Chris Nicholl, the key figure in Aston Villa’s defence, is in danger of missing the fifth round FA Cup-tie at Ipswich on February 15 unless he appeals against the booking he received at Meadow Lane.

Nicholl, one of four Villa players booked by Cheshire referee Kevin McNally now has a total of 12 points and faces an automatic two-match suspension.

But the Macclesfield-born centre half was as mystified as most the 17,235 crowd when McNally punished him for his 75th-minute tackle on County’s lan Scanlon.

McNally pointed to the spot to give County a dubious penalty with the scores level on at 1-1 and then, almost as an afterthought. decided to book Nicholl as well.

Said Nicholl afterwards: “I tried to kick the ball away as it was bouncing around In the area and unfortunately caught Scanlon on the back of the ankle as he challenged.

“It was not an intentional foul but the referee gave a penalty, which we all thought was extremely harsh.”

Happily for Nicholl, big Jim Cumbes saved Arthur Mann’s poorly-hit spot kick by diving brilliantly to his right and Villa then scored two goals to record their third away victory of the season.

Ron Saunders, Villa’s manager, was far from pleased with the referee’s decisions and the bookings of four of his players. “I thought the bookings were diabolical,” he said. “I shall obviously have to wait and see the referee’s report but at the moment I feel inclined to appeal against them all.”

The other Villa players booked: Charlie Aitken, for a tackle on Steve Carter; John Robson, for a challenge on the same player; and Ray Graydon, for a brush with full-back Ray O’Brien felt equally aggrieved about the decisions.

They had every right, In my opinion, to feel upset at the judgment against them by a match official who showed several inconsistencies throughout the 90 minutes.

Despite his handling of the game - he also booked O’Brien for a full-blooded tackle on Graydon - nothing could diminish Villa’s dedication to win.

County, undefeated at home in the League for months, started brilliantly with Scanlon heading a superb seventh-minute goal from Eric Probert’s free kick.

Les Bradd and David Needham might have added further goals as Villa’s shocked defence tried to regroup.

It took a clever 30th-minute goal from Brian Little after an excellent passing movement involving lan Ross, Aitken and Chico Hamilton to bring about the equaliser.

Then came the debatable ruling against Nicholl and Cumbes’s second penalty save in a fortnight before Little added his second goal after 76 minutes followed by a third from Frank Carrodus in the last minute.

Villa were magnificent and, if they can continue to play with the skill and fire they displayed against County, the 300-1 odds offered against them for winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Second Division treble could be made to look very generous.

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*Birmingham Daily Post*
Monday, 3 February 1975

Sammy Morgan will go back to Harley Street By RANDALL NORTHAM

Sammy Morgan has to make yet another visit to Harley Street this week after breaking down in his come-back game writes RANDALL NORTHAM.

Aston Villa’s Northern Ireland centre forward, whose pelvic injury has kept him inactive for three months, was told by the specialist only last week that he could start playing again.

Then after 50 minutes of the A team match Leicester he had to leave the pitch having felt the injury - a separation of the sympheels pubis - once again.

It is too early to assess whether this will have an effect on his challenge tor a League Cup Final place.

In a sense Villa used the team game as a clinic. For as well as Morgan, two other players were testing their fitness England Under-23 full beck John Gidman and Welsh international Leighton Phillips.

It was Gidman’s first full game since suffering a serious eye injury in a firework accident on Bonfire night. “1 am delighted he came through all right.” Saunders said: “We hope that Leighton has completely recovered from his Achilles tendon injury.”