Looking Back At: Lincoln City v Watford, 1969

Wednesday 13^th August 1969

Watford 2 Lincoln City 1 (League Cup First Round)

The previous season had started with high hopes of Lincoln City making a promotion challenge in Division Four but after being in the top four places for most of the first half of the 1968/69 season the Imps had fallen away to finish 8th, writes Malcoml Johnson.

Hoping to improve things Ron Gray, manager of the Imps for the last two and a half seasons had elected to go for a less rugged approach in midfield. This had seen the departure, to the disquiet of many supporters, of the solid and hard-working Jim Smith to be replaced by Nottingham Forest fringe player Billy Taylor who was to be partnered in midfield by another new signing, the rather lightweight Dave Helliwell from Blackburn.

The new season had not got off to a good start on the previous Saturday when despite going 2-0 up early in the match against Colchester at Sincil Bank City had only rescued a point in a 3-3 draw thanks to a late goal from defender Ray Harford. Both Helliwell and new goalkeeper Colin Withers had come in for some criticism for their performances, but it was early days yet.

Now starting its tenth season, the Football League Cup had originally been met with a lack of interest from the country’s leading clubs but now for the first time all 92 had entered. This season saw all the First Division clubs, those who had finished in the top 13 of the Second Division, and cup holders Swindon Town of the Third Division exempt until the second round. City had been drawn away to Third Division champions Watford, promoted to the second tier for the first time in their history. The Hornets were playing their first home match since promotion, having lost 1-0 away to Bristol City on the previous Saturday.

City manager Ron Gray had been a Watford player during the 1940s, followed by managing them for a very unsuccessful 1950/51 season which saw them having to apply for re-election to Division Three (South).

In charge of Watford, 38-year-old Ken Furphy had been a defender for many years with Darlington before joining Fourth Division Workington, who, as player-manager, he led to promotion for the only time in their Football League history.  Soon afterwards, he had joined Watford and was now embarking on his fifth full season in charge which would see an FA Cup semi-final appearance although it would be a season of struggle in the league. In 1970 he would go on to have two seasons in charge of Blackburn Rovers, followed by a spell at First Division Sheffield United before managing several clubs in America.

The teams were:

City:

1. Colin Withers
2. Phil Hubbard
3. Graham Taylor
4. Billy Taylor
5. Ray Harford
6. Jim Grummett
7. John Mackin
8. Rod Fletcher
9. Bobby Svarc
10. Dave Helliwell
11. Dave Smith
12. Jack Lewis

Watford:

1. Mike Walker
2. Duncan Welborne
3. John Williams
4. Keith Eddy
5. Walter Lees
6. Tom Walley
7. Stewart Scullion
8. Dixie Hale
9. Roy Sinclair
10. Barry Endean
11. Bernard Lewis
12. Brian Owen

City goalkeeper was 29-year-old Colin Withers, signed during the summer from Aston Villa perhaps with some lingering doubt over John Kennedy’s fitness after the fractured elbow that had caused him to miss the second half of the previous season, On the face of it securing Withers’ services for City was quite a coup, as he had been an established First and Second Division goalkeeper with around 250 appearances for Villa and Birmingham City. However, there perhaps should have been alarm bells over the fact that he had ceased to be first choice at his previous club a year before. After this game, and with the return to fitness of Kennedy, he was to make only one further appearance for the club before leaving to play in Holland for a year before dropping into non-league football.

Something of a surprise in the team selection for the season so far was the omission of popular left back George Peden for the first time since joining the club just over two seasons before. With former Grimsby Town man Graham Taylor moving over to the left, Peden’s place was effectively taken by Phil Hubbard who at the age of 20 had already shown plenty of versatility with some debate about what was in fact his best position – although there had been lots of indications that Ron Gray thought it was right back. Central defence saw the now established partnership of Ray Harford and Jim Grummett. Harford, aged 24, had started his career with a handful of appearances for Charlton Athletic before a season and a half at Exeter from whom City had signed him on a free transfer in the summer of 1967. Grummett, also 24, and the son of the former City player of the same name, like Hubbard had been developed by the club and was almost as versatile, playing in every position at one time or another. But there was no doubt that alongside the centre half was his best position although he had appeared effectively as a striker from time to time.

A summer signing was Scottish midfielder Billy Taylor at the age of 30 from Nottingham Forest. He had effectively replaced Jim Smith in the squad, a player whose release had come as a surprise, and who at the age of 28 had joined Boston United as player-manager to start his lengthy managerial career. Partnering Taylor in the new-look midfield was the only close-season signing to have cost a fee – 21-year-old Dave Helliwell, who arrived for £4,000 from Blackburn Rovers for whom he had played a dozen or so games in the Second Division. Like Withers, his signing was not a success, and although often categorised as being too lightweight for the rough and tumble of the Fourth Division he nevertheless would go on to play around 200 games for Workington.

With right winger Gordon Hughes a long-term absentee following a cartilage operation that berth had been filled in the previous game by the mercurial Jack Lewis, signed as an 18-year-old from Midland League Long Eaton United in March 1967 but despite his attacking flair and occasional spectacular goals never seeming to hold a place in the side for very long. With a more defensive set-up in mind for the visit to a Second Division club there was a change to a 4-3-3 formation with Lewis dropping to the bench, his place in the side being taken by 25-year-old utility player John Mackin making his debut while currently on a two-month trial after being released by Northampton Town.

With Mackin in midfield, City fielded three attackers with Dave Smith on the left. ‘Smithy’ had joined from Middlesbrough reserves in the summer of 1968 and was to become a club legend, standing third in the list of players with most appearances for the Imps and narrowly failing to win promotion with City under David Herd in 1972 before doing so as part of Graham Taylor’s record-breaking side four years later. Also up front were Rod Fletcher, whose scoring run at the end of the previous season had come just too late for City’s promotion hopes, and Bobby Svarc, a player signed with high hopes from Leicester City the previous autumn but who had so far proved a disappointment.

Watford’s goalkeeper was 23-year-old Welshman Mike Walker who had joined from York for £5,000 at the start of previous season. He was to join Colchester United in 1973, playing over 500 games for them. He would later manage them for a brief spell before taking Norwich City to a third place finish in the Premier League followed by a brief spell at Everton.

Right back Duncan Welbourne had joined from Grimsby in 1963 and would go on to set a club record of 457 appearances for Watford, including 280 consecutive Football League games. At left back was John Williams who had come through the youth ranks and was to be another long-serving player with over 400 appearances for Watford before joining Colchester. In central defence were 22-year-old Scotsman Walter Lees and Tom Walley. The rugged Lees, brought up in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, had spent time as a youth player with Celtic before joining Watford at the start of the previous season and would go on to play over 250 games for the club. The 24-year-old Walley had made a few appearances for Arsenal before joining Watford in March 1967 for £9,500. Another player to make over 200 appearances for Watford, he also earned one cap for Wales before spending four years with Orient. He then returned to Watford at the age of 31, playing a few more games before becoming youth team coach under new manager Graham Taylor.

Midfielder Keith Eddy had joined from his hometown club Barrow in 1966 and after around 250 games for Watford would follow Ken Furphy to Sheffield United. Another former Barrow player, who had also played for Furphy at Workington, was 34-year-old Richard ‘Dixie’ Hale. He had joined Watford in 1967 and in his younger days had played for Shamrock Rovers and Waterford in his native Ireland and although playing for the League of Ireland XI was once described as the best Irish player never to play for his country. Also in midfield was the diminutive Roy Sinclair who had signed towards the end of the previous season from Tranmere Rovers for £11,000 after around 150 appearances for them. After a brief return to Tranmere in three years’ time he would go on to spend the rest of his career in America.

On the right wing was 23-year-old Stewart Scullion who had been with Charlton as an amateur before joining Watford in early 1966 and would later spend two seasons in the First Division with Sheffield United. On the left was Bernard Lewis who after a number of appearances over three years for Cardiff City had been signed by Watford two years ago for £7,000. Failing to hold down a first team place with the Hornets he departed for Southend at the end of the current season. Main striker was 23-year-old Barry Endean who after time as a youngster with Everton had been spotted by Watford while playing for a pub team and joined them in time to play a key role in their promotion-winning season, scoring 18 goals. He would later go on to spend time with Charlton and Blackburn where he was re-united with Ken Furphy.

Watford substitute was 24-year-old winger Brian Owen, a former apprentice who after around 140 appearances was to be only a fringe player in the current season, joining Colchester before the end of it.

As with many clubs at the time (although not Lincoln City), the match programme for a League Cup tie was a minimal affair consisting of just four pages.

It appeared that City’s unfamiliar formation puzzled Watford from the start of the match, and after goalkeeper Mike Walker had to be alert to keep a back pass from Walter Lees from going into his own net the Imps took the lead after 13 minutes. A crossfield pass from midfielder Dave Helliwell resulted in a clever bit of play by Rod Fletcher to win a corner on the left. Taken by Dave Smith it saw Ray Harford fail in an attempted overhead kick, but the ball fell to Phil Hubbard 15 yards out and the full back banged it   into the goal past Walker and a defender on the line.

City’s defence, with Harford at his best, then stood firm despite Watford switching their wingers, possibly with an intent to expose the 20-year-old Hubbard to the trickery of Stewart Scullion. However, this was simply countered by City following suit in changing their full backs over so that Scullion was up against the more experienced Graham Taylor. But in the 33^rd minute the game changed when striker Barry Endean broke through the centre after City unluckily lost possession and blasted the ball into the net off the arm of goalkeeper Colin Withers. Less than a minute later Watford were in front when they gained possession immediately after the restart with Scullion now the man racing through the centre. He got in a shot which appeared to be mishit enough to put Withers on the wrong foot and cause him to dive too late to keep the ball out of the corner of the net.

Watford then had the edge and were close to a third goal soon after the break when a header from Scullion hit the post. As for City, there was then little to be seen of them in an attacking sense, not helped by midfielder Billy Taylor having to go off with a muscle injury after 68 minutes. He was replaced by Jack Lewis who gave City a little more attacking impetus although with few chances to score, the clearest coming when Graham Taylor went on a break forward before pulling the ball back to Bobby Svarc who ballooned it high over the bar.

Ron Gray’s view on the game was that “the lads played well, and at one time we looked more like a Second Division side than they did. But they got two breaks and scored twice. Until then, I didn’t think they were going to get through.”

It was the first time in five years that the Imps had failed to progress beyond the first round of the League Cup – and Watford’s reward for their victory was a home tie with Liverpool in the next round. This drew for them an attendance of nearly double the 10,086 that were present for the game against the Imps.

As for myself, by coincidence I happened to be spending a few days in London at the time (and had been to see West Ham play Chelsea two nights before), but my only real memory is of arriving at Watford on the Metropolitan Line with only the vaguest impression remaining of the match itself.