Away trips - from humble beginnings

Off the boat at 6am, seasick (well not really - only John Bergin), a big fry in Wimpeys, a parting of the ways at Lime Street Train Station and separate paths to the joy of football - live and in the flesh!

Only blemish on the morning for the Liverpool trio was the side-trip into Woolworth's to witness Rich Hudson shell out money that came too easily on a coat that was visible at four nautical miles. An early audition for Letter from Breshnev, with the large black fur collar. Those of us that made the trip to Manchester were spared the ignominy of trudging around Liverpool as aghast Scousers just stopped and stared as Rich proudly wore his new battle regalia.

And after the match, more chips and a read of the shared Football Pink with reports of matches and incidents you has seen live and the right-hand sided vertical corner column with the results from places far afield - London, Leicester and the like. Fuck Tottenham - another year to wait - little knowing it would be 1981, seven years later, before we got our yiddish hands on the piece of silver.

And Michael Lawless - how and why? Quite baffling really.

Recall the day - 5 January 1974:

Aston Villa 3 1 Chester
Birmingham 5 2 Cardiff
Bolton 3 2 Stoke
Bradford 4 2 Alvechurch
Bristol C 1 1 Hull City
C Palace 0 2 Wrexham
Cambridge 2 2 Oldham
Carlisle 0 0 Sunderland
Chelsea 0 0 QPR
Derby 0 0 Boston Utd
Everton 3 0 Blackburn
Fulham 1 0 Preston
Grantham Town 0 2 Middlesbro
Grimsby 0 2 Burnley
Ipswich 3 2 Sheff Utd
Leicester 1 0 Tottenham
Leyton Orient 2 1 Bournemouth
Liverpool 2 2 Doncaster
Man Utd 1 0 Plymouth
Millwall 1 1 Scunthorpe
Newcastle 1 1 Hendon
Norwich 0 1 Arsenal
Nottm Forest 4 3 Bristol R
Oxford 2 5 Man City
Peterborough 3 1 Southend
Port Vale 1 1 Luton
Portsmouth 3 3 Swindon
Sheff Wed 0 0 Coventry
Southampton 2 1 Blackpool
West Brom 4 0 Notts Co
West Ham 1 1 Hereford
Wolves 1 1 Leeds