You didn’t have 20 players in the penalty box then so the chances of getting a free header from a corner was greater.

Betty Everett - It’s In His Kiss

Like those “ Converse “ boots that all the “ Yoof “ are wearing now.

I always thought that Billy Rafferty was a better all round player than Mariner in those games but Mariner went on to play for England and Rafferty didn’t.

I’m not up to speed with Irish football these days, what’s his chances of playing ?

I just got down my copy of “ Blackburn Rovers A Complete History “ to check up on the Rovers v Plymouth game. The book fell open by chance on season 1954-55. Before my time. What caught my eye was we fielded 18 players that season. 42 game season. Reg Elvy played 41 league games Bill Eckersley “ “ 41 league games Ronnie Clayton “. “ 42 league games Billy Kelly “ “ 38 league games Eric Bell “. “ 42 league games Frank Mooney “ “ 42 league games Eddie Crossan ‘“ “ 40 league games Tommy Briggs “ “ 41 league games Eddie Quigley “ “ 40 league games Bobby Langton “ “ 42 league games Ron Stuart and Bill Smith shared the right back slot more or less equally. 5 fringe players shared 8 appearances. We must have had a good treatment team in those days. Bring back the dreaded magic sponge !

Yeah, I used to play in a pair of basketball boots, I found they were better. This is pre training shoes.

We haven’t won many there in my time so now is a good time to start putting things right. My first every game at Ewood was against these, we lost 2-1.

We’re all doing our best to forget that game. If it could go wrong it did.

McCauley ( Plymouth ) Delve ( Plymouth ) Beamish ( Rovers ) HT Martin ( Rovers ) Hickman ( Rovers ) Hickman ( Rovers ) Martin ( Rovers ) Team - Jones Heaton, Hawkins, Fazackerley, Burgin. Metcalfe, Oates, Parkes Beamish, Hickman, Martin. Att 17,818.

If you thought Boundary Park was cold you needed to go to Watersheddings, the old Rugby League ground in Oldham. It was cold there in Summer.

What about for the Final ?

I can’t remember any of that. I was more interested in what was going on out on the pitch. If they were at the Darwen End they’d have had a good view of most of our goals. I see Jim Furnell was in the Plymouth goals. He was a lucky keeper for Rovers. I remember him throwing one in when he played for Arsenal in a top of the table clash at Ewood. Fred Pickering had a shot at goal from about 15 yards out but he kicked the ground as well as the ball. It trundled straight to Furnell who knelt down to pick it and inexplicably let the ball got through his legs. It just had enough pace to roll about a foot over the line and then stop.

He doesn’t give much away does he ? Interesting to hear the some players viewed the trip to Leicester with the “ reserves “ as not being high on their list of enjoyable moments.

That’s not really how I remember it. The was no segregation then so it was hard to say how many came up from Plymouth. People stood wherever they felt like it. I got my usual 5-15 bus back to Rochdale from the Boulevard and I wasn’t conscious of hordes of fans in Green at the railway station.

Wrexham. 0-0, and it really was a 0-0. It was like watching paint dry but nobody was too bothered. I was at the Plymouth game. It was everything people say it was, a real game of two halves. Once we got going it was one way traffic. A bit like the first half of the recent Leicester game.

3 wins out of 11 ? That’s Mowbray form. I thought we’d turned a corner.

It’s a tall order but with 3 pts for a win it’s doable. Our really poor goal difference could be critical in this.

That slight miss control just before the pass worked out well for him.

Is the lad second from the left on the front row Gerry MacDonald ?

He has been “ shit in the air “ . It’s only recently he’s been winning flick ons. They don’t really go anywhere but that’s not his fault. At least the guys marking him have to turn and chase back after the ball. Better than nothing. Maybe JDT has been on his case.

BBD needs to start on the bench. He can come on replace either of Dolan or Gally if need be.

Might be before your time but Peter Bonnetti in the 1970 World Cup against Germany springs to mind. He was an absolutely top class keeper but he went to pieces on the day. I’d seen him absolutely defy Rovers and help Chelsea steal wins previously.

Whoever wrote down the names for that team photo must have been pissed.

The Gentrys - Keep On Dancing