24th March 1984 - Farewell big Mal

[erimus74]

A dark period in our history, not knowing when, or if, the club would get out of the financial hole we were in, it seemed this new Boro, fighting relegation season on season, low crowds was to be the norm, along with the better players we were bringing in through our youth system being sold off to bigger clubs to fill the black hole, very little, if at all was going into purchasing players that would, hopefully, improve us & one day see us fighting at the right end of the second division (championship)

On this day back in 1984 we lost 2-0 at home to Fulham, in front of lowest crowd of the season, 5,414, with our 4th home defeat of the season as we continued to look over our shoulder at the bottom 3 getting ever closer, sadly we had to say goodbye to manager Malcolm Allison, whose time at the Boro I look back on with fondness, he done such an unbelievable job with such a small squad of players, he was the one who brought Stephen Pears here for his loan spell & the signing of Paul Sugrue, another good player.

With only twins since the turn of the year, one against Chelsea on the 2nd January & the second against Barnsley on the 11th Feb, though FAC wins over Arsenal on the 7th of January & Notts County on the 31st January, couldn't save big Mal & sadly he was gone & enter big Jack Charlton, one mission to save the club, totally opposite from the club he left 7 years previous

Big Mals final home game

Kelham O'Hanlon
Darren Wood
Tony Mowbray
Heien Otto
Mick Baxter
Irving Nattrass
Stephen Bell - David Currie
Mick Kennedy
Garry Macdonald
Paul Sugrue
Gary Hamilton

It was to be the final game that Garry Macdonald started for the Boro, he made 3 more appearances from the bench & sadly he was gone

The only time in his Boro career Irving Nattrass played every single minute of league, league & FAC matches

Kevin Beattie scored our second goal in our 2-0 FAC win over first division Notts County putting us through to the 5th round, his spot kick was, IIRC, our last FAC penalty scored at Ayresome Park