123. Sport in the Late Seventies - Drew Family Diaries

A Separate Chapter

I have decided to have a separate chapter for sport in the late seventies whereas, in the early seventies, I covered it under entertainment, see Chapter 106, and external events, see Chapter 112. This is largely because of the amount of material I have on the topic not least because of my diaries for 1976 and 1977 which talk a lot about sport. Essentially, I have material about sports I, or my family and friends, participated in and sports we watched, either on TV or in person. This section focuses mainly on sports watched as sports I, or others, participated in have largely been covered elsewhere.

Sport at School

I did a lot of sport at school including football, basketball, swimming, cricket, table tennis and rounders, see Chapter 118. There was also a school sports day. My siblings also did sports at their schools.

Sports as Entertainment

We also did some sporting activities for entertainment, see Chapter 122. In particular, these included swimming but also sailing and canoeing.

Sports at Boys’ Brigade

My brother Alan, in particular, also did sporting activities through church and Boys’ Brigade, see Chapter 124.

Cycling

Although I cycled a lot, this was purely as a means of transport not a sport as such, see Chapter 127.

Sport on TV

What I watched largely depended on what was on TV. There were only three channels so if any of them showed sport I tended to watch it! That is very different now with multiple channels showing only sport. This means that now I tend to only watch those sports and events I am really interested in.

The Boat Race

1949-1974

In previous years, it had been the usual practice for one or more family members to follow the university boat race particularly on television. The first record I have of mum doing this was when she listened to it on the radio in 1949, see Chapters 42 and 45. Mum also noted the results of the boat races in 1951 and 1952, see Chapter 59. She watched the boat race on TV in 1957 and 1959, see Chapter 68 and various family members watched the boat race in 1961, 1962 and 1963, see Chapter 84. Grandad watched the boat race between 1965 and 1968, see Chapter 97, and in 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974, see Chapter 112.

Black and White or Colour

Similarly, in March 1975, grandad noted watching the boat race on television. Grandma went next-door to Barbara Carpenter’s to see it in colour. Barbara lived at 164 Drayton High Road. At this time, grandma and grandad still had a black and white TV while Barbara had got a colour television in October 1972. We only got our first colour TV in March 1976 and grandma only got one in April 1977 after grandad had died, see Chapter 128.

Results

In the 1975 boat race, Cambridge won by 3¾ lengths. The only time mum mentioned the boat race in the late seventies was in 1978 when Cambridge sank in very rough conditions. In the late seventies and early eighties, Oxford dominated the boat race winning every race from 1976 to 1985.

In March 1978, mum noted that Cambridge sank in the boat race in very rough conditions. Image from the Sunday People of 26 March 1978 obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

My Recollections

While I was aware of the boat race as a child and a teenager, it was not something I followed closely. I did not mention the boat race in my diaries for either 1976 or 1977.

The Grand National

Another sporting event which family members followed closely was the Grand National. As with the boat race, the first record I have of mum following the Grand National was when she listened to it on the radio in 1949, see Chapters 42 and 45. Mum also watched the Grand National in 1962, see Chapters 84 and 86 and grandad followed the race from 1965 to 1969, see Chapter 97. In the early seventies, grandad noted watching the Grand National in 1971 and 1974, see Chapter 112.

Similarly, in April 1975, grandad watched the Grand National with Dorothy Rose, Auntie Dolly. The race was won by L’Escargot ahead of Red Rum, a reversal of the previous year’s result, see Chapter 112. This denied Red Rum a third consecutive win. On 3 April 1976, I noted that Rag Trade won the Grand National. Red Rum was again second. I do not mention the Grand National in my diary for 1977 nor does mum between 1977 and 1979. In those races, Red Rum won for the third time in 1977 with Lucius and Rubstic winning in 1978 and 1979 respectively.

In the 1975 Grand National, although Red Rum and L’Escargot (nearest) jumped the last fence together, L’Escargot pulled away to win comfortably by 15 lengths. This was a reversal of the 1974 race which Red Rum won and in which L’Escargot finished second, see Chapter 112 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Greyhound Racing

Dad was a fan of greyhound racing and I recall going quite often with him as a child and teenager. As a child, he recalled that many miners had whippets and they used to involve them in rabbit coarsing.

Popularity of greyhound racing has declined since a post-war peak. In the 1940s, there were over 120 tracks across the UK whereas now there are around 20. Reasons for the decline included concerns about animal welfare and the availability of off-course betting.

Dog tracks I went to with him included in Hackney and Perry Barr in Birmingham. In February 1977, I noted that the dog track had recently been taken over by Ladbrokes. In October 1977, I noted that dad won enough to pay for our evening and to cover my losses!

Hackney Wick Stadium

The stadium in Hackney where we saw greyhound racing was probably Hackney Wick stadium which opened in 1932 but which closed in 1997. It was demolished in 2003.

Perry Barr Stadium

Perry Barr stadium opened in 1929 but it closed in 2025 and was demolished.

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes is a well-known betting company dating back to 1886. It has betting shops and also supports online and telephone-based gambling. Ladbrokes was one of the betting companies who purchased greyhound stadiums to preserve the sport.

Greyhound racing at Perry Barr – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Speedway

Motorcycle speedway was often staged at the same stadia as greyhound racing and I recall going to a number of speedway matches with dad over the years. I think he was less interested in speedway than greyhound racing. He found speedway rather predictable. I recall him telling me that he once went to speedway with friends who were really into the sport. Dad argued with them that whoever got to the first corner first would win whereas his friends said that was not always the case. They decided to have a wager. If the person who got to the first corner first won, they would buy dad a drink and, if someone else won, dad would get them a drink. I asked him who won. He replied that no-one could remember!!

In August 1977, I noted going to a special speedway match between Birmingham Brummies and Wolverhampton which Wolverhampton won. A news report explained that this match gave Birmingham an opportunity to avenge a 55-23 defeat earlier in the season. However, they could not rise to the occasion and lost 45-33.

News report of a speedway match in August 1977 between Birmingham and Wolverhampton from The Birmingham Post of 30 August 1977 obtained through paid subscription from Find My Past

Uncompleted scorecard for challenge match between Brummies and Wolverhampton

Birmingham Brummies

Birmingham Brummies were founded in 1928 and competed at the Perry Barr stadium. However, when that stadium closed, the speedway team closed too.

Show Jumping

I have never been the biggest fan of show jumping but I confess I am happy watching pretty much any sport! I recall watching some show jumping as a child and teenager. In July 1976, I noted that I watched Eddie Macken win “some show jumping” at Wembley. In this event, he won on his horse Boomerang.

Eddie Macken on Boomerang in 1976 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Royal International Horse Show

I believe this was the Royal International Horse Show. This had been first held at London Olympia in 1907, hosted by the Institute of the Horse and Pony Club, which would later become the British Horse Society. The show was discontinued during the First World War but revived after it. No show took place in 1933 but the event was reestablished at Olympia in 1934. Having also been held at Wembley Stadium, White City Stadium in West London and the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, the show moved to the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in 1992.

Events

This Horse Show was broadcast on BBC1 at 9.25pm. There were two events, the big wall puissance and the Godfrey Davis Championship, which was the one that Eddie Macken won.

The Puissance

The puissance was won by John Whittaker on Bericote Golden Vale with Rene Dechamps, Hendrik Schulze-Siehoff and Harvey Smith tied for second. I remember being somewhat fascinated with “puissance” events in show jumping as they seemed to be like high jump for horses! Apparently, the highest height cleared in puissance indoors is 7’ 10”!!

Godfrey Davis

Although I have come across a number of show jumping competitions with the name of Godfrey Davis, I was not initially sure who this was. I was thinking that it would have been someone who was big in the world of show jumping. But, it turns out that it was a car hire company. Established in 1920, the company pioneered car rental in the UK from 1920 before being bought out by Europcar in 1981.

News report covering the Royal International Horse Show in July 1976 from The Scotsman 14 July 1976 obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

Athletics

In May 1976, I noted that there was an international athletics meeting at Crystal Palace. Tony Staynings won the 2000m steeplechase, Ian Stewart won the 3000m, Brendan Foster won the 1500m, Mary Stewart won the women’s 1000m and Sonia Lannaman won the 100m.

Philips Electrical Match

According to a report in the Daily Mirror, this was the Philips Electrical match between Borough Road PE College and the AAA. It was seen as a warm-up for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. It is worth noting that Borough Road PE College was a teacher training institution that went on to form Brunel University.

News report of athletics event at Crystal Palace in May 1976 from The Daily Mirror of 27 May 1976 obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

Olympics

1976 was an Olympic year with the Winter Olympics being held in Innsbruck from 4-15 February 1976 and the Summer Olympics being held in Montreal from 17 July to 1 August 1976.

Winter Olympics

Mum noted that John Curry won gold for Great Britain in the men’s figure skating at the Winter Olympics. Apparently, it was Britain’s only medal and was Britain’s first gold at the Winter games since 1964.

John Curry with the gold medal he won at the 1976 Winter Olympics – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Summer Olympics

My diary included updates from the 1976 Summer Olympics almost every day. So, that is the format followed here, a day-by-day guide to the Olympics with a particular focus on British achievements.

Everard Mascarenhas in Montreal

At the beginning of July 1976, I noted that my friend Everard Mascarenhas left for Canada to see the Olympics which started in ten days’ time.

Opening Ceremony

On Saturday 17 July 1976, I noted watching the opening ceremony.

Teenagers Sandra Henderson and Stéphane Préfontaine light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Sunday 18 July1976

The following day, Sunday 18 July 1976, I noted that it was the first day of competition in the Olympics.

African Boycott

However, several African countries pulled out as New Zealand, whose rugby team played against South Africa, were allowed to compete. A total of 29 countries boycotted the games for this reason. Although they were mainly African countries, they also included Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Guyana, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Syria.

Map showing which countries boycotted the 1976 Montreal Olympics © Astrokey44 licensed for re-use under this Creative Commons Licence

100km Cycling Time Trial

In the 100km cycling team time trial the Soviet Union won gold, Poland silver and Denmark bronze. The British team of Paul Carbutt, Philip Griffiths, Dudley Hayton and William Nickson finished sixth.

Men’s 50m Free Pistol Shooting

An East German won the men’s 50m free pistol shooting. His name was Uwe Potteck and he posted a world record score of 573. Although he appeared in the 1980 and 1988 Olympics, this was his only medal.

Men’s 200m Butterfly

Three Americans took the medals in the men’s 200m butterfly. These were Mike Bruner, Steve Gregg and Bill Forrester. Mike Bruner also won gold in the 4 x 200m freestyle men’s relay. Britain’s Brian Brinkley finished sixth in the men’s 200m butterfly. He was part of the British 4 x 200m freestyle team that won Olympic bronze.

Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay

The women’s 4 x 100m medley relay was won by East Germany with USA second and Canada third. The British team of Joy Beasley, Margaret Kelly, Susan Jenner and Deborah Hill finished sixth.

Monday 19 July 1976

The next day, Monday 19 July 1976, I noted watching some of the Olympics on TV but did not specify what I saw.

TV Coverage

The main coverage was on BBC1 which had four programmes on the Olympics that day.

BBC badge from the Montreal Olympics in 1976

Olympic Grandstand (Part 1)

The first of the Olympic TV programmes available was Olympic Grandstand from 12.30-1.30pm which presented highlights from the previous day including the men’s 200m butterfly and the women’s 4 x 100m medley relay.

Olympic Grandstand (Part 2)

Olympic Grandstand was back on again from 2.00-4.25pm. Again, this mainly seemed to cover activities from the previous day, for example the final of the free pistol shooting and the final of the flyweight weightlifting, won by Alexsandr Voronin of the Soviet Union. Briton Precious McKenzie finished 13^th. There was also coverage of the horse-riding category within modern pentathlon, gymnastics and boxing.

Olympic Report

A programme simply called Olympic ran from 6.15-7.25 pm. It covered swimming, weightlifting, shooting, gymnastics and boxing with a special report on the Olympic yachting regatta.

Olympic Grandstand (Part 3)

Finally, Olympic Grandstand returned from 9.25pm. This featured four live swimming finals and gymnastics. There was also coverage of boxing with news, action and results from football, rowing, basketball, volleyball and hockey.

The four live swimming finals were the women’s 100m freestyle won by Kornelia Ender of East Germany; the men’s 100m backstroke won by John Naber of the United States; the women’s 200m butterfly won by Andrea Pollack of East Germany and the men’s 200m freestyle won by Bruce Furniss of the United States.

In terms of British performances, in the women’s 100m freestyle, Britons Elaine Gray and Susan Edmondson finished 24^th and 28^th respectively. Then, in the men’s 100m backstroke, Britons James Carter and Gary Abraham finished 18^th and 22^nd respectively. Also, in the women’s 200m butterfly, Britons Joanne Atkinson, Anne Adams and Jane Alexander finished 18^th, 23^rd and 30^th respectively and, finally, in the men’s 200m freestyle Britons Gordon Downie, Brian Brinkley and Alan MacClatchey finished seventh, ninth and 25^th respectively. Gordon Downie made it through to the final.

Tuesday 20 July 1976

The Boris Onischenko Affair

On Tuesday 20 July 1976, I noted that Boris Onischenko, a competitor from the Soviet Union, who won silver in modern pentathlon in Munich, had been disqualified the previous day for cheating. He had fixed his epee so that it would register a hit without hitting. Following this incident, he received a lifetime ban from competition.

Modern Pentathlon

I think this may have been the first time I encountered modern pentathlon. It had been an Olympic sport since 1912 and consisted of five separate disciplines of fencing, swimming, shooting, horse riding and running. The event has been changed over time with shooting and running combined into one final event and obstacle racing now replacing horse riding.

Sailing

I noted that we were doing fairly well in the sailing. Rodney Pattison was leading the Flying Dutchman class having won the first race and having finished second in the second race. Britain were leading in the Tornado class having finished first in both of the first two races and, in the Finn class, Britain were lying second overall having been seventh in the first race but then winning the second race.

Flying Dutchman

I misspelled Rodney Pattison’s name as Patterson. Rodney Stuart Pattison had won gold in this class in the Olympics of both 1968 and 1972. On this occasion, he won silver. He had different partners in each of the Olympics, Iain Macdonald-Smith in 1968, Christopher Davies in 1972 and Julian Brooke-Houghton in 1976. He was Britain’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Montreal. After their good results in the first two race, in the next five races, the British team finished behind the West German team of Jorg and Eckhart Diesch who won gold.

Tornado

Tornado was a new catamaran class first raced at this Olympics. The British team of Reg White and John Osborn won gold winning four of the six races they started.

Finn

In the Finn class, Britain’s David Howlett went on to finish seventh in an event that was won by East Germany’s Jochen Schümann.

Britain’s First Medal

I noted that Great Britain had won their first medal with David Wilkie taking silver behind John Hencken in the 100m breaststroke. I noted that Wilkie broke the old world record.

In the heats of the men’s 100m breaststroke, John Hencken equalled the world record of 1:03.88. David Wilkie produced the fourth fastest qualifying time of 1:05.19. In the second semi-final, Hencken set a new world record of 1:03.62. Wilkie won the first semi-final again in the fourth fastest time which this time was 1:04.29. In the final Hencken again set a new world record of 1:03.11 with Wilkie finishing in 1:03.43. Briton Duncan Goodhew was also in the final finishing seventh.

Wednesday 21 July 1976

On Wednesday 21 July 1976, I did not record any Olympic activity. I think the main reason for this was that I was unable to switch the TV back on in the afternoon. Perhaps I watched Olympic Grandstand at lunch-time and in the afternoon but did not comment on what was on. I would have missed the evening’s Olympic Report and that night’s Olympic Grandstand.

Lunch-time Olympic Grandstand

Olympic Grandstand at lunch-time included coverage of football, gymnastics and three swimming finals, the men’s 1500m freestyle won by Brian Goodell of the United States; the women’s 400m freestyle won by Petra Thümer of East Germany and the men’s 100m breaststroke.

In terms of British performances, in the men’s 1500m freestyle, David Parker and Paul Sparkes finished 12^th and 19^th respectively; and in the women’s 400m freestyle, Susan Barnard and Susan Edmondson finished 19^th and 23^rd respectively.

Afternoon Olympic Grandstand

Olympic Grandstand in the afternoon included the men’s team gymnastics final won by Japan; the women’s springboard final won by Jennifer Chandler of the United States; the featherweight weightlifting final won by Nikolay Koesnikov of the Soviet Union; and the trap shooting final won by Donald Haldeman of the United States.

In terms of British performances, Britain was not represented in the men’s gymnastics final; Briton Helen Koppell finished 13^th in the women’s springboard; in the featherweight weightlifting class, Briton Victor Daniels finished 13^th; and Britons Malcolm Jenkins and Peter Boden finished joint 18^th and 28^th respectively in the trap shooting.

There were also reports from boxing, the second day of the yachting regatta and of the horse-riding element of the modern pentathlon.

Olympic Report

The evening’s Olympic Report covered swimming, diving, gymnastics, shooting, modern pentathlon and yachting.

Evening Olympic Grandstand

The evening’s Olympic Grandstand included cycling and boxing and covered the women’s all round gymnastics final won by Nadia Comăneci of Romania and four swimming finals, the men’s 100m butterfly won by Matthew Vogel of the United States; the women’s 100m backstroke won by Ulrike Richter of East Germany; the women’s 200m breaststroke won by Marina Koshevaya of the Soviet Union; and the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay.

In terms of British performances, Avril Lennox finished 35^th in the women’s all-around individual gymnastics; in the men’s 100m butterfly, John Mills, John Park and Richard Iredale finished tenth, 20^th and 31^st respectively; in the women’s 100m backstroke, Joy Beasley and Amanda James finished 21^st and 23^rd respectively; in the women’s 200m breaststroke, Margaret Kelly-Hohmann, Deborah Rudd and Christine Jarvis finished seventh, eighth and 14^th respectively, meaning that both Margaret Kelly and Deborah Rudd made the final.

Thursday 22 July 1976

Someone came to fix the television on the morning of Thursday 22 July 1976, see Chapter 128. I noted that I spent the afternoon watching the Olympics.

Britain’s Second Medal

The previous night, Great Britain had won their second medal. This was again in swimming, in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay where the British team won bronze. The USA won gold and USSR silver. The British team consisted of Alan McClatchey, David Dunne, Gordon Downie and Brian Brinkley.

Gymnastics

In the gymnastics, the Soviet Union won the women’s team event with Japan winning the men’s. Nikolai Andrianov of the Soviet Union won the men’s individual title with Nadia Comăneci of Romania famously winning the women’s individual title after registering five perfect tens. During that Olympics, she received seven perfect scores of 10. I included a table for the women’s gymnastics apparatus medals.

Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci was one of the stars of the 1976 Olympics – image from British Olympic Association Official Report

Handwritten table in my diary showing results of the women’s gymnastics apparatus finals

Transcribed table correcting spelling of names and adding first names

Britain’s First Gold

I also noted that Great Britain won their first gold in the modern pentathlon. The British team of Jim Fox, Danny Nightingale and Adrian Parker finished ahead of teams from Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

There is a very good account of this event in the British Olympic Association Official Report (pp48-49). It starts out on the night before the final event, a 4000m cross-country run. The British team were strong runners. Publicly, the team were saying they could possibly win bronze while privately they had calculated the times they thought they would need to win gold. At that point, Britain were fifth, 537 points behind leaders Czechoslovakia, and 150 points behind third-placed Poland.

Adrian Parker ran the fastest time of 12 min 9 sec for 1,378 points. Danny Nightingale caught the runner in front of him recording a time of 12 min 23 sec for 1,309 points while Jim Fox posted 12 min 47 sec for 1,264 points. Parker finished fifth overall, Nightingale tenth and Fox 15^th.

The report then examined Fox’s performance in more detail. It considered that the show jumping had been too easy meaning that 13 competitors, including Fox and Parker, scored maximum points. So, Fox, as a good horse rider, was unable to establish a lead in that event. In the fencing, it was Fox who reported concerns about Boris Onischenko. The Russian’s disqualification was said to have shattered Fox who regarded Onischenko as an old friend. It also affected his shooting although he picked up his performance in the swimming and running.

Jim Fox being helped after his run which helped Britain win gold in the modern pentathlon – photo from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Dominating the Swimming

I also commented that, in the swimming, the Americans were dominating the men’s competition and East Germany were dominating the women’s competition. I remarked that Kornelia Ender had won four golds already.

The United States dominated the men’s swimming and East Germany dominated the women’s including through Kornelia Ender (above) who won four golds – photo from the British Olympic Association Official Report

There were 13 men’s events. Of the 39 medals available, the USA won 27. They won 12 of 13 golds. The only one they did not win was the 200m breaststroke won by Great Britain’s David Wilkie.

There were 13 women’s events. Of the 39 medals available, East Germany won 18. They won 11 of 13 golds. The other countries that won gold were the Soviet Union, in the 200m breaststroke, and the United States, in the 4 x 100m freestyle.

Friday 23 July 1976

On Friday 23 July 1976, I spent the evening watching the Olympics “as usual”. I noted various Olympic events including the following.

Three-day Eventing

At this time, we were third in the three-day eventing. Three-day eventing involves the disciplines of dressage, cross country and show jumping. The British team of Richard Meade, Princess Anne, Lucinda Prior-Palmer and Hugh Thomas failed to finish the competition as two riders did not complete the show jumping course. USA won gold, West Germany silver and Australia bronze.

Boxing

Charlie Magri was out of the boxing having been knocked out. Carmel (Charlie) Magri competed in the flyweight category. He received a bye in the first round and won by walkover against Eric Quaotsey of Ghana in the second round. In the third round, he was knocked out by Canadian Ian Clyde in the third round.

Sailing

In the sailing, Rodney Pattison had slipped to second in his sailing class but Reg White was still leading his.

Athletics

The athletics had started that day and there had been two finals. These were the women’s long jump, won by an East German, and the 20km walk which had not finished when I was writing my diary. There had also been heats for the men’s 100m, men’s and women’s 800m, men’s shot put, women’s javelin and men’s 10000m.

Women’s Long Jump

East German Angela Voigt won with a distance of 6.72m. In terms of British performances, Sue Reeve qualified for the final and finished ninth. Another Briton Myra Nimmo finished 24^th.

20km Walk

This was a men’s event. It was won by Daniel Bautista of Mexico with East Germans Hans-Georg Reimann and Peter Frenkel second and third. In terms of British performances, Brian Adams, Olly Flynn and Paul Nihill finished 11^th, 14^th and 30^th respectively.

Men’s 100m Heats

The heats and quarter finals for the men’s 100m were held on this day with the semi-finals and final on the next day. There were nine heats and four quarter finals. There were no British athletes in this event. Harvey Glance of the United States produced the fastest time of the day of 10.23 in the fourth quarter final. He finished fourth in the final the next day.

Men’s 800m Heats

The heats for the men’s 800m were held on this day with the semi-finals on the next day and the final the day after that. There were six heats. British athletes Frank Clement and Steve Ovett won the second and third heats respectively. Rick Wohlhulter of the United States produced the fastest time of the day of 1:45.71. He won bronze two days later. Steve Ovett finished eighth in the final but Frank Clement was eliminated at the semi-final stage.

Women’s 800m Heats

The heats for the women’s 800m were held on this day with the semi-finals and the final completed over the next three days. There were five heats. British athletes Liz Barnes, Angela Creamer and Chris McMeekin all failed to qualify from the heats. Svetla Zlateva of Bulgaria produced the fastest time of the day of 1:59.24. She finished sixth in the final.

Men’s Shot Put Qualifying

Qualifying for the men’s shot put was held on this day with the final on the next day. The top 12 athletes proceeded to the final. British athlete Geoff Capes qualified third and finished sixth overall. Aleksandr Baryshnikov of the Soviet Union produced the longest qualifying throw of 21.32m, an Olympic record. He won bronze in the final but had he reproduced his qualifying throw, he would have won gold.

Women’s Javelin Qualifying

Qualifying for the women’s javelin was held on this day with the final on the next day. The top 12 athletes proceeded to the final. British athlete Tessa Sanderson qualified seventh and finished tenth overall. Marion Becker of West Germany produced the longest qualifying throw of 65.14m. She won silver in the final.

Men’s 10000m Heats

Heats for the men’s 10000m were held on this day with the final three days later. There were three heats. British athletes Brendan Foster and Tony Simmons qualified second and first in the second and third heats respectively with Bernie Ford qualifying as a fastest loser from the first heat. Tony Simmons posted the fastest qualifying time of 28:01.82. Brendan Foster went on to win bronze in the final with Tony Simmons finishing fourth and Bernie Ford eighth.

Saturday 24 July 1976

On Saturday 24 July 1976, I wrote my diary while watching the Olympics.

Men’s Shot Put Final

I noted with some disappointment that Britain’s Geoff Capes only came sixth in the shot put final. Geoffrey (Geoff) Lewis Humberg Capes was a well-known shot putter. I recall him having an East Anglian connection. He was from Lincolnshire and worked as a police officer in Cambridgeshire. However, he was forced to resign from the police in 1980 when he competed in the 1980 games in Moscow despite government calls for a boycott. He competed in three Olympics from 1972 to 1980. In 1972, he failed to qualify for the final, in 1976, he finished sixth and, in 1980, fifth despite having thrown further than the winning throw prior to the games.

Shot putter Geoff Capes in action in the 1980 Olympics. His Olympic finishes of sixth in 1976 and fifth in 1980 failed to live up to other performances that he had had – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Britain Won Cycling Bronze

However, the British team won bronze in the 4000m cycling team pursuit. The British team for the men’s 4000m pursuit consisted of Ian Hallam, Ian Banbury, Michael Bennett and Robin Croker. They qualified fourth fastest but bettered their qualifying time by almost three seconds to beat fifth-placed Poland in the quarter final. However, they were beaten by eventual winners West Germany in the semi-final. They won the bronze medal by beating fastest qualifiers East Germany. In doing this, the British team produced their fastest time of the competition.

The British pursuit team of Ian Banbury, Michael Bennett. Robin Croker and Ian Hallam won bronze – photo from British Olympic Association Official Report

Given how much I enjoy cycling, it is perhaps odd that I did not follow competitive cycling more then. I think this was probably because it wasn’t televised and also because there wasn’t much British interest in the races I might follow now, such as the Tour de France, and/or major track championships.

Events the Next Day

I noted various events that would be taking place the next day including the men’s 800m final, the men’s 400m hurdles final and the women’s 100m semi-final commenting that Great Britain had Steve Ovett, Alan Pascoe and Andrea Lynch in them respectively.

Men’s 400m Hurdles

The quarter finals for the men’s 400m hurdles had been held two days earlier with semi-finals on this day. There had been four quarter finals and two semi-finals. British athlete Alan Pascoe qualified second from the fourth quarter final and fourth from the second semi-final. He finished eighth in the final. The eventual winner, Edwin Moses, of the United States produced the fastest time in qualifying of 48.29.

Women’s 100m

Heats and quarter finals for the women’s 100m had been held on this day with both the semi-finals and final being held the next day. There were six heats, four quarter finals and two semi-finals. British athletes Sharon Colyear-Danville and Andrea Lynch qualified fifth in the first heat and second in the fifth heat respectively. However, in the second heat, Sonia Lannaman did not start. Andrea Lynch qualified third from the second quarter final whereas Sharon Colyear-Danville finished fifth in the third quarter final and was eliminated. Andrea Lynch went on to finish seventh in the final. The fastest qualifier on that first day of competition was eventual winner Annegret Richter of West Germany in 11.19.

Andrea Lynch

Andrea Joan Caron Lynch represented Great Britain in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. In 1972, aged 19, she reached the semi-finals of the 100m and was part of the British team that finished seventh in the 4 x 100m relay final. In 1976, in addition to finishing seventh in the 100m final, she was part of the British team that finished eighth in the 4 x 100m relay final.

Britain’s Second Gold

I concluded this day’s entry saying that David Wilkie had won Britain’s second gold medal in the 200m breaststroke final in a new world record which was better than the old one by three seconds.

Both the four heats and the final of the men’s 200m breaststroke took place on the same day. David Wilkie won the fourth heat in the fastest qualifying time, a new Olympic record, of 2:18.29. Other British swimmers were David Leigh, who finished fourth in the second heat and Paul Naisby who was disqualified from the fourth heat. In the final, David Wilkie broke the world record finishing in 2:15.11.

Front cover of the British Olympic Association Official Report from Montreal 1976 featuring British gold medallists, David Wilkie (top); Jim Fox, Adrian Parker and Danny Nightingale (above left); and John Osborn and Reg White (above right)

Sunday 25 July 1976

Two Rowing Medals

On Sunday 25 July 1976, I noted that we had won two silver medals in rowing, one in the eights and one in the double sculls.

Eights

This refers to the men’s (coxed) eight. The semi-finals had taken place a week earlier with the repechage two days after that. The top two teams from the semi-finals (Australia and East Germany) qualified automatically for the final. All others went into two repechage heats with the top two boats qualifying from each heat. The British eight finished second in the second heat and then won the second heat of the repechage.

In the final, Great Britain finished second between East Germany and New Zealand. The British team consisted of Jim Clark (1, 6, 6), Timothy Crooks (2, 3, 3), Richard Lester (3, 1, 1), Hugh Matheson (4, 4, 4), David Maxwell (5, 5, 5), Lenny Robertson (6, 8, 8), Frederick Smallbone (7, 7, 7), John Yallop (8, 2, 2) and cox Patrick Sweeney. Numbers indicate seats in the different rounds.

Britain won silver in the men’s eight – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Double Sculls

This refers to the men’s double sculls. There were three heats with the top three from each heat going through to the semi-finals. The remaining boats went into the repechage with the top three going through to the semi-finals. Oddly perhaps, only one team was eliminated between heats and semi-finals. The top three boats from each semi-final went into the final. The British pair of Chris Baillieu and Michael Hart qualified third in the first heat behind Norway and the Soviet Union. They qualified second in the first semi-final again behind Norway. Norway went on to win the final with the British pair second and East Germany third.

Monday 26 July 1976

Bronze in the 10000m

The next day, on Monday 26 July 1976, I noted that Brendan Foster won bronze in the 10000m final. The race was won by Lasse Virén of Finland with Carlos Lopes of Portugal second and Brendan Foster third.

Lasse Virén of Finland won both the 5000 and 10000m in Montreal repeating his feat of four years earlier in Munich. Image from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Britain’s Medal Tally

This meant that we, Great Britain, as of Monday 26 July 1976, had two golds, three silvers and three bronzes.

Tuesday 27 July 1976

I noted that Tuesday 27 July 1976 had been an exciting day at the Olympics even though it had been an athletics rest day.

Two Sailing Medals

In the sailing we won two medals, gold for Reg White in the Tornado class and silver for Rodney Pattison in the Flying Dutchman class.

Medal in Boxing

I also commented that we had won some sort of medal in the boxing bantamweight category through Patrick Cowdell who qualified for the semi-final. He was the only British boxer left.

For some reason, I referred to Patrick (Pat) Cowdell as Dave Odwell! In the first round, he received a bye and, in the second round, beat Pole Leszek Borkowski on a unanimous points decision (5-0). He also beat Alejandro Silva of Puerto Rico in the next round by unanimous points decision. In the quarter final, he beat Reynaldo Fortaleza of the Philippines on a split decision (4-1). In the semi-final, he lost to eventual winner Go Yong-Ju of North Korea. This was on a split decision (1-4). He turned professional in 1977 and had two unsuccessful attempts at a world title in 1981 and 1985.

Pat Cowdell beat Reynaldo Fortaleza in his quarter final to guarantee at least a bronze medal. Image from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Judo Medal

I also thought it was likely that Dave Starbrook, who had been a silver medallist in 1972, would win some sort of judo medal in the light-heavyweight class. I spelled David Colin (Colon) Starbrook’s surname as Starbruck! As already noted, he won two Olympic judo medals for Great Britain, silver in 1972 and bronze in 1976. In 1976, he competed in the men’s judo 93kg class. He received a bye in the first round and won by walkover in the second round against Mohamed Zouagh from Morocco. He then beat Jorge Portelli from Argentina and Jean-Luc Rougé from France before losing to eventual silver medallist Ramaz Kharshiladze of the Soviet Union.

Dave Starbrook won bronze in judo to go with his silver from 1972. Image from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Equestrian Events

I had quite a lot to say about equestrian events and Britain’s achievements in them. Or perhaps I should say lack of achievements! The British Olympic Association Official Report was pretty damning saying that “the Equestrian Olympics were little short of disastrous for Great Britain”! It was the first time since 1936 that Britain failed to win any equestrian medal. One factor identified was that Britain stringently excluded their professional riders, such as David Broome and Harvey Smith, while other countries did not.

Three-day Eventing

I noted that Richard Meade had finished fourth in the individual three-day eventing behind Edmund Coffin and Michael Plumb of the United States and Karl Schultz of West Germany. In the team event, Britain had to withdraw two horses after the cross-country. As they only had two horses remaining they were eliminated from the team competition. At that time, they were lying second.

Show Jumping

I described the individual show jumping in some detail. This took place on 27 July 1976 over two rounds with the best-placed 20 competitors in the first round going through to the second round. Combined scores from both rounds determined the results.

The three British competitors were Debbie Johnsey, Peter Robeson and Graham Fletcher. I noted that both Debbie Johnsey and Peter Robeson made it through to the second round with four faults each in the first round. However, Graham Fletcher scored 20 faults and was eliminated. He finished joint 30^th overall.

In the second round, I noted that Paul Robeson fell which wrecked his chances. He scored 23.75 faults on the second round and finished 14^th overall.

Peter Robeson and his horse Law Court fell in the second round of the show jumping. Image from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Debbie Johnsey scored eight faults in the second round. She was only behind West German Alwin Schockemöhle who jumped two clear rounds even though no other competitor managed even one clear round. However, she tied for second on 12 points with two other competitors who I described as a Canadian and a Belgian. These were Michel Vaillancourt and François Mathy

They had to have a jump off which I noted took place after a storm making conditions treacherous. Michel Vaillancourt went first scoring four faults. Debbie Johnsey went next but she demolished a spread, part of a double and part of a treble and, with a refusal at the second part of the double, she had 15 jumping faults and quarter of a time fault, making a total of 15¼. François Mathy managed a round of only eight faults meaning he took bronze and Debbie Johnsey finished fourth, just out the medals.

Wednesday 28 July 1976

On Wednesday 28 July 1976, Dave Starbrook went on to win a bronze medal in the judo light-heavyweight class.

3000m Steeplechase Final

I noted that the steeplechase final was later that night with two Britons in it but I considered that they stood little chance. This was referring to the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. There had been two heats three days earlier and the top six had gone through from each heat. In terms of British athletes, Dennis Coates won the second heat and Tony Staynings qualified sixth in the same heat. John Bicourt was in the first heat but finished eighth and did not progress. The fastest qualifying time of 8:18.56 was set by Bronislaw Malinowski of Poland who would go on to win silver. In the final, Dennis Coates finished ninth and Tony Staynings 11^th.

At the final barrier of the 3000m steeplechase, Frank Baumgartl of East Germany fell allowing eventual winner Anders Garderud (812) of Sweden to go clear and Bronislaw Malinowski (724) of Poland to overtake to finish second. Image from Wolverhampton Express and Star of 29 July 1976 obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

5000m Heats

I noted that both Brendan Foster and Ian Stewart qualified for the 5000m final on Friday (30^th). Three heats of the men’s 5000m had been held that day with the top four qualifying from each heat plus the two fastest losers. British athletes Ian Stewart and Brendan Foster qualified fourth in the second heat and winner of the third heat respectively. Brendan Foster ran the fastest qualifying time of 13:20.34. Fellow Briton Dave Black finished ninth in the first heat and failed to progress. In the final, Brendan Foster finished fifth and Ian Stewart seventh.

Thursday 29 July 1976

No More Medals

On Thursday 29 July 1976, I noted that Great Britain had not won any more medals.

Men’s 1500m Heats

However, all three Britons had qualified from the heats of the 1500m. Five heats of the men’s 1500m had been held that day. The top three progressed from each heat with the three fastest losers. Two semi-finals were to be held the next day with the top four from each progressing to the final along with the fastest loser.

Steve Ovett won the second heat, Frank Clement finished second in the third heat and Dave Moorcroft finished second in the fifth heat. Surprisingly, Steve Ovett was eliminated when he was obstructed in the first semi-final. In the final, Frank Clement finished fifth and David Moorcroft seventh. On this day, the fastest qualifying time of 3:36.87 was produced by ultimate winner John Walker of New Zealand.

Steve Ovett (375) in the 1500m semi-final at the 1976 Olympics. Other athletes (from left to right) are Herman Mignon (Bel), David Moorcroft⁷ (GB), John Walker¹ (NZ), János Zemen⁹ (Hun), Thomas Wessinghage (WG), Graham Crouch⁸ (Aus) and David Hill (Can). Another athlete, Fernando Pacheco Mamede of Portugal is largely obscured by John Walker. Numbers in superscript indicate those who qualified for the final and their final finishing position – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Friday 30 July 1976

A Disappointing Day

I noted that Friday 30 July 1976 was a disappointing day at the Olympics.

Dropped Baton

Two semi-finals of the men’s 4 x 400m relay were held on this day. The British team of Ainsley Bennett, Glen Cohen, David Jenkins and Alan Pascoe did not finish as Alan Pascoe dropped the baton although he may have been pushed. The British Olympic Association Official Report states that the baton was knocked from his hand by a passing Jamaican runner. The ultimate winners, the United States, set the fastest qualifying time of 2:59.52.

The British 4 x 400m team (above) won gold at the European Championships in Rome in September 1974. The team were (left to right) Alan Pascoe, David Jenkins, Glen Cohen and Bill Hartley. Ainsley Bennett replaced Bill Hartley for the 1976 Olympics. Sadly, in Montreal, the team dropped the baton and were disqualified – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Fifth Place

Brendan Foster finished fifth in the 5000m.

Failed to Qualify for Final

Steve Ovett was obstructed and failed to qualify for the 1500m final but the two other Britons, Frank Clement and David Moorcroft, did.

Saturday 31 July 1976

Silver in Judo

On Saturday 31 July 1976, I noted that we won a silver medal in the Judo Open Class. The judo open class was contested on 31 July 1976. British competitor Keith Remfry received a bye for Round 1 then defeated Günther Neureuther of West Germany, Jo Jae-Gi of South Korea and Jorge Portelli of Argentina. He lost to ultimate winner Haruki Uemura of Japan in the final.

Events Remaining

I was writing my diary at 4.15pm and noted that a few events remained namely the team show jumping and final track and field and boxing finals.

Team Show Jumping

The team show jumping took place on 1 August 1976 over two rounds. The top eight teams progressed to the second round. Teams consist of four riders with the highest scoring rider’s score discounted in each round. The fourth rider in the British team was Rowland Fernyhough. At the end of the first round, the British team were eighth so progressed to the final round where they improved slightly finishing seventh overall. The medals were won by France, West Germany and Belgium.

Track and Field

The final events of track and field on 31 July 1976 included men’s 1,500m, men’s marathon, men’s and women’s relays at both 100m and 400m, men’s high jump and women’s shot put.

Boxing

In the boxing, there were 11 weight classes with the finals taking place on 30 and 31 July 1976. Great Britain won a solitary bronze medal. The United States won five categories, Cuba three and each of East Germany, North Korea and Poland one. Notable winners included Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael and Leon Spinks and Teófilio Stevenson.

Stars of the Games

Two of the stars of the games were from Cuba.

Alberto Juantorena won both the 400m and 800m and remains the only athlete to have done this at an Olympics – image from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Téofilio Stevenson won three Olympic heavyweight boxing titles in 1972, 1976 and 1980 – image from the British Olympic Association Official Report

Medal Haul

Overall, Britain won a total of 13 medals, three gold, five silver and 5 bronze placing them 13^th on the medal table. This ranking was on a par with Britain’s performances at other Olympics of that era. From 1960 to 2004, Britain was ranked between 9^th and 13^th on the medal table in all Olympics except in Atlanta in 1996. On that occasion, Britain only won one gold medal resulting in a ranking of 36^th. Since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Britain’s Olympic performances have markedly improved. At that Olympics, Britain ranked fourth winning 51 medals, of which 13 were gold. This performance was bettered in the home games of 2012 where Britain was ranked third in the medals table with 65 medals, 29 of which were gold. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Britain ranked second with 67 medals, of which 27 were gold.

Final medal table for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Britain finished 13^th overall with 13 medals including three golds. Table from British Olympic Association Official Report

Table Tennis

I recall enjoying playing table tennis as a teenager but I do not really remember watching table tennis much.

World Table Tennis Championships Birmingham 1977

However, on Saturday 26 March 1977, I commented that the world table tennis championships had started in Birmingham.

The world table tennis championships have been held since 1926. Although the championships were initially held annually, they have been every two years since 1957. Separate team championships have been held since 2000. In 1977, the world championships were held at the newly-opened National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. In 1975, they had been held in Kolkata in India and, in 1979, they would be held in Pyongyang in North Korea.

Pin badge from the World Table Tennis Championships in Birmingham in 1977

Sportscaster card featuring the Table Tennis World Championships held in Birmingham in 1977

First Day Cover for the World Table Tennis Championships in Birmingham. I did not have this particular cover in my collection although I did have the stamps as part of a set of four focused on racket sports and issued in January 1977

Sunday 27 March 1977

The next day, the 27^th, I noted watching the table tennis. England men lost their third team game against China and England women lost their first team game against N Korea. They had won three others.

Swaything Cup

The men’s team competition is known as the Swaythling Cup after Baroness Swaythling who donated the trophy in 1926. It saw 16 teams divided into two groups. Each team played all the teams in their group with the top two teams going forward to the semi-finals. England finished sixth in Group A having won two games and lost five. China and Hungary qualified from Group A and Japan and Sweden qualified from Group B. China won gold, Japan silver and Sweden bronze.

Corbillon Cup

The women’s team competition is known as the Corbillon Cup. The original trophy was donated by Marcel Corbillon, the then President of the French Table Tennis Association, in 1933 but disappeared during the second world war. A replica was made in 1949. This competition followed a similar format to the men although there were 18 teams divided into two groups. Each team played all the teams in their group with the top two teams going forward to the semi-finals. England finished fourth in Group 1 having won five games and lost three. China and North Korea qualified from Group 1 and South Korea and Japan qualified from Group 2. China won gold, South Korea silver and North Korea bronze.

Monday 28 March 1977

I watched again the next day, the 28^th, and noted that the Hungarian world champion had managed to beat one of the Chinese team which I considered quite an achievement.

I think I am referring to Dragutin Šurbek who beat Wang Chien-Chang in the first round 19-21, 22-20, 22-20, 21-17. However, Dragutin Šurbek was Croatian/Yugoslav not Hungarian! Also, I don’t believe he was ever individual world champion. He did win two world championship golds in doubles but this was later than 1977.

Tuesday 29 March 1977

Men’s Team Event Semi-Final

On the 29^th, in the men’s team event semi-final, China beat Sweden 5-0. I did not know the result of the semi-final match between Hungary and Japan. However, Japan beat Hungary 5-3. England finished sixth in their group.

Wednesday 30 March 1977

Team Finals

On the 30^th, I noted that in the men’s team final China beat Japan 5-0 and in the women’s team final China beat S Korea 3-0 meaning China won both team competitions.

Individual Competitions

From the end of March 1977 into April, the World Championships switched from team to individual competitions. On 3 April 1977, I noted that our main hopes were Denis Neale and Desmond Douglas in the men’s doubles.

Losing Quarter Finalists

However, they lost in the quarter finals. In the first round, they beat Mitsuru Kono and Tokio Tasaka of Japan but then lost in the quarter finals to Chinese pair, and silver medallists, Lu Yuan-Sheng and Huang Liang.

All English Competitors Out

By 4 April 1977, I noted that there were no English competitors left in the competition.

Title Winners

On 5 April 1977, I noted that Kono (Japan) won the men’s title, Pak (N Korea) won the women’s title and the mixed double title was won by a French pair (Jacques Secrétin and Claude Bergeret). I did not note the results of the men’s and women’s doubles. The men’s doubles were won by Chinese pair Liang Ke-Liang and Li Chen-Shih. The women’s doubles were won by Pak Yong-Ok of North Korea and Yang Ying of China.

Sportscaster card showing French competitor Jacques Secrétin who won mixed doubles gold with Claude Bergeret

Ping Pong Diplomacy

One thing that is odd is that the Chinese were completely dominant in the team competitions but not in the individual competitions leading to the belief that sometimes Chinese players were instructed to allow players from other nations to win. This practice has been well-documented as part of “ping pong diplomacy” although I don’t know for definite if it was at play here.

Boxing

There was quite a lot about professional boxing in my diaries in both 1976 and 1977. The only time I really referred to amateur boxing was in the Olympi c s.

Limited Interest in Boxing

I have never been the biggest boxing fan but I recall watching some boxing as a child and teenager particularly when it was a high-profile heavyweight contest or it involved a British boxer. In this regard, I was somewhat similar to grandad who recorded a number of boxing matches in his diary, starting in 1919 with the fight between Georges Carpentier and Joe Becket, see Chapter 28. Later, he also noted fights involving Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Henry Cooper and others, see Chapters 97 and 112.

Muhammad Ali v Jimmy Young

At the beginning of May 1976, I noted that I thought Muhammad Ali was still world heavyweight champion as he had beaten Jimmy Young on points. In fact, this fight took place on 30 April 1976.

Muhammad Ali v Richard Dunn

Later that month, on the 24^th, I noted, “Later this evening Richard Dunn from Bradford in Yorkshire fights Muhammad Ali of the USA for the Heavyweight boxing title of the world in Munich. Richard Dunn is British and European champion. Muhammad Ali is World Champion. Ali won the title many years ago. It was taken from him when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War. Then he won it back. He has only been beaten twice, once by Joe Frazier and once by Ken Norton. He has beaten them both since, Joe Frazier twice.

Previously Unknown

A year ago, Dunn was unknown, he beat Bunny Johnson to win the British title, defended it successfully against Danny McAlinden. He then beat a Texan of some standing [Terry Krueger] and then recently beat August to win the European title.

Underdog

The odds are stacked in Ali’s favour and he is a firm favourite but Dunn & his family think that he will win as I have seen from a tele programme tonight. It is being shown on the tele at 8pm tomorrow but I don’t think I’ll be able to avoid hearing the result till then so I’m going to listen to a recording of it on the radio in the morning. Despite being the underdog I have a sneaking suspicion that Dunn might just beat Ali.”

“King Richard Rules OK“

The television programme I referred to was on ITV at 11pm and was called “King Richard Rules OK”.

The Outcome

However, the next day, I noted “Despite my optimism, I heard on the radio this morning that Muhammad Ali beat Richard Dunn on a technical knockout in the fifth round. I watched it on the television this evening and Dunn was not disgraced.” This assessment of mine is interesting as, watching the fight again, it is clear that Ali completely outclassed Dunn knocking him down multiple times.

End of the world heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and Richard Dunn in May 1976 – public domain image from Wikimedia

Muhammad Ali v Ken Norton III

Later that year, in September 1976, I noted that Muhammad Ali beat Ken Norton in a controversial points decision. This was the third time the two boxers had met and the fight was held at Yankee Stadium. It was to be the undisputed world heavyweight champion. In their first fight on 31 March 1973, Ken Norton had surprisingly beat Ali on a split decision, see Chapter 112. The re-match was on 10 September 1973. Ali won that time again on a split decision. In this match, Ali won on a unanimous points decision.

Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton fought for the third and final time in September 1976 with Ali winning on a points decision – image licensed for re-use from Alamy

John Conteh v Yaqui López

The next month, in October 1976, I watched the world light-heavyweight championship fight in Copenhagen between John Conteh and “some Mexican” [Álvaro (Yaqui) López]. The fight took place at The Forum, a large arena in Copenhagen, which opened in 1926. I noted that Conteh was the British world champion but that he had not boxed for 14 months because of an injury to his right hand. I also noted that Conteh won on points. This was the third defence of Conteh’s title which he had won in October 1974.

John Conteh after he won the world light-heavyweight championship in October 1974 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Álvaro (Yaqui) López

Álvaro (Yaqui) López was a Mexican boxer who, between 1976 and 1983, made seven unsuccessful attempts to win a world title.

Joe Bugner v Richard Dunn

That same month, in October 1976, my friend Everard Mascarenhas came round and we watched the fight between Joe Bugner and Richard Dunn in which Bugner knocked Dunn out in just over two minutes. Bugner knocked Dunn to the canvas in the first six seconds. This fight was for British, Commonwealth and European titles. It was Dunn’s first fight after losing to Ali in May 1976 and was also his penultimate fight in his career.

Joe Bugner knocked Richard Dunn out in the first round of their fight in October 1976 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Muhammad Ali v Earnie Shavers

The following year, in September 1977, I noted that Muhammad Ali won the world heavyweight fight against [Earnie] Shavers.

Earnie Shavers

Earnie Dee Shaver (Shavers) boxed professionally between 1969 and 1995. He twice attempted to win a world title but lost on both occasions, this time to Ali and, on the next occasion, to Larry Holmes.

Golf

I have never been a huge golf fan but sometimes watched it on the basis that I would watch pretty much any sport, particularly if there was a major Championship especially with British interest. In July 1977, I watched the last day of the British Open Championship. I referred to it as the British Open Championship although formally it is just the Open Championship I believe. I noted that it “ended with a battle between 2 Americans Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. Watson finished 11 under par and Nicklaus 10 under 9 strokes ahead of the next player.” The next player was American Hubert Green. In fact, 11 of the top 12 finishers were Americans. The only exception was England’s Tommy Horton. In fact, Watson finished 12 under par and Nicklaus 11 under. Nicklaus was ten shots ahead of third place Hubert.

The 1977 Open Championship was closely contested between Jack Nicklaus and eventual winner, Tom Watson, seen here with their caddies – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Playing Golf

In October 1977, mum noted that Mr Ashken, the surgeon for whom she worked, see Chapter 121, and his son had been playing golf and they had locked the car keys in the boot! She had to pick them up to take Mr Ashken home to get the spare keys.

Motor Racing

Another sport I did not really follow, but would occasionally watch, was motor racing, specifically Formula One.

Niki Lauda Crash

In early August 1976, I noted that racing driver Niki Lauda had been critically injured in a crash in Germany.

Contest for the 1976 World Championship

At the end of that month, August 1976, I noted that, after Ferrari’s return to motor racing, James Hunt won the Dutch Grand Prix in a McClaren which put him two points behind Niki Lauda who was still recovering from his crash injuries. Niki Lauda had been driving for Ferrari when he crashed in 1976. Ferrari missed one race the Austrian Grand Prix on 15 August 1976 but were back for the Dutch Grand Prix on the 29^th. However, they only had one car driven by Clay Regazzoni. He finished second behind James Hunt.

“Racing Driver Champion of the World“

At the end of October 1976, I noted that James Hunt had become “Racing Driver Champion of the World”.

Going into the Japanese Grand Prix, a race that was won by Mario Andretti, Lauda was three points ahead of Hunt. At that time, drivers scored nine points for first place, six points for second and four points to one point for third to sixth.

It was very wet and foggy. The organisers decided to go ahead with the race and the majority of drivers did not disagree. However, a number of drivers, including Lauda, withdrew as they believed the conditions were too dangerous. So, with Lauda not finishing, Hunt needed fourth or better to win the championship because, had scores been tied, Hunt would have won as he had won six races to Lauda’s five. Hunt finished third which was enough to clinch the title with 69pts to Nicki Lauda’s 68.

Hunt at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1976 © Bert Verhoeff licensed for re-use under this Creative Commons Licence

Tennis

From memory, mum was more into tennis, particularly Wimbledon, than I was. She watched a lot of games when the tournament was on. So, it is rather paradoxical that I talked more about Wimbledon in my diaries than mum did in hers, particularly in 1976.

Wimbledon Starts

On Monday 21 June 1976, I noted that the Wimbledon championships started and that Roger Taylor was knocked out by “some Indian” [Sashi Menon]. Taylor lost in five sets 7-5, 2-6, 8-9, 6-2, 8-10.

Sashi Menon

The Indian player was Sashi Menon and this was his joint best performance in the singles at Wimbledon. He also reached the second round in 1980 and 1982. He reached the second round in six other Grand Slams including the Australian Open twice, the French Open and the US Open three times.

It Was Hot!

On Friday 25 June 1976, I noted that the temperature out in the sun on Wimbledon’s Centre Court was 106°F (41°C). I watched tennis on TV.

Quarter Finals

On Monday 28 June 1976, I noted that both the men’s and women’s singles were at the quarter-final stage with the women playing that day and the men playing the next day.

Women’s Quarter Finals

In the women’s singles, Chris Evert [1] (USA) beat Olga Morozova [5] (USSR) 6-3, 6-0; Martina Navratilova [4] (Cze) beat Sue Barker [7] (GB) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Virginia Wade [3] (GB) beat Kerry Reid [8] (Aus) 6-4, 6-2; and Evonne Cawley [2] (Aus) beat Rosy Casals [6] (USA) 7-5, 6-3. Numbers in square brackets denote seeding position.

Chris Evert won the women’s singles at Wimbledon three times. One of those times was in 1976 – image from Wimbledon programme for 30 June 1976

Men’s Quarter Finals

On Monday 28 June 1976, I noted that, in the men’s singles, Ilie Nastase [3] (Rom) would play C Pasarell [-] (USA); Jimmy Connors [2] (USA) would play Roscoe Tanner [7] (USA); Björn Borg [4] (Swe) would play Guillermo Vilas [6] (Arg) and Raúl Ramirez [8] (Mex) would play Vitas Gerulaitis [-] (USA). Numbers in square brackets denote seeding position. [-] denotes unseeded.

The following day, the 29^th, I noted the winners of the men’s quarter finals, namely Ilie Nastase [6-4, 6-2, 6-3], Raúl Ramirez [4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4] , Bjorn Borg [6-3, 6-0, 6-2] and Roscoe Tanner [6-4, 6-2, 8-6]. I did not note the scores but I have added them here. The results were probably as expected with the exception of Roscoe Tanner’s victory over Jimmy Connors.

I noted that Ilie Nastase would play Raúl Ramirez and Björn Borg would play Roscoe Tanner.

Björn Borg won the men’s singles at Wimbledon for the first time in 1976 and then for four more consecutive years. This image is from an advert for Penn tennis balls in the Wimbledon programme for 30 June 1976

Unseeded Vitas Gerulaitis beat top seed Arthur Ashe to reach the quarter finals – image from Wimbledon programme for 30 June 1976

Women’s Semi-Finals

On Tuesday 29 June 1976, I also noted the women’s line-up with Chris Evert playing Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade taking on Evonne Cawley. On the 30^th, I watched the tennis, the women’s singles semi-finals. I noted that Evonne Cawley beat Virginia Wade easily in two sets (6-1, 6-2) while Chris Evert beat Martina Navratilova with difficulty over three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-4).

Women’s Final

On Friday 2 July 1976, I noted that Chris Evert beat Evonne Cawley in the women’s singles final in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 8-6).

Women’s Doubles Final

I said I did not know the women’s doubles results. In fact, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova beat Billie Jean King and Betty Stöve 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

Men’s Singles Final

I noted that the men’s singles final was between Ilie Nastase of Romania and Björn Borg of Sweden.

Summary of Results

On 3 July 1976, I summarised the results of the major competitions at Wimbledon.

Men’s Singles

In addition to the results I have already given, Björn Borg won the men’s singles beating Ilie Nastase in the final (6-4, 6-2, 9-7).

Men’s Doubles

In the men’s doubles, American Brian Gottfried and Mexican Raúl Ramirez beat Australians Ross Case and Geoff Masters 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 2-6, 7-5.

Mixed Doubles

In the mixed doubles Tony Roche from Australia and Françoise Dürr from France beat Americans Rosie Casals and Dick Stockton 6-3, 6-2, 7-5..

Wimbledon 1977

Men’s Quarter Finals

The following year, on Tuesday 28 June 1977, I noted that it was the men’s quarter finals at Wimbledon. I noted that those through to the semi-finals were Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe (unseeded), Björn Borg and Vitas Gerulaitis. In the quarter finals, Connors beat South African Byron Bertram 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; McEnroe beat 13^th seed Australian Phil Dent 6-4, 8-9, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Borg beat Ilie Nastase 6-0, 8-6, 6-3; and Vitas Gerulaitis beat unseeded American Billy Martin 6-2, 8-9, 6-2, 6-2.

Women’s Semi-Finals

The next day, Wednesday 29 June 1977, I noted that it was the women’s singles semi-finals and that Virginia Wade [3] beat Chris Evert [1] (6-2, 4-6, 6-1) but that Sue Barker [4] lost to Betty Stöve [7] of the Netherlands [4-6, 6-2, 4-6).

Virginia Wade Won Wimbledon

On Friday 1 July 1977, I noted that Virginia Wade won Wimbledon beating Betty Stöve 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

A highlight of Wimbledon 1977 from a British perspective was that Virginia Wade won the women’s singles – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Björn Borg Won Again

On Saturday 2 July 1977, I managed to watch some of the tennis while I was supposed to be collecting trolleys at work, see Chapter 119! I noted that Borg beat Connors in five sets. The score was 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

Jimmy Connors won Wimbledon in 1974 and 1982. However, on this occasion, in 1977, he lost to Björn Borg in the final – image from Wimbledon programme for 30 June 1976

Wanting to Go to Wimbledon

The year after that, on Monday 26 June 1978, mum noted that Wimbledon started. She mentioned at work, see Chapter 121, that she would love to go. Mum loved a good hint! Dr Brittain responded and told her to remind him next year. As far as I know, this never came to anything and mum never managed to go to Wimbledon.

Cricket

Another sport I don’t think I followed as a child or teenager was cricket. I thought the forms of cricket available then, and which I knew, were slow and boring!

I remember going once to county cricket with my dad and remarking that one good thing was that you could go for lunch, come back, and know you hadn’t missed anything! Later, I believe I got called a “philistine” for this remark, not by my dad though. I believe that my brother, when he was later living in the States, described cricket to his American friends as like baseball on Valium!!

I confess that my views on cricket have changed over time, not least because of the introduction of one-day cricket and T20, and the effect these forms of cricket have had on the way test cricket is played. While I would not say I am, even now, a regular watcher of cricket, I do watch it on occasions.

In My Diaries

However, my diaries might indicate that I took more interest in cricket than I recall. For example, they describe, in some details, the five test matches the West Indies played when on tour in England from May to September 1976. The West Indies cricket team spent almost all of the 1976 cricket season in England. They played a five match test series which West Indies won 3-0.

Front cover of the programme for the 1976 West Indies tour of England

The First Test

On Thursday 3 June 1976, I watched cricket on television and commented that the last I heard was that the West Indies were 120 for 2.

Day 1: Thursday 3 June 1976

This was the first day of the first test. It was played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham and the match was drawn. At the end of the first day, West Indies were 274 for 2.

Day 2: Friday 4 June 1976

On the next day, the 4^th, I noted that the West Indies were about 490 all out but England had not started to bat. In fact, the West Indies first innings score was 494.

Ticket for the second day of the first test at Trent Bridge

Day 3: Saturday 5 June 1976

At the end of the following day, the 5^th, which was the third day of the test, I noted that England were about 200 for 3. In fact, at the end of day three, England were 221 for 3 with David Steele and Bob Woolmer on 105 and 52 respectively.

Rest Day: Sunday 6 June 1976

On the day after that, the 6^th, I noted that ‘of course’ there was no play in the test match because it was Sunday. Sunday rest days were abolished in England test matches from 1997 although there had been instances of Sunday test cricket in England from 1981.

Day 4: Monday 7 June 1976

On the next day, Monday the 7^th, I commented, “in the test match England were all out for 332. David Steele made 106 and Woolmer about 84. The WI are about 100 for 3.” At the end of the day, they were 124 for 3. I continued “they were going for quick runs consequently Julian was brought in early up the order. Lloyd made a magnificent 21 in 10 minutes before being caught by Brearley. Richards has made 33 not out.” Richards finally made 63.

Day 5: Tuesday 8 June 1976

The next day, I noted, “The test match was drawn. The West Indies batted for ½ an hour leaving England 332 to get.” The West Indies declared on 176 for 5. England made 332 in their first innings and they required 339 to win. I noted that “they got about ½. Steele was out for 6, Brearley for 17 and Edrich & Close were not out.” In their second innings, England made 156 for 2. At the end, John Edrich had scored 76 and Brian Close 36.

From the programme of the West Indies Tour to England in 1976 – some of the players I mentioned in the first test including England (top row) David Steele, Bob Woolmer and John Edrich and West Indies (bottom row) Bernard Julien, Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards

Brian Close batting for England in the first test – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

The Second Test

The second test between England and the West Indies took place from 17 to 22 June 1976 at Lord’s.

Day 1: Thursday 17 June 1976

On the 17^th, I noted that England were 197 for 8 with Brian Close having got 60 and Mike Brearley 40.

Day 2: Friday 18 June 1976

The following day, on the 18^th, I noted that England were 250 all out. However, I also noted that they bowled the West Indies out for about 160. In fact, the West Indies made 182. By the end of the second day, England were 27 without loss.

Day 3: Saturday 19 June 1976

The next day, on the 19^th, I was going to watch the cricket but it was rained off.

Day 4: Monday 21 June 1976

On the 21^st, I noted that England had an overall lead of about 290 with three wickets left and one day’s play remaining. At the end of the fourth day, England were 223 for 7 giving them a lead of 291.

Day 5: Tuesday 22 June 1976

On the 22nd, I noted that the match was drawn. England made 254 in their second innings meaning West Indies needed 323 to win. They made 241 for 6.

Other Tour Matches

Apart from test matches, the West Indies played a number of other games on their tour including three one-day internationals at the end of the tour. These matches were played in Scarborough, at Lord’s and at Edgbaston. The West Indies won on each occasion. West Indies also won a one-day match against a T N Pearce XI. There were also number of three-day matches against various county sides throughout the tour. In addition to county sides, the West Indies played three-day matches against Oxford and Cambridge, Ireland and a T N Pearce XI. During this tour, the West Indies played 20 three-day matches. They won 15, drew three and lost only two against Middlesex and a T N Pearce XI. Just before the third test, they played a three-day match against Derbyshire in Chesterfield which the West Indies won by ten wickets.

Schedule of fixtures for West Indies tour of England in 1976. Note that the three slots for “*Losers of B&H*” were taken by Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The T N Pearce XI played a three-day match as well as the one-day match shown

Completed scorecard for first day of three-day match between Derbyshire and the West Indies in July 1976. In their first innings, Derbyshire scored 257 with Geoff Miller top scoring on 83

The Third Test

The third test was from 8-13 July 1976 at Old Trafford in Manchester. I only commented on it on the 10^th, which was the third day. I noted that England had had a terrible innings of 71 all out and that West Indies had added to their total of 211 meaning England had to get about 550 in two days.

Day 1: Thursday 8 July 1976

On the first day, West Indies made 211 all out in their first innings. Gordon Greenidge scored 134. By the end of the first day, England had made 37 for 2.

Day 2: Friday 9 July 1976

On the second day, England collapsed to 71 all out. David Steele, on 20, was the only batsman to register double figures! By the end of the second day, West Indies were 163 for 1 in their second innings with Greenidge on 71 and Richards on 28.

Day 3: Saturday 10 July 1976

On the third day, West Indies declared at 411 for 5 with both Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards scoring centuries. Greenidge scored 101 and Richards 135. The West Indies’ declaration left England needing 552 to win! At the end of the third day, England were 21 without loss.

Day 4: Monday 12 July 1976

On the fourth day, I noted that England were almost guaranteed to lose the test match although I thought/hoped it might rain!. At the end of that day, England were 125 for 9.

Day 5: Tuesday 13 July 1976

England only added one more run on the final day. In their second innings, John Edrich high scored with only 24. West Indies won by 435 runs. That win meant that the West Indies led the series 1-0 with the first two games having been drawn.

Gordon Greenidge from the programme of the West Indies Tour to England in 1976. In the third test, he scored centuries in each of West Indies’ innings

The Fourth Test

The fourth test was from 22-27 July 1976 at Headingley in Leeds. Despite the closeness of the result and its importance in determining the outcome of the series, I did not mention it in my diary at all. Perhaps I was more focused on the Olympics. West Indies won by 55 runs meaning they took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

The Fifth Test

The fifth test was from 12-17 August 1976 at The Oval in London.

Day 1: Thursday 12 August 1976

On the 12^th, I noted the start of the test and noted that, despite the series already having been decided, there was great interest in the match. I noted that the West Indies batsmen had opened well. In fact, at the end of day one, they were 373 for 3 and Viv Richards had scored 200 not out.

Day 2: Friday 13 August 1976

On the 13^th, I noted listening to the test match. I was at dad’s in Birmingham at the time. I noted that the West Indies had scored over 600 and England were about 30 without loss. In fact, West Indies had declared at 687 for 8 with Viv Richards having made 291. At the close of play, England were 34 without loss.

Day 3: Saturday 14 August 1976

I did not comment on the test match on the 14^th, the third day.

Day 4: Monday 16 August 1976

However, on the 16^th, the fourth day, I noted that England were about 420 for 9 with only two bowlers, Bob Willis and Geoff Miller left in. I thought they still needed about 70 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Apparently, in a five-day match, a team that is more than 200 runs behind after completion of their first innings can be forced to follow-on. That is why England on 420 needed another 70 or so to avoid having to follow-on. However, presumably West Indies did not force the follow-on as they batted again albeit briefly.

I noted that Alan Knott had scored 49 runs and Dennis Amiss 201. I also noted that Michael Holding had taken eight wickets.

In England’s first inning in the fifth test against West Indies, Dennis Amiss (top left) scored 203 and Alan Knott (above left) scored 50. Michael Holding (above right) took eight wickets for the West Indies. Photos from the programme of the West Indies Tour to England in 1976

In fact, England made 435 all out in their first innings. Alan Knott made 50, Geoff Miller 36 and Bob Willis five not out. West Indies made 182 without loss before they declared. This left England needing 435 to win. At the end of Day 4, England were 43 without loss in their second innings.

Day 5: Tuesday 17 August 1976

On the 17^th, I thought West Indies had won the fifth test but I was not sure. I was away youth hostelling in the Peak District at that time, see Chapter 122. In fact, England were all out for 203 in their second innings meaning that West Indies won by 231 runs.

Scorecard for fifth test completed for first two days

Centenary Test

On 16 March 1977, I noted that, in the centenary test in Australia, England lost by about 45 runs after getting about 419 in their second innings. Randall got 170 something.

This was the first of two test matches between Australia and England celebrating centenaries of first test matches. This one celebrated the centenary of the first test match between the two countries played in Australia. A second test was played in 1980 celebrating the centenary of the first test match between the two countries played in England.

It seems I only commented on this match once it was over. Australia made 138 in their first innings but England then collapsed to score only 95. Australia then made 419 for 9 declared leaving England chasing 462 to win. England made a creditable 417 losing by 45 runs. Derek Randall scored 174. Incredibly, the winning/losing score was the same as for the first test match in 1877!

Front cover of the book called “*The Centenary Test*” by Frank Tyson

Ashes 1977

In the summer of 1977, Australia came to England for an Ashes series also called The Jubilee Test Series. The Ashes is a test cricket series contested between England and Australia approximately every two years. The origin of the name is well-known relating to a satirical obituary published in The Sporting Times in 1882 following Australia’s first test victory in England. At the time of this Ashes tour, Australia were holders of the Ashes. I followed this to some extent in my diaries but not to the same extent I had covered the West Indies tour.

The 1977 Ashes series in England was also known as the Jubilee Test Series. This is the front cover of a book about that test series entitled “*The Jubilee Test Series 1977*” by Neil Phillipson

The First Test

The first test match was held at Lord’s from 16-21 June and was drawn. For some reason, I did not mention it at all in my diary.

Ticket for first test in that series at Lord’s on 16 June 1977

The Second Test

On Saturday 9 July 1977, I noted watching cricket. This was the third day in the second Ashes test match between England and Australia, held at Old Trafford in Manchester. I noted that on Thursday and Friday, the first and second days Australia had hit 297. Australia batted into day 2 having reached 247 for 7 at the end of the first day. England’s reply started a bit shakily with the loss of Amiss and Brearley and, at one point, England were 23 for 2. However, good stands by Randall of 79 (70), Woolmer 137 (130), Greig 76 (75) and Knott put England in a very good position. Numbers in brackets are as recorded in my diary where they differ from the official record.

At the end of the third day, England were 436 for 9 in their first innings. They made 437. On Day 4, Australia were all out for 218 meaning England needed 79 to win. In their second innings, England made 82 for 1 meaning England won the test by nine wickets. On Tuesday the 12^th, the fifth day of the test, I noted that England won the test by nine wickets.

The Third Test

On Monday 1 August 1977, I noted watching the third test match which was at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. This was the fourth day of that match. I commented that Bob Willis had taken five wickets and had put England in a good position.

In their first innings, Australia had scored 243 with England scoring 364 in reply. In their second innings, Australia had scored 309 and it was in this innings that Bob Willis took five for 88. England needed 189 to win. At the end of the fourth day, England were 17 without loss.

On the 2^nd, I noted that England had won as expected. England made 189 for 3 meaning that they won by seven wickets. As a result, they were 2-0 up in the series with two games to play.

Geoffrey Boycott (left) and Mike Brearley (right) at the third Ashes test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in 1977- image licensed for reuse from Alamy

The Fourth Test

On Saturday 13 August 1977, I commented that it was the third day of the fourth test which was being played at Headingley in Leeds. I noted that England were in an excellent position to win. After putting on 436, with Geoff Boycott making 191, Australia collapsed to 103 all out and, in the follow-on, were about 115 for 4. By the end of the third day, they were 120 for 4. On the next day, they were all out for 248 meaning England won by an innings and 85 runs. I commented that this meant England had won the Ashes. They were 3-0 up in the series with only one game to play.

The Fifth Test

For some reason, I made no mention of the fifth test which was played at The Oval in London from 25 to 30 August 1977. It may have been, with the series and Ashes won, I simply lost interest. It may also have been that, given there was no play on Day 1 because of poor weather, it was clear that the test was heading for a pretty meaningless draw, which was the eventual outcome.

Mr Ashken at Lord’s

In addition to the cricket that I followed, mostly on television, in 1976 and 1977, mum noted earlier, on Friday 1 August 1975, that one of the surgeons for whom she worked, Mr Ashken, went to Lord’s to watch cricket. This was the second day of the second test in a four-match Ashes series. The first test had taken place from 10-14 July at Edgbaston in Birmingham. In their first innings, Australia made 359. In reply, England could only make 101 and 173 meaning that Australia won by an innings and 85 runs.

Front cover of the programme for the Australian test tour of England in 1975

England’s Collapse and Rally

Mum noted the score in some detail saying Australia were all out for 263. Mum’s diary entry looks like she originally wrote 273 but then changed it to 263. In fact, Australia’s first innings score was 268. Mum also noted that England had been all out for 315 the previous day and, at one point, had been 49 for 4 England’s slump occurred because they lost Barry Wood for 6; John Edrich for 9; Dennis Amiss for a duck; and Graham Gooch for six, all to the bowling of Dennis Lillee. As mum also noted, England rallied to 315 all out thanks to 50 from David Steele, 96 from captain Tony Greig and 69 from wicket keeper Alan Knott.

Australia’s Collapse and Rally

Mum noted that, at one point, Australia were 79 for 7 in their first innings . However, the scorecard records it as 81 for 7. The rally was due to 99 by Ross Edwards and 73 by Dennis Lillee. Edwards and Jeff Thomson made an eighth wicket partnership of 52 with Thomson making 17. Edwards and Lillee made a partnership of 66 before Lillee went on to a final wicket partnership with Ashley Mallett of 69 with Mallett making 14. Highlights of the day’s play are available on YouTube.

Australia Won the Ashes

In the end, this match was drawn as were the third and fourth tests. However, Australia won the series as they had won the first test.

England fast bowler John Snow in action on the second day of the second Ashes test in 1975. I am not entirely sure who the Australian batsman is pictured but I think it is Rodney Marsh – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Australia’s feared fast bowling duo of Dennis Lillee (left) and Jeff Thomson (right) from the programme for the Australian test tour of England in 1975

Ross at the Cricket

Mr Ashken was not the only person we knew who went to see cricket in person. On 5 June 1976, I noted that Ross, who worked with me at The Scientific Anglian bookshop, see Chapter 119, was not at work, as he had gone to Chelmsford for some cricket. This was the first day of the county championship match between Essex and Hampshire which Essex won by nine wickets. That year, Essex finished sixth in the county championship and Hampshire finished 12^th.

Women’s Hockey

Ross was not the only person who took a day off from working at The Scientific Anglian to attend a sporting event during that period, see Chapter 119. I noted that, on 13 March 1976, Vivien Gamble was not at work at The Scientific Anglian as she went to Wembley to see a hockey international between England and Scotland which England won 3-0. Apparently, there was an annual women’s hockey international at Wembley from 1951 to 1991.

Photos and short bios for England’s women’s hockey team in March 1976. Of interest perhaps is that, of 22 players for both countries, 16 were PE teachers or lecturers

Photo of recent match between England, in white shirts, and Wales

Rugby Union

I have always been relatively interested in rugby union although that interest has mainly been at the national/international level and has not really extended to club rugby. Similarly, while I have watched some rugby league, I have never followed it particularly closely although one thing I do remember, somewhat arbitrarily, was that Tricia’s friend, Liz Cowell’s father, was a big rugby league fan, supporting Leeds who became Leeds Rhinos.

Five Nations

I noted watching some of the Five Nations Championships in 1977. This championship was originally the Home Nations Championship from 1883 to 1909. France joined between 1910 and 1931 when it became the Five Nations. However, it reverted to being the Home Nations Championship from 1932 to 1939 until France rejoined in 1947, when the tournament restarted after the second world war. The Championship expanded to become the Six Nations when Italy joined in 2000.

1977 Five Nations

Round 1

However, I did not note the first round of games in January 1977. Wales had beaten Ireland 25-9 and England had beaten Scotland 26-6.

Front cover of programme for match between England and Scotland in the 1977 Five Nations

Ticket for match between England and Scotland in the 1977 Five Nations

Round 2

In February 1977, I did note the second round of games in which England beat Ireland 4-0. France also beat Wales 16-9. In rugby union, tries scored four points until 1992 when their value was raised to five points. Tries still count four points in rugby league.

Front cover of programme for match between Ireland and England in the 1977 Five Nations

England’s Roger Uttley passes the ball back after a scrum in the match against Ireland

Round 3

Later that month, I noted watching the third round of games, while I was at dad’s. France beat England 4-3 and Scotland beat Ireland 21-18, although I did not note the score of the Scotland Ireland game.

Front page of programme for match between England and France in the 1977 Five Nations

Round 4

The next month, March 1977, in what was the fourth round of matches, I noted that England lost to Wales 14-9. France also beat Scotland 23-3, although I did not note the score of the France Scotland game.

Front page of programme for match between Wales and England in the 1977 Five Nations

Round 5

There were a final round of matches in mid-March 1977. These did not involve England and I did not write anything about them in my diary. France beat Ireland 15-6 and Wales beat Scotland 18-9.

Championship Results

France won the championship with Wales second, England third, Scotland fourth and Ireland fifth. Although I only have my diary for this Five Nations Championships, I believe it is likely that I watched others during this period. This was a time of Welsh domination with Wales winning the Five Nations in 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1979.

The Welsh team of the late seventies had a number of great players including fly half Phil Bennett shown here in action against France in the 1977 Five Nations

Football

Then, as now, the main sport I was/am interested in is football. I was and remain an ardent Norwich City supporter so much of the material in the diaries regarding football relates to Norwich. However, I was also interested in other elements of football, particularly those that featured on television at that time, so international matches involving the home nations; European matches featuring British clubs; major cup matches, such as the FA Cup Final; and highlights from league games. In order to structure the large amount of material I have relating to football, I have organised it into a number of sections covering international matches, then European matches, FA Cup, League Cup, football on TV, Scottish football, five-a-side and finally matches involving Norwich. Because of the nature of these categories, there is some overlap but I have tried to avoid duplication and cross-reference where appropriate.

International Matches

British Home Championships

From 1883/84 to 1983/84, football teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland/Northern Ireland contested the British Home Championships annually.

British Home Championships 1975-76

I made reference to the 1975-76 competition in my 1976 diary.

Front page cover of football magazine Shoot! for 15 May 1976 with a strong focus on the Home Championships. While I did not buy Shoot! or read it regularly, I was aware of it. This magazine was published between 1969 and 2008 before it became a monthly magazine and then a digital-only magazine which is still available

Scotland v Wales

The first game of the 1975-76 British Home Championship was between Scotland and Wales at Hampden Park on Thursday 6 May 1976. Scotland won this game 3-1. I noted that I had been going to watch an international football match between Scotland and Wales but dad came and we went to the election count instead, see Chapter 129.

England v Wales

Two days later, on Saturday the 8^th, I watched part of “Match of the Day” which was the Home Championship match between Wales and England Wales which England won 1-0. Scotland and Northern Ireland played the same day. I noted that I was not sure what the score between them was. In fact, Scotland beat Northern Ireland 3-0.

Front cover of programme for Home Championship match between Wales and England in May 1976

Squads for Wales and England in May 1976. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. Ian Evans started for Wales but is not listed in the squad. England gave debuts to Tony Towers, Brian Greenhoff and Stuart Pearson. Peter Taylor scored the only goal. At that time, he was playing for third division Crystal Palace although he left to join Tottenham the following year

Leighton James and Mick Mills in action in the game in a photo that was published in the programme for the Wales v Yugoslavia quarter final match second leg

England v Northern Ireland

Three days later, on Tuesday 11 May 1976, I watched England beat Northern Ireland 4-0.

Front cover of programme for match between England and Northern Ireland in May 1976

Respective squads from programme. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. Manager Dave Clements played for Northern Ireland. England goalscorers were Gerry Francis, Mick Channon (2) and Stuart Pearson

Photos from the match that appeared in the programme for England’s game against Ireland in September 1976 showing Gerry Francis competing for a high ball (above) and Stuart Pearson scoring the third goal (below)

Wales v Northern Ireland

Three days after that, on Friday 14 May 1976, I noted that Wales were playing Northern Ireland. When I went to bed, it was 1-0 to Wales and that was how it finished.

Scotland v England

The deciding game was played between England and Scotland the following day with Scotland winning 2-1.

Front cover of programme for match between Scotland and England in the Home Championships in May 1976

Pen pictures for members of Scotland and England squad from programme for Home Championship match between Scotland and England in May 1976

Respective squads for Scotland and England for the Home Championship game in May 1976. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. The goal scorer for England was Mick Channon and the scorers for Scotland were Don Masson and Kenny Dalgleish

Scotland Won the Championship

I noted how the teams finished in the table. In that year, Scotland won the championship with England second, Wales third and Northern Ireland fourth. Scotland won all their games which, interestingly, were all at home.

British Home Championships 1976-77

The following year, in 1977, the Home Championship ran from 28 May to 4 June. I noted some of the games in my diary.

Northern Ireland v England

For example, on Saturday 28 May 1977, I noted that England beat Northern Ireland 2-1 and Scotland drew 0-0 with Wales.

Front cover of programme for match between Northern Ireland and England in the Home Championships in May 1977. This also served as the programme for Northern Ireland’s game against Wales

Respective squads for Northern Ireland and England for the Home Championship game in May 1977. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. Mick Mills started for England although he was not listed in the squad. England’s scorers were Mick Channon and Dennis Tueart helping England to come from behind

England v Wales

Three days later, on Tuesday 31 May 1977, I noted that England lost 1-0 to Wales in the Home Internationals. The next day, on Wednesday 1 June 1977, I watched part of the game between Scotland and Northern Ireland. When I went to bed, Scotland were winning 1-0. The final score was 3-0.

Front cover of programme for match between England and Wales in May 1977

Respective squads for England and Wales for the Home Championship game in May 1977. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. According to the programme, Wales had not beaten England since 1955 and had not beaten England in England since 1935

Headline in programme for England’s next match v Scotland

Mick Channon and Dave Roberts in action in England v Wales clash

England v Scotland

Four days later, on Saturday 4 June 1977, when I got back from work, see Chapter 119, I discovered that Scotland had beaten England 2-1. The previous day, Friday 3 June 1977, Wales and Northern Ireland drew 1-1 in Belfast. As a result, Scotland again won the Championship with Wales second this time, England third and Northern Ireland again fourth.

Front cover of programme for match between England and Scotland at Wembley in June 1977

Ticket for match between England and Scotland in June 1977

Squads for the match between England and Scotland in June 1977. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S.

The match was marked by a pitch invasion resulting in damage including to the goalposts – image from The People obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

Other Home Championships in the Late Seventies

As 1976 and 1977 were the only years for which I have my diaries, these were the only years when the Home Championship was mentioned. I am sure I would have watched it in other years. England won the Championship in 1975, 1978 and 1979.

The American Bicentennial Cup

From 23 to 31 May 1976, the United States hosted a football competition called the bicentennial cup to celebrate America’s bicentenary. There were four teams, England, Brazil, Italy and Team America.

Apparently, this competition was possible because both England and Italy failed to qualify for the 1976 European Championship. Games were played in six US cities, Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Philadelphia and New Haven, Connecticut.

Programme for the American Bicentennial Soccer Cup held in the United States in May 1976. This contains quite a lot of detail about the teams and explains the “*rules*” of football. However, it does not say much about the tournament, e.g. how it would be organised or when/where games would be scheduled! Interestingly, although England were participating in the tournament, it is the British flag on the front cover!

Team America

Team America was a team made up of players from various nationalities playing in the North America Soccer League. It was a controversial idea that was criticised for failing to give American nationals the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the world. Two well-known players, Rodney Marsh and George Best cited concerns over this as the reasons why they withdrew from the team. The intention was to stimulate US interest in soccer and to showcase the North American Soccer League. Neither of these was particularly successful.

Brazil v England

In terms of games played and results achieved in the Bicentennial Cup, on Sunday 23 May 1976, Italy beat Team America 4-0 and England lost 1-0 to Brazil. I noted that Roberto scored in the last minute in a very close game which I thought England deserved, at least, to draw.

England v Italy

The next games were played on Friday 28 May 1976 with Brazil beating Team America 2-0 and England beating Italy 3-2. The next day, on Saturday 29^th, I noted the England Italy score and that England had come back to win from 2-0 down. Italy were 2-0 up within 20 minutes but England came back with three second-half goals in seven minutes from Mick Channon (2) and Phil Thompson.

England v Team America

On Monday 31 May 1976, I watched football on TV but did not say what it was. In fact, it was highlights of the Bicentennial Cup match between England and Team America. This was shown on ITV at 10.15pm. England beat Team America 3-1 and, on the same day, Brazil beat Italy 4-1. In my diary, I noted that Team America included Pele, Bobby Moore, Mike England, Dave Clements, Tommy Smith,“an Italian who played in the 70 World Cup [Giorgio Chinaglia] and a Hungarian.” Initially, I could not identify who this was as no Hungarian player is listed in the programme. However, a report for the game itself identifies the player as Gyula Visnyei (Juli Veee). It seems the list in the programme was not completely accurate and up-to-date.I specifically mentioned Tommy Smith but he is not on the list.

According to the programme for the Bicentennial Soccer Cup, this was the composition of Team America. Although there were six players from the United States, the majority were foreign players who were playing their football in the United States. Countries represented included Brazil, England (5), Italy, Northern Ireland (2), Peru, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Trinidad and Wales

Euros 1976

History of the Euros

There has been a European-wide competition for nations since 1960. Originally called the European Nations’ Cup, the name changed to the current name in 1968. Formally, the UEFA European Football Championship, the competition is known less formally as the European Championship, Euro or Euros. From 1960 to 1976, only four teams qualified for the finals with one of the qualified teams hosting the tournament. From 1980 to 1992, the tournament was expanded to eight teams, from 1996 to 2012 to 16 teams and from 2016 to 24 teams.

Qualifying

For the 1976 competition, qualifying took place between September 1974 and December 1975. There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each. The top team from each group went through to the quarter finals which were played over two legs, in May 1976 when England and Italy were taking part in the Bicentennial Cup in the United States. My diaries focused more on the Bicentennial Cup than on the Euros. I presume this reflected the TV coverage of the time and that the Euros were still not seen as a very serious competition, at least not in England.

The four quarter final winners went through to the final tournament. At the qualifying stage, England lost out to Czechoslovakia in Group 1, a group which also contained Portugal and Cyprus. England drew both their games with Portugal whereas Czechoslovakia only drew one. Italy only finished third in Group 5 below the Netherlands and Poland. The eight teams reaching the quarter finals were Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands, Soviet Union, Spain, Wales, West Germany and Yugoslavia.

Colin Bell scored two goals in England’s 3-0 home victory over Czechoslovakia in October 1974. This picture of Bell’s first goal which was England’s second appeared in the England Portugal programme. Despite this win, England only finished second to Czechoslovakia in the group meaning they did not qualify

Front cover of programme for qualifying match between England and Portugal on 20 November 1974. This game was drawn 0-0 and this result contributed to England’s failure to qualify

Front cover of programme for qualifying match between England and Cyprus on 16 April 1975. England won this match 5-0

Quarter Finals

The quarter finals were played over home and away legs with the first legs being played on 24 and 25 April 1976 and the second legs on 22 May 1976. Wales played Yugoslavia away in Zagreb on 24 April and lost 2-0. In the return leg, in Cardiff, on 22 May, Wales managed to draw 1-1 but lost 3-1 on aggregate.

Front cover of the programme for the second leg of the quarter final match between Wales and Yugoslavia in May 1976

Photos from first leg in Zagreb that appeared in the programme for the second leg of the quarter final match between Wales and Yugoslavia in May 1976

Squads for the match between Wales and Yugoslavia in May 1976. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. Borislav Dordević started but was not listed in the squad

In the other ties, Czechoslovakia beat the Soviet Union 2-0 in Bratislava and then drew 2-2 in Kiev to win 4-2 on aggregate. Spain and West Germany drew 1-1 in Madrid with West Germany winning the return leg 2-0 in Munich meaning that West Germany won 3-1 on aggregate. The Netherlands beat Belgium 5-0 in Rotterdam and 2-1 in Brussels to win 7-1 on aggregate.

Semi-Finals

On Friday 18 June 1976, I noted that the final of what I still called the “European Nations Cup” was to be between West Germany and Czechoslovakia as West Germany had beaten Yugoslavia the previous night, 4-2 after extra time. This was the second semi-final. Yugoslavia had been leading 2-0 at half-time. Germany only equalised in the 82^nd minute of normal time before scoring twice in extra time. The first semi-final had been played the day before with Czechoslovakia also beating the Netherlands after extra time. The final would be played on Sunday 20 June.

Final

On the Sunday, I watched the end of the final. I noted, “at the end of full-time the score was WG 2 Czechoslovakia 2 and it was the same after extra time so penalties. Czechoslovakia took first and scored their 1^st 3 so did Germany on the 4th of 5 after the Czech [Ladislav Jurkemik] had scored [Uli]Hoeness missed making it 4-3. The Czechs made it 5-3 & took the cup. Yesterday Holland beat Yugoslavia after extra time to take the 3rd Place.”

The final penalty was scored by Antonín Panenka. He feigned to play the ball to one side of the net. When the goalkeeper dived, he chipped the ball into the middle of the net. This stylish but risky type of penalty is named after him. So, Czechoslovakia won the tournament with West Germany second, the Netherlands third and Yugoslavia fourth.

Antonín Panenka celebrates after scoring the winning penalty for Czechoslovakia – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

Use of Penalties

While there are examples of penalties being used to settle drawn games prior to 1970, the International Football Association Board adopted a proposal to use penalties as an alternative to drawing lots to determine the outcome of drawn games. This was the first major international tournament to be decided on penalties.

Qualification for Euros 1980

Qualification for Euro 1980 took place in 1978 and 1979 but is not mentioned in family diaries. England qualified winning Group 1 ahead of Northern Ireland, Ireland, Bulgaria and Denmark. They won all their qualifying games except one which they drew with Ireland in Dublin. Scotland finished fourth in Group 2 behind Belgium, Austria and Portugal. Wales finished third in Group 7 behind West Germany and Turkey.

World Cup 1978

The 1978 World Cup was planned to be held in Argentina. The finals were to be contested between 16 teams.

Logo for the World Cup in Argentina in 1978. It was designed by Ronald Shakespear in 1972 and is said to represent the former President of Argentina, Juan Perón raising his hands – public domain image from Wikimedia

Qualification

Two teams qualified automatically, West Germany as holders and Argentina as hosts. This left 14 places available for which teams needed to qualify. In Europe 31 teams competed for eight spots in the final plus one spot in an intercontinental play-off against a team from South America. This play-off was played over home and away legs with Hungary beating Bolivia 9-2 on aggregate.

The draw for qualifying groups was made in Guatemala in November 1975. Teams were seeded into four pots with the strongest teams in Pot A and the weakest teams in Pot D. There were nine teams in each of Pots A to C and four teams in Pot D. Groups 1-4 had four teams each with one from each of Pots A to D whereas Groups 5-9 had three teams each with one from each of Pots A to C only.

Scotland were in Pot A and were drawn into Group 7 with Czechoslovakia and Wales. England were in Pot B and were drawn into Group 2 with Italy, Finland and Luxembourg. Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales were all in Pot C. Ireland were drawn into Group 5 with France and Bulgaria; Northern Ireland were drawn into Group 4 with the Netherlands, Belgium and Iceland; and Wales were drawn into Group 7 with Scotland and Czechoslovakia.

England Had Failed to Qualify for the World Cup in 1974

While I did not cover qualification for the 1974 World Cup in much detail, see Chapter 112, I did note that England failed to qualify explaining that England had qualified automatically in both 1966 and 1970 as hosts and holders respectively.

There is an interesting piece on the history of England qualifying for the World Cup in the match programme for England’s home game against Finland in October 1976. Apparently, the home nations did not participate in the World Cup until 1950. In both 1950 and 1954, the Home Nations Championship was used for qualification purposes with England and Scotland winning through on both occasions although Scotland declined to take up their place in 1950. Then, in 1958, England qualified in a group that also contained Denmark and Ireland. In 1962, Luxembourg and Portugal were in the group from which England qualified.

Their different records in World Cup qualification in 1974 was one major reason why Scotland were seeded higher for the 1978 qualification process than England. This led to England being drawn in a group with a very strong team, Italy. However, Scotland were drawn into a group with Czechoslovakia, another strong team albeit in Pot B, who, at the time the draw was made, were about to go on to win Euro 1976.

Finland v England

On Sunday 13 June 1976, I noted that I did not listen to the charts as was my usual habit, see Chapter 122 as England were playing Finland in their World Cup qualifier.

Front cover of brochure review of Finland football teams in 1976

Front cover of programme/team sheet for World Cup qualifier between Finland and England in June 1976

Team sheet for match between Finland and England in June 1976

Familiar to Finns

The article when translated into English was titled “English football is familiar to Finns” and read as follows, “English football and its top names are familiar to the Finnish football audience. Saturday night television matches have brought the British Isles’ league football into our living rooms.” I assume the article was referring to English football primarily. Liverpool had narrowly won the 1975/76 league championship from Queens Park Rangers. Southampton won the 1975/76 FA Cup beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final.

Drawn Together

The article continues, “The draw for the 1978 Argentina World Cup, held in Rome in the spring, has now brought our acquaintance to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Soon, league champions Liverpool’s Ray Clemence, Phil Thompson and Kevin Keegan, cup winners Southampton’s Mike Channon and West Ham’s Trevor Brooking will be running onto the field. Finland has played against English professionals four times.” I think that was counting this game. The three previous games had been friendlies. In May 1937, England beat Finland 8-0; in May 1956, the score was 5-1; and in June 1966, England won 3-0.

Finland’s Improving Performances

The article then continues, “All matches have been played in Helsinki. Only once, in 1956, have we put the ball in England’s net. This time the line-ups before the match are perhaps more even. Finland’s good matches against Italy in 1975, as well as our victory over Switzerland this spring and our good game against Sweden have made even the English cautious. “ Finland had been in the same group as Italy for qualifying for Euro 76. They played each other twice in 1975. In June, in Helsinki, Italy won narrowly 1-0. Then, in September, in Rome, the two teams drew 0-0. In a friendly in May, Finland beat Switzerland 1-0. Earlier in June, Sweden beat Finland 2-0 in a friendly in Helsinki.

Quotes from Gerry Francis…

The article then quotes England captain Gerry Francis who said, “We have to win the match in Helsinki. I don’t care one bit about how we do against Scotland or Brazil or anyone else. We have to beat Finland in Helsinki.” I am not sure when Gerry Francis was interviewed but I suspect he was talking about England’s matches against Scotland and Brazil in May 1976 in the Home Championship and Bicentennial Cup respectively. England lost both those games. This could have prompted Gerry Francis to say that he was not interested in the results of those compared to the result of this competitive game.

…and Don Revie

Finally, the article concludes by quoting England manager Don Revie who said after Finland had beaten Switzerland, “England will have great difficulty beating Finland. I was impressed by the Finnish team’s well-organised performance.”

To be honest, I am not sure how genuine Don Revie’s comments were or the extent he was trying to respect the opposition. I am pretty sure there would have been an expectation that England would beat Finland, particularly among supporters and media. I suspect there would have been great collective angst had they failed to win. Thankfully, they did win, the score was 4-1 with goals from Stuart Pearson, Kevin Keegan (2) and Mick Channon. Newspapers after the game were generally positive, describing it variously as a comfortable, convincing or crushing win and referring to Kevin Keegan as having been in a tormenting mood. I noted that the other teams in their group were Italy and Luxembourg although they did not play each other until 16 October 1976.

News photo of Stuart Pearson scoring the first goal for England after 14 minutes. Image from the Birmingham Daily Post of 14 June 1976 obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

Kevin Keegan scoring England’s second goal. Image from programme for return fixture

Mick Channon scoring England’s third goal. Image from programme for return fixture

Kevin Keegan scoring England’s fourth goal. Image from programme for return fixture

England v Finland

England’s next World Cup qualifier was four months later on 13 October 1976. It was also against Finland but was at Wembley. England won 2-1.

Programme for the World Cup qualifying match between England and Finland in October 1976
Above – front cover
Below – squads of England and Finland.
Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S.

Kevin Keegan in action at Wembley against Finland from programme of friendly against the Netherlands

Finland Had Beaten Luxembourg in the Group

This was the third game in England’s group. In addition to England’s previous victory over Finland, Finland had beaten Luxembourg 7-1 at home. Finland had also played four friendlies including wins against Iceland (1-0) and Turkey (2-1) and heavy losses against Sweden (6-0) and Scotland (6-0).

“Dismal” Victory

Although England won this game, it was much closer than expected and was described in the press as a “dismal” victory. Chants of “what a load of rubbish” greeted the final whistle and the media thought that Finland had variously shown up, panicked and embarrassed England. Ultimately, this result cost England qualification because of poorer goal difference than Italy.

Other Qualifiers

In addition to this game, I also noted that there were other World Cup qualifiers. For example, Northern Ireland drew 2-2 away to the Netherlands and Scotland lost 2-0 to Czechoslovakia.

Northern Ireland

I referred to the Netherlands as Holland. Northern Ireland were in UEFA Group 4 with the Netherlands, Belgium and Iceland. Prior to this game, in September 1976, both Belgium and the Netherlands had beaten Iceland 1-0 away. In their remaining games, Northern Ireland won two (at home to Iceland and Belgium) and lost three (away to Belgium and Iceland and at home to the Netherlands). They finished third in a group won by the Netherlands.

Scotland and Wales

Scotland were in UEFA Group 7 with Czechoslovakia and Wales. This was the first game in this group. Despite this loss, Scotland won their three remaining games to win this group and to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Italy v England

On 2 November 1976, I noted that the England squad had been announced for their match against Italy. I noted that Stan Bowles had been recalled. Based on news reports at the time, it seems that Bowles was in excellent form for his club Queens Park Rangers. There were also hopes that his temperament had improved. He had not played for England for more than two years after walking out of Joe Mercer’s squad after being substituted in a game.

Stan Bowles (left) and QPR team-mate Dave Clement “*enjoying a mud lark*” after they had both been called up to the England squad to face Italy – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

On Wednesday 17 November 1976, England played Italy away in Rome and lost 2-0. Our TV was not working so I listened to it on the radio. Prior to this game, Italy had played their first game in the group beating Luxembourg 4-1 away.

Match sheet providing information about the match between Italy and England in Rome in November 1976 including teams, managers, referee, scorers, goal times etc. © Matchsheetking and used with permission

Disastrous Result

This was a pretty disastrous result for England meaning that Italy took the initiative in the group, an initiative which they kept and which ultimately saw them qualifying. In the end, because England beat Italy 2-0 in the reverse fixture, qualification was decided on goal difference. So, the lack of goals against Finland proved critical. However, had England won or drawn in Italy, they would have qualified.

Damning News Coverage…

The news coverage of England’s defeat in Italy was pretty damning. While accepting that qualification was not fully decided, there was recognition that the result meant that qualification would be very difficult for England.

The article below described England’s international game as “in ruins” and a ”shambles”. It commented that “the days of England being a world power in football are just as far away as they were two years ago” when England failed to qualify for the 1974 finals. In terms of the game itself, the writer felt that England were outplayed, outfought and outmanoeuvred. Individual players failed to live up to expectations and the writer criticised the omission of some players, such as Gordon Hill and Stuart Pearson. Flair, adventure and basic football skills were considered to be missing and the team that played was simply not good enough!

Cutting from Wolverhampton Express and Star 18 November 1976 obtained through paid subscription to Find My Past

…Except in England’s Own Programme

Although the press coverage of the defeat in Italy was universally negative and highly critical, the piece by Jack Rollin of the Sunday Telegraph, which was published in the programme of England’s next competitive match, against Luxembourg, was quite different and was almost unbelievably positive.

It started with the statement that England had only ever lost two World Cup qualifiers although it did recognise that England’s participation in World Cup qualifying had been pretty limited and that the first of those losses had been disastrous.

The article also claimed that England had a “quite presentable” record in the World Cup finals although it did also note that England lost to the United States in the 1950 World Cup. It also recognised that England’s recent form, draw with Ireland, narrow victory over Finland and losses to Italy and the Netherlands, had not been great although this was stated in pretty indirect language saying, “the form displayed by the team during the present season alone is such that every morsel of promise must be wrung by analysts from the matches to provide a constructive basis for the way forward”.

Review based on England’s loss in Italy which appeared in the England v Luxembourg programme in March 1977. It was much more positive in tone than the press coverage which followed the loss. It is perhaps telling that there were no photos of the action in Rome. Rather, there were pictures of the England dugout and of action in a friendly played against the Netherlands which England also lost!

Scotland v Wales

Although I did not remark on it in my diary, that same day, on Wednesday 17 November 1976, Scotland played Wales at Hampden Park, winning 1-0.

Three World Cup Matches

The following year, on Wednesday 30 March 1977, in the evening, there were three World Cup matches involving teams from the British Isles. I commented that all the results were good.

Wales v Czechoslovakia

Wales beat Czechoslovakia 3-0. This was in UEFA Group 7. This result of Wales beating Czechoslovakia was not only good for Wales but for Scotland also. At this point, each team had played two games and gained two points.

Ireland v France

Ireland beat France 1-0. This was in UEFA Group 5 with Bulgaria also. Prior to this game, Bulgaria and France had drawn 2-2 and France had beaten Ireland 2-0 at home. Ireland drew one and lost one of their two remaining games against Bulgaria meaning that they finished third in their group with France winning the group and qualifying.

England v Luxembourg

England beat Luxembourg 5-0. This was in UEFA Group 2 and was the next game played after those already mentioned. Goal scorers for England were Kevin Keegan, Trevor Francis, Ray Kennedy and Mick Channon (2). Gilbert Dresch, for Luxembourg, was sent off in the 87^th minute for a second yellow card.

While this was a good result and helped England’s goal difference, England would have been expected to beat Luxembourg and the result did not really change the situation England were in. Ultimately, it was results against Finland which decided this group with Italy having a much better goal difference in those games (+8) than England (+4).

Front cover of programme for match between England and Luxembourg at Wembley

Advert for travel to England’s away game in Luxembourg from programme for match between England and Scotland

Squads for match between England and Italy. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. John Gidman and Trevor Francis came in for the injured Dave Clement and Dennis Tueart

Italy v Finland

Three months later, on 8 June 1977, I noted that Italy had unfortunately beaten Finland 3-0. Earlier, at the end of May, Finland had beaten Luxembourg 1-0.

While Italy’s result against Finland did not help England, it was not terrible as the margin of three goals was the same as England had achieved in Finland. Ultimately, it was goal difference in the home games with Finland which decided this group with England having a goal difference of +1 but Italy having a goal difference of +5. I wonder if I was disappointed with the result because, the previous year, Finland had held Italy to a draw in Rome.

Other Qualifiers

This was the last game I noted in England’s qualifying group. By the time the last two games were played in November and December, my diaries had ended. England’s last home game was against Italy in November 1977. England won 2-0, the same score by which they lost the previous game in Italy. However, by the time of this game, qualification was almost impossible for England. Inferior goal difference meant they would have had to beat Italy by a very large margin to have qualified. The programme’s analysis blamed England’s 2-0 victory in Luxembourg while just after that Italy beat Finland 6-1 at home. The final group game was in December 1977. Italy beat Luxembourg 3-0.

Front cover of programme for match between England and Italy in October 1977

For the two games in October, my diaries do not mention them. On 12 October 1977, England beat Luxembourg 2-0 away. Three days later, on the 15^th, Italy decisively beat Finland 6-1. I don’t know if I had lost interest or was just busy with something else, for example, preparing to take A levels, see Chapter 118, and applying for university, see Chapter 120.

Front cover of programme for match between Luxembourg and England in October 1977

England’s Qualification Record

England’s failure to qualify for the 1978 World Cup meant that England had not qualified for the World Cup since 1962. That year, England won qualification group six. They beat Luxembourg twice, with an aggregate score of 13-1. They beat Portugal at home and drew away. So, they won their group with seven points ahead of Portugal in second with three points.

It is true that they qualified in 1966 as hosts and in 1970 as holders. But, they twice failed to qualify in 1974 and 1978. Since then, their qualification record has improved, although England also again failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1994, and recently has been very good. In their latest qualification campaign, for the World Cup in 2026, they won all their qualification games without conceding a goal.

However, it might be argued that qualification has become easier. More spots are now available, including for European teams, and England’s overall higher world ranking means they are unlikely to draw another top team in qualification as happened in 1978. Nevertheless, it also seems to be the case that England have a better team now and are certainly better at negotiating qualification games.

World Cup 1978

The 1978 World Cup finals took place in Argentina from 1-25 June. By this time, my diaries had ended. However, I do recall following the tournament and, in the absence of England, supported Scotland as I had in 1974. For the purpose of allocating teams to groups, each team was assigned to one of four pots. Scotland were in the third pot along with Hungary, Poland and Spain. They were drawn into Group 4 with the Netherlands, from Pot 1; Peru from Pot 2 and Iran from Pot 4.

Scotland Failed to Progress Beyond the Group Stage

On Saturday 3 June 1978, mum noted watching Scotland’s first group game against Peru. They lost 3-1. On the same day, the Netherlands beat Iran 3-0. On Wednesday 7 June 1978, mum noted that Scotland played again but only drew 1-1 with Iran. That same day, the Netherlands played again and drew 0-0 with Peru. On the following Sunday, 11 June 1978, Peru beat Iran 4-1 to, perhaps surprisingly, win the group. Although Scotland managed to beat Netherlands 3-2, they failed to qualify as the Netherlands had a better goal difference despite both Scotland and the Netherlands having the same number of points.

The Final Stages

The eight teams that won or came second in the groups progressed to the second group stage. They were Italy, Argentina, Poland, West Germany, Austria, Brazil, Peru and the Netherlands. These were divided into two groups with each team in each group playing each other. Groups winners went to contest the final whereas teams that finished second in the final went into the third/fourth play-off.

The Netherlands won Group A with Italy second. Perhaps surprisingly, West Germany failed to progress beyond the second group stage. They drew with the Netherlands and Italy but then lost their last game to Austria.

Argentina won group B with Brazil second. They finished ahead of Brazil in the group based on goal difference. Argentina and Brazil drew with each other but Argentina beat Peru 6-0 as opposed to Brazil’s 3-0.

Brazil then beat Italy 2-1 to finish third. Argentina won the final 3-1 after extra time.

Friendly Matches

In addition to competitive international matches, I also noted a number of friendly internationals.

England v Ireland

For example, in September 1976, I watched an international friendly on television between England and Ireland. It finished 1-1. Charlie George played his only game for England while Ray Wilkins won his second of 84 caps. Mum noted that I was very quiet when she came in from Young Wives but she acknowledged I was watching football.

Front cover of programme for friendly between England and Ireland in September 1976

Ticket for friendly between England and Ireland in September 1976

Respective squads from programme. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. Roy McFarland started for England although he was not listed in the squad. Johnny Giles was listed as manager for Ireland but he also played. Stuart Pearson scored for England and Gerry Daly for Ireland.

Stuart Pearson scoring for England in the 1-1 draw with Ireland. The photo appeared in the programme for the England v Finland World Cup qualifier

Wales v West Germany

In October 1976, I watched an international friendly between Wales and West Germany which Wales lost 2-0. It was called an FA centenary international which celebrated the formation of the Football Association of Wales in 1876.

Front cover of programme for friendly match between Wales and West Germany in October 1976

England v The Netherlands

In February 1977, I watched an international friendly between England and the Netherlands which England lost 2-0.

Front cover of programme for friendly match between England and the Netherlands in February 1977

Respective squads from programme. Starters indicated with *. Substitutes and players substituted indicated with S. Dave Watson and Paul Madeley started for England despite not being listed in the squad

Trevor Francis and Wim Rijsbergen in action in friendly match between England and the Netherlands in February 1977. This photo was in the programme for England’s match against Luxembourg the following month, in March 1977

Tour of South America

In June 1977, England went on a three-match tour of South America. This was part of England’s build up for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and took place midway through their qualification programme. Ultimately, England failed to qualify making this tour somewhat redundant. While in South America, they played three matches, all of which were drawn.

On Wednesday 8 June 1977, England played Brazil. I noted that England had started a South American tour with a 0-0 draw with Brazil. This was the same day Italy beat Finland 3-0 in the qualifying group they shared with England.

On Sunday the 12^th, England drew 1-1 with Argentina. Stuart Pearson scored for England after three minutes. The tour concluded on Wednesday 15 June 1977 with a 0-0 draw with Uruguay that I did not mention in my diary.

Argentina captain Americo Gallego (left) with England captain Kevin Keegan (right) before the friendly match in Buenos Aires in June 1977 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

European Club Competitions

In addition to watching England internationals on television, I also watched European club competitions where I could, particularly in the latter stages and especially where they involved British clubs.

European Cup Winners’ Cup 1976

So, for example, on Wednesday 5 May 1976, I watched the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final between West Ham and Anderlecht at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

Note on the European Cup Winners’ Cup

This competition was for domestic cup winners and it operated from 1960-61 until it was abolished in 1998-99. British winners include Aberdeen, Arsenal, Chelsea (twice), Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. This season, West Ham qualified for it having won the FA Cup in 1974-75.

West Ham’s Route to the Final

West Ham reached the final by beating Reipas Lahti of Finland, Ararat Yerevan of the Soviet Union (Armenia), Den Haag of the Netherlands and Eintracht Frankfurt of West Germany.

Anderlecht

The Belgian team Anderlecht are based in part of Brussels. They qualified by beating Rapid Bucureşti of Romania, Borac Banja Luka of Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Wrexham and Sachsenring Zwickau of East Germany.

Heysel Stadium

A major stadium in Brussels infamous for the disaster which happened there later, in May 1985.

Anderlecht Won

Anderlecht won 4-2. West Ham took the lead after former Norwich player Graham Paddon crossed the ball and it was headed on by Billy Bonds for Pat Holland to score. Anderlecht equalised after a catastrophic error by Frank Lampard and then took a 2-1 lead in the second half. Keith Robson then equalised before Anderlecht scored the two winning goals, the first from a penalty and the second in the last five minutes as West Ham pressed for an equaliser. Anderlecht’s goal scorers were Rob Rensenbrink (2) and François van der Elst (2).

Front cover of programme for 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final

Photo of West Ham’s first goal scored by Pat Holland

European Cup 1976

On 13 May 1976, I noted that Bayern Munich beat St Étienne 1-0 in the European Cup.

Note on the European Cup

This competition ran from 1955 to 1991-92 when it became the UEFA Champions League. British teams have won the competition 16 times including Aston Villa, Celtic, Chelsea (twice), Liverpool (six times), Manchester City, Manchester United (three times) and Nottingham Forest (twice),

The Final

This was the European Cup Final at Hampden Park which had been held the previous day. This was the third successive time that Bayern had won. While the game had been shown on ITV, I don’t think I watched it, presumably because no British team was involved.

Front cover of programme for final of European Cup 1976 featuring Bayern Munich and St Étienne

Bayern were the holders of the European Cup having won it in 1974 and 1975. Franz Beckenbauer, one of their stars, is pictured here from an article which appeared in “*Shoot!*” in May 1976

UEFA Cup 1976

On 19 May 1976, Liverpool won the UEFA Cup in a two-legged final with FC Bruges. The final was held over two legs until 1998.

Note on the UEFA Cup

The UEFA Cup was introduced in 1971 to replace the Inter-City Fairs Cup. It became the UEFA Europa League in 2009. British teams have won the competition ten times including Chelsea (twice), Ipswich Town, Liverpool (three times), Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur (three times).

First Leg

The first leg had been at Anfield on 28 April 1976. Liverpool won that 3-2.

Second Leg

The second leg was a 1-1 draw so Liverpool won 4-3 on aggregate. Bruges took the lead from a penalty and, at that stage, would have won on away goals. But, Kevin Keegan scored when the ball was passed to him from an indirect free kick on the edge of the penalty area.

Team sheet for second leg of UEFA Cup Final 1976

Team photo for Liverpool from programme for second leg of UEFA Cup Final 1976

Second Victory

It was the second time Liverpool had won the UEFA Cup. They had previously won it in 1972-73, the second time the UEFA Cup was staged.

European Club Competitions in the 1976-77 Season

I have most detail of European club competitions from the 1976-77 season because I have my diaries for that period. That season, I did not only watch finals of European competitions but also watched British teams in earlier rounds. I suspect this was the case in other seasons but I do not have diaries for those seasons.

UEFA Cup Second Round: Manchester United v Juventus

In October 1976, I noted watching the match between Manchester United and Juventus. This was the first leg of the second round of the 1976-77 UEFA Cup. Manchester United had beaten Ajax 2-1 on aggregate in the first round.

United players celebrate scoring against Ajax in the previous round of the UEFA Cup. Although they lost the away leg 1-0, United managed to win 2-0 at home to qualify

Although Manchester United won 1-0, I noted that they would have hoped for a bigger margin. In the end, this winning margin proved inadequate. They played the second leg the next month, in November 1976. Manchester United lost 3-0 meaning they were eliminated. Juventus went on to win the UEFA Cup that year.

Front cover of programme for UEFA Cup match between Manchester United and Juventus

Teams for UEFA Cup match between Manchester United and Juventus

UEFA Cup Third Round : QPR v F C Cologne

The following month, in November 1976, I watched Queens Park Rangers beat FC Köln 3-0 also in the UEFA Cup, the first leg of the third round.

Front cover of programme for first leg match in UEFA Cup third round between QPR and F C Cologne

Teams for first leg match in UEFA Cup third round between QPR and F C Cologne

Travel packages available to QPR fans including to second leg match in Cologne

Although QPR lost the second leg 4-1, they progressed on the away goal rule. In the first round, QPR had beaten Norwegian team Brann 11-0 on aggregate. In the second round, they beat Slovan Bratislava from the then Czechoslovakia 8-5 on aggregate. Their quarter final against AEK Athens is covered later in this chapter.

Other English Teams

The other English teams in the UEFA Cup that year were Manchester City and Derby County. Manchester City were eliminated 2-1 by Juventus in the first round. Derby County were eliminated by AEK Athens 5-2 in the second round.

Quarter Finals of European Competitions

The following year, at the beginning of March 1977, I noted watching football from the quarter finals of three European competitions. Two weeks later, the second legs of these matches took place.

European Cup: Liverpool v St Étienne

Liverpool lost 1-0 to St Étienne away in the first leg of the quarter final of the European Cup. In earlier rounds, Liverpool beat Crusaders from Northern Ireland 7-0 and Turkish side Trabzonspor 3-1 both on aggregate.

Liverpool’s first goal against Crusaders – from semi-final programme

Liverpool’s second round opponents Trabzonspor – from semi-final programme

Two weeks later, in the second leg, Liverpool beat St Étienne 3-1 to qualify for the semi-finals of the European Cup.

Programme for second leg of European Cup quarter final between Liverpool and St Étienne

Emlyn Hughes and St Étienne captain Jean-Michel Larque exchange pennants in the first leg

Highlights of Liverpool’s second-leg match against St Étienne – from semi-final programme

European Cup Winners’ Cup: Southampton v Anderlecht

In the first leg of the quarter final of the Cup Winners’ Cup Southampton lost 2-0 to Anderlecht. In the second round, Southampton had beaten Northern Ireland’s Carrick Rangers 9-3 on aggregate and, in the first round, they beat French side Marseille 5-2 also on aggregate.

Programme for first leg of European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter final between Anderlecht and Southampton

Then, in the second leg of their quarter final, Southampton beat Anderlecht 2-1 but went out of the European Cup Winners’ Cup 3-2 on aggregate.

Programme for second leg of European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter final between Southampton and Anderlecht

UEFA Cup: QPR v AEK Athens

In the UEFA Cup, QPR beat AEK Athens 3-0 at home. However, in the second leg, QPR lost to AEK Athens 3-0. There was no further score after extra time and the game went to penalties with AEK Athens winning 7-6.

Programme for first leg of UEFA Cup quarter final between QPR and AEK Athens

European Cup Semi-Final: Liverpool v F C Zürich

The next month, in April 1977, I saw the second semi-final of the European Cup on TV. Liverpool beat FC Zürich 3-0 at Anfield. Two weeks earlier, Liverpool had won 3-1 away meaning they won 6-1 on aggregate and qualified for the final which was to be played in Rome on 25 May 1977.

Programme for first leg match between Liverpool and F C Zürich

Photo of Liverpool’s Kevin Keegan from first leg programme

Programme for second leg match between Liverpool and F C Zürich

Team line-ups in second leg match between Liverpool and F C Zürich

Highlights from the first leg – from the semi-final second leg programme

European Cup Winners’ Cup Final

On 11 May 1977, I watched the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final from Amsterdam between SV Hamburg and Anderlecht. When I went to bed, it was 2-0 to Hamburg. This was the final score.

Georg Volkert of SV Hamburg holds aloft the European Cup Winners’ Cup trophy which they won in 1977 – image licensed for reuse from Alamy

UEFA Cup Final

Before and after this game, on 4 and 18 May 1977, the two-legged UEFA Cup Final was held between Juventus and Athletic Bilbao. Juventus won the first leg at home 1-0. Although they lost the second leg 2-1, they won on away goals. I did not mention either game in my diary. As far as I can see, neither leg was shown on TV.

European Cup Final

Two weeks later, on 25 May 1977, the European Cup Final took place in Rome. Malcolm Carter came to watch it. Mum recorded that the game was between Liverpool and West Germany (!) with Liverpool winning 3-1.

Described in My Diary

I described the game in some detail saying, “the main event of today was the live coverage of the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Borussia Moenchengladbach of WG [West Germany]. Mr Carter a friend of mum’s came to watch the second half and he got very excited as he comes from Liverpool.

Liverpool dominated the first half but the first real chance of the match fell to Borussia when the ball hit the post with Clemence beaten. However, Liverpool went in at half-time deservedly 1-0 up. [Ian] Callaghan tackling back robbed Borussia of the ball, played an intelligent ball to [Steve] Heighway who drew 2 players and slipped the ball through to [Terry] McDermott who having made tremendous space finished superbly.

In the 1st 10 mins of the 2nd half Liverpool lived dangerously after a mistake from [Jimmy] Case Borussia equalised through their Danish winger [Allan Simonsen] and only a fine save from Clemence prevented them going 2-1 up. The third goal came when a corner floated across and Tommy Smith, playing his 599^th game for Liverpool, headed it home. The final goal came when Kevin Keegan made a run into the penalty area from just over halfway and was brought down by Bertie Vogts from whom Keegan had been getting a lot of stick. The penalty was awarded and Phil Neal converted casually making it 3-1 to Liverpool”.

My diary entry for 25 May 1977 consisting of a detailed report of the European Cup Final won by Liverpool

Teams for 1977 European Cup Final with corrections

Photos of two stars of the teams in the final – Kevin Keegan and Bertis Vogts

Badge commemorating Liverpool’s first win of the European Cup

First of Six Wins

This was the first time Liverpool won the competition but they then won the European Cup/Champions League five more times, in 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005 and 2019. Liverpool were the third British team to win the European Cup after Celtic and Manchester United. From this year inclusive, English teams won the trophy for six consecutive years. Liverpool won in 1977, 1978 and 1981; Nottingham Forest won in 1979 and 1980; and Aston Villa won in 1982.

European Club Competitions in the 1977-78 Season

I did not have too much about European competitions in 1977-78 in my diaries as they ended in November 1977. However, I did watch two of Manchester United’s games in the Cup Winners’ Cup that year. Manchester United won the FA Cup in 1976-77 beating Liverpool in the final.

European Cup Winners’ Cup First Round: Manchester United v St Étienne

On 14 September 1977, I watched the match between Manchester United and St Étienne. The result was a 1-1 draw which I thought was very good for Manchester United. This match was away in France. However, because of violence there, Manchester United were ordered to play the second game at least 200km from Old Trafford so they played in Plymouth! They won 2-0 progressing 3-1 on aggregate.

Programme for first leg of first round match between St Étienne and Manchester United

Stuart Pearson in action in first leg of first round against St Étienne

Programme for second leg of first round match between Manchester United and St Étienne. This match was played in Plymouth!

European Cup Winners’ Cup Second Round: Manchester United v Porto

On 2 November 1977, I watched the second leg match between Manchester Utd and Porto which was played at Old Trafford. I noted that although Manchester United won 5-2, they lost 6-5 on aggregate. That year, the European Cup Winners’ Cup was won by Anderlecht who beat Austria Wien in the final.

Lou Macari in action in first leg of second round against Porto

Programme for second leg of second round match between Manchester United and Porto

Other European Competitions

I did not mention English clubs in other European competitions that year.

Liverpool Won the European Cup Again

Liverpool were in the European Cup again and, although they received a bye in the first round, they did play their second round tie against Dynamo Dresden on the same days as Manchester United played Porto. As they had the previous year, Liverpool won the competition, on this occasion beating Club Brugge in the final.

UEFA Cup

Four English teams took part in the UEFA Cup that year, Aston Villa, Ipswich Town, Manchester City and Newcastle United. They all played first and second leg ties prior to when my diaries ended. Manchester City lost in the first round to Polish side Widzew Łódź. Newcastle United lost in the second round to French side Bastia. Ipswich Town lost on penalties in the third round to Spanish side Barcelona, as did Aston Villa in the quarter finals. The competition was won by PSV Eindhoven who beat Bastia in the final.

FA Cup

The F A Cup Final was similar to the university boat race and the Grand National in that both grandad and mum sometimes watched it on TV and/or noted that it had happened and what the score had been. The first time they did this was in 1951, when mum noted that the FA Cup Final was on TV and Newcastle United beat Blackpool 2-0, see Chapter 59.

FA Cup 1975

In May 1975, mum noted that I went to Barry and Christine’s to watch the FA Cup Final in the afternoon. Barry and Christine were friends of mum’s who I vaguely recall. I believe they were in the Salvation Army. I liked them because they were into football and Barry had a moped/scooter which he took me on, see Chapter 127. The FA Cup Final in 1975 was between West Ham and Fulham with West Ham winning 2-0.

Programme for 1975 FA Cup Final between Fulham and West Ham

FA Cup 1976

At the beginning of April 1976, I noted that the FA Cup Final would be between Southampton and Manchester United as Manchester Utd beat Derby and Southampton beat Crystal Palace both 2-0. On Saturday 1 May 1976, I stayed in to watch the Cup Final. Southampton beat Manchester United 1-0.

Gordon Hill scores the first goal for United in their 1976 semi-final against Derby

Peter Osgood in action for Southampton in their 1976 semi-final against Crystal Palace

Programme for 1976 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Southampton

FA Cup 1977

In the 1976-77 season, because I was keeping a diary at that time, I commented on the FA Cup earlier than the final or semi-final stages.

FA Cup Third Round: Two Nottingham Teams at Home

In January 1977, on my way back from a visit to Nottingham University, see Chapter 120, I noted “there were a lot of police at the station as both Nottingham teams, Forest and County were playing at home versus Bristol Rovers and Arsenal respectively.” These matches were in the third round of the FA Cup.

Nottingham Forest and Bristol Rovers were both second division teams at the time. This game finished 1-1. A replay played in Bristol also finished 1-1 after extra time. Forest won the second replay 6-0. In the fourth round, Forest lost to Southampton in a replay.

Notts County were also a second division team at that time. They lost 1-0 to first division Arsenal.

Arsenal in action at Notts County in the FA Cup third round

Fourth Round Ties

At the end of January 1977, I noted that, in the cup, Port Vale beat Burnley and Colchester drew with Derby County. These games were in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Third division Port Vale beat second division Burnley 2-1 at home and fourth division Colchester drew 1-1 with Derby County. Port Vale then lost in the fifth round to Aston Villa while Colchester lost the replay to Derby County 1-0.

Fifth Round Ties

At the end of February 1977, I described a number of cup games but mistakenly said they were in the fourth round when, in fact, they were fifth round matches. I noted that Aston Villa, Leeds, Liverpool, Everton and Derby were all through. I noted that Manchester United and Southampton would have to replay.

Aston Villa beat third division Port Vale 3-0, Leeds beat Manchester City 1-0; Liverpool beat second division Oldham Athletic 3-1; Everton beat second division Cardiff City 2-1 and Derby County beat second division Blackburn Rovers 3-1. Manchester United and second division Southampton drew their original tie 2-2. In games I did not mention, second division Wolves beat third division Chester 1-0 and, in an all first division clash, Middlesbrough beat Arsenal 4-1.

The following month, in March 1977, I noted that Manchester United knocked Southampton out of the cup 2-1 in their fifth round replay.

Quarter Finals

That same month, in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, Everton beat Derby (2-0), Liverpool beat Middlesbrough (2-0), Manchester Utd beat Aston Villa (2-1) and Leeds beat Wolves (1-0).

All teams were first division teams with the exception of Wolves who won the second division that year. Everton who finished ninth beat Derby who finished 15^th. Liverpool who won the league beat Middlesbrough who finished 12^th. Manchester United who finished sixth beat Aston Villa who finished fourth. Finally, Leeds who finished tenth beat Wolves who won the second division.

Semi-Finals

At the end of March 1977, I noted there was an FA Cup semi-final replay in which Liverpool beat Everton 3-0. They had drawn 2-2 the previous Saturday when Manchester United beat Leeds 2-1.

Final

The FA Cup Final was on 21 May 1977. Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1.

FA Cups 1978 and 1979

My diaries end in November 1977. Mum’s diaries make no mention of the FA Cup in either 1978 or 1979. In 1978, Ipswich Town won the FA Cup Final 1-0 against Arsenal. Arsenal were again in the final in 1979. However, this time they won 3-2 against Manchester United.

League Cup

There are fewer mentions of the League Cup than the FA Cup in family diaries except when Norwich City reached the final and this is covered later in this chapter.

League Cup 1976-77

Fourth Round

At the end of October 1976, I noted that, in the League Cup, Manchester United beat Middlesbrough 7-2 and Aston Villa beat Wrexham 5-1. However, I misidentified the team beaten by Manchester United which was actually Newcastle United. These games were part of the round of 16/fourth round. Manchester United lost to Everton in the next round while Aston Villa won the cup after the final was replayed twice.

In other ties on that day, second division Millwall beat third division Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 and Queens Park Rangers beat West Ham 2-0. The four other ties had been played the previous day. Arsenal beat second division Chelsea 2-1; third division Brighton and Hove Albion drew 1-1 with Derby County with Derby winning the replay 2-1; Everton beat Coventry City 3-0 and fourth division Swansea City and second division Bolton Wanderers drew 1-1 with Bolton winning the replay 5-1.

Fifth Round and Semi-Finals

I did not comment on the fifth round or semi-finals.

Final and Replays

However, in April 1977, I noted that Aston Villa finally won the League Cup Final after two replays! In the 1977 League Cup Final, the original match was on 12 March 1977 with the first replay on 16 March 1977. The second replay was at Old Trafford on 13 April 1977.

The first match at Wembley with Everton was drawn 0-0. The first replay at Hillsborough had also been drawn 1-1. Villa won the second replay 3-2 after Brian Little scored in the last moments of extra time ending 339 minutes of play! Aston Villa had also needed a replay in the semi-finals to get past Queens Park Rangers.

1977 League Cup Final programme – Aston Villa versus Everton

Programme for 1977 League Cup Final Replay between Aston Villa and Everton

Programme for 1977 League Cup Final second replay between Aston Villa and Everton

Other League Cup Finals in the Late Seventies

Family diaries do not mention other League Cups in the late seventies except insofar as they involve Norwich City. For example, Norwich City were beaten finalists in 1975 and this is covered later in this chapter. In 1976, Manchester City beat Newcastle United 2-1 in the final, in 1978, Nottingham Forest beat Liverpool 1-0 in a replay and, in 1979, Nottingham Forest won again, this time beating Southampton 3-2 in the final.

Football on Television

A lot of the football I watched in the late seventies was on television. However, the way television covers football now is very different from the way it was covered then. Now, more and more games are shown live, largely on paid channels, such as Sky and TNT, with times of league games often adjusted to allow live television broadcast. Highlights are widely available, e.g. on YouTube.

Saturday 3pm Blackout

There is still a rule that games played at 3pm on Saturday cannot be shown live on TV. However, this rule was waived during the COVID-19 pandemic when crowds were not allowed to attend stadiums. Also, the rule only applies in the UK. So, bizarrely, when I have been outside the UK, I have been able to watch British football on TV at 3pm on Saturday but I can’t do this when at home!

More Focused

As a result of the changes described, I am probably more focused in what I watch now than I was then with most of my attention focused on Norwich City including watching highlights, press conferences, podcasts etc. I rarely watch Premier League football but do watch big games, such as European finals involving British teams, the FA Cup Final and England internationals.

Few Live Games

Then, very few games were shown live. Those that were included the FA Cup Final, European Finals involving British teams and England internationals. These were always shown on free-to-view channels as these were the only ones available then.

Highlights Packages

For most of my football viewing, I relied on two highlights packages.

“Match of the Day“

The first was the very well-known “Match of the Day” which has changed relatively little over the years. It still shows highlights of top division games.

“Match of the Week“

The second was Anglia’s “Match of the Week” which ran from 1962 to 1983 . At the time I watched it, it was shown on a Sunday afternoon. It featured highlights of a single game in which a local team was playing at home. When it started, it initially focused on four clubs, Colchester United, Ipswich Town, Norwich City and Peterborough United. However, over time others were added.

From 1959 to 1998, Anglia television’s logo was a knight on a horse as shown on this badge (above) and this postcard (below)

During the 1976-77 season, “Match of the Week” showed home games from Cambridge United (2), Colchester United (2), Ipswich Town (9), Luton Town (4), Northampton Town (2), Norwich City (8) and Peterborough (1). On eight occasions, a game was shown from a different region. This happened sometimes when the planned local game was postponed.

Other Special Highlights Programmes

In addition to these regular programmes, there were also sometimes special highlights programmes, e.g. for the FA Cup. For example, on Wednesday, 12 January 1977, I referred to watching football at night. This programme featured highlights of the FA Cup third round on ITV at 10.30pm.

Diary Records

September 1976

I sometimes noted watching these programmes in my diaries of the time. For example, on Saturday 11 September 1976, I noted that everyone was in bed while I was watching “Match of the Day”. Although precise times may have varied, it was always shown late on Saturday night. On this occasion, it started at 10.20pm.

November 1976

Two months later, on Sunday 7 November 1976, I watched football on TV, presumably “Match of the Week” and noted that Ipswich beat West Brom 7-0.

December 1976

The following month, on Saturday 4 December 1976, I watched “Match of the Day” but noted that many games had been cancelled because of bad weather, including Norwich’s game against Everton. This match was played on 19 January 1977, a game Norwich lost 3-1. In games that were on, Arsenal beat Newcastle 5-3 and Birmingham beat Leicester 6-2.

On Sunday 5 December 1976, I noted watching “Match of the Week” which featured the game between Ipswich Town and Liverpool. At this point, these were the teams in the top two positions in the First Division. Ipswich won the game 1-0. It also seems that that programme included highlights of the game between Manchester City and Derby County which Manchester City won 3-2.

The following week, I noted watching the game between Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers, which Liverpool won 3-1, on “Match of the Week”. This is a trifle odd as this was not a local game. However, it seems that this was one of those occasions where Anglia took a programme from another ITV region.

January 1977

On Sunday 16 January 1977, I noted watching football, presumably “Match of the Week”. The game featured was Ipswich against Everton, a game which Ipswich won 2-0. I noted that, apparently, “Match of the Day” had showed Norwich v Arsenal, a game that Arsenal won 1-0. I am not sure why I did not watch it. To be honest, now I am more likely to watch highlights of a game Norwich won than one they lost but I am not sure that was the case then. One thing this does illustrate is that you needed to watch a programme when it was broadcast. There was no catch-up TV, such as iPlayer. I also don’t think we could video TV programmes at that time though that did come later.

A week later, on Sunday 23 January 1977, I noted that “Match of the Week” showed the Division 3 match in which Northampton beat Chesterfield 2-1. At this point, Northampton were 23^rd in Division 3 and Chesterfield were 14^th. That season, Northampton finished 22^nd and were relegated while Chesterfield finished 18^th.

Programme for the third division match between Northampton Town and Chesterfield which featured on “*Match of the Week*” on Sunday 23 January 1977

February 1977

On Sunday 6 February 1977, I watched “Match of the Week” which featured the match between Colchester and Rochdale. This was a fourth division match which Colchester won 1-0. That season, Colchester finished third and were promoted to the third division. Rochdale finished 18^th.

A week later, I watched the game between Ipswich and Aston Villa which Ipswich won 1-0.

May 1977

On Sunday 8 May 1977, I started to watch “Match of the Week” but commented that as it was only Ipswich beating Newcastle I didn’t watch it. Ipswich won that game 2-0. Clearly, I did watch some Ipswich games on “Match of the Week” but, equally clearly, I was mostly interested in the Norwich games.

I knew it wouldn’t be Norwich as they drew 0-0 away at Stoke and I was aware that they only showed games with an East Anglian team at home.

September 1977

The following season, on Sunday 11 September 1977, I watched “the football”. Presumably this was “Match of the Week”. The programme shown was from another region.

Scottish Football

Although my main interest was English football, and Norwich City, in particular, I did very occasionally mention Scottish football. For example, on Saturday 1 May 1976, I noted that Rangers beat Hearts 3-1 in the Scottish Cup Final. The following year, in April 1977, I noted that Celtic had won and, as a result, had clinched the Scottish League. Celtic won the Scottish League that year nine points clear of Rangers in second. Aberdeen were third and Dundee United fourth.

Five-A-Side

In November 1976, I noted that there was a five-a-side competition in which Wolves beat Stoke in the final. This was a national five-a-side competition, sponsored by the Daily Express, between 1968 and 1986. It was televised until 1983.

In 1976, Wolves beat Stoke 2-1 in the final. Winners include Arsenal, Aston Villa, Celtic, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Ipswich Town, Leyton Orient, Manchester City, Manchester United, Norwich City, Oxford United, Southampton (twice), Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers (twice). Norwich won the competition the last time it was played in 1986/87.

Programme for the Daily Express Five-a-Side Championship for 1986. I believe Norwich City won it that year and it was the last year it was contested

Partially-completed schedule for the evening’s programme. It shows that Norwich and Manchester City reached the final. The teams Norwich beat included Luton Town, West Ham and Coventry. The Norwich team included Graham Benstead, Ian Culverhouse, Tony Spearing, Steve Bruce, Mark Barham and Wayne Biggins

Supporting Norwich City

I have detailed my early experiences of supporting Norwich City in a post on the topic. These include the period of the early seventies, also see Chapter 106. Those experiences rely heavily on my own memories and limited mentions in family diaries. While those are also sources of information for this period, the late seventies, I also have my diaries for much of 1976 and 1977. These contain quite a lot of information on the topic. I continued to support Norwich City Football Club during this period although I could not always attend in person as I worked on Saturdays during most of this period, see Chapter 119.

1974-75 Season

At the start of 1975, Norwich were playing in the second division having been relegated from the first division, with Manchester United and Southampton, the previous year, at the end of 1973-74. That had been Norwich’s second season in the top flight, see Chapter 106. In 1974-75, they were having a good season and, at the start of 1975, were lying third in the table behind Manchester United and Sunderland.

Norwich’s first league game in 1975 was away at Cardiff. This shows the table from the programme for that match. Norwich were third on 31 points with Manchester United on 37 and Sunderland on 33

League Cup Semi-Final

For the first game of 1975, Norwich were drawn away in the FA Cup third round against first division Coventry, a game they lost 2-0. Mum did not mention this match nor any of Norwich’s January league fixtures, but she did note that I went to a football match on Wednesday 22 January 1975. This was the second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Manchester United which Norwich won 1-0. Colin Suggett scored the winning goal. Norwich won 3-2 on aggregate having drawn the first leg 2-2 at Old Trafford. Of interest perhaps, Norwich played Manchester United four times that season winning two and drawing two.

Front cover of programme for the League Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester United in January 1975

Back cover of programme for the League Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester United in January 1975 showing teams

Norwich City’s route to the semi-final including beating Ipswich in the previous round

These images of the League Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester United appeared in the programme for the match against West Bromwich Albion on 8 February 1975. Top – Colin Suggett scored the winning goal and above – Norwich celebrate the winning goal

Local press cutting after Norwich’s League Cup Semi-Final second leg win

Wembley Voucher

On 8 February 1975, mum noted that I went to a football match which meant that I “got a voucher to go to Wembley”. The match in question was Norwich’s next home game after the League Cup semi-final. It was played against West Bromwich Albion and Norwich won 3-2. It was an important game in its own right as West Brom were one of Norwich’s rivals challenging for promotion that year. However, people who attended that game also received a voucher which allowed them to apply for a ticket for the League Cup Final which was to be played against Aston Villa on 1 March 1975. As a result, attendance was high at 34,509.

Front cover of the programme for the match between Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion which took place on 8 February 1975. The cover picture is of Colin Suggett with celebratory champagne after he scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the League Cup semi-final

Details of the voucher scheme for the allocation of League Cup Final tickets in 1975. This was included in the programme for the match against West Bromwich Albion on 8 February 1975

Article in local press explaining how the voucher scheme for Cup Final tickets would operate

Wembley Tickets

Following this, I sent off for my ticket which came four days later. Towards the end of February 1975, mum noted that she managed to get two seats for Wembley from David Finnemore. I presume these were for dad and Alan. She tried to phone dad about this but got no reply.

League Cup Final

On the weekend of the League Cup Final itself, neither mum nor grandad mentioned the game explicitly in their diaries. However, on the Friday, mum noted that Alan and I went to London to go to dad’s and, on the Sunday, she noted that we came back.

The match took place on Saturday 1 March 1975. Sadly, Norwich lost 1-0 to Aston Villa when Ray Graydon scored from a penalty rebound after Kevin Keelan had pushed the original spot kick onto the post. The penalty had been awarded after Mel Machin handled on the line to stop a certain goal.

Front cover of programme for League Cup Final 1975

Photos from the League Cup final from the local press including Mel Machin handling on the line and after Norwich had received their runners-up’ medals

Promotion at Portsmouth

At the end of April 1975, mum noted that I went on Mascot coaches, see Chapter 110, to see Norwich play Portsmouth. I recall this game well. I believe it was the first Norwich away game I had been to on my own. At the time, I was not quite 15. This was at a time when football hooliganism was rife and I remember being among Norwich fans who vandalised property and spray-painted graffiti. I found it quite shocking but also exciting! There was also trouble inside the ground although I do not recall this. However, it was pretty commonplace at that time.

The Fight for Third Place

At the start of that day, Manchester United and Aston Villa had already been promoted to division 1. However, there was one place remaining and it was close between Norwich and Sunderland. Both had 51 points but while Sunderland only had one game remaining, away at Aston Villa that day, Norwich had an additional match. This was to be at home against Aston Villa on the Wednesday after the Portsmouth game, a game that Norwich ultimately lost 4-1. However, promotion had already been confirmed by then. Norwich won ‘handsomely’ 3-0 at Portsmouth while Sunderland lost 2-0 at Aston Villa.

Promotion in Pictures

League table from programme for Portsmouth Norwich game. Note: Aston Villa had two points more than shown as they had won midweek

Front cover of match programme for game between Portsmouth and Norwich

Team line-ups from match programme for game between Portsmouth and Norwich. Former Norwich player Ken Foggo played for Portsmouth

Norwich City squad 1974-75 from programme for match against Portsmouth

1972 advert from Mascot coaches congratulating Norwich on their first promotion to the first division. I travelled with Mascot coaches to the Portsmouth game in 1975

Mick McGuire is mobbed after scoring first goal

Phil Boyer challenging for the ball with Portsmouth goalkeeper

Ted MacDougall and Duncan Forbes celebrate victory and promotion

The game’s goalscorers, Martin Peters, Phil Boyer and Mick McGuire

Front page of the Pink Un from 26 April 1975 highlighting that Norwich had clinched promotion

Results for the top two divisions for 26 April 1975. The results from Portsmouth and Aston Villa guaranteed Norwich’s promotion back to the first division that year

League positions for the top two divisions at the end of 26 April 1975. Norwich had 53 points with one game remaining. Sunderland had only 51 points with no games remaining. Norwich could not be caught so were promoted

Review of the Season

Overall, the 1974-75 season was a successful one for Norwich, bouncing back to the first division at the first attempt and reaching a League Cup Final.

Norwich had a strong squad which was further strengthened by signing World Cup winner Martin Peters from Tottenham towards the end of the season, in March 1975. Other signings for that season included Colin Sullivan from Plymouth and Peter Morris from Ipswich at the start of the season, Johnny Miller from Ipswich in October 1974, Tony Powell from Bournemouth in December 1974 and Mick McGuire from Coventry City in January 1975. Kevin Bond also joined Norwich at the start of the season but did not play until 1976.

Given the current furore around the transfer of Marcelino Núñez from Norwich to Ipswich, I was interested that there were two transfers the other way in this season. I am not sure there was quite the uproar about this then as now especially as Miller scored two goals for Norwich to win the fifth round League Cup replay away at Ipswich.

Summary of 1974-75 season from “*100 Years of the Canaries*”

1975-76 Season

I have very little information about the 1975-76 season from diaries as my diaries only started right at the end of that season in March 1976. For the second time, Norwich were back in the first division.

Upgrading the Stadium

Right after the Portsmouth match, Norwich announced plans to upgrade the Carrow Road stadium by installing 4,700 seats in the South Stand. These plans were part of the push to improve stadium safety by moving away from standing to all-seater stadiums. These plans proved controversial over reductions in spectator capacity and concerns over effects on atmosphere and fan experience by moving from standing to sitting.

News cutting concerning plans to upgrade Carrow Road following Norwich’s promotion back to the first division. Controversies over stadium re-development and the ambition to be established as a top flight club sound vaguely familiar!

A Derby Win

At the end of March 1976, I noted there was an important football match against Ipswich. However, I was unable to go as I had a cold, see Chapter 116. Norwich won this game 1-0 with Martin Peters scoring the winning goal. That year, both teams were in the First Division with Ipswich finishing sixth and Norwich tenth.

Derby Win in Pictures

Front cover of programme for game between Norwich and Ipswich in March 1976. Picture is of former Ipswich player John Miller who scored twice for Norwich against Ipswich in the League Cup the previous season

Team line-ups for game between Norwich and Ipswich in March 1976. However, David Jones and Dave Stringer were replaced by debutant Neil Davids and former Ipswich player Peter Morris

League table at the time of the game between Norwich and Ipswich in March 1976. Ipswich were seventh in division one and Norwich were 15^th

There was a note in the programme that Norwich City player Phil Boyer had played for England against Wales. It turned out to be his only cap. England beat Wales 2-1. Boyer was one of eight England players receiving their first cap in that game which was played to celebrate the centenary of the Football Association of Wales

A police line holds Norwich supporters back to allow Ipswich supporters to leave the stadium. At that time, there were always concerns about violence, particularly at such a derby match. Now such derbies are usually held earlier in the day to avoid clashes between fans who have been drinking all day

Local news article noting that the derby passed off with relatively few incidents although some arrests were made

News report of Norwich’s 1-0 victory at home against Ipswich in March 1976. In a game that Norwich reportedly dominated, Martin Peters scored the only goal, his tenth league goal of the season. The report considered this “*revenge*” for the game at Portman Road in September 1975 which Norwich lost 2-0. The crowd of over 31,000 was Norwich’s biggest home attendance of that season’s league campaign

Local Derbies

As long as I can remember, derbies with Ipswich have always been a big deal. While different statistics are available, there have been 121 competitive matches since 1902 with Norwich winning 48 to Ipswich’s 46 with 27 drawn. In recent times, Norwich have very much been in the ascendancy but the picture was very different in the seventies with Norwich only winning four times to Ipswich’s eight. There were also five draws.

Norwich won the teams’ first clash in the first division on 15 August 1972 despite this being away at Portman Road. The game featured here was only one of two other league victories for Norwich in the seventies, the other coming on Boxing Day 1977. Norwich, of course, also won a replayed League Cup fifth round match in September 1974 en route to reaching the League Cup Final that season.

Review of the Season

Overall, the 1975-76 season was a successful one for Norwich with the club achieving its highest league position to date, tenth in division 1. In November 1975, Norwich won 3-1 away at ultimate league champions Liverpool. This result was even more remarkable as it came after a run of four straight losses. In the League Cup, Norwich lost to Manchester City in the second round after a second replay. In the FA Cup, Norwich beat fourth division Rochdale and second division Luton to reach the fifth round where they disastrously lost at home to fourth division Bradford City.

Summary of 1975-76 season from “*100 Years of the Canaries*”

1976-77 Season

Potentially, the 1976-77 season is the one that I have most information for as I have my diary for the duration of that season. However, I went to very few games. The main reason for this was that I worked on Saturdays, see Chapter 119, but I am not sure that this was the whole story as there were some home games not on a Saturday that I did not go to. It could be that I had other interests and/or that the cost was a factor. I am not sure but I did follow Norwich’s performances closely. I often noted Norwich’s results and watched as much of their games as television coverage of the day allowed.

Tottenham v Norwich

The first game I noted was on 25 September 1976, when Norwich drew 1-1 away at Tottenham. For me, a draw away at Tottenham would be a good result any season. However, this was not a good season for Tottenham as they ended up being relegated along with Stoke City and Sunderland.

This was Norwich’s ninth game of the season. They had played six league games winning one, against Birmingham City (1-0), drawing one, against Derby County, and losing four against Liverpool, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City. As a result, at the start of the Tottenham game, Norwich were bottom of the league.

Front cover of programme for Tottenham v Norwich match

First division table at the start of the match

League Cup Games

Norwich had also played two league cup games winning in the second round 3-1 away at fourth division Exeter City but then losing 2-1 away to Aston Villa in the third round.

Ten Pence Per Win or Draw

My main motivation for noting this game appears to have been that Terry Tidd, who I worked with at the Scientific Anglian bookshop, see Chapter 119, had told me he would give me 10p every time Norwich won or drew.

I am not exactly sure what this was about or if I had to pay him the same amount when Norwich lost! I assume it means that I was known as a Norwich City supporter at work. Also, I assume that Terry was a football fan but probably did not support Norwich and was making the point that he thought Norwich would lose a lot of games! I do not recall what team he supported if any.

If this arrangement had applied through the whole 1976-77 season only to league games, Terry would have paid me £2.30 as Norwich won 14 league games and drew nine. If I had made counter payments each time Norwich lost, I would have made a net gain of 40p as Norwich also lost 19 times. My suspicion is that this arrangement probably petered out. I do not recall it!

Norwich v Newcastle United

On 2 October 1976, I noted that Norwich beat Newcastle 3-2 meaning Norwich were fifth from bottom. I noted that the game was one of those shown on Match of the Day. Norwich were 3-0 up by half-time with goals from Viv Busby and two from Martin Peters, including one from a penalty. However, in the second half, Martin Peters conceded a penalty from which Tommy Craig scored and Alan Gowling added a second with 20 minutes to go.

Front cover of programme for match between Norwich City and Newcastle United in October 1976

Martin Peters scored Norwich’s third goal from a penalty. This photo was in the Norwich City programme for the match against Leeds United

Middlesbrough v Norwich

A week later, on 9 October 1976, I noted that Norwich lost 1-0 away at Middlesbrough. This was the only first division game to be played because all other matches had been called off because of national commitments. World Cup qualifiers were being played at this time including games on 13 October 1976 between Northern Ireland and the Netherlands, Scotland and Czechoslovakia, and England and Finland. I assume that the Norwich and Middlesbrough squads were minimally-affected by these matches. In midweek, Norwich had beaten Queens Park Rangers 3-2 away.

Front cover of programme for game between Middlesbrough and Norwich City

Other Games in October 1976

I noted all Norwich’s remaining results for October 1976. On the 16^th, they lost 2-1 to Leeds United at home. Leeds led 2-0 with goals from Frank and Eddie Gray before Roger Gibbins pulled one back for Norwich. The following week, on the 23^rd, I noted that Norwich drew 2-2 away at Manchester United but, the week after that, on the 30^th, Norwich lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City. I believe this is a game that dad and my brother Alan went to.

Front cover of programme for game between Norwich City and Leeds United

Roger Gibbins and Phil Boyer in action against Leeds United. This photo was in the Norwich City programme for the match against Manchester City

Front cover of programme for game between Manchester United and Norwich City

Front cover of programme for game between Norwich City and Manchester City

Results in October 1976

So, during October 1976, Norwich played six games winning two, drawing one and losing three. As a result, they moved off the bottom of the table to 18^th or fifth bottom. They were two points clear of Bristol City who, at that point, were occupying the final relegation place.

An Aside About Programme Prices!

In reviewing these results, I have looked at a number of match day programmes of that era. One thing that struck me was the variation in programme prices. While the majority of first division clubs, fifteen including Norwich, charged 15p, six clubs were cheaper. Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United each charged 12p while Middlesbrough, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United only charged 10p. Leicester City had the most expensive programme at 20p.

Games in November 1976

Norwich played four games in November 1976 of which I noted three. The one I didn’t note was at home on 10 November 1976 against West Ham United which Norwich won 1-0.

On the 6^th, Norwich drew 1-1 at Leicester. Two weeks later, on 20 November 1976, Norwich lost 3-1 away to Bristol City. The following week, on 27 November 1976, Norwich drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa. I noted it could have been worse.

Front cover of programme for game between Leicester City and Norwich City

Programme front cover for game between Bristol City and Norwich City

Front cover of programme for game between Norwich City and Aston Villa

Phil Boyer in action in the home game against Aston Villa, This photo, and others from the same game, appeared in two programmes, the home game against Queens Park Rangers and also the postponed game against Stoke City

Conflict Over Watching Football on Television

I noted that there was conflict with my sister Liz over watching the game between Norwich and Aston Villa on Sunday, see Chapter 114. I noted, “After dinner Liz got cross because I was supported by mum when I wanted to watch the football. Liz claimed I always watched the football, I didn’t last week or the week before, I always watched what I wanted which is also not true as I missed The Brothers tonight so that she could watch Hawaii Five O. She also said that I wasn’t really interested in the football anyway even though it was Norwich v Aston Villa. She tried to antagonise me by playing Joseph as loud as she could in the other room at the same time but I ignored her.”

League Position

At the end of November, I noted that Norwich were then sixth from bottom but they had played more games than most other teams. The teams below them were West Ham (9 pts), Sunderland (9pts), Tottenham (11 pts), Bristol City (12 pts) and Derby County (12 points). Norwich had 13 points. They had played 17 games unlike Derby County, who had only played 14, and the other four teams below them who had played 16.

League table at the beginning of December 1976. This table appeared in the programme for the match against Everton

Bad Weather in December 1976

Because of bad weather, Norwich only played two games during December 1976. Games away against Everton, scheduled for 4 December 1976, at home against Stoke, scheduled for 11 December 1976 and away against Ipswich scheduled for 29 December 1976 were all postponed. I noted specifically that the match against Stoke was cancelled because the pitch was frozen. Although some clubs introduced under-soil pitch heating as early as the 1950s, Norwich only did so in 2004.

The game against Everton was rescheduled for 19 April 1977 meaning that Everton played Norwich twice, home and away, that month. The home game against Stoke took place on 29 January 1977. I wonder if this was when the away game had been scheduled as that only took place on 7 May 1977. The game against Ipswich was rescheduled for 15 February 1977.

Programmes for two of Norwich City’s games in December 1976 that were postponed because of bad weather. These were the away game against Everton (above) and the home game against Stoke City (below),

Two Games Survived the Weather

The two games Norwich did play in December were away at Sunderland on the 18^th, a Saturday, and at home against Queens Park Rangers on Monday 27 December. Norwich won both these games. I did not mention the first of these games in my diary but noted that I went to the QPR game with my dad who was with us for Christmas, see Chapter 122. Norwich won 2-0 with goals from Mel Machin and Viv Busby. In the Sunderland game, Norwich player Graham Paddon was badly injured and was out for a full year.

One of only two games Norwich City played in December 1976, I did not note our game away at Sunderland. Sadly, in that game, Graham Paddon, who had just re-signed for Norwich from West Ham, broke his leg in three places and was unable to play for a year. This message appeared in the programme for the Norwich v QPR game

Front cover of programme from home game against QPR which I think was the only game I went to that season. It shows the Norwich 1976-77 squad of (back row) David Jones, Duncan Forbes, Mel Machin, Roger Hansbury, Kevin Keelan, Martin Peters, Tony Powell and Ted MacDougall (front row) Phil Boyer, Steve Grapes, Billy Steele, Colin Sullivan, Colin Suggett, Mick McGuire and David Stringer

Teams for the match. That season’s signings John Ryan, Jimmy Neighbour and Viv Busby started. As new signings, they are not shown in the original squad photo

Thirteenth

Although the weather severely limited the football played in December 1976, the two games they played and won resulted in Norwich moving up to 13^th place in the end-of-year table. They had a four-point cushion over the third-bottom team which, at this point, was Tottenham Hotspur.

New Year’s Day: Norwich v Leicester

On New Year’s Day 1977, I noted that dad went to see Norwich’s home game. I am not sure why I did not go. Rather, I went to see my friend Michael Grey. I did note that Norwich won 3-2 and I did watch the game on television the next day before we went to grandma’s. The game was against Leicester and the game was decided by a Viv Busby hat-trick with Norwich taking the lead three times with Leicester managing to equalise twice.

Front page of the programme for the match in which Norwich played Leicester City at home on New Year’s Day 1977

Viv Busby scoring the first of his hat trick against Leicester City – photo from programme for match against Liverpool

More Bad Weather

Bad weather intervened again as it had in December. On Monday 3 January 1977, I noted that many football matches and all racing meetings were cancelled because of the weather. Football matches cancelled included Norwich’s planned away trip to Manchester City. This game was rescheduled for Tuesday 1 March 1977.

FA Cup Third Round

The next Saturday, Norwich lost heavily, 5-2, to Leeds away in the third round of the FA Cup. I noted watching it on television the next day.

League Games in January

Norwich had three more league games in January 1977 and I noted then all in my diary. On the 15^th, Norwich lost 1-0 away at Arsenal and, on the 29th, Norwich drew 1-1 at home with Stoke. However, probably the biggest result was on the 22^nd when Norwich beat league leaders Liverpool 2-1 at home. Norwich’s goals came from Martin Peters and Jimmy Neighbour.

Programme for the match between Arsenal and Norwich in January 1977

Programme for the match between Norwich and Liverpool in January 1977

Photo highlights from Norwich victory over Liverpool including Jimmy Neighbour and Ray Kennedy in action (top left); Emlyn Hughes clearing the ball (top right) and Jimmy Neightbour with Brian Kettle (central inset). Background picture shows Jimmy Neighbour’s winning goal. These photos appeared in the programme for the game against Stoke City

Norwich’s victory over that season’s eventual league champions Liverpool was a huge achievement. As a result, photos from that game featured in two programmes including this set which appeared in the programme for the home game against West Bromwich Albion at the beginning of February 1977

Match programme for Norwich v Stoke City in January 1977

Four Games in February 1977

Norwich City played four games in February 1977 and I noted them all in my diary.

Match v Derby County Postponed

There was no game on the 26^th and, although I did not note the reason for this, it was because the opponents scheduled for that day, Derby County, had a fifth round FA Cup tie against Blackburn, which Derby won 3-1. The Norwich Derby game was played midweek two months later, in April.

Norwich v West Bromwich Albion

Of the games that were played, on the 5^th, Norwich beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at home and I noted that this meant they were virtually clear of relegation troubles.

Front cover of programme for match between Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion in February 1977

First division table from that programme, that is at the start of that game. Norwich were sitting 13^th, seven points clear of relegation. I noted that Norwich’s victory over West Brom meant that they were virtually clear of relegation troubles. However, it is worth noting that only one of the three teams ultimately relegated, Sunderland, were in the bottom three at that time. The other two relegated teams, Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur were 15^th and 19^th respectively

Roger Gibbins heading the winning goal in the game against West Bromwich Albion. This photo was featured in two home programmes for the matches against Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur

Birmingham City v Norwich City

The following week, Norwich lost 3-2 away at Birmingham. I described this as an exciting game. Birmingham took the lead in the first minute only for Colin Sullivan to equalise three minutes later. Midway through the first half, Kevin Reeves put Norwich ahead only for Birmingham to score two second half goals to win the match.

Front cover of programme for match between Birmingham City and Norwich City

Ipswich Town v Norwich City

On Tuesday 15 February, Norwich suffered a very heavy defeat to Ipswich, 5-0 away at Portman Road. I noted that 12 players were unfit and 19-year old Kevin Reeves’ father had died on the day of the match.

Front cover of programme for match between Ipswich and Norwich in February 1977

Tony Powell and Eric Gates in action in the match between Ipswich Town and Norwich City which resulted in a heavy loss for Norwich

Norwich City v Coventry City

However, the following Saturday, the 19^th, I noted that Norwich beat Coventry 3-0, a game that was played at home. I also noted that Ipswich and Manchester City both lost. Ipswich lost 1-0 away at Leicester. Manchester City lost 1-0 away at Bristol City. This meant that Liverpool were top of the table. They had beaten Derby County 3-1 at home.

Programme for Norwich’s home game against Coventry City

Kevin Reeves scoring his first Norwich goal against Coventry City

Viv Busby celebrating scoring against Coventry City

Jimmy Neighbour in action against Coventry City

Five Games in March 1977

Norwich had five games in March 1977.

Manchester City v Norwich City

The first was played away at Manchester City on the 1st. This was the rescheduled game that had been cancelled because of bad weather on 3 January 1977. Norwich lost 2-0 but there is no mention of this match in my diary.

Programme for match between Manchester City and Norwich City in March 1977

Norwich v Tottenham

On the 5^th, I noted that Norwich lost 3-1 to Tottenham. This game was played at home. I also noted that Sunderland won 6-0. This match was against West Ham.

Programme for match between Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur in March 1977

Viv Busby and Steve Perryman in action in Norwich’s home defeat to Tottenham in March 1977. Photo from programme for match between Norwich and Manchester United

Norwich v Middlesbrough

On Wednesday 9 March 1977, Norwich beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at home. This game had originally been scheduled for the 19^th but was brought forward because of Middlesbrough’s sixth round FA Cup match with Liverpool. In addition to noting the outcome of the FA Cup games, I noted that, on 19 March 1977, Ipswich lost 1-0 at Sunderland. This was a fairly remarkable result as Ipswich finished third that year and Sunderland were relegated.

Programme for match between Norwich City and Middlesbrough in March 1977

Two Remaining Games in March 1977

Norwich then lost their two remaining away games in March. On the 12^th, they lost 5-1 to Newcastle and on the 23^rd 3-2 to Leeds. Norwich City’s final football programme of the year, against Sunderland on 14 May 1977, shows the date this game was played as 26 March 1977. While this was the date originally scheduled, I think it was moved forward because of international commitments.

I noted on the 26^th that most games had been cancelled because of midweek international commitments. However, somewhat surprisingly, I did not comment that Norwich had played that week.

Programme for match between Leeds United and Norwich City in March 1977

Eight Games in April 1977

Norwich played eight games in April 1977, largely to catch up with fixtures postponed because of bad weather earlier in the season.

Norwich City v Manchester United

On the 2^nd, Norwich beat Manchester United 2-1, the first time United had lost in 15 games. Norwich’s goals were scored by Colin Suggett and Kevin Reeves. This game was characterised by rioting Manchester United fans causing unprecedented damage at Carrow Road, something which was featured on national television. I did not note this rioting in my diary but I did note that Ipswich lost 2-1 to Manchester City meaning that Liverpool were top of the table.

Front cover of the programme for the match between Norwich City and Manchester United in April 1977

Photos from the match against Manchester United which appeared in the programme for the match against Ipswich. They show Kevin Reeves scoring (top right) and celebrating his goal (left) and Martin Peters in action (above right)

Local news coverage of the match focusing on the performance of Kevin Reeves who was 19 at this point. Another article (left) noted that Phil Boyer played for the reserves as part of his comeback from injury and scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Ipswich

However, in the local media (above and below), the result on the pitch was overshadowed by off the pitch events in which United fans rioted and caused extensive damage

Derby County v Norwich City

On Wednesday the 6^th, Norwich played their rearranged game away at Derby County. This was a 2-2 draw although I did not note this in my diary.

Derby County’s programmes were unusual in that they were in newspaper format. The one illustrated covered two games including the game against Norwich City in April 1975

Norwich City v Ipswich Town

On Saturday the 9^th, Norwich again lost to Ipswich Town, this time 1-0 at home. I noted that, from what I saw on Match of the Day, Norwich were unlucky.

Programme for match between Norwich City and Ipswich Town

Martin Peters and Kevin Beattie in action in match between Norwich and Ipswich

West Ham United v Norwich City

On Easter Monday, 11 April 1977, Norwich again lost 1-0, this time away at West Ham United. I did not note this game in my diary.

Programme for match between West Ham United and Norwich City

Norwich City v Bristol City

However, on the 16^th, I did note that Norwich beat Bristol City 2-1 with great goals by Martin Peters and Kevin Reeves. This game was at home and I described this as a very pleasing result. I also noted that Ipswich lost meaning Liverpool went to the top of the table. Ipswich lost 2-1 away at Leeds. Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-0 at home.

Programme for match between Norwich City and Bristol City in April 1977

Kevin Reeves and Doug Evans celebrate the winning goal against Bristol City

Next Two Games

I did not note either of Norwich’s next two games. These were both away, the rescheduled game at Everton on the 19^th which Norwich lost 3-1, and at Aston Villa on the 23^rd which Norwich lost 1-0.

Norwich City v Everton

On the 30^th, I did note that Norwich beat Everton 2-1. This game was at home and I considered this a very good result.

Programme for match between Norwich City and Everton in April 1975

Two Games in May 1977

I did not note either of Norwich’s two games in May 1977. These were against two of the teams that would ultimately be relegated, Stoke City and Sunderland. Norwich drew both games, 0-0 away at Stoke and then 2-2 at home to Sunderland. With ten minutes to go Norwich were leading 2-0 but Sunderland scored twice in the last ten minutes to level the match.

Programme for Norwich City’s final match of the season against Sunderland

Table at the start of that game. While this was Norwich’s final game, teams below them had between one and five games remaining. As a result, QPR and Bristol City moved clear of relegation and Sunderland and Stoke City were relegated with Tottenham. Norwich finished 16^th on 37 points, three points clear of relegation

Review of the Season

Overall, the 1976-77 season was an average one. Norwich’s league position of 16^th ensured they finished clear of relegation but it was six positions down on the previous season’s tenth place. Norwich exited both the League and FA Cups in the third round with defeats to Aston Villa and Leeds United respectively. Highlights included beating both Liverpool and Manchester United at home even though the latter match was known more for the rioting which occurred than for the result!

Summary of 1976-77 season from “*100 Years of the Canaries*”. Although the text states that Norwich finished 13^th, the table shows their final league position as 16^th

Transfer Ins and Outs

That season, there were some major personnel changes with Ted MacDougall going to Southampton and 19-year old Kevin Reeves joining Norwich from Bournemouth. From January 1977, Reeves played 21 games for Norwich scoring eight goals.

In his summary of the season in the programme for the last home game of the season against Sunderland, John Bond noted that the departure of Ted MacDougall had felt “like having a pistol held to my head”. Apart from MacDougall, other players that had left included Steve Grapes to Cardiff, Dave Stringer to Cambridge United, and Peter Morris and Johnny Miller both to Mansfield Town.

The Football League had reservations over Ted MacDougall’s transfer to Southampton particularly over whether MacDougall had made a transfer request or not and, as a result, whether he was eligible to receive 5% of the transfer fee. John Bond felt his hand had been forced but the transfer did go ahead

Other players had come in including Graham Paddon from West Ham, Viv Busby from Fulham, Roger Gibbins from Oxford United, John Ryan from Luton and Jimmy Neighbour from Tottenham.

Graham Paddon’s move from West Ham featured in the Bristol City programme in November 1976

Injuries

There had been serious, long-term injuries for Graham Paddon, Micky McGuire and Phil Boyer. Because of these injuries and his own good form, Kevin Reeves had played more games than John Bond had originally intended. He had planned to use him more sparingly.

Player of the Season

Martin Peters was Norwich City’s player of the 1976-77 season as he had been the previous year. Describing him, John Bond said he had “battled on in style” and that he represented all that is best in the paid player. Martin Peters played every game for Norwich that season scoring eight goals. He also captained the side. Overall, he played 207 league games for Norwich from 1975 to 1980 when he was in his early thirties.

Colin Suggett had won the award for player of the season in 1974-75 while John Ryan and Tony Powell would go on to win it in 1977-78 and 1978-79 respectively. All those winners, with the exception of John Ryan, are members of Norwich City’s Hall of Fame.

Peter Morris (right) left Norwich in the 1976-77 season. He had been player of the month at the end of the previous season in April 1976. He is pictured with manager John Bond (centre) and Maureen Holden (left) the wife of joint manager of sponsors Reliance Garage

News Coverage of the 1976-77 Season

I am currently in the process of reviewing local news coverage of Norwich’s 1976-77 season with the intention of cross-referencing this to my own diary coverage. Once completed, I will either update this section or produce a separate blog about it. To date, I have reviewed the end of the previous season only.

Last Game of the Season

Norwich’s last game that season was a 2-0 away win at Stoke City with goals from Ted MacDougall and Colin Suggett. This was their sixth away win that season. The other five were against Sheffield United, Liverpool, Leeds United, West Ham United and Middlesbrough.

A Boardroom Row

However, even when the season was finishing so positively, there were rumours of a possible board room rift which exploded into public view over the next few days.

News headline concerning the boardroom row at Norwich City in April 1977. It centred around the Chairmanship of Sir Arthur South

A Clash Among the Directors

Apparently, there was a major clash between then Chairman, Sir Arthur South, and former Chairman Geoffrey Watling. It appears that Watling was seeking to oust Arthur South and had support from five of seven directors including vice-Chairman Henry Robinson. Other directors included Ernest Burrell, Jack Murray, William Young and George Fish. Local media reports are not entirely clear as to which directors were seeking to oust Arthur South. However, Jack Murray resigned as a director in the midst of this turmoil.

Support for the Chairman

The local news coverage was unclear as to what the underlying issues were but it appears that there had been a heated confrontation between the Chairman and one of the directors, Jack Murray, at an earlier away game and there may have been issues of concern in Arthur South’s private life, although the directors involved denied this. Geoffrey Watling denied that he was seeking to be reinstated as Chairman. Arthur South received strong support from fans, players and the manager, John Bond.

Mediation

Some made attempts to mediate in the dispute including the then Lord Mayor of Norwich, Joyce Morgan, and the Bishop of Lynn, Aubrey Aitken. I am not exactly sure how the issues were resolved but Arthur South remained Norwich City chairman until 1985. Of interest perhaps is that I did not note anything about these boardroom issues in my diary.

Transfer Needs

Although these boardroom issues dominated the news in early May 1976, there was also, as might be expected, some coverage of possible transfers ahead of the 1976-77 season. An article on 1 May 1976 noted that John Bond was looking for a so-called “Mr Consistency” to bring width and balance to the team’s attack. Bond had a strong commitment to wingers and a number of players had been tried in that role, including Steve Grapes and former Ipswich player Johnny Miller. However, the article considered that both had not displayed enough consistency in that role and, as a result, they were available for transfer.

It was also, apparently, only a matter of time before Peter Morris joined Mansfield Town as player manager. A number of other players had been given free transfers including Paul Wilson, Mervyn Cawston, Paul Kent, Chris Watts and Micky Wharton. While that article did not identify any players that could possibly fill that winger role, it does seem that former Tottenham player Jimmy Neighbour ultimately did so.

1977-78 Season

My diary only goes to November 1977 so I only have information from that about the first part of the 1977-78 season.

Norwich City v Queens Park Rangers

On 27 August 1977, I noted that Norwich got one point from QPR. This meant they were seventh in the table with four points after three games. Prior to this game, Norwich had won 3-1 at West Ham and had drawn 1-1 at home with Middlesbrough. At the end of the season, Norwich finished 13^th five places above Ipswich Town. Nottingham Forest were top of the league and went on to win the league.

Programme for the Norwich City match against Queens Park Rangers on 27 August 1977

Norwich City v Bristol City

The following month, Norwich won 1-0 against Bristol City in what I heard had been a poor match.

Programme for the Norwich City match against Bristol City on 10 September 1977

October 1977

The month after that, Norwich beat Wolves 2-1 and this meant they were sixth in the table. That same month, on the 29^th, Norwich were featured on Match of the Day. They drew 2-2 with Derby.

In October 1977, in the home game against Newcastle United, goalkeeper Kevin Keelan made his 600^th appearance for Norwich City

Programme in newspaper format for match between Derby County and Norwich City in October 1977

Review of Seasons

The two seasons 1977-78 and 1978-79 were fairly average for Norwich City with the team finishing 13^th and 16^th in the first division respectively. Their cup record was poor. In the League Cup, they lost to second division teams in the second round in both seasons, to Burnley in August 1977 and to Wrexham in August 1978. Their FA Cup record was no better losing to second division teams in the third round in both seasons, to Orient in January 1978 and to Leicester City in January 1979. In terms of East Anglian derbies in those two seasons, Norwich won one, drew one and lost two. They finished above Ipswich Town in 1977-78.

Summaries of 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons from “*100 Years of the Canaries*”

Ilford Football Club

When dad lived in London, he was involved in Ilford Football Club, see Chapter 112. On 14 August 1976, we went to London from Birmingham and went to his neighbour’s Doug and Dot’s. They weren’t in but we found them at the football club.

Part 10 Chapter 123 Sport in the Late Seventies Download