Remembering the day when Graham's Grandads shocked the football world (From Gazette)
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Remembering the day when Graham's Grandads shocked the football world
9:28am Monday 13th February 2012
Today marks the 41st anniversary of Colchester United’s memorable FA Cup fifth-round victory over the mighty Leeds United.
Two goals from Ray Crawford and another from Dave Simmons saw the unfancied U’s race into a three-goal lead over Don Revie’s star-studded side, in front of a bumper crowd of 16,000 at Layer Road.
Late strikes from Norman Hunter and Johnny Giles gave the Whites hope.
But Colchester held on to cause one of the biggest-ever cup upsets.
It was a shock of monumental proportions and one that is still talked about, more than four decades on.
The man who masterminded the U’s triumph that day was Dick Graham, who many supporters regard as the U’s finest-ever manager.
The odds were firmly stacked against Colchester’s team of journeyman professionals when they took to the field against their more illustrious first division opponents.
But Graham poured all of his energy into masterminding a victory that rocked the football world, one that is still remembered to this day.
See today's Gazette for Dick Graham's exclusive views on what was arguably Colchester United's finest-ever victory.
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Comments(34)
Blue & White Robbo
says...
10:31am Mon 13 Feb 12
I have no problem being reminded of that magnificent feat by a fantastic team against what was probably one of the best teams in the football world at the time.
Up the U's
Cuthbert
says...
12:03pm Mon 13 Feb 12
lollardknight
says...
12:40pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Ground needs some connection to the good old days, as its boring plain and empty.....need some bits and pieces around the place!!
Sparkfilms
says...
1:04pm Mon 13 Feb 12
1. Crowd scenes pre-match with Don Revie walking across the pitch.
2. Fans jumping up and down on the wooden boards at the Layer Road end.
3. The reaction at the final whistle as Garvey, Kurila, Cram, Gilchrist, Lewis and Simmons - to name but a few, are dancing with joy and in disbelief that they have beaten a team who were the best club side in Europe at that point.
Those memories live with me today as clear as ever.
Brian Lewis putting the ball through the legs of Terry Cooper.
Ray Crawford running his heart out until he almost dropped.
Brian Hall gliding down the left side of the pitch with such grace.
Dave Simmon's celebrations as he put Colchester United into an incredible 3-0 lead that sent shockwaves to sportsfans around the world.
Graham Smith's wonder save from Mick Jones.
It still leaves me breathless today.
Sparkfilms
says...
1:39pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Following our fantastic comeback at Rochdale in the 3-3 draw in the 4th Round the 'Football Special' - which was a train crammed full of excited U's fans made its way back down south with the our players and officials on board.
It was the most fantastic journey back.
We were with the players in the bar and they were very much looking forward to the Monday replay at Layer Road against Rochdale.
I remember Dave Simmons asking me what sort of crowd we might get.
At Monday lunchtime us art and print students were huddled together around a transistor radio at the Tech College in Sheepen Road awaiting the 5th round draw.
Even our lecturers were listening in as they too had become caught up in the excitement.
Leeds at home was beyond our wildest dreams!
We all went to the Layer Road replay that night where 11,000 screamed the place down as we thrashed Rochdale 5-0.
Back to the Leeds match.
Dick Graham masterminded a tactical plan that was devised to upset Gary Sprake and Jack Charlton.
And it worked.
Dick Graham was a monumental figure and it is very much captured in the great picture above.
That's Denis Mochan to Dick's right.
I lost my voice that day, the one and only time it ever happened.
It didn't return until the Sunday afternoon.
Crazy as it might sound, I always thought we might cause an upset.
I know Dick had a similar feeling on the Saturday morning.
There was just something in the air.
U's fan
says...
1:49pm Mon 13 Feb 12
wellnow
says...
2:20pm Mon 13 Feb 12
U's fan
says...
2:59pm Mon 13 Feb 12
25414nora
says...
7:07pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Sparkfilms
says...
8:47pm Mon 13 Feb 12
55,000 plus crammed into Goodison Park with the U's outplaying Everton in the first 20 minutes ( and hitting the post! ).
I have a little cine film of that too.
After the match a few of us walked across the park to a deserted Anfield and stood on the Kop.
At the very top of the Kop there was a great view and all one could see below were rows and rows of terraced houses with smoke from the coal fires bellowing from the chimneys.
There is something else that I remember from the day.
We drove up and there was a big painted sign on the Albert roundabout that said 'Goodison Park - 247 miles!.
Around 10,000 U's fans made the journey by road and rail and despite the scoreline it was the most wonderful day out.
Other great away days I recall.
Chelsea.
Chelmsford City - we beat them 2-0 at New Writtle Street in front of around 17,000 fans.
West Bromich Albion in both the FA Cup and Watney Cup Final.
Queens Park Rangers in 1967 - in my opinion the best side ever in the original 3rd Division. This team included the quite brilliant Rodney Marsh who got the turnstyles clicking everywhere QPR played that season.
We lost this one 2-1 after a pulsating 3-3 draw at Layer Road earlier in the season.
What was also amazing about Alec Stock's Championship winning side is that they had twin brothers on either wing - the Morgan's.
Grimsby Town - Boxing Day 1968. We won 4-2 in a snowstorm, stood at the Grimsby end, got beaten up, ended up in Cleethorpes Hospital after our coach driver took 10 of us into the casualty department!
Southampton at The Dell in a League Cup replay in the mid seventies. A Barry Dominey winning goal in extra time had us jumping out of our seats.
During the match Mike Walker made the greatest save of his life, leaping to his left and touching away a curving free kick from Mick Channon!
I had better stop now or I will be on here all night.
Great days!
Sparkfilms
says...
10:44pm Mon 13 Feb 12
It's the dog incident against Brentford.
Many people are fully aware that a dog collided with the Brentford goal keeper Chic Brodie at Layer Road and that the injury spelled the end to his league career.
What some people may not recall is that the dog was on the pitch for some considerable time before the collision with Brodie.
How incredible it is to think that the referee actually allowed the game to to continue while the dog tried ( without success ) to close down a passing movement by 3 Brentford players in front of the main stand while the Colchester side were watching, at this stage the players were actually playing against the dog and not against each other.
I was watching from the bar side and the crowd were already in hysterics before the dog made an 80 yard dash ( with the crowd's support ) down towards the Layer Road end.
I'm sure those of us who cheered when the dog ran into Brodie had our regrets when we learned of the subsequent injury sustained.
It was only with Brodie poll axed that the dog was recoverd by St John's Ambulance representatives I believe.
The game restarted with a drop ball and it was something of a disappointment that the dog was by now AWOL.
Boris
says...
1:39am Tue 14 Feb 12
Supporters like you are legends, almost as much as our great players and managers.
I missed that Leeds match in 1971 as I lived abroad at the time, but I was present for some other notable games, such as the draw with Ipswich Town in 1957 when Benny Fenton's penalty was saved and ITFC were promoted instead of us. If Benny had scored, it could have been him leading CUFC into Division 1 and on to the title, and then he might have managed England to win the World Cup.
Boris
says...
1:59am Tue 14 Feb 12
aU'Ssie
says...
3:25am Tue 14 Feb 12
Feisty CBC
says...
3:35am Tue 14 Feb 12
Used to be able to buy a programme for 10p in the mid-seventies when my Dad started taking us regularly. I used to love half-time as Dad would bring out the sandwiches and the flask. Would offer them all around to the other kids nearby thus shaming other families lol.
Cuthbert
says...
8:28am Tue 14 Feb 12
Boris wrote:No problem Boris. It's always good to read personal accounts.
Sorry Cuthbert, my rambling bit at the end simply repeats what you said much more briefly at the start of this thread.
U's fan
says...
8:58am Tue 14 Feb 12
Sparkfilms
says...
9:03am Tue 14 Feb 12
A pleasure to meet you too, and in such a great cause!
For Aussie,
It wasn't me that everyone waited for, all I had were cuts and bruises from a few blows. The person we waited for was Trevor Cole who had downed a bottle of whisky on the journey up.
Trevor rolled a fair way down the terrace in the snow at the Grimsby end and sustained a broken leg.
He was laying on a trolley at the hospital and kept wailing 'Oh, my ******* leg' over and over again.
Didn't we lay Trevor across the back seat on the return journey?
I clearly remember sitting in casualty as we waited to be seen and this lad came in with his mother.
He had a saucepan stuck on his head!
I'm not sure if they ever got it off.
Perhaps he later got married in it.
If my memory serves me right we called ourselves the 'Grimsby 27' - that's how many of us were Colchester United crazy back then.
( Or was it 37? ).
It must have been the Dick Graham magic rubbing off on us all.
For Feisty,
I have a rough cut of an entire new film that I was hoping to show at some stage. The cine footage is included in that.
For everyone,
Another little Layer Road story.
I think it was around 1970. I had a really bad bout of flu and had been confined to bed for 2 or 3 days.
It was Tuesday night and the U's were at home to Scunthorpe. Despite having a fever I got out of bed, put on my clothes over pyjamas, came down stairs and told my parents that I was going to Layer Road.
They attempted to restrain me, even trying to pull me back by the arm.
I ran out of our house in Margaret Road and with a reserve of energy only a U's match could generate, jogged all the way to the ground and made it to my bar side position.
Am I the only fan to attend Layer Road in pyjamas?
We won 2-0. Crawford scored both.
The PA announcer said - 'The Scunthorpe Scubstitute is....' - can't remember his name but it's a great cure for flu.
Anyway after the match I jogged all the way back home and my parents were livid with me, but relieved that I had made it back.
I recovered fully by lunchtime the next day - my parents were amazed.
Including Scunthorpe, I saw every single night game at Layer Road for around 15 seasons.
And so to Shepherd's Bush.
As our coach made it's way towards the ground we had a funeral car behind. We were taunting the driver and his assistant from the back seat of the coach by holding up centre folds from **** magazines - when I say 'we' I actually mean Roger Ennew - Roger had a zaney sense of humour and even a coffin was a cue for laughter.
Roger won the day as the driver and his assistant began to laugh!
I would live every single moment again if I could.
The Layer Road end in 1968 was the best thing I had discovered at that stage of my life.
School kids from Monkwick, St Helena, Wilson Marriage, The Gilberd, The Girls High School, East Ward and pretty much every school in the area as we all bounced up and down together on the boards - along with the police who were caught up in it all.
The modern day fan has to put up with plastic seats on concrete steps and being under the watchful eye of CCTV - we were the lucky ones.
Derek Drew
says...
10:36am Tue 14 Feb 12
"The best team on the day won" he said, with impressive dignity.
In contrast to Jack Charlton's invitation to comment - unprintable even in this company!
As a man, Dick Graham is one of my all-time greats and it's good to know he's still with us.
Sparkfilms
says...
1:40pm Tue 14 Feb 12
This is where I first caught a glimpse of the famous 'Fenland missile thrower'.
'She' was a woman in her 40's dressed in a head scarf who used to stand in the corner at the Posh end on the open terrace.
Her speciality was to throw a turnip at visiting players as they took a corner.
Micky Brown caught an extra large turnip on the side of the head and handed it to a policeman.
By all accounts several 'turnip trophies' made their way onto the player's coach after a 1-0 victory.
At The Den they didn't bother much with turnips - bricks and the occasional hand grenade were more the order of the day.
Poor Chic Brodie was on the receiving end of such missiles, and another unfortunate incident came for the Brentford keeper while playing for Margate at Hereford when he was trampled on by a run away bull.
Things didn't improve much for Brodie after the match when the ceiling collapsed on top of him in the away dressing room.
The modern game would be far more entertaining if it embraced turnips and animals.
Feisty CBC
says...
11:48pm Tue 14 Feb 12
Sparkfilms
says...
10:10am Wed 15 Feb 12
Here are the teams from 31st January, 1968 ( F.A . Cup 3rd Round Replay ) from taken from the programme West Bromich Albion v Colchester United.
ALBION
1 JOHN OSBORNE
2 EDDIE COLQUHOUN
3 GRAHAM WILLIAMS
4 TONY BROWN
5 JOHN TALBUT
6 DOUGLAS FRASER
7 GRAHAM LOVETT
8 JOHN KAYE
9 JEFF ASTLE
10 BOBBY HOPE
11 CLIVE CLARK
Top 6 positions in Division 1 were -
MANCHESTER UNITED
LIVERPOOL
LEEDS UNITED
MANCHESTER CITY
EVERTON
WEST BROMICH ALBION
The Colchester United line up was -
1 ERNIE ADAMS
2 DENIS MOCHAN
3 BRIAN HALL
4 DEREK TREVIS
5 DUNCAN FORBES
6 BOBBY BLACKWOOD
7 TERRY PRICE
8 JOHN MANSFIELD
9 REG STRATTON
10 TOM McKECHNIE
11 JOHN MARTIN
And so to Goodison - Saturday, 6th March 1971
EVERTON
Manager, Harry Catterick
1 GORDON WEST
2 TOMMY WRIGHT
3 HENRY NEWTON
4 HOWARD KENDALL
5 ROGER KENYON
6 COLIN HARVEY
7 JIMMY HUSBAND
8 ALAN BALL
9 JOE ROYAL
10 JOHN HURST
11 JOHNNY MORRISEY
( That was some team! ).
COLCHESTER UNITED
Manager, Dick Graham
1 GRAHAM SMITH
2 BOBBY CRAM
3 BRIAN HALL
4 JOHN GILCHRIST
5 BRIAN GARVEY
6 JOHN KURILA
7 BRIAN LEWIS
8 DAVE SIMMONS
9 RAY CRAWFORD
10 MICK MAHON
11 BRIAN GIBBS
Referee - none other than the great Jack Taylor no less!
Please note who played again for Colchester United at No. 3 - To this day I have not seen a finer left back play for us ( and Brian Hall came down from Mansfield as a left winger ).
Sparkfilms
says...
2:50pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Our players on that occasion gave a great display and it is they who must take full credit for earning the right to present this match here today.
Also, against Rochdale the team was inspired by a wonderful crowd and I personally wish to thank all of our supporters for their terrific encouragement.
This season our players have been 'United' in every sense both on and off the field. There is a wonderful team spirit, they work very hard in training and practice, and certainly work hard for each other in matches.
Today is their day and I'm sure Colchester will be proud of them'.
DICK GRAHAM,
MATCH PROGRAMME V LEEDS UNITED.
Sparkfilms
says...
3:00pm Wed 15 Feb 12
'Go to it U's, the soccer eyes of England are on you...and there's more history to be made.'
Sparkfilms
says...
3:11pm Wed 15 Feb 12
'Lads - you can do it!
Supporters - shout them home, this is your day, make it a noisy one!'
Sparkfilms
says...
5:43pm Wed 15 Feb 12
A gentleman told me that when Reg Stratton scored against West Bromich Albion in '67 that he jumped at least a foot into the air - nothing that unusual you may think, apart from the fact that he was perched in a tree at the time and fell through a greenhouse in the garden behind.
Several lads without tickets for the Leeds match admitted to creeping into Layer Road at 7am stocked up with a flask and sandwiches and hid in the groundsman's shed until around 12.30.
While doing some building work at the ground in the 1960's an employee of Hill's found about 100 empty wallets in the corner behind Terrace 4. It would seem to have been the dumping ground for the same pick pocket.
Another worker, discovered accounts books and notes from AGM's for Colchester Town under the main stand which I believe found their way to Hal Mason.
Several of our elder statesmen could recall the Layer Road end being just a hedge - they were relating to around 1930 when they were around 8 years old.
An Anglian television cameraman explained how after dropping something he got his arm wedged between scaffold poles in the gantry contraption at the open end for at least 20 minutes of the second half of a televised match against Coventry City in the 1960's.
A BBC cameraman explained how a gust of wind blew his hat, clip board, notes, and sandwich box onto the pitch from the roof above the main stand during an evening match.
And something that I witnessed at a London Midweek League match in the early 70's - the linesman on the barside wrestled to the ground by a disgruntled fan who attempted to put the flag up the linesman's back side.
To be fair, the linesman had been warned about this for at least 20 minutes, turning round on several occasions as the fan moved from the back of the stand a few steps at a time - until he pounced! And with great effect if I may say.
Sparkfilms
says...
6:16pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Dean Windass.
Came towards the player's entrance in an inverted baseball cap, eating a burger with headset playing.
Was turned away by a steward who thought he was a fan.
Windass asked the Steward to verify who he was through Hull City players and officials - who confirmed he must be a fan.
And just before I go off on a dog walk.
A Colchester player drinks the bar dry after a match, stumbles out into Layer Road, is run over by a bus, gets up covered in blood, urinates in the middle of the road, and is later seen walking in his underpants in Drury Road pushing a supermarket trolley loaded with parking cones.
Top stuff.
x
6079 Smith W
says...
7:12pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Boris wrote:Wow, that is some supposition. If my dad had been Prince Philip, and my mum was a German called Liz, I might be the next King of England!
Sparkfilms, it was brilliant to read those memories, and it was a pleasure to meet you face to face about 10 days ago in Long Wyre Street.
Supporters like you are legends, almost as much as our great players and managers.
I missed that Leeds match in 1971 as I lived abroad at the time, but I was present for some other notable games, such as the draw with Ipswich Town in 1957 when Benny Fenton's penalty was saved and ITFC were promoted instead of us. If Benny had scored, it could have been him leading CUFC into Division 1 and on to the title, and then he might have managed England to win the World Cup.
6079 Smith W
says...
7:18pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Feisty CBC wrote:In full agreement, Feisty. As someone who was just 18 months old at the time, it's been really great hearing the stories from Sparky, Nora, etc. Was actually very complimented that Sparky put high on his best memories list that cup win at the beloved New Writtle Street ground in 67. My mighty Clarets must have fancied their chances that day, having put paid to Ron Atkinson's Oxford (that season's 3rd division champions) in the previous round.
loved the stories on this thread, keep them coming :)
Sparkfilms
says...
9:06pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Chelmsford City gave Colchester a very hard game in that cup tie which was only really sealed with a late diving header by Reg Stratton from a left wing cross by Johnny Martyn.
Up until that moment City were pushing for an equaliser and really deserved a replay.
Colchester fans were very much hoping The Clarets would see off Oxford in Round One, which they eventually did at Griffin Park ( I think ) in a second replay after draws at Chelmsford and Oxford.
Colchester had a long journey down to Torquay in the First Round that was postboned due to snow.
In the re-arranged match the U's managed to force a replay after a 1-1 draw.
Colchester beat Torquay in that Layer Road replay 2-1.
I remember an Essex Professional Cup Final at New Writtle Street when Chelmsford came out 3-1 winners against the U's in front of over 6,000 fans.
Both Layer Road and New Writtle Street are very much missed by U's fans and those that follow The Clarets.
I hope Chelmsford City make it into the league one day - I always liked what that club was about - with a truly dedicated fan base.
6079 Smith W
says...
6:17pm Thu 16 Feb 12
Sparkfilms wrote:Cheers Sparky. You are quite right, City eventually saw off Oxford at Griffin Park, and are the only non-league team ever to win an FA Cup tie at that venue. Tony Butcher scored the only goal of the game after about eleven seconds, and the vast majority of City fans missed the goal due to traffic delays. It was a surprisingly low scoring affair considering both the original match at New Writtle Street, and the first replay at Oxford finished 3-3. Yes, obviously I dream of making the league one day, but we've now had 30 odd years of chasing the Conference, which hopefully we will finally make come May!
New Writtle Street was a lovely ground and I very much enjoyed the odd Southern League match there.
Chelmsford City gave Colchester a very hard game in that cup tie which was only really sealed with a late diving header by Reg Stratton from a left wing cross by Johnny Martyn.
Up until that moment City were pushing for an equaliser and really deserved a replay.
Colchester fans were very much hoping The Clarets would see off Oxford in Round One, which they eventually did at Griffin Park ( I think ) in a second replay after draws at Chelmsford and Oxford.
Colchester had a long journey down to Torquay in the First Round that was postboned due to snow.
In the re-arranged match the U's managed to force a replay after a 1-1 draw.
Colchester beat Torquay in that Layer Road replay 2-1.
I remember an Essex Professional Cup Final at New Writtle Street when Chelmsford came out 3-1 winners against the U's in front of over 6,000 fans.
Both Layer Road and New Writtle Street are very much missed by U's fans and those that follow The Clarets.
I hope Chelmsford City make it into the league one day - I always liked what that club was about - with a truly dedicated fan base.
DenverKing
says...
9:22pm Thu 16 Feb 12
6079 Smith W
says...
4:13pm Sat 18 Feb 12
A day to remember: Dick Graham urges his Colchester United side on during their memorable 3-2 triumph over Leeds United on February 13, 1971.
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Cuthbert says...
9:46am Mon 13 Feb 12
Maybe it would have been all so different if they'd got promotion instead of Ipswich, in that crucial season of 1956-7.