With Cornish mentioning the 2 crazy signings of Waddle & Johnson in the 80's
I had a look at our last season in the old Division 4.
Had forgotten in the same league were
Wolves
Burnley
Bolton
Cardiff
Swansea
Peterborough

Going the other way unbelievably were 10 sides all no longer in the current top 4 leagues.

Harps62 wrote:With Cornish mentioning the 2 crazy signings of Waddle & Johnson in the 80's
I had a look at our last season in the old Division 4.
Had forgotten in the same league were
Wolves
Burnley
Bolton
Cardiff
Swansea
Peterborough

Going the other way unbelievably were 10 sides all no longer in the current top 4 leagues.

In the 1945/46 season we were in the same league as Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham, Aston Villa, West Brom, Birmingham City Chelsea, Wolves, Fulham etc.

My first season as a County fan.

Are you sure about that? I thought Arsenal had never been out of the top flight. We have never been there.

Pembs
It was the first season after the war and all the Southern clubs in Division 1/2 played in 1 league and those up north the same.
The following year it all changed.
Unfortunately we only got 20 points all season then the following year not many more and ended up in the fourth tier with two bottom of the table seasons.
Gates were brilliant though looking on Wiki.

A friend has just emailed me on the subject of the Arsenal game in 1946 as his uncle Ralph Avery was playing in that game for the County. He is trying for family history reasons to obtain details of his Uncles career at Newport and I have suggested he contact Andrew Taylor. Does anyone else have any other ideas. Thanks.

Just had a look on Wiki
His only goal in season 45-46 for County was against Arsenal at home.
Xmas Day 1945
We lost 1-2 in front of a crowd of 13003.
Have found a team picture of him the following season playing for Merthyr.
Hope that helps a little.
Cheers
harps

Harps62 wrote:Pembs
It was the first season after the war and all the Southern clubs in Division 1/2 played in 1 league and those up north the same.
The following year it all changed.
Unfortunately we only got 20 points all season then the following year not many more and ended up in the fourth tier with two bottom of the table seasons.
Gates were brilliant though looking on Wiki.

Thanks Harps. I stand corrected. I never knew that. If someone would have bet me that we were in the same league as Arsenal at some time I would have put money on the fact that we never have been. What do I know eh? Live and learn.

Are you sure that we slipped into the 4th tier back then Harps?
I thought those were the days of Divisions 3 South & North.

And, being pedantic, we were all in the same league - the Football League, in which there were 4 divisions.

Thanks harps 62. Will pass that on.

Melling's equaliser wrote:Are you sure that we slipped into the 4th tier back then Harps?
I thought those were the days of Divisions 3 South & North.

And, being pedantic, we were all in the same league - the Football League, in which there were 4 divisions.

You are not being Pedantic at all.
At the end of the 45-46 season despite finishing bottom nobody got relegated so in 46-47 they turned out in the second division but unfortunately finished bottom being relegated as you say to the old Division 3 South.
Was reading Wiki with interest but too quickly last night.
Cheers
Harps

It's a fascinating era. Stating the obvious, but fixture planning for 1945-46 must have needed doing before it would have been known WW2 would end in August. Barracks towns must have seen an outflow of players they had been able to draw on as men were demobbed.

pembsexile wrote:

Harps62 wrote:Pembs
It was the first season after the war and all the Southern clubs in Division 1/2 played in 1 league and those up north the same.
The following year it all changed.
Unfortunately we only got 20 points all season then the following year not many more and ended up in the fourth tier with two bottom of the table seasons.
Gates were brilliant though looking on Wiki.

Thanks Harps. I stand corrected. I never knew that. If someone would have bet me that we were in the same league as Arsenal at some time I would have put money on the fact that we never have been. What do I know eh? Live and learn.

The division was known as Football League (South).So far as I know uniquely, the FA cup was played on a home and away basis that season.County knocked out Torquay and Exeter and lost on aggregate to Southampton.-

Harps62 wrote:Just had a look on Wiki
His only goal in season 45-46 for County - - was against Arsenal at home.
Xmas Day 1945
We lost 1-2 in front of a crowd of 13003.
Have found a team picture of him the following season playing for Merthyr.
Hope that helps a little.
Cheers
harps

Avery is described as a full-back who scored by lobbing the ball over the Arsenal keeper, Griggs. This is from Amber in the Blood. Unfortunately there is no entry for Avery in Ambrosen's excellent "Ironsides. A lifetime in the league. 1912-1989".He is in several team photographs for Merthyr up to 1950.
Incidentally, County played at White Hart Lane twice that season since, as well as playing Spurs, they played Arsenal there on boxing day 1945.Arsenal won 7 nil and the crowd was 16,536. Highbury was closed for war work.

it's fact that Charlton are the only team to lose a game in the FA Cup and still get to the final in same season

A bit more about Avery:-

He appears to have played for County in season 1945/6 only. He played 19 times including 4 times in the F A Cup. He scored just the one goal, against Arsenal.