1975–76 Hereford United F.C. season

May 2024 May 2024 Hereford United 1975–76 John Sillett Frank Miles Edgar Street Division Three 1st League Cup Second round FA Cup Third round Welsh Cup Runners-up Dixie McNeil (35) Dixie McNeil (38) 12,970 v Crystal Palace, Division Three, 31 January 1976 1,994 v Porthmadog, Welsh Cup, 18 February 1976 8,273 5–0 v Chester (H), Division Three, 10 March 1976 1–4 v Burnley (H), League Cup, 10 September 1975 1974–75 1976–77 The 1975–76 season was the 47th season of competitive football played by Hereford United Football Club and their fourth in the Football League. The club competed in Division Three, as well as the League Cup, Welsh Cup and FA Cup. Summary Hereford clinched their second promotion in four years as a league club by finishing as champions of Division Three, six points clear of second-placed Cardiff City. After winning only one of their opening five league matches, Hereford gained momentum as results improved through the autumn and winter, and went top for the first time with a 4–1 win over Cardiff at the start of February. A crowd of 35,549 saw the Welsh club claim a 2–0 win in the return fixture at Ninian Park on 14 April, but Hereford's promotion was confirmed the following Saturday by a goalless draw at Walsall, with the championship following two days later courtesy of a 3–1 win over Shrewsbury Town. The squad was bolstered by the arrival of goalkeeper Kevin Charlton, full-back Steve Ritchie, midfielder Jimmy Lindsay and forward Steve Davey. Charlton displaced Tommy Hughes as first-choice keeper, Ritchie and Lindsay were both ever-present, and Davey's 18 league goals took some of the scoring burden off Dixie McNeil. Nevertheless, a hat-trick against Preston North End in the final match of the season meant McNeil finished as leading scorer in the Football League for the second successive year, with a haul of 35 goals. He also became the first Hereford player to score four goals in a league match, doing so in a 5–0 win over Chester. Veteran midfielder Terry Paine achieved a notable feat when he made his 765th league appearance in Hereford's home match against Peterborough United on 25 October. This established a new Football League record, overtaking the previous record of 764 held by Portsmouth's Jimmy Dickinson.Parrott 1998 32-36 Squad Players who made one appearance or more for Hereford United F.C. during the 1975-76 season Pos.Nat.NameLeagueLeague CupFA CupWelsh CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGKENGKevin Charlton350303030440GKSCOTommy Hughes110101040170DFIRETony Byrne1(1)010004(1)26(2)2DFENGSteve Emery452404050582DFWALMark Evans0000001010DFENGJohn Galley352300030412DFENGJohn Layton386204251499DFWALJulian Marshall0000001010DFSCOSteve Ritchie461414030572DFENGDavid Rylands2000102050DFENGBilly Tucker17(2)230314027(2)2MFENGLes Briley0000001010MFENGRoy Carter335421(1)14042(1)8MFENGPaul Courtney0000001010MFSCOJimmy Lindsay462424052596MFSCOJim McCafferty0(3)00010203(3)0MFENGTerry Paine40(4)12(2)1402148(6)3MFENGBrian Preece0000003(1)13(1)1MFENGDavid Rudge1(1)00000102(1)0MFIREKevin Sheedy1000000010MFENGBarry Silkman12(10)1100(2)03(1)116(13)2MFENGPeter Spiring5(1)00000005(1)0MFENGDudley Tyler34500413(1)041(1)6MFWALShane Walker7(2)230204(1)116(3)3FWENGSteve Davey42(3)183(1)0405(1)354(5)21FWENGDixie McNeil40(1)353042415138FWENGEric Redrobe15(5)130004122(5)2 Parrott 1998 190-191Rothmans 1976-77 205–206 League table Third Division y HER Results Third Division 1975–76 Football League 1 16 August 1975 Hereford United 0–0 D Port Vale Edgar Street Hereford 6,219 2 24 August 1975 Rotherham United 1–1 D Hereford United Breckin 31 Carter 29 Millmoor Rotherham 3,825 3 30 August 1975 Hereford United 3–1 W Sheffield Wednesday Tucker 39McNeil 66 84 pen. Henson 79 Edgar Street Hereford 7,017 4 6 September 1975 Millwall 1–0 L Hereford United Hill 87 The Den London 6,066 5 13 September 1975 Hereford United 0–0 D Colchester United Edgar Street Hereford 5,577 6 20 September 1975 Chesterfield 2–3 W Hereford United Darling 58 pen.Burton 69 McNeil 50Silkman 77Redrobe 86 Saltergate Chesterfield 3,000 7 24 September 1975 Hereford United 1–0 W Swindon Town Emery 8 Edgar Street Hereford 6,423 8 27 September 1975 Hereford United 1–1 D Gillingham Davey 78 Shipperley 80 Edgar Street Hereford 5,512 9 4 October 1975 Chester 0–1 W Hereford United Davey 78 Sealand Road Chester 4,144 10 11 October 1975 Hereford United 2–0 W Wrexham Layton 23Davey 78 Edgar Street Hereford 6,228 11 18 October 1975 Halifax Town 0–1 W Hereford United Tyler 40 The Shay Halifax 2,667 12 21 October 1975 Crystal Palace 2–2 D Hereford United Swindlehurst 41Taylor 56 pen. Layton 58Tyler 79 Selhurst Park London 20,232 13 25 October 1975 Hereford United 2–4 L Peterborough United Lindsay 38 pen.Davey 86 Gregory 15Turner 59 75Nixon 81 Edgar Street Hereford 8,471 14 1 November 1975 Preston North End 3–4 W Hereford United Baxter 4Morley 60 pen.Treacy 63 Davey 2Tucker 31McNeil 57Lindsay 61 Deepdale Preston 9,682 15 8 November 1975 Hereford United 3–2 W Grimsby Town McNeil 9 74Davey 70 Wigg 52Barton 72 Edgar Street Hereford 6,391 16 29 November 1975 Hereford United 2–0 W Bury McNeil 18 pen.Davey 83 Edgar Street Hereford 6,867 17 6 December 1975 Brighton & Hove Albion 4–2 L Hereford United Binney 7Mellor 43Martin 67 73 Tyler 41Carter 76 Goldstone Ground Hove 17,811 18 20 December 1975 Aldershot 0–2 W Hereford United McNeil 64Walker 83 Recreation Ground Aldershot 4,113 19 26 December 1975 Hereford United 1–3 L Walsall Davey 22 Evans 37Buckley 46 84 Edgar Street Hereford 10,891 20 27 December 1975 Shrewsbury Town 2–1 L Hereford United Durban 38 45 Walker 83 Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 9,488 21 10 January 1976 Sheffield Wednesday 1–2 W Hereford United Shaw 8 Davey 22McNeil 47 Hillsborough Sheffield 8,155 22 17 January 1976 Hereford United 4–2 W Chesterfield Hunter 12 o.g.Layton 35McNeil 43 72 Bailey 55Shanahan 73 pen. Edgar Street Hereford 5,999 23 24 January 1976 Colchester United 1–4 W Hereford United Telford 3 McNeil 2 38Dominey 28 o.g.Davey 67 Layer Road Colchester 8,155 24 26 January 1976 Southend United 1–3 W Hereford United Silvester 63 McNeil 15 35Layton 83 Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 3,722 25 31 January 1976 Hereford United 1–1 D Crystal Palace McNeil 55 Swindlehurst 73 Edgar Street Hereford 12,970 26 4 February 1976 Hereford United 4–1 W Cardiff City McNeil 8 15Emery 25Layton 80 Buchanan 76 Edgar Street Hereford 12,962 27 7 February 1976 Mansfield Town 2–2 D Hereford United Bird 48Clarke 54 McNeil 73 87 Field Mill Mansfield 5,997 28 11 February 1976 Hereford United 1–0 W Mansfield Town Ritchie 28 Edgar Street Hereford 8,302 29 14 February 1976 Grimsby Town 1–0 L Hereford United Lewis 21 Blundell Park Cleethorpes 5,944 30 21 February 1976 Hereford United 2–1 W Southend United McNeil 8Galley 90 Silvester 30 Edgar Street Hereford 7,264 31 24 February 1976 Swindon Town 0–1 W Hereford United Davey 27 County Ground Swindon 10,691 32 27 February 1976 Peterborough United 0–3 W Hereford United McNeil 18Carter 32Davey 70 London Road Peterborough 14,106 33 10 March 1976 Hereford United 5–0 W Chester City McNeil 13 23 pen. 55 68Davey 19 Edgar Street Hereford 7,103 34 13 March 1976 Wrexham 2–1 L Hereford United Sutton 39Griffiths 45 pen. McNeil 19 Racecourse Ground Wrexham 7,621 35 17 March 1976 Hereford United 1–2 L Halifax Town Galley 82 G. Jones 63Overton 90 Edgar Street Hereford 7,395 36 20 March 1976 Bury 2–3 W Hereford United Williams 67Buchan 69 Davey 30Carter 54McNeil 87 Gigg Lane Bury 6,384 37 27 March 1976 Hereford United 1–1 D Brighton & Hove Albion McNeil 53 Ward 1 Edgar Street Hereford 12,160 38 31 March 1976 Hereford United 2–1 W Aldershot Richardson 38 o.g.Paine 44 Warnock 50 Edgar Street Hereford 7,497 39 3 April 1976 Port Vale 1–1 D Hereford United Griffiths 66 Davey 54 Vale Park Stoke-on-Trent 4,424 40 6 April 1976 Gillingham 3–4 W Hereford United Durrell 12 44Ritchie 50 o.g. Davey 2 66McNeil 76Layton 82 Priestfield Gillingham 7,914 41 10 April 1976 Hereford United 0–0 D Millwall Edgar Street Hereford 10,176 42 14 April 1976 Cardiff City 2–0 L Hereford United Livermore 54Campbell 88 Ninian Park Cardiff 35,549 43 17 April 1976 Walsall 0–0 D Hereford United Fellows Park Walsall 9,225 44 19 April 1976 Hereford United 3–1 W Shrewsbury Town Carter 46Davey 62McNeil 69 Kearney 90 Edgar Street Hereford 12,314 45 24 April 1976 Hereford United 3–2 W Rotherham United McNeil 2Tyler 6 38 Finney 53Crawford 67 Edgar Street Hereford 8,950 46 28 April 1976 Hereford United 3–1 W Preston North End McNeil 52 64 76 Elwiss 16 Edgar Street Hereford 7,592 Parrott 1998 186–189Rothmans 1976-77 204 League Cup 1975–76 Football League Cup First round first leg 18 August 1975 Port Vale 4–2 L Hereford United Cullerton 23 28 43 pen.Bailey 26 Lindsay 52 64 Vale Park Stoke-on-Trent 3,787 First round second leg 27 August 1975 Hereford United 2–0 W Port Vale Ritchie 61Carter 88 Edgar Street Hereford 4,107 First round replay 1 September 1975 Hereford United 1–0 W Port Vale Paine 88 Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 3,637 Second round 10 September 1975 Hereford United 1–4 L Burnley Carter 50 Flynn 35 65Noble 48 78 Edgar Street Hereford 11,360 Rothmans 1976-77 505–509 Welsh Cup 1975–76 Welsh Cup Third round 12 November 1975 Stourbridge 1–2 W Hereford United Smith 18 Walker 45Redrobe 50 War Memorial Ground Stourbridge 669 Fourth round 19 January 1976 Newport County 1–2 W Hereford United Aizlewood 5 Aizlewood 18 o.g.Layton 41 Somerton Park Newport 2,400 Fifth round 18 February 1976 Hereford United 4–0 W Porthmadog Preece 10Silkman 37Davey 47 64 Edgar Street Hereford 1,994 Semi-final 23 March 1976 Hereford United 1–1 D Shrewsbury Town Lindsay 31 Bates 63 Edgar Street Hereford 4,748 Semi-final replay 8 April 1976 Shrewsbury Town 1–1 D yes Hereford United Irvine 63 Byrne 90 Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 2,714 Hereford won 5–4 on penalties Final first leg 18 May 1976 Hereford United 3–3 D Cardiff City Davey 67Paine 69McNeil 75 Evans 25Dwyer 62 87 Edgar Street Hereford 3,709 The first leg was originally played at Ninian Park on 29 April 1976 and ended in a 2–2 draw but was declared null and void by the Welsh FA after Peter Spiring, scorer of both Hereford goals, was deemed to have been ineligible to play Final second leg 19 May 1976 Cardiff City 3–2 L Hereford United Pethard 11Clark 32Evans 66 Lindsay 50Byrne 86 Ninian Park Cardiff 2,648 FA Cup 1975–76 FA Cup First round 22 November 1975 Hereford United 2–0 W Torquay United Carter 7Tucker 82 Edgar Street Hereford 6,542 Second round 13 December 1975 Bournemouth 2–2 D Hereford United Ashworth 38Goddard 86 Tyler 60McNeil 71 Dean Court Bournemouth 6,181 Second round replay 17 December 1975 Hereford United 2–0 W Bournemouth Layton 55McNeil 58 Edgar Street Hereford 6,351 Third round 3 January 1976 York City 2–1 L Hereford United Seal 33Hosker 38 Layton 90 Bootham Crescent York 5,154 Rothmans 1976-77 489-495 References Bibliography Parrott Ron Hereford United: The League Era - A Complete Record Desert Island Books 1998 1-874287-18-X Rothmans 1976-77 Rothmans Football Yearbook 1976-77 (Editor: Peter Dunk) 4 June 1976 Queen Anne Press 0362-00259-2 Category:Hereford United F.C. seasons Hereford United F.C.