If we'd won it, we'd have still needed a point from the last two games IIRC (Notts County away and Charlton at home). We had quite an injury-hit side, I think, and the young Jamie Hoyland played up front. We were well on top in the first half and it looked a matter of time before we scored. Then, just before the break, the Oldham centre half Gary Hoolickin launched a shocker of a tackle from behind on Hoyland, breaking his leg. He was on the ground in agony, clearly badly hurt, but the ref Peter Willis - a tall, bald copper from Durham known for, let's say, an authoritarian style - waved play on. The City players, most notably Andy May, implored Willis to stop the game, which he did - to send May off for dissent.
I don't recall poor old Hoyland ever playing for City's first team again. In the second half, with ten men, we were unable to assert our superiority and we ended up settling for a point. However, if the game had been properly reffed, it would have been 11 v 10 in our favour in the second period, in which case we'd probably have won.
Willis, of course, went into history a couple of weeks later by becoming the first ref to send off a player in the FA Cup final (United's Kevin Moran, against Everton). At Maine Road after he'd dismissed May, meanwhile, he was hit on his bald head by a pie thrown by an irate Main Stand fan as he left the field at HT. I can't remember whether we were fined for it - there was certainly talk that we would be - but we had to take steps to ensure that players and officials had greater protection from objects thrown by fans when emerging from/heading into the tunnel.
Just seen moon's post when I was composing this one. Yes - see above. He f**king well deserved it, as well. In case anyone's in any doubt, Peter Willis was a c**t. Not as much of one as Alf Grey, but a c**t all the same. What he did that day was one of the worst pieces of officiating I've ever seen.
