Carlisle United: 50th anniversary of 1974/75 season part 16

Carlisle United would take help from any source if it meant restoring goals and points to their increasingly hard First Division campaign. If that meant looking for positive omens, so be it.

Next for Alan Ashman’s side was a trip to Queens Park Rangers. The Evening News & Star did its best to encourage readers that things would be ok in the capital.

United had, after all, made six trips to London over the past 17 months, travelling the same route, staying at the same hotel, eating the same meal and accruing 11 points from a possible 12 in the process.

That run, we noted, had seen wins over Millwall, Crystal Palace, Leyton Orient, Fulham and Chelsea, as well as a draw with Tottenham Hotspur. It stood to reason, then, that going to QPR would not hold any fears, even accounting for United’s current losing form.

Carlisle, it was also reported, differed from many of their First Division counterparts in terms of travelling on such long trips. While the elite favoured the train or chartered flights, United stuck to the team coach.

“It is so much cheaper to travel this way and that is why we do it,” said secretary David Dent. “We need to keep a close watch on every little expenditure here.”

The bottom line was as crucial as ever given that, when United’s latest annual accounts were revealed, they disclosed the price of their historic 1973/74 promotion. Carlisle recorded a net loss of £106,479 over the past year – the biggest such loss in the club’s history.

Carlisle United's 1974 accounts revealed the price of promotion to the top-flight (Image: News & Star)

Directors explained that the club had invested the profits achieved in previous seasons, while wages had increased by £33,417 to £117,512.

United would, of course, keep paying the price if it meant prolonging their adventure at the top of English football. There was bright news in the build-up to their latest London trip given that Joe Laidlaw, out for several weeks with injury, was now finally back in full training.

It meant that, for the first time in months, Carlisle had a clean bill of health in terms of training. Goalkeeper Allan Ross was also back in the reckoning but it was the return of Laidlaw that it was hoped could add some potency back to United’s shooting. He was pictured in our newspaper wielding a rifle and doing some actual shooting, with some pheasants on the receiving end.

Joe Laidlaw was fully loaded for a return to the United side... (Image: News & Star)

One of United’s directors, Andrew Jenkins, was meanwhile targeting customers for a new restaurant at Rosehill called the Shepherd Inn, run by his firm Pioneer. On a footballing front, meanwhile, the challenge was for more players to show their hunger for goals.

Trainer Dick Young wanted Carlisle’s defenders to help out their attackers. “Only one of them, Bill Green, has scored this season,” the trainer said, pointing out that other teams’ full-backs have had goalscoring joy against the Blues.

Goals from any source would do, and duly at Loftus Road one did come from a defender...but so did a more crucial one from another man with United connections…who was in the opposition ranks. The game in west London proved to be a reunion with a certain Stan Bowles, who had shone for the Blues before reaching stardom at QPR.

He was a major threat in the home line-up as Carlisle tried to rejuvenate their season. Laidlaw was back in United’s XI, replacing Hugh McIlmoyle, and was narrowly denied an early goal as Ashman’s side started at good pace.

Bowles, in response, hit a free-kick into the Blues’ wall and winger Dave Thomas also threatened for the Rs. Ross, back in United’s goal for Tom Clarke, had to be alert when the home dangermen cut through, but Carlisle could not contain Dave Sexton’s side and duly Thomas went through unchallenged to fire the hosts into the lead.

United were unable to contain Rangers’ threat after the opener and conceded another shortly before half-time. This time it was a strike from their old friend as Bowles pounced to turn in the rebound after Don Givens’ shot had been blocked.

QPR's Stan Bowles got the decisive goal against his former club (Image: PA)

There seemed little prospect of recovery given how QPR continued to play immediately after the break, Gerry Francis a growing threat and £150,000 man Don Rogers drawing a save from Ross. Yet Carlisle did regain hope in the 54th minute when Les O’Neill was fouled in the box by Dave Clement.

Bobby Parker took penalty duties and fired the spot-kick into the top corner, the ball cracking into the stanchion before bouncing back out.

Ashman tried to build on the goal with an attacking change, sending on Bobby Owen for Laidlaw, and the substitute could have equalised 15 minutes from time, but pulled his shot wide.

In truth, though, Rangers’ attackers continued to pose the more awkward problems at the other end and when Ross saved superbly from Bowles, the latter joined in with the crowd’s applause for the United No1’s defiance.

Ross remained secure, but at the other end Carlisle could not do enough. They duly fell to a 2-1 defeat and this was now their worst losing run as a First Division club, with four on the spin.

At least, with these gloomy results and the consequent slide further down the table, there was a glimmer of light on the transfer front. Ashman, it was reported, was about to bring in a new striker, with Sheffield Wednesday’s young forward Eddie Prudham in Carlisle’s sights.

He had been on loan at Partick Thistle, scoring five goals in a month, and the Blues had made numerous trips to watch him. Ashman was convinced by Prudham’s potential with a fee of £30-35,000 looking likely for the player who hailed from Gateshead. Reinforcements were, at last, on the way.

Read last week’s 1974/75 feature HERE.