How ruthless Aberystwyth pre-season runs set up Wrexham for big cup exploits

After being thrown around in the lower leagues and going through a nightmare of a non-league for fifteen years, Wrexham supporters should be very pleased of their FA Cup accomplishments.

They have advanced to the quarterfinals of the renowned competition three times, and this season marks the 50th anniversary of their first-ever trip to the final eight.

At the time, the team’s long-haired, glamorous lad, Dave Smallman, was one of many cunning old bosses that John Neal developed into his outstanding sides of the 1970s.

In addition to scoring in the victories over Rotherham and Crystal Palace in rounds two and three, Smallman also scored the winning goals against Middlesbrough at home and Southampton.

However, it’s a missed open goal from the FA Cup first round match against Shrewsbury that starts his tale.

Smallman, who scored 51 goals in 125 games for Wrexham, stated, “I didn’t miss many but I did that day – a far post header into what was an open goal but I put it into the side netting right in front of the Kop.”

After that, I slept for only a few days. I was really restless if I missed one during training!

The Shrews held Wrexham to a 1-1 draw that day, but the team prevailed 1-0 in the rematch thanks to a goal from Geoff Davies, Wrexham’s attack partner. The Tuesday afternoon encounter at Gay Meadow began at 1:45 PM due to power outages during the Winter of Discontent.

Ten days before Christmas Day, Smallman, who was in his final year of high school, had a reversal of fortune when he played Rotherham at The Racecourse. Davies scored two more goals as the team won 3-0.

Smallman remembered, “They had me down as scoring the other goal.” “It was an own goal, and it’s a neat story. Billy Wilkinson was the boy who scored it.

“We emigrated to Australia, lived in Melbourne and I was playing for a team called Green Gully.

“We played a team call George Cross and Billy was playing for them. We beat them 4-2 and I scored.

“He was living in Melbourne and we became really good mates.”

Life-long friendships were also blossoming back in Wrexham in 1973 as Smallman and his team-mates were being watched by the likes of Liverpool and Everton.

“John Neal brought some great young players into the team,” added Smallman. “Joey and Mickey – or Michael as I call him – were coming through and then there were Billy Ashcroft – he was my best man – and Bob Scott, whose always been a good friend.”

That camaraderie was replicated on the pitch where Mel Sutton scored a belter and Smallman grabbed the second in a 2-0 third round win at Crystal Palace.

“That win shut Malcolm Allison and his fedora up,” said Smallman, who reckons Wrexham’s ruthless pre-season training runs on the Aberystwyth sand dunes paid dividends on what were mud-heap pitches.

“We always kept going; John made sure of that but we could play too!”

If playing on pitches devoid of any grass was a relic of days gone by so was the day Reds director Charles Roberts burst into the dressing room to tell the players he wanted them to dress up as undertakers as a ‘Bury The Boro’ publicity stunt ahead of the clash with Middlesbrough at The Racecourse.

Smallman remarked, “I didn’t think much of it at the time.” “Back then, you merely followed instructions when they were given to you. These days, it would never occur.

“I’m convinced Jack Charlton had not dropped a game during his tenure as Middlesbrough’s manager at the time.

“Graeme Souness was playing for them, but we deserved to win that day because we were that good.”

“Southampton put a lot of pressure on us at The Dell, but I was able to get the win again thanks to a fantastic performance by Brian Lloyd.”

Wrexham’s run came to an end at Turf Moor, losing 1-0 to Burnley, who proved to be too strong for them.

“I remember putting Arfon (Griffiths) through and he missed it while they scored with a shot that deflected in off Dave Fogg.”

Smallman, now aged 70 and living in Coedpoeth, played one more FA Cup tie for Wrexham before Everton signed him for a cut-price £76,000 in 1975.

“It was £76,000 Everton paid for me,” added Smallman. “There was talk of it being more but I think Wrexham needed the cash.

“I was at Everton for five years and I was injured for four years and three months of that time.

“I look back at my career and think I was lucky to play for the two clubs I support. Those years at Wrexham from 1969 to 1975 were at a time when the club were establishing themselves.”

Wrexham only had to wait another three years for another memorable FA Cup run.

The Reds, for whom Dixie McNeil scored 11 goals in nine ties, beat Burton, Preston, Bristol City, Newcastle and Blyth Spartans with those last three games all being settled in replays.

Division Two opponents Chesterfield defeated Brian Flynn’s team 3-2 at Racecourse, ending the Reds’ hopes of playing at Wembley in 1997.

One of the stars of the run was midfielder Bryan Hughes, who went on to become manager of the Reds in 2019. Hughes scored six goals as Wrexham defeated Birmingham City, Scunthorpe, West Ham, Peterborough, and Colwyn Bay.

Wrexham has failed to qualify for the fifth round in the twenty-first century.

Hopefully, Monday night at Ewood Park will bring about a change in that situation.