Headlines 34 yrs ago today On 20 December Judge Harman had granted a winding up order against Swansea in respect of an unpaid tax bill of £106,000 and this decision had huge repercussions for the club as the following day’s home match with Walsall was immediately called off and all club employees (including manager John Bond and his coaching staff) were sacked with the thirty four players at the club all having their contracts temporarily taken over by the Football League. Swansea were put in the hands of the Official Receiver as the club’s board stood down but the former directors were looking to organise a reprieve through a share issue in a new company as veteran winger Tommy Hutchinson was appointed as Player Manager. Survival as a football club took priority over survival in the Third Division at Swansea, and although the former was eventually achieved (they almost went to the wall again in subsequent years though), the latter was never realistic and they were to finish the campaign at the bottom of the table.
On this day 48 years ago, we played Aston Villa at a packed Vetch Field - we lost 1-2. From memory, they had Andy Lochhead, Ray Graydon and Bruce Rioch in their ranks. We had Barrie Hole - I can remember him volleying well over the bar at the Double Decker end of the pitch It was my 14th birthday - not the result I’d have wanted!