71/72 (Football's Greatest Season?)

There was a season when the world's greatest footballers were all on show at British grounds. Best, Keegan, Charlton and Moore were joined by Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer and Eusebio, while in the dugouts Clough, Shankly, Revie and Allison duked it out in the closest ever championship title race. That season was 1971/72. As Enoch Powell's rhetoric roared and American Pie topped the pop charts, Britain's footballing culture was simpler purer than the one we know today, with the game played for the public, not for TV companies. It was a time when players shared pints with fans, Topps football cards were schoolyard currency, Roy Race ruled the comic world and videprinters saw footy devotees hold their collective breath every weekend. As well as covering the superstars, 71/72 is a treasure trove of tales of lesserknown names who added to that extraordinary season. Read about the Aldo Poy goal that is still celebrated today, Toni Fritsch revolutionising the NFL, cricketing footballers and the OAP ball boy who rowed the River Severn.