Matchday Memories: On This Day 1973 – Town Hit By Super Sky Blue Scots’ Success

On this day (31st March) in 1973 the Sky Blues had a managerial partnership in Joe Mercer and Gordon Milne (now a CCFPA member). Today’s Division One game was at Highfield Road against rivals Ipswich Town from East Anglia who had beaten us by two clear goals back in December at Portman Road.

A crowd of 17,130 saw a much improved Sky Blue performance and a revenge win for the home team by the odd goal in three. A trio of Sky Blue Scots had a lot to say about the final outcome!

Brian Alderson scored the Sky Blues first on 36 minutes with a fierce shot which took a deflection of Town’s Kevin Beattie after Brian’s fellow Scot Colin Stein headed down a cross from another man hailing from north of the border Tommy Hutchison (who was back to his best).

Brian Alderson in the Sky Blue

Sky Blue Colin Stein

It was  advantage Sky Blues at half-time, but that man Kevin Beattie equalised for the away side on 53 minutes with a free kick.

It looked likely the game would end in stalemate until four minutes before the end Colin grabbed the winner with a neat header from a cross by Chris Cattlin.  The Tractor Boys, managed by Bobby Robson saw their European hopes dented with this defeat.

The ‘M men’s’ Sky Blues team that day comprised:-

Gordon Joe & Eddie Plumley signing Tommy Hutchison 1972

Neil Ramsbottom, Mick Coop, Chris Cattlin, Mick McGuire (sub. Wilf Smith), Roy Barry, Alan Dugdale, Dennis Mortimer, the late Brian Alderson,  Colin Stein, Willie Carr and Tommy Hutchison

We are delighted that all except Brian (who died at a tragically early age) later went on to join this Association!

Bobby Robson‘s Tractor Boys’ team lined up as follows:-

David Best, Mick Mills, Colin Harper, Peter Morris, Allan Hunter, Kevin Beattie, Bryan Hamilton, Colin Viljoen, David Johnson, Trevor Whymark and Mick Lambert     Referee:- A.Hart.

Mick Mills would later become assistant to the Sky Blues player manager and fellow England defender Terry Butcher.

These points proved to be City’s last of the season as the Sky Blues lost all six of their remaining games to finish nineteenth in the league. A desperate run of only four wins in the last seventeen also cost the Sky Blues the possibility of a European spot which looked quite likely at Christmas but their form petered out really badly in the second half of the season.

CCFC 1972-73

The Tractor Boys did finish fourth however behind Champions Liverpool, runners up Arsenal and Leeds United.

Crystal Palace and bottom club West Bromwich Albion were the two relegated teams from Division One.

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