Jimmy will never forget the Bald Eagle’s Blast
Colchester United face one of their biggest games for years when they travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The League Two side play Manchester United in the quarter-final of the League Cup.
It’s the first time The U’s have reached this stage of the competition since 1974.
Back then, they were managed by Jim “Bald Eagle” Smith, who sadly died at the age of 79 last week.
They played Aston Villa at Layer Road, a side managed by Ron Saunders, who passed away last Saturday.
It’s a tribute to the Colchester side of 45 years ago that going behind to a goal by Alan Little in the 28th minute was the first time they’d conceded in seven hours and 58 minutes.
Former United midfielder Jimmy Lindsay believes their determination to keep clean sheets showed the character of their manager,
He said: “Smithy signed me from Watford and I quickly found that he was an old-school manager that didn’t take kindly to defeat.
“He would take part in five-a-side games after training – and they never finished until his side was winning.
“I can’t say he was the greatest player, certainly not as good as our coach, Bobby Roberts.
“I’d grown up watching Bobby playing for Motherwell with the likes of Ian St John, and he was a real class act.
“Jim’s organisational skills meant we had a decent defence at Colchester. They weren’t the quickest players in the game but they all knew what was expected of them.”
Colchester lost out 2-1 to Villa, with the Midlands side going on to lift the League Cup at Wembley by defeating Norwich City.
Jimmy wonders if things might have worked out differently if he’d converted an opening in the quarter-final.
He went on: “I had a great chance during the game but couldn’t put it in the net from eight yards out.
“It was a shame because it was a home tie and that gave us a chance against Villa, who were a division above us.
“I didn’t really score that many goals during my career, although I’d started the League Cup run by hitting the net from the penalty spot in the First Round against Oxford United.”
Jim Smith didn’t read the riot act with Jimmy for failing to score, but he gave the entire team both barrels later that season.
“We were knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Leatherhead,” recalls Jimmy.
“We lost 1-0 at their place and Smithy had us straight on the team bus afterwards.
“He gave us a right rollicking.”
Smith left Colchester at the end of the campaign to take over at Blackburn Rovers.
Jimmy, now 70, was also on his way after one season and 52 appearances at Colchester.
He said: “John Sillett paid money to sign me for Hereford United. We won the Third Division but went straight back down.
“I then signed for Shrewsbury and again picked up a Third Division winners’ medal.
“I spent four years with the club before retiring and becoming a publican.
“Like lots of the lads who signed for Shrewsbury, I decided to settle in the area.”
It’s probably not too surprising that Jimmy elected not to return to his native Scotland.
He’d been away since joining West Ham as a 16-year-old in 1966. There were 45 first-team appearances over three years but his time was blighted by two broken legs.
The second injury was unfortunate because it happened after falling through a corrugated roof while retrieving a football.
He said: “West Ham had just won the World Cup when I joined!
“I played with Moore, Hurst and Peters. “They were great players, but we still had a pretty poor team.”