And ironically, though they probably don't see it like that, Liverpool just drew 0-0 again, but slightly further north away to Stoke.
Having only been in only my new job in London for a few months I was still nervous asking to leave early, though it was for a dental appointment!
Permission given I was in Southend by 6 and went straight to Roots Hall. The home crowd was already half way to Prittelwell station but I had promised to meet my girl friend at my sisters in North Road.
Having only been in only my new job in London for a few months I was still nervous asking to leave early, though it was for a dental appointment!
Permission given I was in Southend by 6 and went straight to Roots Hall. The home crowd was already half way to Prittelwell station but I had promised to meet my girl friend at my sisters in North Road.
Said girlfriend, a hairdresser in Chalkwell, was not there. She didn't even go to games but this was Liverpool and the gorgeous Dalglish! No mobiles in those days, no joining the queue and telling her where I was, I had to wait and wait a bit longer. Young Maggie gets there, an hour late at 7, she'd been held up at work, bless!
I can't remember where we joined but it was a long, long way from the ground. Everyone remained in good humour and we got in at the West Stand turnstiles at about 8.15, somehow working our way to the South Bank.
Ending up somewhere at the side high up, all standing, no roof, we could hardly see a thing! Everyone packed like sardines we watched the whole of the second half straining to catch the action over hundreds of heads bobbing up and down.
To be honest, I saw much more of the game, including the Parker miss, when I got home and watched the highlights on the BBC!
Liverpool had Kenny Dalglish, Emlyn Hughes, Match of the Day's Alan Hansen, and a whole host of other big name players in their starting line-up.
However, they could not see off the Blues and had Southend's Derrick Parker not wasted a great chance to score, a clear one on one with England's Ray Clemence who saved, the Seasiders could have been celebrating an amazing victory in the freezing conditions.
Southend were being managed at that point by Dave Smith and, speaking to the Southend Evening Echo, he still remembers well guiding his team to a goaless draw: "It was snowy and frosty and we could've beaten them on the night. Derrick missed a sitter at the end but I remember turning to one of my coaches and saying I was glad he missed. They thought I was mad but it meant we got to go to Anfield and I'd never managed a team there before."
Goalkeeper Mervyn Cawston was only tested on a few occasions, firstly when David Fairclough broke free from his marker but as he was about to shoot Cawston slid out to whip the ball off his feet. Later, Cawston tipped over a clever lob from Hughes and then saved a point-blank header from Hansen from the resulting corner.
Midfielder Ron Poutney also recalled the match: "It's hard to remember much about the game because it all went so fast but both sides had chances and it certainly could have gone either way. It's such a long time ago now but I remember the snow and that Roots Hall was packed. I was up against Ray Kennedy and our goalkeeper Mervyn Cawston was just tremendous. We won't ever forget it either, that's for sure."
Sadly, only a week later we lost the replay 3-0 at Anfield in front of 37,797, the biggest crowd to see Southend until last weekends game at Chelsea.
Southend United: Cawston, Stead, Yates, Laverick, Hadley, Moody, Morris, Poutney, Parker, Dudley, Fell.
Chris Phillips of the Southend Evening Echo has written an excellent article on the game which can be read here: http://www.echo-news.co.uk/theblues/4033854.The_night_red_hot_Blues_held_mighty_Liverpool/