 Evening, all. I always think it makes sense to play Wednesday on a Tuesday, don’t you? We haven’t lost at home to the Owls in the league you know since March 1984 so let’s hope that weighs heavy on their scapulae. On our trip down Cut Throat Lane this evening we are travelling 22 seasons back to the Roy Mac era and life in the third tier following promotion the previous season. A miserable Tuesday night in October and a crowd of just 4,328 witnessed a sorry 0-1 from Utd’s perspective. All this after a rip-roaring derby win v Col U the previous Friday evening.The Clarets doubled us that season and we haven’t met them since! Flicking through the programme good to see Martin Butler had pocketed his second hatrick of his U’s career against said Col U. Remember his first………………...7-2 v Mansfield. I was unable to resist calling the Utd club call number. Remarkably the line is live and a robot answered reminding me the service is administered by I-Line Services(?) but that’s as far as I got… I loved Colin Davies the general manager’s optimism with his vision of a refurbished Abbey in a few years’ time. Probably good for his mental wellbeing that he didn’t predict potential armageddon in 2005, instead. Finally, some interesting names in the Burnley squad. Merry- go- round manager Micky Mellon, Paul Crichton in goal(booooo!), another ex-U Tom Cowan and even the lead singer of The Jam and Style Council graced the side at that time. On this day in 1973 the Sydney Opera House was officially opened by the Queen. Designed by a Dane it was estimated to take four years to build but took fourteen. The original budget was 7 million dollars but in the end it cost 102m. The roof has over one million tiles, all shipped not from Thailand(sic) but Sweden! And it meant employment for 10,000 construction workers. You are truly enriched. Enjoy yourselves. Harry,    It feels like I have been waiting for this game for a while. In League terms it’s been 10,801 days but who’s counting, eh? I bet Steve Claridge and his manager still remember that day well! Our track record with today’s visitors is indeed one of sporadicity. It took 75 years to meet the Tractorboys for the first time and it’s been 29 years since the last duel, in League competition anyway. Today’s old programme focus is a division two fixture against our next opponents, Sheffield Wednesday, this time played on 16 October 1982, our fifth season of six in said division. Our visitors were managed by none other than Jack Charlton and it is fair to say their squad looked, shall we say, decent for the time. Some interesting comments in the programme from schoolchildren who had been guests at the previous home game against Carlisle. Apart from anything else they seemed to enjoy the “food” on offer at the game. The “look back in time” feature was interesting too, 1972 at Southport in front of a crowd of over 7,000(yes, 7,000). What would the Sandgrounders do today for a crowd of even half that? Anyway a decent game that day ended in a 2-2 draw. We were though two down within ten minutes of the restart(both from Gary Bannister, remember him?) but Floyd Street and Chris Turner saved the day in front of a crowd of 5,677, which I sincerely hope is bettered this time round. And to end on a really cheery note. Ten Nazi leaders are hanged as war criminals after the Nuremberg war trials on this day in 1946, including Joachim von Ribbentrop who was the first. He had been responsible as foreign secretary for the non-aggression pact signed with Russia in 1939. Which lasted until the advent of Operation Barbarossa and the invasion of Russia in 1941! Enjoy yourselves. Harry,
 Terry Eades 1944-2021
The Cambridge United family is mourning the death, at the age of 77 on October 4, of Terry Eades, a hugely talented defender whose career in black and amber spanned two eras of the club’s history. Universally liked, admired and respected, Terry was signed from Southern League rivals Chelmsford City in February 1969 and, on his way to a total of 366 U’s matches, six substitute appearances and 12 goals, proved an influential and popular member of teams in both the Southern League and Football League. His place in club legend was recognised by induction into the Cambridge United Hall of Fame in 2019 – only the second of the famous side that gained election to the Football League in 1970 to be so honoured. Born in Banbridge, County Down in 1944, Terry joined Chelmsford at an early age following his family’s move to England. He starred for the Clarets in several late-1960s clashes with United before becoming, in the early weeks of 1969 at the age of 25, manager Bill Leivers’ fourth and final acquisition from the 1968 Southern League champions. A fee of £2,500 changed hands. After seven years at New Writtle Street, he arrived with hopes that the U’s would be the non-League club chosen by Football League chairmen in the event of an existing club being voted out. Praising United’s professionalism, he had, he said, been unsettled by rumours that Chelmsford would move to semi-professional status. Vying with Gerry Baker for the centre-half position, he made his Southern League debut at Bedford Town at the end of March and starred in a 2-0 win, contributing the first goal. With Leivers encouraging him to forage forward, he scored again as United won 1-0 at Nuneaton two days later. Terry’s cultured, calm and skilful presence was a huge influence on the team as they claimed two successive titles and were elected to the Football League in the summer of 1970. He was one of only two United players making their League debuts as the first season kicked off against Lincoln City on August 15, but he never looked out of place as the U’s established themselves. Voted player of the year by supporters on several occasions, he was often described as inspirational and outstanding. The Cambridge Evening News said on one occasion: “He cannot be a one-man team, but he tried.” On 6 January 1974 Terry wrote himself into the history books when he became the first United player to score on a Sunday, as the U's drew an FA Cup tie with Oldham Athletic 2-2; United’s first had been an own goal. Soon afterwards he was recommended to Republic of Ireland manager Johnny Giles – his father had been born in Tipperary. So it was that he found himself marking teammate Graham “Willie” Watson, who was being tried out at centre forward as Ireland’s squad played a practice game against United at the Abbey. He began a long association with the motor trade when he began working part-time for Holland Motors. As the club captaincy passed from Terry to Brendon Batson under Ron Atkinson, Brendon spoke generously of his friend: “He has been one of the best centre halves I’ve seen in the Third and Fourth Divisions and I’m surprised he has not gone on to higher things.” After a short loan period at Watford, Terry was granted a testimonial in 1977 as his remarkable contribution to the United cause was recognised with the granting of a free transfer. But it wasn’t long before he was back as a non-contract player, passing on his knowledge and experience to younger players in the reserve side. His last game came in May 1977, and in 1978 he signed for Histon. He became the Stutes’ manager when fellow ex-U David Bradford stepped down, but he couldn’t resist playing for long. Terry’s long-delayed testimonial match finally came in April 1980, when Atkinson showed the respect in which he was held by fielding a strong West Bromwich Albion side at the Abbey. A single-figure handicap golfer for nearly four decades and a member of the Gog Magog club for 50 years, he also took pride in his garden, particularly its roses. Terry leaves children Anthony, Catherine and Dominic, and five grandchildren: Victoria, Luke, Josh, Ceci and Daniel. His wife Helen, whom he married in 1964 at Great Dunmow, died in 2018 after a brave fight against cancer. Terry showed similar character in his battle before succumbing to the disease at the Arthur Rank Hospice, a stone’s throw his beloved golf course. Evenin’ all, as Dixon of Dock Green fame used to say. I know, that rules anybody out born after about 1968! Welcome to the Gills from Medway for our first home league fixture of the season and indeed our first scrap in the league since October 1999, our first season back up in division 3. Blimey. The home side ran out 2-1 winners that day at Priestfield. When I see Gillingham’s name I always think of Brian Moore and Paul Scally. Whatever anybody thinks of the individuals, two people with an indisputable contribution to the very fabric of Gillingham FC over the decades. On this very day in 1957 we were on Eastern Counties League duty and hosting the then league leaders, Spalding Utd. We were tenth at the time so a tough afternoon beckoned and it proved to be so as the visiting Tulips ran out 3-1 winners although ‘our’ Brian Moore got a pen just before half time. You’ll see from today’s featured programme that we had a certain Wilf Mannion in our ranks but even he couldn’t uproot the opposition. Nor indeed Russell Crane playing his sixteenth season for the black & ambers. Browsing through the programme I find the ad pages as fascinating as the articles. I wonder if our former commercial manager has any links to ‘Fairbairn’s’, I’m sure Nick will tell us. And looking at HR Aldiss in Rose Crescent reminds me where I purchased my very first Harrington jacket in the 1970s. And a warm welcome awaits us at the Wrestlers on Newmarket Road……….what would they have made of becoming a leading Thai restaurant/pub forty years later and counting, I wonder. And “U’s Nu’s” is a different take on your average news bulletin page although I’m not aware it ever caught on in subsequent seasons. On this day in 1968 that great inspiration for a footy song, Hey Jude went number one in the charts and stayed there for nine weeks. La la la, la la la la la la la la……. Enjoy yourselves, Harry,  |
Happy Harry's blogI'm the living embodiment of the spirit of the U's, and I'll be blogging whenever I've got news for you, as long as I don't miss my tea. Archives
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