Conroy double helps ‘out of this world’ City to defeat title rivals
INJURY-HIT Stoke produced a Champagne performance to turn over one of their main rivals for the title as a bumper Bank Holiday crowd of almost 46,000 fans packed the Victoria Ground. With Denis Smith, Alan Bloor, Mike Pejic and John Ritchie all sidelined with broken legs, Bob Paisley’s Liverpool kicked off as favourites.
But Stoke, with John Mahoney brilliant alongside the mercurial Alan Hudson in midfield and Alan Dodd and Eric Skeels immaculate at the back, were inspirational in what was widely accepted as their best display of the season.
Stoke dominated from start to finish with two goals from Terry Conroy to leave Waddington purring: “I have always insisted on the skill factor and it was there today in abundance. Our football was out of this world and our overall performance simply magnificent.”
Indeed it was. Waddington’s men could easily have doubled their tally as Mahoney, Jimmy Greenhoff and Geoff Hurst all went close to adding further goals.
Conroy’s double took his tally to seven goals in four games.
He swept the first past Ray Clemence from a 20th-minute
penalty, after Phil
Thompson had fouled Mahoney, and fired his second in the 50th minute, forcing his shot between Tommy Smith and Phil Neal on the line.
There were pre-match fears that Stoke’s lack of height at the back would be exploited by Liverpool, but Dodd marked Ray Kennedy out of the game in the first half and did much the same to substitute John Toshack in the second.
Unfortunately, Stoke’s lengthening injury list took its toll as their title challenge fizzled out in the last three games.
They lost 2-0 at Sheffield United before drawing against Newcastle and Burnley to finish fifth, four points behind champions Derby and just two adrift of runners-up Liverpool.
This game was chosen by Rob Elliott, a partner at Butters John Bee at Festival Park. Rob, aged 43, who lives at Endon, has been a loyal Stoke follower since the early 1970s.
He says: “My first Stoke game was a midweek draw against Spurs in March 1973, but the match that
sticks most in my memory during those early years was against Liverpool. The main reason for this was the massive crowd.
“In those days I went with my dad and we sat in the corner of the Butler Street Stand overlooking the uncovered Stoke End, but for the Liverpool game my mum and sister also came along, which was rare.
“The ground was so full I had to share a seat with my sister.
“In the previous home game Stoke had beaten Carlisle United 5-2 with a Conroy hat-trick. That started an amazing run of scoring for him as I believe he scored nine in five games.
“It was a great season with Stoke in third position with three games to go. If they had won all three they would have won the championship.”
Stoke’s achievements were all the more impressive considering their long list of serious injuries.
It was the brilliance of Hudson along with the assistance of Greenhoff that kept their title challenge going right to the end.
“In the Liverpool game, Conroy continued his run by scoring both goals and he was brilliant on the day. The Liverpool team contained the usual household names, but they were no match for Stoke. “Pejic’s broken leg had
given a young local lad named Danny Bowers a chance in the team.
“I mention Bowers because it was at the Liverpool game I first noticed his habit of hugging the near post whenever the opposition had a corner – I’ve never seen a player before or since do post-hugging to such a degree.”
Defender Alan Dodd says: “We felt invincible and had that bit of arrogance about us, which was the mark of a very good team.
“I know we had a tremendous home record against Liverpool around that time, although we never got much from Anfield. We were so good that you could get away with making little mistakes here and there because other players would cover up for you.
“Playing in the same team as Alan Hudson also made life much easier. If you were in trouble you didn’t have to look for Huddy, he would just appear from nowhere and want the ball. He was in his prime.
“Eric Skeels was also a magnificent servant to Stoke and I don’t know why we haven’t got a statue of the man who holds the club record for the most appearances.
“He was often left out of the side towards the back end of his career, sometimes with no justification, but he never moaned. Eric could play in most positions and was an important part of the club.
“I do remember Danny Bowers coming into the team because of Mike Pejic’s injury. Mike played for England and was one of our most consistent performers, but Danny did so well he looked just as good.”
Striker Jimmy Greenhoff says: “Terry Conroy had a real love for the game and one of his biggest strengths was his unpredictability.
“The opposition didn’t know what he was going to do, and there were many occasions when we didn’t know either.“
He was a matchwinner who did things out of the ordinary. He loved having the ball at his feet and would take people on again and again.
“Beating Liverpool was a great victory, but we had a lot of great victories that season. We had a lot of injuries in the camp, but we had a camaraderie that helped us through.
“We were very close to winning the title and it was a big disappointment not to do so.
“Tony Waddington took it badly and I remember a conversation I had with him a short while after the season ended. He said we didn’t have anyone in the squad who had won the title before and he felt that was a big factor. He thought it might have made all the difference.”
■ Stoke City: Shilton, Marsh, Bowers, Mahoney, Dodd, Skeels, Conroy, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Salmons. Substitute: Haselgrave.
■ Liverpool: Clemence, Smith, Neal, Thompson, Cormack, Hughes, Keegan, Hall, Heighway, Kennedy, Mcdermott. Substitute: Toshack.
■ Attendance: 45,954