MILLMOOR, Rotherham: MY FIRST VISIT, January 1971...

Rotherham United 1 Aston Villa 1

A long journey, a really muddy pitch, 12, 648 spectators and a chance for the visitors to go top of the league but the Millers really ought to have won the game, leaving manager Tommy McAnearney griping that he was as 'sick as dog'... Thanks for that, Tommy. Villa's boss. Vic Crowe, a mild Welshman, merely pointed out that his goalkeeper and one central defender had allowed his malfunctioning team to grab a point and get to the top of Division 3. Villa failed to achieve promotion that season, for their fine exploits in the League Cup took their toll. After winning a semi-final over two legs against Manchester United they fell, undeservedly, to two Martin Chivers goals at Wembley, as Spurs won another trophy with the 'year ending in one', as their famous club song's lyric would annoyingly underline.

The admission price for a seat in the grandstand was 50p, or ten shillings and I was thus able to escape the fighting between supporters before and during half-time behind one of the Millmoor goals. Villa's goalkeeper, the Londoner John Dunn, ex-Chelsea and merely adequate, who generally dived forwards like a shoebill stork flopping upon an African lungfish, was also known for his cigarette smoking and I once saw him stroll onto the pitch at The Shay, Halifax, smoking and noting the ash in one of the goalmouths, undoubtedly from the surrounding speedway track; ah, the good old seventies... He would be the unlikely saviour of a point for his team, making a fine tip-over save from Uncle Bulgaria, a.k.a. Rotherham's Trevor Womble before the interval. 

Womble apparently fouled the Villa 'keeper in the opening period and his subsequent 'goal' was disallowed but the custodian had already enjoyed a remarkable escape when ex-Celtic midfielder 'Pat, Pat, Pat Pat, Pat McMahon' had sliced the ball against one of his own goalposts, the rebound struck Dunn and the upright again, before the ball was bundled away. Just before half-time, Trevor Swift swooped with guile to head home Bentley's free-kick and the Millers led 1-0.

Dunn  wasn't to be quietened down however, for after 'Andy, Andy Lochhead, Andy Lochhead in the air' had dithered over two good chances for Villa, some steelman in the Rotherham crowd threw a 6 inch piece of metal at the Villa 'keeper. He didn't catch it, or even punch it away. He showed it to the referee though, like they were on an archaeological dig in the area and maybe the goalie was disturbed from that point, for on the hour, he hauled down Jimmy Mullen, like he was considering a future career in Rugby League with the old Wakefield Trinity. The goalie dived right for Dennis Leigh's weakly struck penalty, which went slightly to his left but Dunn was able to fling out a hand to save, the one not holding his fag, and then he scrambled about like a pig in a poke, foiling both Leigh and the ghosting-in John Fantham as a successful rebound looked a likely outcome. This flailing about in the Millmoor mire by his goalie allowed the likeable, reliable but not very extraordinary Fred Turnbull, Villa's centre-half, to scramble the ball away for a corner. That was Vic Crowe's turning-point.

Fantham then spooked Villa by heading a fine 63rd minute chance wide and the visitors duly capitalised three minutes later. Willie Anderson, a Beatle-haired, ex-Manchester United youngster, who tended to fall over a lot, took a free-kick, Lochhead headed the ball back across goal over Swift and there was Chico Hamilton to rise and wreck his blond hair with a header deep into the Millers' net.

The balding pate of Andy Lochhead nods the ball across goal and...

...Chico Hamilton heads the equaliser...

Brian Tiler, ex-Rotherham, leaps upon Hamilton...

Ex-Miller Brian Tiler then leapt upon the goalscorer, probably because he had been the victim of a tirade of abuse from fans who had once cheered him but it is strange to reflect that Tiler died in the car crash which caused Harry Redknapp such bad injuries, a number of years ago.

The pitch had been too heavy and too thick with mud to promote decent passing football but the Millers had dug in and assaulted Villa until the latter stages, when finally, Lochhead became a factor and home 'keeper Roy Tunks excelled, to preserve his team's parity. Hamilton and Bruce Rioch had been largely anonymous for Villa but I marked Tiler and Turnbull highest for the new league leaders, whilst Tunks, Bentley, Swift and Womble featured well for the hosts.

It is tempting to say that with a Womble playing, the match was littered with fouls, but in Common with Wimbledon, that was the truth, for some of the scything tackles witnessed that day would have ploughed some fine ridges in a local farmer's field.

That season, travelling mostly from Reading, where I was studying P.E. and earned the nickname 'Chico' from my London-based mates, I missed only the last six of Villa's away games in the league. Gods, I even went to Gillingham during the midweek after the League Cup Final, enduring a shocking 0-0 draw and I recall that neither 'keeper saved a shot. The programme for that game is now a collectors' item. And I have one...