Those Were The Days; 20th January 1974

[Les1949]

THOSE WERE THE DAYS
20th January 1974
Middlesex Senior Cup 1st Round Replay

Hampton 2 (Cutler, Cook,p) Staines Town 1 Att; 800

Hampton;-
Chris Page; Ray Ash, Alan Earl, Steve Markham, Peter Minor, Brian Crandley, Micky Cook, Ted Yorke, Roy Cutler, Phil Sperling, Johnny Eales.

Staines Town;-
Graham Yates; G Talbot, R Brown, Dick Barker, Bruce Butler, Goode, Billy Salkeld, Arthur Rowlands, Tim Soutar, Hans Vandenberg, David Lay.
Sub; J Cooley

Sunday, 20th January 1974…the first competitive match at Beveree on a Sunday and it was against their traditional rivals, Staines Town. Crisis times…..three-day working week…..ban on floodlight usage..…power cuts……oh yes, those were definitely the days! Previously the two sides had fought out a 0-0 draw, with extra time. When it came to the replay neither team could field full teams on the Saturday, so the option was a for game on a Sunday, with an 11am kick-off. In those days it was against the Law of the Land to take a ‘gate’ on the traditional day of rest so, instead, the purchase of a programme costing 25p would ensure entry (don’t know if refusal to buy a programme would bar entry to the ground!). As for the game itself, Staines were the better side on the day, but the luck all went Hampton’s way. Page saved a penalty by Billy Salkeld, five minutes later Cutler took advantage of a poor back pass to put Hampton ahead. Prompted by Arthur Rowlands, Staines went for the equaliser, Ash cleared a header from Hans Vandenberg off the line, then Page saved from Tim Soutar who then placed a good shot wide. Eventually the equaliser came from the dangerous Rowlands with a shot that squeezed inside the right-hand post. Ten minutes from time a challenge by Talbot on Eales led to a penalty. Cook took charge and sent Yates the wrong way for a Hampton victory.

The Old Historian