1975–76 Hereford United F.C. season explained

Club:Hereford United
Season:1975–76
Manager:John Sillett
Chairman:Frank Miles
Stadium:Edgar Street
League:Division Three
League Result:1st
Cup1:League Cup
Cup1 Result:Second round
Cup2:FA Cup
Cup2 Result:Third round
Cup3:Welsh Cup
Cup3 Result:Runners-up
League Topscorer:Dixie McNeil (35)
Season Topscorer:Dixie McNeil (38)
Highest Attendance:12,970 v Crystal Palace, Division Three, 31 January 1976
Lowest Attendance:1994 v Porthmadog, Welsh Cup, 18 February 1976
Average Attendance:8273
Largest Win:5–0 v Chester (H), Division Three, 10 March 1976
Largest Loss:1–4 v Burnley (H), League Cup, 10 September 1975
Prevseason:1974–75
Nextseason:1976–77

The 1975–76 season was the 46th season of competitive football played by Hereford United Football Club and their fourth in the Football League. The club competed in Division Three, as well as the League Cup, FA Cup and Welsh Cup.

Summary

Hereford clinched a second promotion in four years following election to the Football League by finishing as champions of Division Three, six points clear of second-placed Cardiff City. They won only one of their opening five league matches but gathered momentum as results improved through the autumn and winter, and went top for the first time with a 4–1 win over Cardiff at the start of February. A crowd of 35,549 saw the Welsh club claim a 2–0 win in the return fixture at Ninian Park on 14 April, but Hereford's promotion was confirmed the following Saturday by a goalless draw at Walsall, with the championship following two days later courtesy of a 3–1 win over Shrewsbury Town.

The squad was bolstered by the arrival of goalkeeper Kevin Charlton, full-back Steve Ritchie, midfielder Jimmy Lindsay and forward Steve Davey. Charlton displaced Tommy Hughes as first-choice keeper, Ritchie and Lindsay were both ever-present, and Davey's 18 league goals took some of the scoring burden off Dixie McNeil. Nevertheless, McNeil finished as leading scorer in the Football League for the second successive year with a haul of 35 goals, thanks to a hat-trick against Preston North End in the final match of the season which enabled him to overtake Walsall's Alan Buckley by one goal. He also became the first Hereford player to score four goals in a league match, doing so in a 5–0 win over Chester.

Veteran midfielder Terry Paine achieved a notable feat when he made his 765th league appearance in Hereford's home match against Peterborough United on 25 October. This established a new Football league record, overtaking the previous record of 764 held by Portsmouth's Jimmy Dickinson.

Squad

Players who made one appearance or more for Hereford United F.C. during the 1975-76 season

Pos.Nat.NameLeagueLeague CupFA CupWelsh CupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GKKevin Charlton350303030440
GKTommy Hughes110101040170
DFTony Byrne1(1)010004(1)26(2)2
DFSteve Emery452404050582
DFMark Evans0000001010
DFJohn Galley352300030412
DFJohn Layton386204251499
DFJulian Marshall0000001010
DFSteve Ritchie461414030572
DFDavid Rylands2000102050
DFBilly Tucker17(2)230314027(2)2
MFLes Briley0000001010
MFRoy Carter335421(1)14042(1)8
MFPaul Courtney0000001010
MFJimmy Lindsay462424052596
MFJim McCafferty0(3)00010203(3)0
MFTerry Paine40(4)12(2)1402148(6)3
MFBrian Preece0000003(1)13(1)1
MFDavid Rudge1(1)00000102(1)0
MFKevin Sheedy1000000010
MFBarry Silkman12(10)1100(2)03(1)116(13)2
MFPeter Spiring5(1)00000005(1)0
MFDudley Tyler34500413(1)041(1)6
MFShane Walker7(2)230204(1)116(3)3
FWSteve Davey42(3)183(1)0405(1)354(5)21
FWDixie McNeil40(1)353042415138
FWEric Redrobe15(5)130004122(5)2

Results

Third Division

See main article: 1975–76 Football League.

League Cup

See main article: article and 1975–76 Football League Cup.

FA Cup

See main article: article and 1975–76 FA Cup.

Welsh Cup

See main article: article and 1975–76 Welsh Cup.

References

Bibliography