On Boxing Day 40 Years Ago

Might be old age but I seem to remember Bell playing at Leeds after his injury, maybe the season before the Newcastle game, could be wrong, anybody comfirm if he did or didn't.
 
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I too was standing on the Kippax, brimming with tears that night.

I think it was because we could all see that the comeback wasn’t going be a success. The man was limping from the off.
 
I remember listening to it on Piccadilly or Radio Manchester.

A few days later we played Villa on New Years Eve, my second City game.
 
I think City played Leeds in the FA Cup in both early '77 and' 78....the second one was the pitch invasion, it's on YouTube.
 
The King's comeback game was definitely against Newcastle on Boxing Day after about 18 months out. It wasn't his first game after the Buchan assault though, he played again a few times that same season (scored at Leeds).
 
cyberblue said:
Must have after the Newcastle game
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Colin Bell actually played in 4 games at the end of season 1975-76, several months after his injury against The Red Filth in the League Cup game. He played right-back against Derby at Maine Road, a feisty game which we won 4-3 thanks to Dennis Tueart’s two goals and no thanks to the referee who sent off Mike Doyle for reacting to an early bone cruncher of a late challenge by Leighton James, who was always good for late tackles and off the ball incidents behind referees’ backs. Bell was on the receiving end of a similar clattering from Franny Lee during that game, which, looking back with hindsight, wasn’t really going to do him any favours in his recovery from ligament damage. He subsequently played against Leeds at Elland Road (he scored.. we all thought we’d got him back, finally) and also against Liverpool and Arsenal. He wasn’t available for the final game of the season against The Red Filth, having broken down with the injury again. Like everyone else at the Newcastle game, I was so pleased to see him return, hoping it was for good and especially given the turn around in the team after half-time that day to win 4-0. Sadly, it proved not to be the case. I know that this game has gone down in legend as his ‘comeback game’ but he did actually make those appearances the season prior to this one.
 
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I was at the Newcastle game as a 14yr old in 77.Cannot remember the game but recall Newcastle having a big following that day.Are there any highlights of this game?
 
johnevans said:
Colin Bell actually played in 4 games at the end of season 1975-76, several months after his injury against The Red Filth in the League Cup game. He played right-back against Derby at Maine Road, a feisty game which we won 4-3 thanks to a Dennis Tueart hat-trick and no thanks to the referee who sent off Mike Doyle for reacting to an early bone cruncher of a late challenge by Leighton James, who was always good for late tackles and off the ball incidents behind referees’ backs. Bell was on the receiving end of a similar clattering from Franny Lee during that game, which, looking back with hindsight, wasn’t really going to do him any favours in his recovery from ligament damage. He subsequently played against Leeds at Elland Road (he scored.. we all thought we’d got him back, finally) and also against Liverpool and Arsenal. He wasn’t available for the final game of the season against The Red Filth, having broken down with the injury again. Like everyone else at the Newcastle game, I was so pleased to see him return, hoping it was for good and especially given the turn around in the team after half-time that day to win 4-0. Sadly, it proved not to be the case. I know that this game has gone down in legend as his ‘comeback game’ but he did actually make those appearances the season prior to this one.
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Yes but it was Newcastle he made his comback after months and months of rehabilitation and physio
 
johnevans said:
Colin Bell actually played in 4 games at the end of season 1975-76, several months after his injury against The Red Filth in the League Cup game. He played right-back against Derby at Maine Road, a feisty game which we won 4-3 thanks to Dennis Tueart’s two goals and no thanks to the referee who sent off Mike Doyle for reacting to an early bone cruncher of a late challenge by Leighton James, who was always good for late tackles and off the ball incidents behind referees’ backs. Bell was on the receiving end of a similar clattering from Franny Lee during that game, which, looking back with hindsight, wasn’t really going to do him any favours in his recovery from ligament damage. He subsequently played against Leeds at Elland Road (he scored.. we all thought we’d got him back, finally) and also against Liverpool and Arsenal. He wasn’t available for the final game of the season against The Red Filth, having broken down with the injury again. Like everyone else at the Newcastle game, I was so pleased to see him return, hoping it was for good and especially given the turn around in the team after half-time that day to win 4-0. Sadly, it proved not to be the case. I know that this game has gone down in legend as his ‘comeback game’ but he did actually make those appearances the season prior to this one.
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What a memory you've got, could just about remember him playing at Leeds but all them other games no memory of them.
 
johnevans said:
Colin Bell actually played in 4 games at the end of season 1975-76, several months after his injury against The Red Filth in the League Cup game. He played right-back against Derby at Maine Road, a feisty game which we won 4-3 thanks to Dennis Tueart’s two goals and no thanks to the referee who sent off Mike Doyle for reacting to an early bone cruncher of a late challenge by Leighton James, who was always good for late tackles and off the ball incidents behind referees’ backs. Bell was on the receiving end of a similar clattering from Franny Lee during that game, which, looking back with hindsight, wasn’t really going to do him any favours in his recovery from ligament damage. He subsequently played against Leeds at Elland Road (he scored.. we all thought we’d got him back, finally) and also against Liverpool and Arsenal. He wasn’t available for the final game of the season against The Red Filth, having broken down with the injury again. Like everyone else at the Newcastle game, I was so pleased to see him return, hoping it was for good and especially given the turn around in the team after half-time that day to win 4-0. Sadly, it proved not to be the case. I know that this game has gone down in legend as his ‘comeback game’ but he did actually make those appearances the season prior to this one.
Click to expand...

Very interesting thanks for the info. Right back....weird.
 
johnevans said:
Colin Bell actually played in 4 games at the end of season 1975-76, several months after his injury against The Red Filth in the League Cup game. He played right-back against Derby at Maine Road, a feisty game which we won 4-3 thanks to Dennis Tueart’s two goals and no thanks to the referee who sent off Mike Doyle for reacting to an early bone cruncher of a late challenge by Leighton James, who was always good for late tackles and off the ball incidents behind referees’ backs. Bell was on the receiving end of a similar clattering from Franny Lee during that game, which, looking back with hindsight, wasn’t really going to do him any favours in his recovery from ligament damage. He subsequently played against Leeds at Elland Road (he scored.. we all thought we’d got him back, finally) and also against Liverpool and Arsenal. He wasn’t available for the final game of the season against The Red Filth, having broken down with the injury again. Like everyone else at the Newcastle game, I was so pleased to see him return, hoping it was for good and especially given the turn around in the team after half-time that day to win 4-0. Sadly, it proved not to be the case. I know that this game has gone down in legend as his ‘comeback game’ but he did actually make those appearances the season prior to this one.
Click to expand...
Doyley took a backhanded swipe at James in that game, served him right for being a niggly twat.

There's no doubt Colin was brought back far too soon, I've no idea if that was a poor medical decision or Colin himself pushing to get back into action. The goal he scored at Leeds was a cracker from about 25 yards but you could see he wasn't moving as smoothly as usual.

That second half against Newcastle on Boxing Day was unreal, the Geordies were just blown away by the emotion of the crowd and Tueart's brilliance.
 
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