Photo Credit: MJH / Bulls News
THE man who masterminded the FA Cup’s greatest ever giantkilling has died at the age of 85.
Colin Addison not only managed but also played for Hereford United in their seismic defeat of Newcastle United in 1972.
The match is remembered for Ronnie Radford’s 40-yard thunderbolt, a young John Motson starting out in commentary and the pitch invasion of parka jackets.
It also shone a spotlight on a 31-year-old player-manager who would go on to take charge of a long list of clubs including Derby County, Swansea City, Atletico de Madrid, Cadiz and Celta Vigo.
Born in Taunton, Addison joined York City as a teenager. After helping his side win promotion to the third division, he was bought by Nottingham Forest in 1961.
Addison enjoyed a successful spell at the City Ground, scoring 62 goals in 160 league appearances. Arsenal manager Bertie Mee was one of many impressed by the style of the young forward and Addison moved to the Gunners in 1966 for £45,000.
Sadly, Addison sustained injuries at Arsenal and, after scoring an average of one goal in every three games, he was sold to Sheffield United in 1967.
During his four years as a player at Bramall Lane, Addison completed coaching courses and, when Hereford offered the Blades £3,000 for his services as a player manager, he took the chance to move south.
Speaking to the Observer in 2007, Addison said: “It was my first management job – a real crash course. Everyone else was part-time and the players were scattered everywhere.”
Addison’s first season saw Hereford play 79 matches – many of those in an incredible FA Cup run featuring replays instead of penalty shoot outs.
One often forgotten fact among the drama of the Newcastle victory is that the part-timers of Hereford held their higher-graded opponents to a 2-2 draw in the North East in a now overlooked first match between the two sides.
Addison scored one of the Hereford goals and Malcolm McDonald, the fearsome Newcastle number 9, said in his autobiography that it was one of the greatest strikes he had ever seen. Alas, no TV cameras were at St James’ Park that night to film the goal.
The same could not be said for the third-round replay that eventually took place on February 5, 1972, on a quagmire of a pitch at Edgar Street.
The story of that match, filmed by Match of the Day cameras, has been retold thousands of times and Radford’s strike is replayed whenever TV producers believe another FA Cup shock is possible.
Speaking to Four Four Two Magazine in 2022, Radford said his player-manager was pivotal to the victory.
“Colin inspired us with his words,” he added.
“Even today, whenever he talks to you it’s like a team talk. Colin came in and made a huge difference. He was a very good player – the best signing Hereford ever made.”
Hereford almost pulled off an even greater shock when they were unlucky to only draw 0-0 with a West Ham side featuring Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking in the next round.
Their marathon 11-match journey in the FA Cup finally came to an end at the replay when Hurst scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Upton Park.
After taking Hereford United into the Football League and a first-season promotion, Addison enjoyed a successful management career that spanned four decades and five countries.
Highlights included working with Ron Atkinson and West Brom’s ‘Three Degrees-inspired’ side that thrilled fans in the 1970s, leading Newport County to their highest post-war league finish and managing some of Spain’s leading clubs.
Despite working all over the globe, his family home remained in the city of his most famous achievement and he would regularly return to watch football at Edgar Street.
A road – Addison Court – was named after him a few hundred yards from the pitch where Addison helped to write the name of Hereford United into English footballing history.
He was always generous with his time and whether it be to a journalist or a supporter, would happily retell the experiences of managing the giantkillers.
In an interview in 2005 with Spain’s Canal Plus, Addison – speaking from the Edgar Street dugout – was moved to tears as he recounted the day Hereford beat Newcastle.
“After the game on my way to the dressing room I went in a little treatment room and I remember crying.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that. I had some good days with Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Sheffield and other big clubs, but there was nothing like this.”
Our thoughts are with Colin’s wife Jean and his daughters Rachel and Lisa.
