Saturday 4th March 1967 – Seventh Account

For the semi – final, second leg at Loftus Road, my Dad took me and my Brother to the game on the Metropolitan Line. We had moved to the East End by then but I was born in Paddington. Anyway,we were all fully engrossed, talking away when suddenly my Brother pipes up, “We Are Here”, so we all jumped off the train and as the doors closed behind us, we realised that we were actually at Latimer Road Station. As we waited for the next one, I remember seeing the floodlights away in the distance. We made the kick-off just in time and Dad says that I was sitting right behind Terry Venables.

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The day of the Final arrived, Dad took me and my Brother again, I was nine and he was eleven. Mum made us some ham rolls and I remember that they were the soft ones and she packed them in a bread bag, don’t ask me how I remember that ! Anyway, we got to Wembley Stadium at about 1pm and as we were on the terraces that day, we made sure that we stood behind the goal and right down the front. It began to fill up after a couple of hours and I remember another kid trying to push his way in front of me. Dad says that I told him where to go as I had been there for ages and he likewise, told his old man ! All the goals were scored in the goal we stood behind, so I had a great view of them. The game itself is a complete fuzz now unfortunately but I’ve watched it a few times on DVD. The only other memorable thing that I can remember was that after the game my Brother started crying. A Policeman in the crowd saw him and asked him if he was ok and why was he crying ? His reply was, “Because I’m Happy”, classic ! He later turned into a Tottenham fan by the way. My Dad always supported Arsenal although he did take me to Rangers when I was too little to go on my own.

In Alec Stock’s book, ‘A Little Thing Called Pride’, there’s a picture of the winning goal and if you get a magnifying glass, you can just make out my Dad, Brother and me in the crowd (if you know who you are looking for of course)

Stuart Bilbe

Talking of books, in his 1967 book, ‘Football Club Manager’, Alec Stock wrote about how irritated he was at the time with the Football League:-

‘The League irritated me too at the end of the match. It had been announced that a tankard would be given to the Manager, Secretary and Trainer of the winning club as well as the twelve players. A good idea but what happened ? I was down in our dressing room afterwards when in came what appeared to be a junior League official carrying a cardboard box. “Ah” he said, “I’ve something for you” and pushed the box towards me. Inside were three brown paper parcels, the tankards for the Secretary, Trainer and myself. It hardly spoiled my day but there is an acceptable way and a wrong way of doing everything and this I felt, was the wrong way. Here again was an example of thoughtlessness that annoyed me because it seemed almost a slight to my profession.’

Steve Russell

11 thoughts on “Saturday 4th March 1967 – Seventh Account

  1. No matter how many ways this event is remembered..there is only one end product..Sheer Joy!

    Steve/Stuart..Sadly I do not have my copy of Alec Stock Football Club Manager anymore(Heaven knows why!)..it left me sometime in the late 1970′ when I moved house..incorporating my own personal over the top teenage inscription on the blank inside page which read..

    Bless my team
    Oh Lord I Pray
    Make them Win
    Home and Away.

    “Kerrins” Bernard Lambert

  2. Bernard..Strangely enough,I’ve lost his other book…what was it called,something like, ‘A Matter of Pride’ ???
    Hope it turns up one day

  3. ‘A Little Thing Called Pride’ was the title of his book.
    Sadly I have not read it but he remains for me the greatest Rs manager.

  4. That’s it that’s it…thanks Colin and welcome to the Site. Will have another attempt at trying to find it

  5. Thanks for your thanks lads!
    Thank you for your welcome Steve. Unfortunately Irish Jack has now unleashed a tidal wave of nostalgia from the ‘Kelmscott Gang’. You may need to create an area for us to input our stories so the other members do not fall asleep!

  6. Yes Colin I can remember the names of the group on that great day…and the circumstances of our travel arrangements.

    We all had tickets for C Block at the Tunnell end.These were purchased by Arthur Gates who handed them out at Sulgrave a few days prior to the event.Sadly Arthur died quite young approx 10 years ago. He was top sportsman and Shepherds Bush cricketer. Tragic loss.

    The entire group was Dave Minor Alan Poole Arthur Gates Geoff Murrell and his cousin(cannot remember his name Grrr!) and last but not least thee and me.

    Now here is the strange part..there were “split” travel arrangements. Myself Alan Poole went to Harrow where Geoff Murrell had recently moved to… then on to the ground where we met up with the rest of you who had made your own separate ways to wembley.

    I recall the amusing story you told us of your pre match drink in one of the pubs re the eccentric R’s Supporter who had a big imitation yellow canary(odd?)fixed on his hat..which always bobbed up and down in time with the chanting/singing and sometimes dropped into the drink!

    I can only remember seeing the “coffin” around the stadium and in pictures.

    Happy times indeed.

    Bernard Lambert

    PS My own personal account of Sat Mar 4 1967 is on this website…you will have to scroll back to account No 3? I think.

  7. Colin…I hope you will contribute an article to the series sometime and please include the tale of the big imitation yellow canary !!! Your ‘Growing Up In The Bush’ article will be very welcome as well mate
    Next year, I will be asking for stories about Villa Park ’68.
    srussell@harrow.ac.uk

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