And tut, tut indeed when after just eight minutes Clarke injected more than a modicum of discontent amongst most of the 33,284. Teams like Hull always smanage to play above themselves when going up a peg. Their limitations were finally exposed by McParland as fans queued for their warming Bovril (43). Expecting to go on to an easy victory Hull fought on doggedly. Nil satisfaction.

On Monday lunchtime we were drawn away to Arsenal in round four so it would not now have been a surprise if we were not up to a replay on Thursday. With an icebound pitch the game only went ahead after a very late inspection and with fog threatening, kick-off was brought forward a few minutes as a precaution. Villa decided on a no-nonsense approach and this paid off with goals by Dixon (33) and Sewell (56). Whereupon Hull too decided on a no-nonsense approach and Atkinson threatened (78) but no more than that. 15,686 or so disappointed Yorkshiremen.

Blackpool in winter can be a depressing place so it is just as well that we did not spend a week there. Ninety minutes can be long enough. Spared having to face Mortenson this time we found Matthews determined to show he no longer need his playmate, even to the extent of scoring himself. They also had Mudie, who soon had the ball in our net like it was a hot potato.(7).Offside, surely.

Matthews (16) got his goal in the only way he was ever going to score a goal. From only a few yards out. A foul by Aldis on Matthews, at least in the opinion of referee Welsh, led to a third goal. Brown, penalty (21). 15,844 were watching potential champions so if Blackpool can rise from the dead why not Villa too? The question became academic from our point of view in a whirlwind finish. Perry (82) Brown, a second penalty – fair enough – (85) and Mudie (87) and we certainly do not like much to be beside the seaside.

Judging from the condition of my programme from the Chelsea match it must have rained heavily because it shows signs of disintegration. And it is fair to say, so did the team. George Ashfield made his debut at number five in place of Martin. Ray Hogg for only his second game. Southren was no longer the inspiring player he had been and gave way to Roberts. Only 22,059 could be mustered. All this may account for the 1-4 thrashing, something has to.

Sewell was made captain and he gained a penalty when Wicks gave him a push. Lynn but only after Robertson had saved his kick but pushed it back out to him (15). So far so surprisingly good. But do not be fooled. Stubbs (20) from a corner after which it was all one-way traffic. Blunstone (48) Parsons (62) Stubbs (75) tells a tale of woe and there was no rush to be at the newsagents to get the Sports Argus when the van arrived early on Saturday evening.

Big attraction at Villa Park on fourth found day was a Warwickshire Combination fixture Aston Villa B 3 Birmingham City A 2. Players whose home games were invariably always away games had the rare treat of hot showers and a hot cup of tea afterwards.

Meanwhile a team that had conceded ten goals in two games got to run out to the sound of the Metropolitan Police Band and 43,052. The result had an air of predictability even before a ball had been kicked. We found eleven players from somewhere. Perhaps the names are now being put into a hat a la Jimmy Seed. Even the fact that it rained and the Highbury pitch consisted of thick mud did nothing to improve our chances.

Arsenal took as long as four minutes (goals take longer to come at Highbury!) Groves. We held them at bay for another twenty minutes Tapscott. The same player (44) meant that we already had no interest in the fifth round draw. Lynn, on the goal-line fisted a shot away and full-back Charlton made no mistake. Dixon made it 1-4. Outclassed.

Our next game should have been at Bolton Wanderers but this is February so ironically and unfortunately it was Arsenal again. Somehow we must have learnt something from the recent encounter or Arsenal thought they were onto a good thing but with as many as five changes a goal by Dixon had 28.060 positively euphoric by the end 1-1. All is not yet lost.

Bolton was rearranged for fifth round day, for all the good that did. Nothing actually because it hardly needs to be reported that Lofthouse headed the winning goal (36). 19,797.

Then we missed out on a rearranged midweek fixture with the Baggies. Postponed because even the mud at Villa Park was deemed too deep. A postponement that was to have massive consequences in the scheme of things in the fullness of time. It had originally been rearranged because Albion had been playing the Blues in round five. Blues won 1-0 and were now on their way to the end of the road, wherever that may be. None of this was good news to Villa supporters, especially regular readers of the Mail or Dispatch.

The ultimate hard luck story followed at Old Trafford when with two new debutants, Leslie Smith and Jimmy Dugdale, we should at least have gained a draw against champions in waiting. We did everything but score, made worse because the winning goal by Whelan was nothing but a fluke. We would have been only the third team to win a point at Old Trafford this season but instead we ended the game rock bottom.
19th Tottenham 26 pts 20th Sheff Utd 23 pts 21st Hudderfield 23 pts 22nd Villa 20pts.

Four defeats and one draw in the last five games. Could we get something from the visit of Charlton Athletic? 27,317 were optimistic. Retaining the side that had come close in Manchester it was another hard luck story but it cannot all be put down to hard luck. Besides, they still had Bartram.

So desperate were we to win that the absence of the calming influence of a Blanchflower was never needed so much. The lot of which might have fallen to Sewell but early on he inexplicably collapsed leaving us to play most of the game a man short. We tried hard to overcome the handicap until eventually Aldis felt obliged to punch out a goalbound shot leaving Leary to convert the resulting penalty (77). All hope seemed to disappear as did lots of the spectators. That is until they were stopped in their tracks as a centre from McParland into a crowded penalty area reached the feet of Pace. 1-1.

Newcastle United were third at the time but eleven points adrift of runaway Manchester United. The chances of a first away win of the season are more than unlikely. Maybe it was appointing Lynn as captain for the first time. There has to be some explanation as to why the form book was cast aside with such gay abandon. The fun started, though not for the 34,647 mainly locals, when McParland hit a long pass to Pace, dashed through to meet the return as only he could. (12) 1-0.

Pace (37) lived up to his name when he burst past two sleeping defenders for goal number two. But then Jones, who continued to remain the first choice goalkeeper showed why he was not necessarily an automatic choice by allowing Curry to score (41) 2-1. United threw everything at us such that Dugdale was then the cruel victim of an own goal from an involuntary header. 2-2. Normal service had been resumed or so it was presumed. But cometh the man cometh the goal. Dixon loved showing his talents to his relatives in the stand. A brilliant header. 3-2. But we remain firmly at the foot. Not helped by Sheffield United 3 Huddersfield Town 1.

But first there is the matter of another semi-final at Villa Park. Blanchflower came in the expectation of proving his comments about Villa but Manchester City repeated their feat of last season and he went back to London beaten 0-1. Justice seen to be done. The other semi-final at Hillsborough ended Blues 3 Sunderland 0. The fawning local press went overboard. Not a good time to wear a claret and blue scarf in town.

The semi-final meant Burnley on a Monday afternoon. My diary confirms that I somehow was able to be amongst the 15,120. It almost goes without saying that thanks to Dixon and Smith we won 2-0 as history demanded.

I now cannot account for why I was determined to go to Luton Town. It may have been because as a railway enthusiast I knew that the 6/- half fare would mean a trip via an unfamiliar and convoluted route. Be that as it may my mother was now resigned to my Villa exploits and offered no opposition. Kenilworth Road was notorious for its mud and its slope. Neither of which acted in our favour in the confines of this small ground. 17,126 was a ‘big’ crowd!

My journey seemed fully justified when Southren lobbed the ball over the advancing Baynham. (32) So far so good. Luton were no better than Villa but that did not prevent them netting when Pearce (36) put the orb beyond Sims. Sims? Where on earth did he come from, what has happened to Jones?

Well, whenever the Villa were short of a player they would now pop along to the Molineux to see who Wolves had got in their reserves – frequent winners of the Central League. Sims had sneaked in almost unannounced and made his debut v Burnley. Jones hung around for another season until his ignominious recall, of which more later. Meanwhile, things were looking bleak back in Luton when Pearce put them ahead (56) and ineptitude spread along the Villa forward line like mixomatosis. All I got to show for my day out were a few ‘cops’ (unusual train numbers). We remain bottom.

Everton owe us no favours. Hogg for the injured Lynn. Dixon captain – it seems everybody gets a turn. We rained in shots from all quarters but in all directions too, until on another onslaught Pace finally gave the 28, 052 something noteworthy (44). McParland hurt his shoulder which needed off the field treatment and suddenly fear spread that the fates were against us. That is until captain Dixon celebrated his promotion (84) and we rose one notch up the ladder. But now we had to face Wolves twice in twenty-six hours.

McParland still injured so Amos Moss was a most unlikely candidate for outside-left. But perhaps this was a ruse by Houghton to bolster the defence when he felt it needed bolstering. Insofar as the game finished goalless he can claim to have been successful. At least the sun shone for the large Villa contingent amongst the 33,633. No quarter was asked, none given. The three ex-Wolves players in our side – Sims, Baxter and Smith – did all three take part in the coin toss? – demonstrated their new loyalties.

Back at Villa Park after a sleepless night worrying at what was to be. 39,122 came to find out. It was perhaps not altogether surprising when in the true tradition of such seasonal fixtures what they saw was another none – none. That may in part have been due to the hard surface and the wind making the ball difficult to control.

The table now read: 19th Sheff Utd P36 30pts 20th Tottenham P36 30 pts 21st Villa P38 Pts 29 22nd Huddersfield P38 Pts 27

And Tottenham were next. It was not beyond the possibility that we and 36,235 were in for another dour afternoon in North London. What they saw instead was the very antithesis of a relegation scrap played not on turf but on compacted soil. Despite there being so much at stake for both sides there were thrills in abundance. 17 minutes into the contest Bobby Smith scored. But undismayed by this unexpected reverse our own Smith, Leslie, showed Blanchflower that there was still life in the old dog yet.

Both goalkeepers remained part of the action although as he advanced to meet McClennan Sims came off second-best and Spurs had a second. Risking everything on attack Dixon shot, Reynolds could only parry the ball to Pace and with the flash of his foot it’s 2-2. A corner to Spurs. It pays to shoot first and ask questions afterwards in a crowded area. Harmer, a deflection off Baxter. (57) Spurs 3 Villa 2

Six minutes later the trapdoor to the second division springs open. Brooks. Spurs 4 Villa 2. Corner. Realising that there is nothing to lose and everything to gain Dugdale ventures where Dugdale is not normally seen to venture. His first ever goal for Villa, 3-4. This story demands a fairytale ending but, try as we did, sadly it does not get one. Blanchflower departs the arena quietly. Albion 1 Huddersfield 2 . Sheff Utd 2 Chelsea 1.

Death cards, once a tradition on the city streets after a Villa defeat are being printed ready for distribution. But, hang on a minute, stop the presses. We still have to play Sheffield United.

Fearing the worst only 23,407 made it to Witton. Late arrivals have only themselves to blame because they missed one of the quickest goals ever scored at Villa Park. Stopwatches did not record whether Pace beat the official record of 9.6 seconds set by Bob Iverson in 1938. The first time a Sheffield player got to kick the ball was at the restart. After such a start, what could go wrong? Well what could go wrong was that Sheffield had the veteran Jimmy Hogan fighting in their corner, or rather inside right. Grainger (17). Back to the drawing board.

It was now no holds barred. Another corner. Pace, a header. Given his height, or lack of it, how does he manage to do that so often? (34) 2-1. But Sheffield are in the same plight as us. That is until with the half-time teas being poured out in the Oak Room Pace practically had the directors reaching for the drinks cabinet instead. 42) 3-1 and that rarity of rarities, a hat-trick by a Villa player. Our first of the season.

Anyone who thought that was game over was sadly disillusioned when Wilkinson latched on to a pass by Hogan and the Blades were back in the hunt. Tension is pacing about on the terraces nervously watching the last quarter of an hour of this relegation or bust for either side. 4.40, Mr Mitchell is probably as relieved as anyone when he called a halt.

19th Tottenham P38 Pts 34 20th Sheff Utd P39 Pts 32 21st Villa P40 Pts 31 22nd Huddersfield P40 Pts 31.

I simply had to go to Preston next Saturday. I could get away with half fare.6/9 (34p) which was only allowed up to age 14. Unchanged from last week except Sewell on the left wing for Lockhart, injured. Usual grassless April pitch. Dour and goalless is a good description of the first half, but at least we had not fallen to the guiles of Tom Finney or Tommy Thompson. Was he keen to put the final nail in our coffin? If he was he did not manage to do so and in the seventy-third minute the clouds cleared over Deepdale. Pace, 1-0.

Apparently it was customary for the youngsters of Preston to invade the pitch after the last match and for the players to remain to sign autographs. Thrilled at their eleventh hour reprieve the Villa players did likewise and one of my proudest possessions is that Preston programme signed across their photographs by Leslie Smith and Ray Hogg but more especially by Derek Pace right across his name in the middle of the team sheet and signed within minutes of the final whistle. Sheffield United 2 Sunderland 3 Tottenham 1 Huddersfield 2.

19th Tottenham P41 Pts 35 20th Villa P41 Pts 33 21st Huddersfield P41 Pts 33 22nd Sheff Utd P40 Pts 32.

April 28th had originally been scheduled to be a game free day for occasions such as this. To make up for any postponed fixtures from earlier in the season. Nothing was more significant than this twice postponed game between Villa and Albion. Victory and goal average was heavily in our favour.

The 42,876 may have included large numbers of Albion fans keen to see us sent into oblivion. But there was a feeling that the Albion club as a whole might not be so keen to get rid of us because of the gate money our encounters engendered. Dugdale was equally keen to demonstrate that his four mile move had not been a step downwards.

In the twelfth minute Leslie Smith calmed things down more than somewhat. 1-0. And the sigh of relief generated by his 27th minute strike could be felt all round the ground. Then, and it was this that gave substance to the rumours about the Albion not keen to lose us, captain Len Millard made it 3-0. Fans were not quite dancing in the streets because we had known all season quite how close we came to having to go to Grimsby (third division North champions) next season. Huddersfield Town 3 Bolton Wanderers 1. Tottenham 3 Sheffield United 1.

19th Preston Pts 36 20th Villa Pts 35 21st Huddersfield Pts 35 22nd Sheff Utd Pts 33

Goal average Villa F52 A69 = 0.753 Huddersfield F54 A83 0.650 So no joy for Hickson.

But the season was not quite over for Villa supporters. There was still the little matter of the FA Cup final, about which we have been teased for several months. It is inconceivable that a team should introduce a completely new tactic such as Manchester City did in a cup final. The idea of playing a deep lying centre-forward for the first time so bemused Birmingham City that they discovered the end of their road was a cul de sac.

Manchester City 3 Blues 1 does nothing to really reflect the one-sided nature of the match. It became known as the Revie plan and owes its origins to Hungary and Puskas and maybe even further back to our very own Jimmy Hogan. Meeting a Blues fan in the street or at school as I had to it was impossible to resist a smirk. After all, we will be meeting you again next season.