Boro flashback - 14th October 1978 - Terry Cochrane's Boro debut

[erimus74]

Boro 2 Norwich City 0

1978-79 season John Neal 2nd season as Boro manager, building a young & exciting Boro team.
John Neal signed Micky Burns from Cardiff City at the beginning of October with Terry following him through the door a week or so later

What a cracking signing, a new club record, when Boro paid Burnley £238k with John Neal hoping to include him in the starting eleven at home to Norwich City on the 14th. 
Sadly, this was also the day the club told Willie Maddren to either play or the club were to consider his future due to his fitness/ operation

Our season to date, which hadn't started well
Played 9 games up to this day, 4 at home & 5 away
4 home games, 3 defeats & one draw
5 away games, one win, one draw & 3 defeats
With no league home win since 8th April when we beat Bristol City 2-0 John Neal was desperate to put that one to bed 

Micky Burns made a goal scoring away debut the previous Saturday in a 3-2 defeat at Man United, this day Micky Burns will make his home debut alongside Terry Cochrane

I was celebrating my 18th birthday & what a treat in store

The Yellow rose with my dad & a few of my mates, who were probably too young to consume alcohol
Walking to the ground after the the Yellow rose, my dad went with his mates in the chicken run, me, our Kev & our mates went in the holgate end

I remember when the teams lined up for kickoff TC standing practically on the white line itself, which he didn't leave the whole afternoon, touchline run, after run, as close to the line as he possibly could, I had never seen anything like it

In front of our biggest home crowd of the season TC, registered No525, absolutely tortured Norwich City that afternoon, maybe I'm looking through red, rose tinted glasses, but after all these years that game is still up there as one of my standout games at Ayresome Park.

Big relief for John Neal who hadn't seen his team register a home league win since 8th April when we beat Bristol City 2-0, the same scoreline as the Norwich City with Martin Peters putting through his own goal & David Mills doubling our account with his 5th goal of the season & finally a home win, our first home win of the season

We've got Terry, Terry, Terry, Terry, Terry Cochrane on the wing, on, on the wing, Terry, Terry Cochrane, Terry Cochrane on the wing

A legend was born, and also what a signing Micky Burns was too

John Neals team.

Jim Platt
John Craggs
Ian Bailey
John Mahoney
Stuey Boam
Tony McAndrew
TERRY COCHRANE
David Mills
Billy Ashcroft
MICKY BURNS
Davey Armstrong
Sub
David Hodgson

On the night - A group of us went to the Westminster pub disco on Parly road, then afterwards, to the Fiesta nightclub in Norton, memorable day, great night too