1970/71 REVIEW
The signs were not great when several players who had served Ilkeston well departed from the club shortly after the end of the 1969/70 season. Colin Treharne, Mick Jones, Bob MacAndrew and Terry Thompson, each of whom played a significant part in Town’s 1967/68 championship season, as well as Bob Norris were among those who left. But manager Dave Agnew, by now the sole survivor of the title winning team, acted swiftly to bring in new players.
It was anticipated that the loss of Norris, the star performer of the previous season, was going to be a huge loss but Ilkeston supporters were delighted when it was announced that his replacement was going to be former favourite Ralph Brown. Brown went on to have an excellent season, his flair and delightful skills in an attacking midfield role providing scoring opportunities for Ilkeston’s forwards. Roger Rann benefited hugely from Brown’s presence and he was easily Ilkeston’s top scorer for the second season running. Rann was not immune from criticism from some quarters but there was no denying that he was a clinical finisher on his day. Unfortunately Rann did not have a strike partner with a similar hunger for goals and it was Brown himself who was the only other player to reach double figures.
Graham Pigott replaced Colin Treharne in goal and after an uncertain start he developed into a fine ‘keeper who was capable of making outstanding saves matched by great courage. Peter Atkinson became the right back in place of Jones and he had a tremendous first half of the season during which he was regarded as the best in his position in the Midland Counties League. However, his form wasn’t maintained throughout and there were some who felt that he didn’t have the stomach for a fight when Town needed to battle. Nevertheless Atkinson proved himself to be a fine ball playing full back.
MacAndrew and Thompson were replaced by Nigel Cleeveley and John Gulson. Gulson was outstanding and although he was short in height and slight in build he was a tenacious character who had pace to match. In contrast Cleeveley was a probing player with fine distribution although he too was a lively player.
The season began quite well but when Ilkeston scored only 2 goals in a 7 game spell lasting throughout September it was clear that Agnew still had some fine tuning to do. On the look out for an attacking option on the left hand side he signed Ray Elliott. Elliott, a short, purposeful and skilful winger made a thrilling debut and for a time looked to be one of the best wingers the club had had for several years. Unable to maintain such high standards throughout Elliott still proved himself to be a useful player. Peter Ford on the opposite flank continued to provide some deadly crosses but his goal output was poor and he had a disappointing tendency to disappear in some games. Making his debut at the same time as Elliott was Bobby Smith. Smith was signed to give Rann more support in the middle, particularly as John Coleman had failed to reproduce the form he had shown towards the end of the previous season. Smith too was useful, but little more, although he did have bad luck in front of goal at times and he did suffer from some niggling injuries.
Results soon picked up again and although it was obvious that no team was going to catch runaway leaders Grantham second place was certainly a realistic target for Ilkeston. An excellent defence kept them in the hunt. Apart from Pigott, player manager Agnew at left back and Atkinson mentioned above young Steve Tunstall and the even younger Dick Smith were the most frequently used defenders. Tunstall often looked the part but occasionally struggled when up against cannier and more experienced forwards but he used his height to great advantage. Smith continued to look a great prospect and when Agnew injured an ankle midway through the season, a knock that effectively ended his playing days, Smith comfortably switched from central defence to the left back position and at 16 showed remarkable maturity and physical strength. Smith’s switch gave David Stainwright a second opportunity. Stainwright had arrived during pre-season with high expectations as a forward but he made a dreadful start and was sent to the reserves to rebuild his confidence. After scoring in prolific fashion for the second team he was reinstated to the first team but this time in a much deeper half back role. The move suited him and he was one of the team’s outstanding performers during the latter half of the season.
Ilkeston ultimately just missed out on the runners up spot and had to settle for fourth place, still their best finish since they won the title. However, gates decreased alarmingly and this was blamed upon the general deterioration of playing standards in the Midland Counties League exacerbated by the loss of top clubs to the Northern Premier League that had been founded in 1968. Town indicated their desire to play at a higher level of football to win back the missing fans by attending a meeting with the Northern Premier League in February 1971 but within weeks it was announced that they would be playing in the Southern League First Division North from the start of the following season. Such a move was a gamble because it would end their rivalry with some local clubs that stretched back many years.
1971/72 REVIEW
Ilkeston had a highly creditable first season in the brave new world of Southern League First Division North football and a top four place, though ultimately out of reach for them, looked a real possibility for much of the season. Yet despite this promising first season at the highest level in their 26 year history there were plenty of downs as well as ups.
Manager Dave Agnew, whose injury the previous season signalled the end of his playing days, signed a new one year contact in pre season and began to build a team for the challenge ahead. One of his first tasks was to find a left back to take his place in the team given that the highly promising schoolboy Dick Smith would not always be available. The signing of John Beresford proved to be a significant one for not only was he a fine leader, tackler and header of a ball but also a broken ankle suffered by Smith restricted his availability further still. Beresford was such a success that in a season with several players making their mark he was awarded the Ilkeston Advertiser player of the year trophy.
Several players were released during the summer including midfielders John Coleman and Nigel Cleeveley and wingers Peter Ford and Ray Elliott. Ford was replaced on the right by the industrious Roger Patrick, a player with plenty of finesse while the promising Steve Buckley was given the opportunity to take over from Elliott. Agnew made up his midfield with further existing players such as the tenacious John Gulson who complemented the constructive play of David Stainwright and Roger Rann, who had been such a success as a goal poacher, and who was asked to play in a deeper role. Rann was certainly capable of playing as an attacking midfielder but he was not entirely happy with the idea. A section of the crowd had been critical of him in the past and his goalscoring feats had silenced some of them for a while. Without the opportunities to score as often the critics resurfaced and he handed in a transfer request in September. Meanwhile the removal of Rann from the forward line necessitated the signing of a new striker and he was found in Bill Naylor, a tall, intelligent and hard working forward who did not have the same killer instinct as Rann but who nevertheless went on to score in excess of 20 goals. Naylor’s partner up front for the most part was the highly flexible and gifted favourite Ralph Brown.
A new centre back was also signed. With youngster Steve Tunstall seemingly out of favour, and on his way out of the club by November, Kevin Fallon, who was good in the air and comfortable on the ball joined the club before the start of the season. Defensively Ilkeston looked solid with goalkeeper Graham Pigott destined to become one of the best in the league and right back Pete Atkinson going on to have one of his best seasons at the club.
Even the most optimistic supporters were cautious going into the new season that kicked off with a series of League Cup group matches. All concerned with the club were therefore delighted when the team won their group and won their opening couple of league games to boot. Gates were also encouraging to begin with. But soon results and playing standards began to deteriorate. This was due, in part, to the deplorable state of the Manor Ground pitch that hadn’t been maintained properly by the Council who were responsible for its upkeep. The team became negative in its style of play, struggled for goals and attendances began to drop especially as the novelty of Southern League football began to wane. Manager Dave Agnew, who had his share of critics over the years, found his popularity had dipped to an all time low and when the team went five games without a win his position had become untenable by the end of November. He left the club by mutual consent.
Mick Walker, the reserves team manager, succeeded Agnew after one game in temporary charge and he quickly made changes. Mick Robertson was brought into the team in place of Fallon in central defence, Roger Patrick was moved from the wing into midfield, Buckley was dropped and replaced by another youngster Jan Czarnecki who had first appeared for the club a couple of years earlier, and Peter Hamson, who played with great enthusiasm, skill and spirit and who enjoyed going for goal, played in a wide midfield role in place of Patrick. Furthermore, Walker encouraged his players to express themselves, worked hard on the sagging morale, but instilled greater discipline. Sadly for Ilkeston, Rann left the club, mainly because he had been unable to win over his critics and his game began to suffer. Tony Bayliss, who played with flair and creativity, was given a run in the team as a result.
Without doubt Walker’s team was more pleasing on the eye and results improved too. But the damage had been done. The supporters who had stopped attending continued to stay away and as the season headed towards its close gates dropped below the 200 mark.
The Robins picked up some fine wins under Walker’s leadership, not least the 1-0 win at leaders Burton Albion who had gone 31 league games without defeat. They also had a good run in the FA Trophy, beating Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity with a memorable performance to reach the last 32. They were eliminated by the top non League side of the day, Stafford Rangers, but put up a tremendous fight until they were finally undone late in the game. Ilkeston eventually finished in ninth place although just two more points would have seen them in the top five. It was a creditable achievement under the circumstances.
But it was also clear that Southern League football had not been widely accepted by the fans who had been used to local derbies rather than matches against a host of opponents with whom they had no affinity. If the team failed to succeed in the future there was a big question mark as to whether or not Southern League football could be sustained. And then, to make matters worse, Mick Walker resigned two weeks after the season’s end after being appointed as national coach in Singapore.
1972/73 REVIEW
The writing was on the wall before the season began. Prior to what proved to be one of the most fraught seasons in Town’s history, with problems both on and off the pitch, Town lost manager Mick Walker, 1971/72 player of the year John Beresford, top scorer Bill Naylor, and lively midfielder Peter Hamson. The response of the club was to bring in Mansfield Town midfielder Phil Waller as player manager in June, a man with plenty of experience but sadly not of the Southern League. With the limited finances available he had to fashion a team with what he had and plug the gaps created by the loss of the three key players. If Town were to have any chance of prolonging their life as a Southern League club Waller needed to bring almost instant success on the pitch to revive the interest in the club from the local public.
As it was Waller was unable to produce the near impossible. Bottom by mid-September, and with some supporters already calling for his head, they only climbed away from the foot of the table with two games to spare. By then Waller had left the club. He resigned in January with just two league wins to his name although it was not just poor results that led to his decision. Town’s Board went public with the decision to quit the Southern League and return to the Midland Counties League at the end of the season without informing the manager in advance. Such a move would inevitably lead to the departure of many players keen not to play at a lower level and some of those who would wish to stay would probably be released for financial reasons; that Waller was not informed was ill advised and he was angered by the lack of communication.
It wasn’t the only time during the season that the Board were at the forefront. Earlier in the season, in November, the three directors - chairman Eric Keeling, John Rann and Alan Wilson - announced that they were going to quit the club, subject to local people of sufficient calibre coming forward to take over. There was no rush of interested parties and although Rann and Wilson took more of a back seat, becoming vice president roles so that they could concentrate more energy towards their own businesses, Keeling continued in his role of chairman. The trio, despite any criticism that could have been thrown at them, at least did not desert the ship at a difficult time thus ensuring football continued for Ilkeston’s ever diminishing loyal band of supporters.
On the pitch things began badly and gradually got worse. The team, incapable of scoring with anything like acceptable frequency and giving away silly goals at the back, rapidly lost confidence. At times they played quite well and were unlucky not to get what they deserved. They hit the woodwork with remarkable regularity but many chances were squandered too as the strikers, ever anxious in the knowledge that they needed to score to negate any defensive mistakes, lacked composure. In other games the team lacked fight, enveloped as they were in a crisis of confidence.
As what happens to many teams in Town’s predicament cup games proved to be a welcome distraction. They progressed further than any other team in their division in reaching the last 8 of the Southern League Cup, beating Premier Division Burton Albion in fine style along the way, as well as reaching the semi finals of the Derbyshire Senior Cup. These runs were to assist The Robins later in the season when with games in hand they were able to summon up sufficient points to overtake Bedworth at the bottom.
Geoff Ball, one of Waller’s close season signings, took over as caretaker manager in January and after three games was handed the reins until the end of the season. Fortunes did not improve dramatically but sufficiently enough, particularly at home, for the team to avoid finishing bottom despite losing six consecutive games in a twelve day spell during April.
Individually there were some positives about the team. Graham Pigott was exempt from criticism as he justifiably maintained his reputation as the best goalkeeper in the league until a knuckle injury late in the season led to an enforced absence. Peter Atkinson at right back remained as first choice right back. On the opposite flank Ball settled well, his reading of the game, composure, and forward runs coupled with powerful shooting being an asset. Ball moved into midfield after a few weeks where his attributes were utilised even more effectively. Dave McVay replaced Ball at left back and was the find of the season. Still at school, he was remarkably comfortable on the ball and used it constructively, tackled cleanly and strongly and was a good header. Such form earned him a short trial at Everton and later in the season, following an injury to Mick Wyld who returned to the club early in the season, McVay moved into central defence with aplomb. Wyld, meanwhile, seemed slow and past his best although he undoubtedly added steel to the heart of the defence. Following McVay’s move inside Steve Buckley was given another chance in the first team and he showed that he now had the ability to make the grade at a higher level after a couple of seasons of struggling to make headway as a left sided forward. Buckley, like McVay and Ball, could make good forward runs but had added strong defensive skills to his game.
Alongside Wyld in central defence was Mick Robertson. When asked to carry out a man to man marking role he was clearly in his element but he sometimes struggled when asked to carry out the role of sweeper.
The striking pair for most of the season were Ralph Brown and new signing Brian Bates. Bates, who arrived with a fine reputation as a goalscorer, often played too wide or deep and lacked the pace necessary to unlock Southern League defences, despite his obvious quality on the ball. Nevertheless, his form and goal output improved upon Ball’s installation as manager. Brown, the most talented player at the club, had his worst season, brought on by the pressures of ploughing a lonely furrow up front all too frequently, losing confidence along the way. A fractured cheekbone late in the season added further misery and he never played for the club again after making close to 300 appearances. Brown’s misfortune opened the door for Phil Ratcliffe, signed earlier in the season, whose ball winning ability and enthusiasm had initially boosted the midfield, and whose aerial ability was put to good use up front during the final weeks. Other players had been tried up front. Winston Raymond had undoubted skill but was unable to harness it for the benefit of the team and he soon lost confidence and the confidence of those around him despite winning admiration from many fans. Paul Bownes was also signed to give the forward line additional aerial power but he made little impact.
Ilkeston began the season with a midfield containing David Stainwright, Roger Patrick and John Gulson, each of whom were inherited by Waller who played alongside them. Patrick completely lost form at home in the face of a barrage of criticism from supporters yet looked the part in away games. Unhappy, he was allowed to leave, as was Stainwright, and this paved the way for the signing of Alan Ellis, who had plenty of League experience and Ratcliffe. Ellis was a revelation at times, a hard working and tireless ball winner who loved to get forward and shoot powerfully. Gulson remained an integral part of the midfield with his tenacity but a knee injury followed by a chronic back complaint led to his almost total absence from the team during the final two months of the season. His replacement was the young, fiercely competitive Kevin Rawson who would later become best known for his role in central defence whilst the effective Graham Rye, who could pass intelligently and deliver a good cross, was promoted from the reserves.
When the season ended there were going to be big changes to the team as they dropped back to the Midland Counties League. Certainly the Manor Ground faithful were going to have to get used to a lowering of standards following the club’s brief and unsuccessful two year stint in the Southern League.
1973/74 REVIEW
Ilkeston’s step back down into Midland Counties League football was never going to be an easy one. Although the league had gone into steady decline since the formation of the Northern Premier League in 1968 and had continued to do so after Town joined the Southern League in 1971 there was no guarantee that success would return to the Manor Ground. Player manager Geoff Ball’s frequent public proclamations that Ilkeston would finish in the top three, something that he regularly repeated until well into the New Year, suggested that he was confident of success. Whether he believed them privately is another matter and it is likely that they were a tactic to boost players’ confidence.
Gone were the days when The Robins could call on plenty of players who had played at a much higher level. The squad had just five professionals, the rest of the team being made up of amateurs, several of them local. Many of the players who had served the club during the Southern League days, such as Graham Pigott, Ralph Brown, Brian Bates, Mick Wyld, Steve Buckley and Dave McVay had gone. McVay had signed for Notts County where he went on to enjoy a lengthy career in League football whilst Buckley progressed into the League with Derby County via Burton Albion. Finances dictated that the club could not hold onto players of such calibre and it was unreasonable to expect that they could be easily replaced.
On the plus side the player manager was easily good enough to play at this level, either at full back or in midfield, although he sometimes chose to name himself as substitute so that he could properly monitor events on the pitch before coming on to try to influence the outcome. The hardworking Alan Ellis, whose attacking midfield play had benefited the team in 1972/73, also remained and played well until a loss of form affected him towards the end of the season. Young central defender Kevin Rawson continued from where he left off and his gritty, determined displays were consistent throughout and he won the Ilkeston Advertiser player of the year award. Alongside him, to begin with, was Mick Robertson until knee ligaments damage followed by a bout of glandular fever wrecked his season. Other players who stayed at the club included Phil Ratcliffe, whose enthusiasm and heading ability up front were an invaluable asset, and Pete Atkinson who continued to give good service at right back. Another bonus was the return of available again Dick Smith, who had combined studying with college football, and Ball played the tenacious young defender in midfield with success. Sadly, the equally tenacious midfielder Smith replaced, John Gulson, hadn’t recovered from a troublesome back injury and never featured.
Ball brought in a number of newcomers during the pre-season build up. Goalkeeper Mick Webster was one but he never recovered from a fraught debut in the opening game, when Town lost 4-0 at home to Frickley Athletic. Two games later, both of which Town lost without scoring a goal, he was left out and Paul Daley returned but the goalkeeper position remained problematic. Daley made a number of blunders in the weeks that followed and he too was dropped. Ernie Bailey took over in December and he was an improvement, displaying some confident handling, albeit after a shaky start. Another new player was Dave Freeman who operated on the right side of midfield. Freeman had undoubted quality but his tendency to overdo things sometimes rendered him ineffective. Towards the end of the season he was replaced Peter Higgins who impressed with his enthusiasm, skill, quick and direct approach, and willingness to shoot. Two new forwards also joined and had varying degrees of success. Les Tindall, a tall centre forward who played with intelligence but lacked pace, left after a few months with a parting shot that Ilkeston’s style of play did not suit his game. The other, the even taller Bert Bowery, had few opportunities to begin with due to a lengthy suspension incurred from Sunday football, but returned to feature prominently following Tindall’s departure. Sometimes dazzling he had great potential and his ability to run at pace scared defenders but he was very raw and inconsistent. Even more frustrating for supporters was that he reserved his best performances for when the team was playing away from home.
Ball acted decisively following Town’s poor start to the season. The introduction of Terry Stevenson in midfield was a masterstroke and the club went on an eight match unbeaten run that saw them climb the table as well as reach the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. Stevenson was a revelation, making the game look easy, his effortless long passes finding his man almost without fail. However, when Robertson sustained his injury, Stevenson was brought back into central defence and although he added undoubted class to the back line his desire to play his way out of trouble was sometimes counter productive. At the same time as Stevenson’s arrival came the experienced John Anthony who added professionalism to the defence and proved to be a more than adequate replacement for the departed McVay at left back. Ball’s bold top three prediction didn’t seem quite so far fetched at this juncture but results soon dipped and it was probably no coincidence that this coincided with the removal of Stevenson from midfield.
Teenager Kevin Flynn was instated in midfield in place of Stevenson and he showed considerable promise although he was a different sort of player. Liking to get forward at every opportunity he made bold bursts from midfield and his ability to run with the ball at defences was refreshing. However, the Midland Counties League was a particularly negative one with visiting teams adopting a stop at all costs approach. Games were littered with fouls, referees too frequently lacked authority, and with Town unable to break defences down coupled with some less than impressive goalkeeping, home form became a real issue. To compound matters the highly critical supporters made the Manor Ground a less than happy place for the players. Following the 3-2 home win over Clifton in mid November the team didn’t taste success on the Manor Ground again for five months and instead of a top three finish a bottom three placing seemed much more likely. Fortunately, Ilkeston picked up some decent results on the road and but for a couple of heavy defeats at the end of the season they could have finished in midtable.
As the season headed towards its close a new teenage forward, Bob Hill, was tried fresh from a trial at Millwall. A player of moods, Hill could be either flamboyant or petulant, getting himself sent off in the Retford home game, and you never knew which Hill was going to turn up. Consequently he could be either exciting or nondescript but there was no doubting his potential.
With the season over there were unfounded rumours that Geoff Ball was going to quit. What was true was that there was little optimism for the future, and with attendances often dropping below 150 and club finances showing no significant improvement, it was easy to see why.
1974/75 REVIEW
Player manager Geoff Ball’s ambitions for the season were not simply to improve upon the lowly finish of the season before. His aim was for the club to win the Midlands Counties League title, and although his hopes seemed far fetched to many, he produced a chart as soon as the fixtures came out which gave a projected number of points that the team needed to be at after each game if his dreams were to become reality. And to the surprise of most, if not Ball himself, Town remained within three points of his target right through until Christmas.
Ball did not dramatically rebuild the team during pre-season. The loss of Alan Ellis deemed it necessary to strengthen the midfield and the arrival of the stylish Brian Billington, a player who could make clever passes and was skilful on the ball, appeared to add class in that area. However, Ball believed the defence needed greater attention, particularly in goal where there had been a real weakness. He signed Dick Foulkes on the recommendation of Phil Ratcliffe and he showed himself to be both dependable and brave, inspiring confidence in his colleagues. Another signing was David Ward, a typical no nonsense central defender who was quick in the tackle and who forged a good partnership with defensive lynch pin Kevin Rawson. Ward had mixed fortunes early on, scoring after just 15 minutes on the opening day but he injured his ankle in the process and was carried off. Then, in his first game back, he was carried off with a knee injury. Thankfully both injuries were strictly short term and he soon dispelled worries that he was a crock. The defence had a solid look about it with Peter Atkinson, the long serving right back, and the hard tackling John Anthony on the opposite flank making up the back four.
Ilkeston began the season well with back to back victories against Skegness and Clifton. But then the team’s real weakness manifested itself: a total lack of firepower. The team set an unwanted club record by going 655 minutes without scoring a goal. There are other ways to illustrate the chronic shortage of goals scored throughout the season. Town scored just 29 goals in 34 league games, the second worst in the league; and with 15 league and cup games played Town had scored just 11 times, of which 4 were penalties and 2 were own goals. Yet, thanks to their tight defence, Ilkeston had lost just 4 league games by Christmas, each by a one nil margin, and had they got a proven scorer in their ranks Ball may well have produced a team chasing for the title.
Ilkeston began the season with the lively, enigmatic Bert Bowery and the aerial strength of Phil Ratcliffe up front. Bowery did liitle to enhance his glowing reputation earned the previous season and was soon on his way, albeit to bigger and better things. Within three months of his departure he became Brian Clough’s first signing at Nottingham Forest. The void left by Bowery led to Bob Hill’s return to the side. At his best Hill was confident and impudent but his form fluctuated wildly as did his moods. Ball then plucked central defender Dave Stubbs from the obscurity of the reserves to replace Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe had dropped back into midfield, a role he had played in successfully when he had first joined the club, as the terrier like Dick Smith had been moved to right back because of Atkinson’s release from the club. Atkinson’s job had prevented him from playing in a number of games and he had now become something of a liability, despite his obvious quality. Meanwhile Stubbs, a strong and hefty player with good heading ability, showed the kind of aggression that could unsettle defences but he was not a natural finisher and he seldom found the target. As the season wore on it became clear that neither Hill nor Stubbs were capable of scoring goals on a regular basis and Ball signed Paul Quinn but he too failed to deliver the goods.
The midfield was, for the most part, effective. Kevin Flynn built on the promise of the previous season with some good performances and his surging forward runs excited the supporters. The player manager remained an astute player who could both attack and defend, but Billington, for all of his obvious quality, had a disappointing tendency to fade out of games. The adaptable, experienced and skilful Dick King joined in January and was an asset to the team, not least because of his flexibility. It was important that these players performed because promising and pacy right sided midfielder Peter Higgins left the club after fracturing his leg playing Sunday football and the classy Terry Stevenson, who spent much of the previous season playing alongside Rawson in central defence, dropped out of favour early in the campaign and was another departure.
Right up until early February, despite the goals shortage, Ilkeston won more league games than they lost. But then came the bombshell. Geoff Ball announced his resignation, the official reason being that he could not devote the time necessary to turn Ilkeston into a successful team. However, during the Autumn, he had been informed that although the club’s difficult financial situation had not declined to any great extent further streamlining was necessary and this had led to him handing in his resignation which was refused at the time. It was quite possible that Ball left in February because he knew key players would have to go. Within a short space of his departure, Foulkes, Billington, Ratcliffe, Ward and Quinn all left the club.
Derek Chamberlain, promoted to first team manager from his equivalent job for the reserves, had an extremely difficult task on his hands. He won his opening game against Borrowash Victoria to take the club into the semi final of the Derbyshire Senior Cup and eventual defeat against Glossop and signed striker Ian Muir. But in the league results were catastrophic as he was forced to field an ever increasing number of reserves who had been untried at Midland Counties League level. The final eleven league games of the season under Chamberlain’s leadership saw the team win one and lose eight, whilst scoring just six times and conceding thirty at the other end.
The pick of the reserves that Chamberlain brought in were the tall Roger Dawkins, recommended by Alan Hill at Nottingham Forest, who could play in central defence or as a target man; the young and highly promising prolific scorer in local football, Dick Fleckney; the honest trier in midfield, John Hancock; and teenage ‘keeper Keith Selwood, who had the misfortune of conceding 8 goals away at Alfreton. It was a real baptism of fire for these players and they struggled to put it mildly but, in particular, Dawkins, Fleckney and Selwood went on to play a part for the club going forward.
The Robins plunged down the table and in the end their record resembled that of the previous campaign. However the trend was downward and Derek Chamberlain was left to contemplate during the summer how he was going to arrest the decline.