Matchday Memories: On This Day 1969 – Cantwell’s CCFC Sort Sluggish Sheffield Wednesday

Neil in the Sky Blue 1970

On this day (8th March) in 1969 the Sky Blues gained a comfortable 3-0 win  over Sheffield Wednesday in front of 30,230 fans at Highfield Road. This proved ample revenge for the reverse, by exactly the same score, they had received at Hillsborough on the opening day of what was to prove to be a very difficult second Division One season.

After four straight league defeats from mid December and going into the game in 21st position Noel Cantwell’s men thought they had turned a corner by now getting their third straight win. Queen’s Park Rangers had been demolished 5-0 at Highfield Rd on February 25th followed up by another encouraging home win on 4th March by 3-1 against Sunderland. Now a victory by three clear goals against the Owls, encouraged Sky Blues fans to flirt with the idea of Division One safety!

George in the Sky Blue

Ernie Hunt in the Sky Blue

On the day, nerves were settled by an eighth minute ‘jack-knife’ header from centre forward Neil Martin (from a Dave Clements cross) followed by a thundering headed second from ‘iron man’ captain George Curtis on nineteen minutes.

Joker in the pack ‘Ernie’ Hunt finished the Wednesday off (after a precocious Trevor Shepherd backheel) in the 61st minute. Future Sky Blue (and CCFPA member) Wilf Smith was in the defeated Owl’s line-up.

The victorious Sky Blues were:-

CCFC’s Manager, Noel Cantwell

Bill Glazier, Mick Coop, Chris Cattlin, Ernie Machin*, George Curtis*, Brian Hill*, Trevor Shepherd, ‘Ernie’ Hunt*, Neil Martin, Willie Carr and Dave Clements.

We are proud to say that every single member of this team later became CCFPA members! *Sadly the two Ernies, Brian and, most recently George, have since passed away.

Jack Marshall‘s Owls lined up as follows:-

Peter Springett, Wilf Smith, Ken Burton, Gerry Young, Vic Mobley, Graham Pugh (sub. Ian Branfoot), Archie Irvine, Jim McCalliog, John Ritchie, Johnny Fantham and David Ford     Referee:- Norman Burtenshaw

CCFC 1968-69

In the event, City finished the season with three successive late April draws against Wolverhampton Wanderers (1-1 at Molineux), 1-1 against Nottingham Forest at Highfield Road and another home 1-1 draw against Liverpool on the last day of the season. This meant that they stayed up in twentieth place one point clear of the drop (above relegated clubs Leicester City and Queen’s Park Rangers)!

The Owls eventually finish fifteenth. Leeds United took the Division One title by six points from Liverpool.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.