The biggest match in Northampton Town’s history – they don’t come much bigger than the champions of Europe!
Aston Villa’s aristocrats against the Cobblers paupers and Town battled hard against their lofty visitors who won the tie with a dass goal from a youngster called Marie Walters. A star in the making.
Match reporter Brian Barron Reflected on a day that once again saw the reduced capacity County Ground packed to the rafters.
‘One flash of world class genius from a player who should not even have been playing separated the reluctant talent of Aston Villa from the sprit, sawdust and rolled up sleeves of the Cobblers.
“It was the tiniest margin possible in the score line, but it was a strangely subdued afternoon and amid the unaccustomed hubbub of quote-seeking journalists, tv and radio interviews and a reinforced squad of autograph hunters, there was a sneaking suspicion of anti-climax.
“Villa rarely played like the kings of Europe but that one goal from England Youth striker Mark Walters ten minutes from hall-time doused the passion that had so upstaged Villa in the opening half hour.
“The Cobblers were competent rather than passionate and the longer the game went on the less the players seemed to believe that miracles can happen.
“If this sounds churlish it is not meant to. The perfonnance fell somewhere between the vintage ’58
Cup win against Arsenal and the ‘70 humiliation by Manchester United. It brought no more than a ‘we didn’t do too badly’ reaction from manager dive Walker but as striker Steve Massey said: ‘l always felt that Villa could go up a gear.’
Teams
Northampton: Freeman; Tucker, Gage, Burrows, Phillips, Coffill, Buchanan, Saxby. Heeley, Syrett, Massey. Sub: Muir.
Aston Villa: Spink; Jones, McNaught, Evans,Williams, Bremner. Mortimer, Cowans, Morley, Withe, Walters.
Attendance: 14.529