against a Jimmy Greaves-inspired Chelsea at Villa Park. The 3-2 scoreline does not sound overly impressive, but writers were saying that this Villa team looked like potential world beaters; the Villa looked “continental” in their style as they
crashed through the static Chelsea defence. Bobby Thomson in particular was singled out for praise, his goal being one of sublime movement, skill and finishing power.

Perhaps that first performance of the season had gone to their heads as Villa then went out on their travels and 2-5 and 3-5 defeats at West Ham and Blackpool were the rewards for their labours. But then two home games produced maximum points. Even at this stage of the season, it was clear that Gerry Hitchens was going to do very well – he grabbed 6 goals in the first 5 games - but it was in defence and away from home that Villa were having problems; having conceded 4 at Blackburn the Villa soon after went to Spurs and crashed to a 2-6 result. Mind you, this was the great Spurs of that ‘double’ season, when they
became the first club to gain that honour since the Villa back in 1896-97. For 64 years Villa had held that record, and, as it turned out, perhaps the 1960-61 season really was the signal that the game’s old aristocrats were being put back a peg or two,. Merely holding records was proving not to be good enough - up to that time Villa had still won the FA Cup more times than anyone else,
no-one had won the league championship more often, and Villa still had amassed more top-flight points than any other club. The 1960s saw Villa’s records begin to tumble.

But let’s go foward a month after the Spurs debacle to one of the high spots in the season, the 6-2 thrashing of ‘the Blues’. That week, manager Joe Mercer had gone out and bought a new inside-forward called Alan O’Neill (of course, no relation to another of that surname!) and within 20 seconds this new Villan
scored on his debut against our Small Heath foes. For a reason I cannot remember, that day I saw the game from the Witton End terrace (rather than my usual Holte End), and that is where O’Neill’s goal was scored – a sublime angled ground shot from the edge of the area, right down in front of me. I can recall Bobby Thomson having been successfully switched to the half-back line, and with O’Neill grabbing a second and our Gerry a rare hat-trick, the outcome was magnifico. That win was the start of a seven-match unbeaten run ending in the demolition of Manchester City (and Dennis Law) by 5 goals to 1. 20 goals were scored and 6 conceded in that mini-run and Villa were lying 5th in the table. Two weeks later, Villa won 4-2 at Chelsea.

Next week: more on 1961 and how Villa’s 1960s
future was forged

© John Lerwill 2010