By Dave P
November 22 2004

22nd November and two games from 'transitional' seasons plus a high score. We have played Aston Villa once before on 22nd November 22nd November and two games from 'transitional' seasons plus a high score.

We have played Aston Villa once before on 22nd November and that was back in 1952. We travelled to Villa Park that saturday for a Division 1 fixture and in front of 32,265 spectators we won 3-0. Our goals on that day came from Les Bennett, Len Duquemin and an L.R Dicker of whom I know very little other than the fact he played for us that season making 10 appearances and scoring 2 Goals. The age of some of the players from the 1950/51 push and run' Championship side was starting to show. The 50/51 Championship side had just sneaked second place the season after(ahead of Woolwich on goal average and behind Manchester United) but then we struggled to maintain our form and it signalled the end of that side. We finished the 52/53 season in 10th place one place above the Villa (Woolwich won the title). In the seasons after this we finished 16th, 16th and then 18th. A rebuilding of the side took place, Arthur Rowe handed managerial duties over to Jimmy Anderson and then to Bill Nicholson to take us on to our Glory years.

Let us now move forward a few years to another season that had followed a few successful years. On saturday November 21st 1964 we entertained Aston Villa at White Hart Lane in front of just under 30,000 fans. We won on this occasion by the score of 4 goals to nil. The names on the scoresheet that day were Alan Mullery, Jimmy Robertson, Jimmy Greaves and Terry Dyson. Once again this was a transitional season that saw changes in our squad as the Double side was being melded by Billy Nick into a new team. Pat Jennings had joined the season before to replace Bill Brown in goal. Jimmy Robertson had joined us from St. Mirren in March along with Alan Mullery from Fulham. Cyril Knowles came from Middlesbrough in May and a few weeks after this match Alan Gilzean was to join us from Dundee. Incidentally we were to finish 6th in the table that year (Woolwich could only manage 13th and Villa 16th).

Now our last Premiership match was a goal feast for the neutral amid some slack defending and this got me looking for any similar results against Villa and one match sticks out in all the record books. Not in November but on 19th March 1966. We were the home side on that day and 28,371 fans turned out to see Spurs take a 5-1 lead into the half time interval. Our goals were scored by Laurie Brown (A centre half who had joined us from Woolwich in February 1964), Jimmy Robertson, Jimmy Greaves, Frank Saul and Alan Gilzean. The Home fans present on that day must have supped their bovril at half time safe in the knowledge that 2 points were in the bag but in the second half there was some abysmal defending and superb attacking play from the Villains which allowed Aston Villa to come back, score four goals and nick a point, The game ending 5-5 with Tony Hateley scoring 4 for Villa.

A repeat of that today may see me admitted to my nearest cardiac unit for open heart surgery.