Gannin’ along the St James’s pitch to get the game abandoned…

 

Newcastle United 4 Forest 3

FA Cup 6^th Round, St James's Park, Saturday 9th March 1974, 52,551

 

Allan Brown’s tenure as Forest manager is mainly recalled by Reds fans these days in terms of his sacking paving the way for the arrival of Brian Clough. While his time in charge is generally viewed as uninspiring, it is perhaps a little harsh that he is sometimes prominent in lists of the worst ever Forest managers, especially given how competitive that particular field is. While he never looked like taking us back up into the top flight, he led us to the fringes of the promotion race and, as has been mentioned elsewhere in these pages, the first proper cup run of my time as a supporter. The week after thrashing Manchester City we had handed out a 5-1 hiding to Jack Charlton’s Middlesbrough team, who would finish the season as Division Two champions by a runaway 15-point margin, so the Brown era wasn’t without its memorable moments. 

Now Brown’s men had overcome Portsmouth in a tense 5^th Round tie and earned themselves a trip to St James’s Park in the quarter-final. Until this campaign our lack of progress in the FA Cup meant that the famous 1967 quarter-final win against Everton was my reference point when it came to success in the competition, even though I hadn’t been there myself. Now we could once again allow ourselves a rare dream of cup glory.

 

While Newcastle were clearly hot favourites to clinch a place in the last four, their neighbours Sunderland had been in the Second Division when they won the Cup the previous season, so why couldn’t we emulate them? These days, the tie would be described as a “free hit” for the team from the lower division. At the time the talk was probably more of having “nothing to lose” and the Cup being “a great leveller”. Either way, we’d have the freedom to go out and play with no pressure on us and there’d be no significant consequences if we lost. Or so we thought…

 

A huge Reds following - usually estimated at between 12,000 and 14,000 in a crowd of more than 52,000 – headed up the A1 for what was billed in the press as the Battle of the Supermacs. The powerful and pacey Malcolm Macdonald was the latest in the long line of number nines hero-worshipped on Tyneside, while the skilful if unpredictable Duncan McKenzie was having a prolific season for Forest. There was never any question of the three of us being part of the Red invasion of Newcastle, so Dad, Robin and I would have to follow the action on Radio Nottingham.

 

These were the days before full match commentaries, so fans had to make do with live reports every ten minutes or so, hoping all the while that the music played in between would be interrupted by the tantalising announcement that there was “goal action at…” one of the grounds the three Nottinghamshire teams were playing at. The Forest correspondent in those days was probably Mick Wormald, who formed a triumvirate of familiar voices with Colin “Mr Notts County” Slater, who would cover Notts for several more decades, and Stan Searl at Mansfield, another long-serving reporter, who sounded like your great grandad but would have only been in his fifties then.

 

Given how excited I’d been at the prospect of the tie in the days leading up to it, it seems hard to imagine that I almost forgot about it on the day. Ten-year-old boys aren’t known for the length of their attention span at the best of times, but if there was one activity in particular that could cause all concept of time to disappear it was playing football on the street. Fortunately, I suddenly remembered the game, hastily made my excuses to the neighbouring kids and rushed indoors at almost exactly the moment Ian Bowyer gave us a second minute lead. Thanks to YouTube, we can take up the story through ITV’s coverage of the game, which we would have seen the next day, still scarcely believing what had happened.

 

First of all, for those who care about such things, Forest are wearing the right socks. This is the season in which, apparently influenced by Manchester United, our socks are black, an abomination every bit as pointless, unwanted and un-Forest as the black bits that would be inflicted on a couple of our mid-90s shirts. But because Newcastle’s socks are – more reasonably - black, on this occasion ours are red and thus complement rather than clash with our blood-red shirts (bare apart from the now-famous tree badge, which was introduced earlier in the season) and plain white shorts. The crowd are packed tightly into St James’s Park and, as is apparent from the mix of red-and-white and black-and-white scarves visible on the open Gallowgate End terrace behind Jim Barron, there is no segregation.

 

Liam O’Kane (referred to throughout as “Billy” by commentator Hugh Johns for no obvious reason) launches the attack down the right. Martin O’Neill lofts a hopeful ball into the Newcastle box, keeper Iam McFaul and a covering defender both hesitate, leaving Bowyer to head past McFaul when he finally leaves his line. On 26 minutes, Tommy Craig equalises with a left-foot shot from ten yards after Forest fail to deal with a corner and Newcastle briefly look threatening. But soon Forest take over and, when Duncan McKenzie is chopped by Bobby Moncur on the edge of the penalty area, the free-kick is tapped to Bowyer, whose shot forces McFaul into a sprawling save. Then, two minutes before the break, a glorious flowing one- and two-touch move involving John Winfield, George Lyall, Neil Martin and John Robertson ends with Lyall dispossessed in the area at the expense of a corner. Lyall takes it from the left, McKenzie’s headed flick from the near post causes panic in the home defence and the ball is only half-cleared. “Billy” O’Kane has never scored a first-team goal, but for some reason the Reds’ right back is on hand 12 yards out to smash a left-footed drive into the roof the net.

 

The second half highlights begin with Bowyer nodding on Robertson’s lofted ball, Moncur mis-hitting the ball into the area and Pat Howard clumsily barging McKenzie over from behind for as obvious a penalty as you will ever see. McKenzie is clearly confident in Lyall’s ability from the spot as he immediately raises an arm and smiles as if celebrating a goal, but the kick is delayed by Howard haranguing referee Gordon Kew. He talks himself into a booking, but doesn’t stop there, continuing his tirade despite the efforts of future Reds legend Frank Clark to calm him down. Either the continual torrent of abuse or the language used is too much for referee Kew, who sends Howard off. Remarkably, in a show of sportsmanship that was rare then and would be un-heard of now, Martin appears to appeal for Kew to reconsider his decision, but Kew points the way to the dressing room and Howard finally departs.

 

McKenzie’s faith is rewarded as Lyall fires the penalty beyond McFaul into the corner of the net. A good half of the crowd on the terrace behind McFaul erupts in celebration and Lyall escapes the hugs of his team-mates to blow a kiss towards them. We are now in total control - 3-1 up against ten men with just over half an hour to play. A single disgruntled Newcastle fan is escorted off the pitch, but, as Sammy Chapman blocks a John Tudor shot for a corner, it is apparent that several fans at the Leazes End are on the pitch side of the advertising hoardings. As the corner comes over a missile is seen flying onto the pitch from behind the goal and when the ball is cleared to the touchline it is apparent that some of the home “support” have also seen fit to throw whatever they had to hand onto the pitch.

 

Johns describes police reinforcements hastening to the Leazes End, where he thinks a fight has broken out and as he describes one person running onto the pitch, hundreds of Newcastle followers burst through the flimsy police cordon. Their clear intent is to stop the game and to get at the celebrating Forest fans, and Johns declares, “This is what they wanted to do all the time”, adding, “…a terribly dangerous moment for the players themselves now.” Kew has no alternative but to stop the game and take the players off. As the stunned Forest players leave the pitch, Bowyer appears to be consoling Dave Serella and it is later revealed that Serella was punched by one of the thugs. Not all of the invaders match the football hooligan stereotype – a couple of decidedly rotund middle-aged men are shown being bundled off the pitch.

 

After ten minutes the situation is deemed to have calmed sufficiently for the game to continue, manager Brown agreeing to the resumption perhaps in fear of the consequences of refusing. Forest’s momentum has gone and our players are understandably apprehensive, no doubt fearful of further incursions if the game continues to go their way. In the tense, crackling atmosphere Newcastle have nothing to lose and go on the attack. Terry Hibbitt swings in a corner, Barron claims the ball comfortably and Kew awards a penalty. “Well, there’s a turn-up for the book!”, exclaims Johns, before suggesting, not altogether convincingly, that the spot kick has been awarded for a push by Chapman. There is no appeal from the Newcastle players and Chapman is not the only Reds player to look utterly bemused.

 

Terry McDermott sends Barron the wrong way and suddenly the result is in doubt, with the margin now a single goal and a little over twenty minutes to play. Now Newcastle are breaking with the kind of speed and purpose Forest had shown before the pitch invasion. Hibbitt beats Lyall, finds space on the left and crosses for the unmarked Tudor to equalise with a brilliant diving header. A few fans are on the pitch again, this time celebrating with the players. It is almost inevitable that the Geordies will score again and, with a minute to play, they do. Tudor drives a cross-shot in from the right and Macdonald heads the ball across the six yard line for Moncur to volley home. The final whistle goes and both sets of players sprint off as, yet again, hundreds of fans come onto the pitch.

 

 

Even at the age of ten I fully understood that this wasn’t the usual “we wuz robbed” game, where a dodgy decision or two would cost your team a game, but within a couple of days you’d all but forgotten about it and in the next match your team might get the benefit of someone else’s being robbed. This was one that would live long in the memory, be recalled in discussions of great footballing (well, Forest) injustices and create a strong lifelong aversion to the club that benefited from the hooliganism of its fans and the incompetence of the football authorities. It would be naïve to pretend the more meatheaded of our own fans would have been entirely innocent in the numerous skirmishes that apparently broke out in and around St James’s Park that day. But outbreaks of violence among idiots attaching themselves to football clubs were common in those days. Invading the pitch by the hundred to get a game stopped was something altogether different.

 

Unsurprisingly, Forest appealed against the result being allowed to stand, the Geordies’ comeback clearly having only occurred as a result of the pitch invasion having unsettled our players and fired up Newcastle’s. The FA duly launched an inquiry and we awaited their decision, keen to discover how Newcastle would be punished for the outrageous behaviour of a significant number of their followers. Would they be thrown out of the competition? Heavily fined? Made to play a number of matches behind closed doors? No, but they would jolly well have to replay the match. Not the last thirty minutes, starting with the score at 3-1 to Forest. The whole match, starting at 0-0. There - that would teach them a lesson…

 

Astonishingly, a lot of people in the north-east thought (and some still do) that this was an unfair decision, as if Newcastle had won the tie fairly and squarely with no outside influence affecting the outcome. Regardless of the lack of punishment for the club “supported” by the hundreds of pitch invaders, this was harsh on Forest, as we certainly had a case for having the tie awarded in our favour, but at least a replay would mean we had home advantage. Or so we thought. But, unbelievably, the FA announced that this replay would be held at a neutral ground, Everton’s Goodison Park. Apparently, this was in case Forest fans chose to take similar action if we were to find ourselves losing. By this logic, if you’re ever unfortunate enough to be mugged you can presumably be expected to be arrested alongside your assailant, on the off-chance that you might mug him in return.

 

So, nine days later, a crowd of 40,000 headed to Goodison Park, where the teams played out a tense goalless draw. Now, at last, Forest would get a chance to see justice done with a win on home turf. But no – incredibly, the FA hadn’t yet finished punishing Forest for the Newcastle fans’ behaviour and decreed that the third game would also be at Goodison Park, three days later.

 

This time, fewer supporters were able to get the time off from work (or play nick from school), but the game still attracted more than 31,000. When Newcastle opened the scoring with a typical burst down the middle and finish from Macdonald, it proved to be the only goal of the game, but only because yet another unfathomable decision went against Forest. Bowyer fired home a free kick from just outside the box, but the goal was ruled out because Paul Richardson had made a dummy run over the ball before Bowyer played it. In other words, he did what countless players have done before and since without anybody batting an eyelid, but on this occasion he was punished for “ungentlemanly conduct”. Newcastle, of course, had not been punished for the considerably less than gentlemanly conduct of their fans. Now it was our fans' turn to see their team losing in an important cup tie and on the wrong side of a refereeing decision, but somehow it didn't occur to them to invade the pitch and stop the game, despite the recent precedent of the FA favouring a team if their fans did just that.

 

There was much speculation as to why Newcastle got off so lightly, but it was not lost on Forest fans that the Newcastle chairman was Lord Westwood, who had been made President of the Football League that year and would go on to be vice-chairman of the FA. He might or might not have had some influence on the decision, but you’d be hard pressed to find a Reds supporter of the time who didn’t believe his presence among the game’s senior administrators played a part in the FA’s spineless refusal to take meaningful action against his club.

 

By way of comparison, a few weeks later, when Denis Law’s famous back-heeled goal in the Manchester derby went a long way to confirming Manchester United’s relegation, large numbers of United followers invaded the pitch and got the game stopped. The players were duly taken off, but the game never restarted – and the 2-0 scoreline was subsequently allowed to stand. I never heard an explanation as to why the authorities punished one club but not another for exactly the same offence, so I can only assume that no Manchester United officials were highly enough placed in the game’s governing bodies to have an influence on the decision.

 

So our cup adventure was over in the most controversial of circumstances, but our interest in the competition was far from over. Thanks to two Macdonald goals Newcastle beat Burnley in the semi-final to earn a Wembley date with Liverpool, so the majority of football fans in Nottingham became ardent Liverpool fans for the day. To our relief and delight, two-goal Kevin Keegan inspired his team (including former Red Peter Cormack) to a 3-0 thumping in a final so one-sided you might say Newcastle were lucky to get nil. With the momentum of our cup run and the scintillating form of McKenzie in arguably the best season of his career, we would have fancied ourselves to beat Burnley. Then, in all honesty, we too would have been no match for Liverpool, but at least we would have had our day in the sun.

 

The whole farce was, of course, not the fault of Newcastle United as a club, but it engendered a strong dislike of them that lasts to this day among a large portion of the Forest fan base. Perhaps their reputation was restored a little when thousands of Geordies came to support Stuart Pearce’s testimonial against Keegan’s side in May 1996 (to his credit, Keegan impressed upon his players that they should not consider their season finished until they had paid tribute to Psycho). But these feelings die hard in football folk and whenever we’re told what passionate, loyal supporters Newcastle have Reds fans are taken right back to the injustices of 1974. Little did we know that just four years later they would be relegated while we ran away with the League championship.

 

So Forest added yet another first to our long list of distinctions, becoming the first club to play the same opponents three times in a cup tie without playing at home.* But historical curiosities were the last thing on our minds at the time. Sometimes you just know that you’re not destined to win and all you’re left with is a moral victory - and an entry for your own personal collection of "we wuz robbed" moments.

9th March:

Forest: Barron, O’Kane, Winfield, Chapman, Serella, Robertson, McKenzie, Lyall, Martin, O’Neill, Bowyer.

Newcastle: McFaul, Craig (Kennedy), Clark, McDermott, Howard, Moncur, Barrowclough, Smith, Macdonald, Tudor, Hibbitt.

 

 

18th March:

Forest: Barron, O’Kane, Winfield, Chapman, Serella, Richardson, McKenzie, Lyall, Martin, Robertson, Bowyer.

Newcastle: McFaul, Clark, Kennedy, McDermott, Howard, Moncur, Barrowclough, Smith, Macdonald, Tudor, Hibbitt.

 

 

21st March:

Forest: Barron, O’Kane, Winfield, Chapman, Serella, Richardson, McKenzie, Lyall, Martin, O’Neill, Bowyer.

Newcastle: McFaul, Craig, Kennedy, McDermott, Clark, Moncur, Cassidy, Smith, Macdonald, Tudor, Hibbitt.

 

* Curiously, in 1921 we had also contrived to play two Cup ties against Newcastle without setting foot on the City Ground turf. We were short of money so, having been drawn at home to the Geordies in the 3rd round, we sold the ground rights for a four-figure sum. We drew 1-1 and, as we had been nominally still been the home team, we had to travel back up to the north-east for the replay, which we lost 2-0.