Wish I’d have been around for football back then. Think it’s why I like seeing as much non league football now as I can whenever Walsall aren’t playing. Proper football by proper players who get put on their arse and get straight back up, most then just wanting to put a bit on the one who put them on the deck in the first place 
2 Likes
What a great picture. George could head the ball better than almost anyone in the game, even if he was only a lower division player, he was up there with Astle, Hateley, Dougan, any of them. A few days later, of course, he scored a more famous headed goal, this one at The Laundry End to knock Newcastle out of the Cup. My favourite day as a fan, probably.
A few weeks after that we played PNE on a friday night (Bobby Charlton in the team) and won 2-0, both goals from headers by George, both at the Street End. Again, if my memory is holding up.
2 Likes
Thanks for posting that picture. I was behind the laundry/railway end. I can remember Bernie’s goal more than the other two. From memory Bernie, keeper and ball all ended in the net.
On the famous day against Newcastle, me and my mate drifted into the Ground early at the Laundry End, as we always did, thinking we would walk round to the Hilliary St end, as you could in those days. Little did we know that the Police had fenced off the Cow Shed to keep the Geordie hordes out!!
Think we were the only Walsall Fans at that end for the match. When Georgie Andrews leapt to score his Goal, we went mental. Much to the disgust of about three thousand Geordies!!
We spent half time pleading with the Cops to let us through the fence , to no avail, and the second half praying we would not score again, for the purposes of survival!!!
My memories of that great day were George’s quite majestic header and the England Centre Forward, Malcolm McDonald missing several one on ones.
I bumped into a Dingle fan a month or two back and we were talking football(principally about our last 1-0 win at the Molineux a few years ago!). A week later he produced a ticket stub from that game and he was in the Laundry End as well! These Dingles know where the proper football is played!
Look at the height that George Andrews has leapt! The keeper is also off the ground but he is only halfway up the body of George.
I notice Buckley ready to pounce if anything falls as usual.
Also note the packed stand and paddock in the background.
1 Like
I remember that game so well. I was directly in line with GA when he scored that wonderful goal. I was stuck with a load of horrid Newcastle supporters so I could not cheer. I have no idea why I was stuck with them. The pitch was awful. Happy days lol
I remember a game, when I was standing at the Hilary ST. end when Colin took a free kick, he smashed the ball into the back of the net, and the referee slowly walked to the back of the goal and checked the net for damage absolutely wonderful. Whilst on, there have been one or two comments about Bernie Wright, I am not sure which season maybe 73/4?, but anyway we were playing Leeds in a pre-season friendly and near to where I was standing Bernie went into a 50/50 with Norman Hunter , Bernie ended up in a heap on the floor, he jumped and nose to nose with Hunter wagged a finger in Hunter’s face. A little later after half time they met together again, ‘hardman’ Hunter fell to the floor and was stretchered off muttering 'nutter ', priceless.
I was in Laundry end too with my dad and aunt. Being only 11 and stuck on the bank on the corner I couldn’t see too well at times. The police made a gap between the end of the cowshed and those of us standing on the bank. Every time Walsall attacked the Laundry end my aunt would pull me out of the crowd and into the gap. If you look at the TV footage of the match, when George heads the goal, you can see us both standing in the gap. At half time a drunk Newcastle fan stood on the wall facing his fellow Geordies and shouted ‘We’ve been defending for 45 minutes - Harvey out!’ He was the Newcastle manager since 1962 - he lasted to the end of the season.
A great player nothing better than seeing him come down the wing look up and line up with the chimney stack at laundry end and let fly.
Bernie was priceless, a perfect foil for Bucko. To think Everton described him as their worst player ever!!
1 Like
I agree. Bernie was the perfect partner for Buckley. Not a prolific goal scorer, but a good old-fashioned, centre forward who was rarely knocked off the ball.
He would bulldoze through L2 defenders today!
1 Like
Remember him bulldozing Terry Yorath in Nick Athey’s testimonial: Mr Yorath was not happy and ended up getting hooked if my memory serves me right.
Today would have been Colin’s 80th birthday. My first Fellows Park hero…
https://www.issawalsall.org/post/never-forgotten-colin-taylor
4 Likes
If any statue were to be erected beside a Walsall ground it should be of Colin Taylor, without doubt THE Saddler legend of all time, pity some of the kids of today never saw him, boy, what they missed!
3 Likes
Does anyone know much about Colin’s final years? I ask because I was at uni in Stoke 1999-2002 (a great period to be in Stoke as a Walsall fan ) and worked at a pub where one of the locals was introduced to me as an ex-Walsall player, and I’m sure it was Colin Taylor.
This was all before the ability to instantly google someone and my first game was 1985, so I didn’t
follow up into who he was exactly, apart from finding him a thoroughly nice chap (and very modest - it was his friend who brought it up), who talked fondly about his time as a Walsall player.
My only doubt is I’m sure this Colin also talked about playing for Vale, but then again I was a student working in a pub, so the details may not be as clear as I would have liked! 
May have been Colin Askey? Played for Walsall and Vale, and forever a legend for scoring the goal at Shrewsbury that got us promoted in 1961 - alas at 4 years old I was too young to see it.
2 Likes
Colin became a painter and decorator after he retired from football. In all probability, he applied the same excellence that trade as he did football.
He died way too young.
From what I remember of Colin Taylor,excellence isn’t a word I would use to describe his football,he was a lazy so and so,who wouldn’t last long in today’s style of everyone attacking and everyone defending,but he is still my favourite player of all time.it used to send that hum of excitement round the ground every time he got the ball.When hit a shot on target it was unstoppable 
cookyskid is almost certainly correct.
I live in North Staffs, and a mate, who was a Port Vale season ticket holder, got fed up when I kept going on about Colin Askey improving himself by moving to Walsall and then scoring the most important goal in our history since Gilbert Allsop at Shrewsbury in 1961. Colin sent me a birthday card for my 70th and I spent a great afternoon at his home when I gave him a copy of Geoff Allman’s 50 Best Matches.
Colin lives in MIlton, Stoke-on-Trent, and his son, John manages Port Vale. He spoke warmly about the manager and players in that great Walsall team, which will always set the standard for those of us lucky enough to have seen the two consecutive promotion seasons, and then the first two games in Division 2 against Newcastle and Sunderland.
3 Likes
Once found a couple of goals of his on youtube.One of em from about 5 yards from corner flag.Can’t find em now.
They was on Sportsview or Grandstand or whatever guise it was then.
Very foggy game in northwest, which is, why I guess, we was on, nobody else playing.
Have searched Newcastle and Palace matches and found nowt.