Looking Back At: West Brom, 1976

Tomorrow, we face West Brom in a friendly. In terms of competitive fixtures, we’ve met just twice in almost 65 years.

The last time was an EFL Trophy game, and before that, a major FA Cup tie, which Malcolm has lovingly recreated here for you all.

Saturday 24^th January 1976

West Bromwich Albion 3 Lincoln City 2 (FA Cup Fourth Round)

Lincoln City had missed out on promotion to the Third Division in the last game of the previous season thanks to the method of using goal average to separate teams with the same number of points. Going up instead had been Chester on a tiny fraction of a goal. But since then, despite losing the first game of the 1975/76 season they had been in unstoppable form with only one defeat in the last 23 league games. A week ago, a goal-less draw at Exeter had put an end to a run of eight league wins in a row but as closest challengers Northampton Town had also been held to a draw away from home the Imps remained a point ahead of them at the top of the division with two games in hand.

The third round of the League Cup had been reached before losing in controversial circumstances to First Division Leicester City, while in the FA Cup first round the Imps had scraped through by 1-0 in a disappointing performance at Northern Premier League Boston United. They had then won 2-1 at Third Division Mansfield Town largely thanks to reserve goalkeeper Jimmy Gordon having the game of his life. There was no glamour tie in the third round, instead City were away again to another Third Division side in Aldershot. Another rather scrappy game saw a 2-1 win again to send the Imps into the fourth round for the first time since 1961 when as a Second Division club they had only entered the competition in the third round. It was in fact the first time they had successfully negotiated three rounds of the FA Cup since 1912.

The fourth round draw produced an away tie for the eighth time in a row – in fact since being appointed manager in December 1972 Graham Taylor had yet to experience a home game in the FA Cup. Opponents West Bromwich Albion were currently in their third season in the Second Division (now the Championship) following a 24-year stay in the top flight. Managed by former Leeds United star Johnny Giles they were currently placed fifth despite having won only four games out of 12 at home. In the third round they had beaten fellow Division Two side Carlisle United 3-1 at home.

The teams were:

City:

1. Peter Grotier
2. Ian Branfoot
3. Dennis Leigh
4. Dennis Booth
5. Sam Ellis
6. Terry Cooper
7. John Fleming
8. John Ward
9. Percy Freeman
10. Dave Smith
11. Dick Krzywicki
12. Phil Neale

West Bromwich:

1. John Osborne
2. Paddy Mulligan
3. Joe Mayo
4. Bryan Robson
5. John Wile
6. Alistair Robertson
7. Tony Brown
8. Mick Martin
9. Alistair Brown
10. Johnny Giles
11. Willie Johnston
12. Ian Edwards

City with a first team squad of only 15 were rather down to the bare bones for this game with former Darlington men Peter Graham and Alan Harding both missing through injury. 12-goal striker Graham had suffered a knee injury before Christmas that would keep him out for the rest of the season, while left-winger Harding had missed the last four games with a broken foot. Graham Taylor had been looking to strengthen the squad but moves for Scunthorpe midfielder Angus Davidson, and former Imp Phil Hubbard from Grimsby had fallen through for financial reasons.

Goalkeeper Peter Grotier had been signed from West Ham United at the start of the 1974/75 season for a club record fee with the money partly raised by the supporters and had been named in the PFA Division Four team of the year.

City had been able to field a settled back four for most of the last two and a half seasons with full backs Ian Branfoot and Dennis Leigh flanking Sam Ellis and Terry Cooper. Right back Branfoot, who had been named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 1973/4 season, and club captain Ellis had been signed for a total outlay of around £14,500 in the summer of 1973 from Doncaster and Mansfield respectively. They joined left back Dennis Leigh, manager Graham Taylor’s first signing for the club in February 1973 from Rotherham, and Cooper who had been signed by Taylor’s predecessor David Herd from Notts County in the summer of 1972 after a spell on loan the previous season.

In the centre of midfield were Dennis Booth who had spent the last third of the 1972/73 season on loan from Southend before signing permanently at a cost of £9,000, and the long-serving Dave Smith, a Ron Gray signing from Middlesbrough in the summer of 1968. On the right flank was the hard-working John Fleming, signed in the summer from Oxford United, while filling in for Alan Harding on the left was former Welsh International Dick Krzywicki. Normally a right winger, ‘Whizzer’ had joined on a free transfer from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 1974 after previous experience with today’s opponents.

Up front was local boy John Ward, another player brought to the club by Ron Gray from local football a year after Dave Smith and currently top scorer with 19 goals including four in a League Cup game with Chesterfield. Partnering him was big Percy Freeman, another player who had started his career with West Bromwich before joining City in the summer of 1970. Sold to Reading by Graham Taylor he had been bought back a year ago and currently had 14 goals to his name.

Substitute was the 21-year-old Phil Neale who had made his debut a year ago, and who as well as a budding cricketer, was still regarded as something of a utility player before later settling down to make the left back slot his own.

The home side’s goalkeeper was 35-year-old John Osborne who had joined from Chesterfield in 1967 and had just completed 200 games in the top two divisions for Albion along with winning the FA Cup with them in 1968. A few years ago, he had achieved some minor fame for his general knowledge skills on the television show Quiz Ball.

At right back was 31-year-old current Irish international Paddy Mulligan who had joined from Crystal Palace in September after previous experience with Chelsea with whom he had won the European Cup Winners’ Cup. There was more experience in the centre of defence with 28-year-old John Wile, a former Peterborough United man who had joined in 1970 and who would go on to make over 600 appearances for the Albion. Alongside him was Alistair Robertson a former apprentice with the club who would also go on to make over 500 appearances. In contrast, at left back, although wearing the no. 4 shirt, was an up-and-coming youngster, just turned 19, named Bryan Robson who was making only his ninth start for the club. He was in the side due to the suspension of first team regular Len Cantello. After nearly 250 games for West Bromwich, the later ‘Captain Marvel’ was to move to Manchester United for a British record transfer fee and win innumerable honours including 90 England caps.

Another current Irish international was midfielder Mick Martin, signed at the beginning of October from Manchester United, while alongside him was the player-manager not only of West Bromwich since the previous summer, but simultaneously of the Republic of Ireland. Former Leeds United legend Johnny Giles was now 35 but was nevertheless an almost ever-present in the current season.

A club legend was the diminutive Tony Brown, known as ‘Bomber’ for his habit of scoring spectacular goals. An Albion youth product, now 30, he had won a solitary England cap in 1971 after finishing the previous season as the leading scorer in the First Division with 28 goals. Another winner of the FA Cup in 1968 he would eventually total 279 goals in 720 games for Albion, both club records, but had just six in the current season so far. Scottish international left winger Willie Johnston, aged 29, had joined in December 1972 for a club record fee of £128,000 from Rangers with whom he had won various cups including the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972 when he scored twice. Noted for his short temper, he was sent off over 20 times in his career, and was to achieve notoriety in the 1978 World Cup when he tested positive for a banned stimulant, an incident which brought his international career to an end.

Wearing the no. 3 shirt but playing as a striker was Joe Mayo who had joined three years before after limited experience with Walsall. In 1977 he was to move on to Orient and later played for Cambridge United. Like Osborne he was also later to find some TV general knowledge fame in ‘The Chase’ when he came to within one second of winning the Final Chase. Current leading scorer with seven goals was Alistair Brown, signed in 1972 from Leicester City for a fee of £60,000. He was to eventually make over 350 appearances for Albion, averaging around a goal every four games.

Substitute Ian Edwards was a 20-year-old striker signed two years ago from non-league Rhyl and had limited first team experience so far. In November he was to move on to Chester and then Wrexham for £125,000. He was to win four Welsh international caps, scoring four goals in a game against Malta.

Graham Taylor said before the match that City were making no special plans to counter the midfield menace of Johnny Giles. “There are lots of other good players in the side and we have to play as a team to combat all their strengths and weaknesses. We’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.” It was reported that 120 coachloads were expected to travel to the Hawthorns, and with a total of 7,000 Imps supporters there the match attendance of 26,388 was Albion’s highest of the season so far.

City fell behind after just two minutes when Dennis Booth could only stab a low centre from Willie Johnston to the edge of the box for Tony Brown to rifle a low shot into the net. It then took Terry Cooper to clear another Brown shot off the line and City were then up against, looking outclassed before beginning to play their way out of trouble. Typical in-swinging corner kicks from Booth and Dave Smith caused problems for Albion goalkeeper John Osborne and in the 37^th minute one of these led to Alistair Robertson pushing Percy Freeman in the box. The penalty was duly converted by Sam Ellis for his fourth in as many games. Five minutes later Osborne fumbled a centre from Dennis Leigh as Dick Krzywycki challenged him and John Fleming fired home the loose ball to give City the lead in front of the visiting fans.

After the break City were holding out under tremendous pressure when the game changed on 55 minutes. With Dave Smith having run the game from midfield in the first half it was clear that Johnny Giles had marked him down to be kicked out of the game and that was what Mick Martin did with a vicious tackle. Already booked for arguing over City’s second goal, Martin should surely have been sent off but he got away with it, and to add insult to injury almost immediately scored the equaliser with an overhead shot after Peter Grotier had punched the ball to the edge of the area. With Smith having to be replaced by Phil Neale City could then do no more than try and hang on, but with seventeen minutes to go Bryan Robson broke forward from left back, and with everyone – including probably Grotier – expecting a pass outside he crashed a 30-yard shot into the net.

Johnny Giles’s view after the match was that City had certainly caused his team a few problems, “there’s no doubt they are a good side.” As for Graham Taylor, he considered that the ‘big match atmosphere’ in the first few minutes of the game due to his players lack of experience in playing in front of big crowds put them at a disadvantage from the off. As for Albion’s second half tactics, Taylor said it was fair to say they were “at times, to say the least, ruthless.” He said it was a myth to say the ‘hard-men and cloggers’ were in Division Four, “they can be found in the top divisions.”

The defeat put an end to an unbeaten run of sixteen matches stretching back to mid-October, nine of them having been away from home. While City were in cup action Northampton beat Darlington to go back to the top of the table a point ahead of City who now had three games in hand on them. These three games were made to count, and with only two defeats in the rest of the season City won the championship by a six-point margin to set a new points record.

In the next round of the FA Cup, West Bromwich, after holding fellow Second Division side Southampton to a draw at The Hawthorns were beaten 4-0 in the replay but went on to win promotion in third place to start a ten-year stay in the top division.