Bearwood Owl1

Dave Sunley's debut was vs Birmi gham City. First goal Vs Tottenham in the cup - scoring past Pat Jennings.

Come in a 'top 10' of fans favourites in my upcoming book of the real dark years 73-76. General feeling was that he was a whole hearted trier in difficult times.

I think that nails it, it was there. It happened. If you went to football, especially away, there was a chance of getting caught up in it - like it or not

Had an ongoing hip injury that led to his retirement. Everton fans weren't happy for him to go - but never really at his best at Hillsborough

I think you're point there about not needing to be directly involved to witness plenty of it is key. It was a different world in the 70s in some ways. This being one of them. So no major judgements from me (though I can't understand looking for trouble). More my attempt to report the sort of things you describe

https://twitter.com/Ourlowestebb1/media If you fancy killing a bit more time back in the 70s - I've got 100's of pictures up on the twitter feed!

The violence/hooliganism bit was one of the most difficult to write. I didn't want to glamorise it, while accepting that it happened (pretty regularly), that Owls fans were as responsible for it as anyone, and that (some) fans actually quite enjoyed it. Others hated it of course, and the experience varied depending on the games you went to. So, tricky. Hopefully I've presented a fair picture of it all.

Trouble at the station, trouble at the shops, trouble at the game... The Star reported it as a "rampage".

There's a bit about that game in the book, trouble outside the ground as well.

Now that is a genuinely lovely story :)

The football hooliganism/violence bit gets a section to itself. Very different times for that One theme of the book is that football was the same but different back then. 1000s of Owls travelling away? Same. Able to decide on the day and pay on the gate? Different!

Some letters in the local press, and leaflets distributed outside previous games. All with a 'sack the board' theme. Not sure how much impact they had, or whether it was that Dooley's team were really struggling by this stage.

The picture is of the Oxford game, November 1973. There were attempts to organise a boycott and the attendance therefore fell below 8000.

Maybe I'll write a trilogy :)

Yep!

You did mate, I've been very lucky in that nearly 200 fans have shared memories one way or another. The vast majority of them are positive about the time - even despite or because of performances on the pitch!

The Ozzie Owl club also gets a full section to itself :)

Some truth in all that... I didn't want to cover the betting scandal through to relegation from D1 as a) it's been done before and b) it was a truly depressing time with very few redeeming features. Fast forward to 73-76 and the football was often dreadful to watch, but as we see here there's plenty of nostalgia for it. And... I argue at least, the green shoots of later recovery under Big Jack are tantalisingly close.

Andy Mc it was. When the Owls were down to 10 men as Hugh Dowd was off the pitch being treated for an injury.

You are correct - Brian Joicey from about two inches out... Starter for 10 - who scored for Oxford that day?

The title refers to the Southend game. The club's 'Lowest Ebb' - never have the team fallen so low before or since. Daniel Gordon's book is excellent - would recommend it to any Owls fan.

Got a section on songs and chants... Assuming that's what your user name relates to :)

Big section on that game. And an interview with Dave Sunley who scored two of our goals. Who would have believed that after Xmas that season we'd score only 2 league goals?!

I can't win 'em all :) Look up Daniel Gordon's 'A Quarter if Wednesday'. Covers 1970-95 but if you start half way through it covers the glory years really well.

Love it. Those kind of stories sum up the 70s for me.