| Giant killing 08:00 - Oct 30 with 7776 views | EllDale |
So it’s cup week. Dale at home to a non-league side.
But which was our worst humiliation at Spotland in this competition against similar opposition?
I personally disregard any defeats in the last ten years because there seemed to be a suspicion at one stage that Hilly didn’t treat the cup 100% as seriously as the league.
There are a couple from further back in time that spring to my mind. There was that horrible 3-5 defeat to Grantham in 1973 which was a replay after a 1-1 draw down there.
And that turgid, bleak 1-0 defeat to Droylsden in 1978.
The one I recall most though is a 2-1 loss to Bangor City at home in 1972. Was this one of the first nails in Dick Connor’s managerial coffin?
Connor doesn’t get many mentions on here compared to the likes of Sutton or Barrow.
He had just over three seasons in charge and we were a Division Three (L1) side throughout that time. He built a team of solid pros as well who knew their way around. Players like Graham Smith, Peter Gowans, Colin Blant, Len Kinsella, Malcolm Darling, Jack Howarth, Dick Renwick, Arthur Marsh, Keith Bebbington and Reg Jenkins in the twilight of his Dale career.
Kinsella was one of my favourites. A great left footed footballer.
That team finished 13th that season but only four points above a relegation place. I seem to remember that we won two out of the last three games 3-2 after Leo Skeete made a gaolscoring debut.
Gates were way down though because the team couldn’t score enough goals.
To my mind though that side losing at home to Bangor was a major upset……
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| Giant killing on 12:44 - Oct 31 with 2047 views | soulboy |
| Giant killing on 12:22 - Oct 31 by seasidedale |
The Droylesden game was the worst ever, their centre forward looked like a pub team player, overweight and unfit, we were awful, I remember selfishly that we wouldnt draw as the replay would have been tuesday and I had a date with this girl to see Tavares at the atameside theatre, ( the date didnt go that well).
Grantham was almost as bad but they were at least a better side than Droyslden |
Both were poor teams, the fact they beat us was a disgrace, at least Ferguson was fired straight after. If we had managed a draw against Droylsden, im sure Tavares were miles better than a replay! |  | | |
| Giant killing on 14:03 - Oct 31 with 1981 views | VespaDale |
| Giant killing on 18:12 - Oct 30 by Shun |
Didn't we come back from 3-0 down or something similar at Kenilworth Road? The one and only time I've ever been to Luton and I won't be in a rush to go back. |
Yes with about 1-15 mins to go we did the great comeback. I broke my finger that night celebrating in the pub & took 2yrs of operations to sort it out. Was that wasted i didn't feel it until the morning after. |  | | |
| Giant killing on 07:36 - Nov 2 with 1808 views | EllDale |
Just out of curiosity I looked up the team which lost to Droylsden in November 1978, a mere 39 years ago.
It wasn’t too shabby either with some good players in there like Eric Snookes, Bob Scott, Bobby Hoy and Terry Owen.
They must have been low on confidence or had fallen out with Ferguson as manager. It must be a lot easier at a small club with perhaps only 18 professionals to lose the dressing room completely.
This was the same team, that, under Doug Collins, saved themselves from finishing in the bottom four by winning seven out of the last eight games of the season. The only new recruits that Collins made were Chris Jones, Peter Creamer and Brian Taylor.
We lionese the likes of Lyndon Simmonds (and rightly so) for their efforts under Eddie Gray a decade later yet this team deserves plaudits in my opinion for pulling things round and preserving our league status for another season.
For, as we all generally agree, if we’d disappeared into the quicksand of non-league football, we won’t have come back but would rather be like Workington Town are these days.
Hoy was an intriguing character. He gets plenty of publicity in Yorkshire at the moment as he starred in the last Huddersfield Town team to play in the top flight in the early 1970’s. He used to combine playing with singing folk/country and western songs round the workingmens clubs of the West Riding. | | | |
| Giant killing on 08:09 - Nov 2 with 1777 views | Daley_Lama |
December 2015 was possibly our worst defeat to a TPLC that i can remember. |  |
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| Giant killing on 09:13 - Nov 2 with 1739 views | PotterDale |
| Giant killing on 09:14 - Oct 30 by DaleFan7 |
Everything about the day, the ground, the weather, the way we played, the result was all horrendous when we lost at Forest Green. |
Don't forget the beer |  | | |
| Giant killing on 17:02 - Nov 2 with 1627 views | onetonyellis |
| Giant killing on 12:44 - Oct 31 by soulboy |
Both were poor teams, the fact they beat us was a disgrace, at least Ferguson was fired straight after. If we had managed a draw against Droylsden, im sure Tavares were miles better than a replay! |
It is a bit sad but nearly 40 years later I still maintain that Droylsden's winning goal stuck in the mud on the line and should not have counted. | | | |
| Giant killing on 18:04 - Nov 2 with 1576 views | fermin |
| Giant killing on 17:02 - Nov 2 by onetonyellis |
It is a bit sad but nearly 40 years later I still maintain that Droylsden's winning goal stuck in the mud on the line and should not have counted. |
See the link I posted above - the Droylsden fan who wrote it agrees with you. |  | | |
| Giant killing on 18:54 - Nov 2 with 1556 views | chalkyncfc |
| Giant killing on 18:12 - Oct 30 by Shun |
Didn't we come back from 3-0 down or something similar at Kenilworth Road? The one and only time I've ever been to Luton and I won't be in a rush to go back. |
Luton is probably the worst ground that I've ever visited,nothing but trouble from their fans from start to finish,horrible town,horrible fans,the only good thing about that day was the unique entrance to the away end | | | |
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