Lets take a trip down memory lane before today’s meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Thirty Years Ago
It was the 16th of October 1966 when The Wolves visited Boothferry Park, fresh from relegation from the top flight and on their way to a quick return to the elite division at the end of the season.
It was a dull and rainy day when the Tigers eleven, Wealands, Daniel, Devries, Bremner, Croft, Haigh, Nisbet, Lyall, Hawley, Hemmerman & Galvin took to the soft Boothferry pitch.
The Tigers had a good start to the season at home with victories over Luton, Southampton and Nottingham Forest and a draw against Sheffield United supporting a rather poor away start with draws at Carlisle and Burnley and defeats at Hereford (1-0), Bolton (5-1) and Charlton (3-1). Wolves were in second place in the table having played 9 and won 11 points, whilst City were 13th, played 9 with 9 points.
City had a game plan having had Wolves watched in their 6-2 defeat by Southampton and that was to pepper their defence with high balls into the centre, something they had looked uncomfortable with.
Under the watchful eye of referee D T Richardson from Lincoln, the first half was fairly uneventful, Wolves played their usual brand of attractive football and City huffed and puffed without any result and the teams left the pitch as they had started with the game at 0-0.
The 12,015 crowd hoped for better in the second half and were not to be disappointed. The victory came by an unexpected but welcome route through the boot and head of John Hawley, a local Beverley youngster who although not playing for the first time for City, was playing at centre forward for the first time, City manager John Kaye having decided to swap him from his usual No.5 position, where he had already scored two goals in the 1976/7 season to the number 9 shirt. He struck in the 51st and 84th minutes to give City the points and send the Boothferry faithful wild with delight.
In terms of the season as a whole it did nothing to stop the Wolves march to the championship as they finished top with 57 points, City finishing in 14th with 37 points, it sounds a small total but don’t forget that there were only two points for a win in those days!
