Baggies and Latics in ’70s showdown
WE thank Bugle reader Mike Woodyatt, from Wordsley, Stourbridge, for sharing with us a souvenir from his many years as a Baggies fan.
He has carefully preserved for the last 48 years this copy of Albion News, the matchday programme for fixtures at the Hawthorns. This one dates to November 30, 1974, when Albion took on Oldham Athletic.
The 1974-75 season saw the Albion playing their second term in the Second Division under manager Don Howe, after the club was relegated at the end of the 1972-73 season.
The back page of the programme lists the two teams that day and there were several Hawthorns legends among the starting 11, such Tony “Bomber“Brown, Len Cantello and Albion’s “Bionic Man”, goalkeeper John Osborne – he had a strip of plastic inserted into an arthritic finger in 1972.
Mike Woodyatt was among a crowd of 11,311 at the Hawthorns that Saturday in 1974, and they saw Albion gain a 1–0 win over the visitors, thanks to a goal by Tony Brown.
Over the 1974-75 season the Baggies won 18, drew nine and lost 15 of their 42 League games, scoring 54 goals and conceding 42 for a total of 45 points, eight short of third-placed and promoted Norwich City, and 16 fewer than champions Manchester United – near neighbours Aston Villa were the team promoted in second place.
A 4-0 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday in early March was Albion’s biggest victory; they also beat Notts County 4-1.
Their heaviest set-backs were two 3-0 defeats at Sunderland and at home to Southampton.
Albion were knocked out in the fourth round of the FA Cup, 3–2 by Carlisle United.