1973–74 Cardiff City F.C. season

The 1973–74 season was Cardiff City F.C.'s 47th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing seventeenth.

Cardiff City

1973–74 season
Chairman	David Goldstone
Manager	Jimmy Scoular/Frank O'Farrell
Football League Second Division	17th
FA Cup	3rd round
League Cup	2nd round
European Cup Winners Cup	1st round
Welsh Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Andrew McCulloch (10) All: Andrew McCulloch (14)
Highest home attendance	26,781 (v Crystal Palace, 30 April 1974)
Lowest home attendance	5,839 (v Luton Town, 14 November 1973)
Average home league attendance	10,678
Home colours
← 1972–73 1974–75 →

Manager Jimmy Scoular, who had been in charge of the club for more than 9 years, left the club in November to be replaced by Frank O'Farrell.

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player -- GK  ENG Peter Grotier -- GK  ENG Ron Healey -- GK  NIR Bill Irwin -- DF  ENG Gary Bell -- DF  ENG Clive Charles -- DF  WAL Phil Dwyer -- DF  ENG Roger Hoy -- DF  ENG John Impey -- DF  NIR Albert Larmour -- DF  WAL Richie Morgan -- DF  SCO Don Murray -- DF  WAL Freddie Pethard -- DF  WAL David Powell -- MF  ENG Willie Anderson

No. Pos. Nation Player -- MF  ENG Willie Carlin -- MF  ENG John Farrington -- MF  ENG Peter King -- MF  WAL Leighton Phillips -- MF  WAL Gil Reece -- MF  WAL Peter Sayer -- MF  ENG George Smith -- MF  WAL Tony Villars -- MF  ENG Johnny Vincent -- MF  ENG Bobby Woodruff -- FW  ENG Andrew McCulloch -- FW  SCO Jimmy McInch -- FW  WAL Derek Showers -- FW  ENG Jack Whitham

Source. ^[1]

League standings

Main article: 1973–74 Football League § Second Division

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Qualification or relegation
15	Portsmouth	42	14	12	16	45	62	0.726	40
16	Bristol City	42	14	10	18	47	54	0.870	38
17	Cardiff City	42	10	16	16	49	62	0.790	36	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round
18	Oxford United	42	10	16	16	35	46	0.761	36
19	Sheffield Wednesday	42	12	11	19	51	63	0.810	35

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H
Result	D	D	D	W	D	D	L	L	W	L	L	D	L	L	D	L	W	W	D	L	L	D	W	W	L	W	D	W	L	L	L	D	W	L	L	D	D	W	D	L	D	D
Position	9	11	13	5	6	9	12	18	16	18	20	19	20	20	19	20	18	17	16	16	18	17	17	16	17	15	14	11	15	15	17	17	16	17	18	17	17	17	17	18	19	17

Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Fixtures and results

Second Division

Carlisle United v Cardiff City

25 August 1973 (1973-08-25) 1	Carlisle United	1–1	Cardiff City	Carlisle
	Frank Clarke 8'		86' (pen.) Gary Bell	Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 6,863

Cardiff City v Portsmouth

1 September 1973 (1973-09-01) 2	Cardiff City	1–1	Portsmouth	Cardiff
15:00	Andy McCulloch 48'		45' Norman Piper Billy Wilson	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 10,110 Referee: Ray Toseland (Kettering)

Sunderland v Cardiff City

8 September 1973 (1973-09-08) 3	Sunderland	1–1	Cardiff City	Sunderland
	Ron Guthrie 68'		58' Johnny Vincent	Stadium: Roker Park Attendance: 29,504 Referee: Keith Styles (Barnsley)

Cardiff City v Oxford United

12 September 1973 (1973-09-12) 4	Cardiff City	5–0	Oxford United	Cardiff
19:30	Andy McCulloch 3' Andy McCulloch 8' Tony Villars 23' Clarke 52' (o.g.) Andy McCulloch 72'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 8,572 Referee: Terry Bosi (Wolverhampton)

Cardiff City v Fulham

15 September 1973 (1973-09-15) 5	Cardiff City	0–0	Fulham	Cardiff
15:00				Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 11,251 Referee: Bill Castle (Dudley)

Crystal Palace v Cardiff City

22 September 1973 (1973-09-22) 6	Crystal Palace	3–3	Cardiff City	London
15:00	Martin Hinshelwood 2' Paul Hinshelwood 11' Don Rogers 72'		23' (o.g.) Mel Blyth 45' Bobby Woodruff 73' Johnny Vincent	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 17,789 Referee: Ron Crabb (Exeter)

Cardiff City v Hull City

29 September 1973 (1973-09-29) 7	Cardiff City	1–3	Hull City	Cardiff
15:00	Gary Bell 41' Don Murray		6' Ken Wagstaff 76' Malcolm Lord 78' Malcolm Lord Jimmy McGill	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 10,445 Referee: John Yates (Redditch)

Aston Villa v Cardiff City

6 October 1973 (1973-10-06) 8	Aston Villa	5–0	Cardiff City	Birmingham
	Bobby Woodruff 6' (o.g.) Ray Graydon 10' Bruce Rioch 61' Sam Morgan 71' Bruce Rioch 78'			Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 24,473 Referee: Michael Lowe (Sheffield)

Cardiff City v Blackpool

13 October 1973 (1973-10-13) 9	Cardiff City	1–0	Blackpool	Cardiff
15:00	Gil Reece 12'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 7,693 Referee: Jim Bent (Hemel Hempstead)

Cardiff City v Sheffield Wednesday

20 October 1973 (1973-10-20) 10	Cardiff City	0–1	Sheffield Wednesday	Cardiff
15:00			88' Ken Knighton	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 7,748 Referee: Malcolm Sinclair (Guildford)

Oxford United v Cardiff City

24 October 1973 (1973-10-24) 11	Oxford United	4–2	Cardiff City	Oxford
	Tommy Cassidy 16' Billy Jeffrey 40' Derek Clarke 58' Derek Clarke 83'		33' Willie Anderson 65' George Smith	Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 6,127 Referee: Arthur Hart (London)

Preston North End v Cardiff City

27 October 1973 (1973-10-27) 12	Preston North End	2–2	Cardiff City	Preston
	Alex Spark 65' Alex Bruce 75'		40' Andy McCulloch 63' Gil Reece	Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 12,050 Referee: John Hunting (Leicester)

Cardiff City v West Bromwich Albion

3 November 1973 (1973-11-03) 13	Cardiff City	0–1	West Bromwich Albion	Cardiff
15:00			82' Tony Brown	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 10,668 Referee: Jack Rice (Leyland)

Millwall v Cardiff City

10 November 1973 (1973-11-10) 14	Millwall	2–0	Cardiff City	London
15:00	Alf Wood 60' Gordon Hill 67'			Stadium: The Den Attendance: 8,075 Referee: Mike Kerkhof (Bicester)

Cardiff City v Luton Town

14 November 1973 (1973-11-14) 15	Cardiff City	0–0	Luton Town	Cardiff
19:30				Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 5,839 Referee: John Williams (Wrexham)

Middlesbrough v Cardiff City

17 November 1973 (1973-11-17) 16	Middlesbrough	3–0	Cardiff City	Middlesbrough
14:00	David Mills 36' John Craggs 85' Malcolm Smith 88'			Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 18,034

Cardiff City v Bolton Wanderers

24 November 1973 (1973-11-24) 17	Cardiff City	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	Cardiff
14:15	Gil Reece 22'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 9,606 Referee: John Homewood (Sunbury-On-Thames)

Orient v Cardiff City

1 December 1973 (1973-12-01) 18	Orient	1–2	Cardiff City	London
14:00	Barrie Fairbrother 78'		29' Bobby Woodruff 61' Andy McCulloch	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 9,564 Referee: Les Hayes (Doncaster)

Cardiff City v Nottingham Forest

8 December 1973 (1973-12-08) 19	Cardiff City	1–1	Nottingham Forest	Cardiff
14:00	Gil Reece 24'		56' (pen.) George Lyall	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 10,339 Referee: Gordon Kew (Amersham)

Luton Town v Cardiff City

12 December 1973 (1973-12-12) 20	Luton Town	1–0	Cardiff City	Luton
19:30	Jim Ryan 47'			Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 7,135 Referee: Peter Reeves (Leicester)

Cardiff City v Bristol City

15 December 1973 (1973-12-15) 21	Cardiff City	0–1	Bristol City	Cardiff
14:00			79' Donnie Gillies	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 9,388 Referee: Roger Kirkpatrick (Leicester)

Hull City v Cardiff City

22 December 1973 (1973-12-22) 22	Hull City	1–1	Cardiff City	Hull
14:00	Roy Greenwood 46'		61' John Farrington	Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 6,826 Referee: Derek Civil (Birmingham)

Cardiff City v Swindon Town

26 December 1973 (1973-12-26) 23	Cardiff City	2–1	Swindon Town	Cardiff
14:00	John Farrington 27' Don Murray 42'		47' Dave Syrett	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 10,071 Referee: David Smith (Stonehouse)

Cardiff City v Sunderland

29 December 1973 (1973-12-29) 24	Cardiff City	4–1	Sunderland	Cardiff
14:00	John Farrington 29' Willie Anderson 40' John Farrington 59' John Farrington 88'		3' Vic Halom	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 14,799 Referee: Ron Challis (Tonbridge)

Portsmouth v Cardiff City

1 January 1974 (1974-01-01) 25	Portsmouth	1–0	Cardiff City	Portsmouth
15:00	Bobby Kellard 62'			Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,062 Referee: Harry Powell (Stourport-on-Severn)

Fulham v Cardiff City

12 January 1974 (1974-01-12) 26	Fulham	0–1	Cardiff City	London
14:00			59' Andy McCulloch	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 7,143 Referee: John Goggins (Manchester)

Cardiff City v Carlisle United

19 January 1974 (1974-01-19) 27	Cardiff City	2–2	Carlisle United	Cardiff
11:15	Andy McCulloch 44' Leighton Phillips 57'		47' Ray Train 87' Frank Clarke	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 10,797 Referee: Harry New (Portsmouth)

Cardiff City v Notts County

26 January 1974 (1974-01-26) 28	Cardiff City	1–0	Notts County	Cardiff
14:00	Leighton Phillips 87'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 8,454 Referee: Derek Nippard (Bournemouth)

Bristol City v Cardiff City

2 February 1974 (1974-02-02) 29	Bristol City	3–2	Cardiff City	Bristol
14:15	Trevor Tainton 4' Gerry Sweeney 74' (pen.) Gerry Sweeney 90'		15' Leighton Phillips 26' Andy McCulloch	Stadium: Ashton Gate Attendance: 24,487 Referee: Ken Baker (Rugby)

Blackpool v Cardiff City

16 February 1974 (1974-02-16) 30	Blackpool	2–1	Cardiff City	Blackpool
15:00	Alan Ainscow 5' Alan Ainscow 71'		57' John Farrington	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 7,410 Referee: Keith Styles (Barnsley)

Cardiff City v Aston Villa

23 February 1974 (1974-02-23) 31	Cardiff City	0–1	Aston Villa	Cardiff
14:30			68s' Ray Graydon	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 12,310 Referee: Brian Daniels (Rainham)

Swindon Town v Cardiff City

2 March 1974 (1974-03-02) 32	Swindon Town	1–1	Cardiff City	Swindon
	Roy Compton 57'		22' David Powell	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 5,126 Referee: Tony Oliver (Leigh On Sea)

Cardiff City v Preston North End

9 March 1974 (1974-03-09) 33	Cardiff City	2–0	Preston North End	Cardiff
15:00	Phil Dwyer 46' Jack Whitham 85'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 7,216 Referee: Alex Lees (Somerset)

Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City

16 March 1974 (1974-03-16) 34	Sheffield Wednesday	5–0	Cardiff City	Sheffield
15:00	Eric Potts 11' Tommy Craig 35' Brian Joicey 74' Alan Thompson 81' Brian Joicey 89'			Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 13,841 Referee: Ray Toseland (Kettering)

Cardiff City v Millwall

23 March 1974 (1974-03-23) 35	Cardiff City	1–3	Millwall	Cardiff
15:00	Andy McCulloch 57'		13' Harry Cripps 56' Brian Clark 89' Gordon Hill	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 7,662 Referee: Gordon Hill

West Bromwich Albion v Cardiff City

30 March 1974 (1974-03-30) 36	West Bromwich Albion	2–2	Cardiff City	West Bromwich
15:00	Don Murray 3' (o.g.) David Shaw 7'		60' Johnny Vincent 87' (pen.) Johnny Vincent	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 11,489 Referee: David Richardson (Lancashire)

Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City

6 April 1974 (1974-04-06) 37	Bolton Wanderers	1–1	Cardiff City	Bolton
15:00	Alan Waldron 67'		57' Gil Reece	Stadium: Burnden Park Attendance: 14,857 Referee: Derek Civil

Cardiff City v Middlesbrough

13 April 1974 (1974-04-13) 38	Cardiff City	3–2	Middlesbrough	Cardiff
15:00	Gil Reece 6' Willie Carlin 38' Johnny Vincent 64'		59' Graeme Souness 88' Alan Foggon	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 12,856 Referee: John Hunting (Leicester)

Notts County v Cardiff City

15 April 1974 (1974-04-15) 39	Notts County	1–1	Cardiff City	Nottingham
15:00	Kevin Randall 11'		Willie Anderson	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 6,975 Referee: Dave Wallace (Crewe)

Nottingham Forest v Cardiff City

20 April 1974 (1974-04-20) 40	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Cardiff City	Nottingham
15:00	George Lyall 16' Duncan McKenzie 21'		6' Johnny Vincent	Stadium: The City Ground Attendance: 11,128

Cardiff City v Orient

27 April 1974 (1974-04-27) 41	Cardiff City	1–1	Orient	Cardiff
15:00	Gil Reece 22'		19' Mick Bullock	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 11,640 Referee: John Hough (Macclesfield)

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace

30 April 1974 (1974-04-30) 42	Cardiff City	1–1	Crystal Palace	Cardiff
19:30	Tony Villars 39'		28' Roy Barry	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 26,781 Referee: Jack Taylor (Wolverhampton)

Source ^{[2] [3]}

League Cup

Cardiff City v Hereford United

29 August 1973 (1973-08-29) 1	Cardiff City	2–0	Hereford United	Cardiff
19:30	Andy McCulloch 43', 57'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 9,821 Referee: Trevor Spencer (Wootton Bassett)

Cardiff City v Burnley

10 October 1973 (1973-10-10) 2	Cardiff City	2–2	Burnley	Cardiff
19:30	Andy McCulloch 58' Johnny Vincent 89'		24', 65' Leighton James  80' Colin Waldron	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 8,775 Referee: Peter Walters (Bridgwater)

Burnley v Cardiff City

16 October 1973 (1973-10-16) 2 (replay)	Burnley	3–2 (a.e.t.)	Cardiff City	Burnley
19:30	Ray Hankin 68' Leighton James 95' (pen.), 111'		75' Bobby Woodruff 98' (pen.) Gary Bell	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 12,303 Referee: Harold Williams (Sheffleid)

FA Cup

Birmingham City v Cardiff City

5 January 1974 (1974-01-05) 3	Birmingham City	5–2	Cardiff City	Birmingham
	Trevor Francis 3' Bob Latchford 36', 66' Bob Hatton 76', 88'		55' John Impey 56' Andy McCulloch	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 22,435 Referee: Gordon Hill

European Cup Winners Cup

Cardiff City v Sporting CP

19 September 1973 (1973-09-19) 1 (First Leg)	Cardiff City	0–0	Sporting CP	Cardiff
19:30				Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 13,300 Referee: Tonio Briguglio (Malta)

Sporting CP v Cardiff City

3 October 1973 (1973-10-03) 1 (Second Leg)	Sporting CP	2–1 (2–1 agg.)	Cardiff City	Lisbon
	Hector Yazalde 24' Samuel Fraguito 51'		40' Tony Villars	Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Jacques Colling (Luxembourg)

Welsh Cup

Cardiff City v Ton Pentre

9 January 1974 (1974-01-09) Round 4	Cardiff City	1–0	Ton Pentre	Cardiff
14:15	John Impey 26'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 856 Referee: LEA Howells (Port Talbot)

Oswestry Town v Cardiff City

21 February 1974 (1974-02-21) Round 5	Oswestry Town	1–3	Cardiff City	Oswestry
	89'		24' Gil Reece 78' (pen.) Gil Reece 79' John Farrington Bill Irwin	Stadium: Victoria Road Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Kevin McNally (Wirral)

Shrewsbury Town v Cardiff City

13 March 1974 (1974-03-13) Semi Final	Shrewsbury Town	1–2	Cardiff City	Shrewsbury
15:00	Alan Durban 74'		62' Derek Showers 68' Don Murray	Stadium: Gay Meadow Attendance: 1,193

Stourbridge v Cardiff City

24 April 1974 (1974-04-24) Final (First leg)	Stourbridge	0–1	Cardiff City	Stourbridge
			35' Derek Showers	Stadium: War Memorial Athletic Ground Attendance: 5,729 Referee: Iorwerth Jones (Treharris)

Cardiff City v Stourbridge

6 May 1974 (1974-05-06) Final (Second leg)	Cardiff City	1–0 (2–0 agg.)	Stourbridge	Cardiff
19:30	Gil Reece 48'			Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 4,030 Referee: Iorwerth Jones (Treharris)

See also

• Cardiff City F.C. seasons