Originally Posted by
Elite_Pie
Talking of older matches, there is one I would really love to see the highlights of but they probably don't exist. It goes all the way back to Saturday 23rd August 1973 when I were nowt but a lad. It was the opening game of the season, and we had just been promoted to Division 2 (now The Championship) and seemed to be given the hardest possible start playing Crystal Palace away. Palace had just been relegated from the top division and were hot favourites to go back up. We fielded a much weakened team because David Needham, Willie Carlin and Les Bradd were suspended, and David McVay (who was a better writer than footballer) made his debut in the centre of defence. It was a baking hot day, and we were under the cosh for the first half hour and they went one up. I think most Notts fans feared a hammering, but then something magical happened. Don Masson put in a precision free kick, Brian Stubbs charged through their defence and planted a bullet header into the back of the net. That was the game changing moment, Palace fell apart and we grew in confidence. Kevin Randall and Mick Vinter scored within a couple of minutes of each other midway through the second half and Randall put the icing on the cake with another in the 85th minute.
Some of that is from memory and some from Google, but I still remember the Brian Stubbs goal like it was yesterday. This was our line up that day followed by a report I found:
1. Roy Brown
2. Bill Brindley
3. Bob Worthington
4. Don Masson
5. Brian Stubbs
6. Dave McVay *
7. Steve Carter
8. Jon Nixon
9. Kevin Randall
10. Eric Probert
11. Arthur Mann
Sub: Mick Vinter *57
Freshly promoted Notts were up against a side who had just dropped out of the top flight under Malcolm Allison. Two players made their debuts for Notts (in competitive action), Eric Probert - who had joined from Burnley for £30,000 - and local boy Dave McVay (Three players were suspended - Bradd, Carlin and Needham). The Daily Express report noted; "Notts were brilliantly regimented in midfield by Don Masson and Eric Probert, their command and control underlined weeks of persistent practice to fulfil the Sirrel plan of 100 percent team work. It was simple but superb to watch." Masson said afterwards; "It was beyond our wildest dreams to win 4-1 at Palace and to be honest, we weren't really in the game in the first 30 minutes, but once we equalised they seemed to fall away and showed little fight. I think that is their trouble, they have too many stars who don't want to know when things go wrong."
Apologies for the essay, but if you or UTM could add anything at all to that, I would love to read it.
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