Rant about football

Finally I’ve reached the season in which I was born, although I hardly have clear memories of it, so am relying on the history books as with the other years in this series. It opened with an odd Charity Shield, played out between Man City, who were the holders of the trophy, and Burnley, who as 2nd Division champions were invited to play the holders.

1973-74 was something of a landmark year in the First Division, with Don Revie marking his last season as Leeds United’s manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with England having surprisingly failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup. Despite setting a record of 28 games unbeaten from the start of the season, Revie’s conquering side had a two-horse race with Liverpool pretty much all season. Leeds came out on top in the end, taking the title for the second time in their history by a comfortable margin of five points, a lot in the days of two points for a win.

Newly promoted Burnley adapted to life back in the top flight well, finishing in sixth place. Manchester United were relegated – that’s right, relegated – from the First Division a mere six years after having won the European Cup. At the end of a harrowing season which had seen goalkeeper Alex Stepney as joint top scorer, with two goals, going into Christmas, their 36-year stint in the top flight finally came to an end with a 1-0 home defeat against Manchester City in the last game of the season. Ironically – poetically some would say – former United striker Denis Law scored City’s winning goal with a cheeky backheel. Although Law’s goal has gone down in folklore as the goal that relegated Man Utd, Birmingham City’s win on that same afternoon would have sent them down even if they had beaten City. Despite this, the board kept faith in manager Tommy Docherty as the man to regain the club’s top flight place. This was the first season in which the League introduced three relegation places from the top division. Joining United in the Second Division were Norwich City and Southampton.

Down in the Second Division, former Leeds player Jack Charlton had a fine debut in management by guiding Middlesbrough to the Second Division title and a place in the First Division. Luton Town ended up Second in the table, finishing a whopping 15 points behind the runaway champions. Third-placed Carlisle United, managed by Alan Ashman who won the FA Cup with West Bromwich Albion in 1968, gained a place in the First Division for the first, and so far only, time in their history, completing a swift ascent from the Fourth Division to the First Division. Crystal Palace, Preston North End and Swindon Town were all relegated.

In the Third Division, promotion was secured by champions Oldham Athletic, Bristol Rovers and York City, which at the time represented York’s highest ever League finish. Cambridge United, Shrewsbury Town, Southport and Rochdale were all relegated. As for the Fourth Division, Peterborough United won the title and were promoted along with Gillingham, Colchester United and Bury. The league’s re-election system voted in favour of the bottom four league clubs and there were no departures or arrivals in the league in 1974 as had happened the previous year.

Surprises in the early rounds of the FA Cup included a First Round defeat for Exeter City by Alvechurch F.C. and a 4 – 0 Second Round replay win for a Walton & Hersham team that included a young Dave Bassett over a Brighton & Hove Albion side then managed by Brian Clough. One of the most one-sided FA Cup Finals ever was won by Liverpool, who beat Newcastle United 3 – 0 thanks to two goals from future Magpies favourite Kevin Keegan and one from Steve Heighway. Burnley beat Leicester City 1-0 at Filbert Street in the competition’s fifth and final third-place playoff, held five days after the final.

Bill McGarry’s Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Manchester City 2-1 in the final of the League Cup, with Kenny Hibbitt and John Richards getting the Wolves goals and Colin Bell replying for City. It was a first-ever League Cup win for the Wolves, and their first major trophy since the Stan Cullis era more than a decade earlier.

In Europe, Tottenham Hotspur reached the UEFA Cup Final as they had done two years earlier, but lost this one 4-2 on aggregate to Feyenoord.