Stoke holds on to top place

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33712, 9 December 1974, Page 34

Stoke holds on to top place

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON.

Stoke City kept its challengers at bay at the top of English soccer with a convincing, 3-0, win away to Birmingham City on Saturday.

It took Stoke’s tally to 27 points from 21 matches, one point ahead of Everton and Manchester City. Liverpool and West Ham each has 25. Manchester City maintained a fine home record — it has dropped only one point at home this season — with a 3-2 win over Sheffield United, while Everton beat, Leicester City, 2-0. Liverpool looked set to take both points at home to

Derby County when it led 2-1 after 22 minutes but Derby snatched a 2-2 draw.

The second division leader, Manchester United, again provided one of the epic matches of the day, pulling back from 1-3 down away to Sheffield Wednesday and taking a point from a 4-4 draw.

The worst incident came in Carlisle’s match with Arsenal, where about eight players swapped punches in a two-minute pitched battle. The trouble flared in the 65th minute when b. Kidd (Arsenal) was brought down by R. Train. Players lashed out at each other before being dragged away by the referee analinesmen. Half a dozen policemen went on to the pitch but did not interfere, and none of the players was booked or

sent off as Carlisle went on to register a 2-1 win. ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one.—Birmingham 0, Stoke 3; Burnley 3, Queen’s Park Rangers 0; Carlisle 2, Arsenal 1; Chelsea 2, Luton 0; Leicester 0, Everton 2; Liverpool 2, Derby 2; Manchester City 3, Sheffield United 2; Middlesborough 3, Ipswich 0; Tottenham 3, Newcastle 0; West Ham 2, Leeds 1; Wolverhampton 2, Coventry 0. Division two.—Blackpool 3, Notts County 1; Bolton 0, West Bromwich 1; Bristol City 1, Aston Villa 0; MiUwaU 1, Orient 1; Norwich 1; Cardiff 1; Nottingham 1; Fulham 1; Odlham 3, Bristol Rovers 4; Oxford 3, Hull 1; Sheffield Wednesday 4, Manchester United 4; Southampton 2, York 1; Sunderland 4, Portsmouth 1. Division three.—Aidershot 1, Chesterfield 0; Brighton 2. Southend 0; Charlton 2, Blackburn 1; Colchester 2, Tranmere 1; Grimsby 2, Halifax 1; Hereford 2, Swindon 1; Huddersfield 0, Gillingham 2; Plymouth 1, Bournemouth 0; Port Vale 1, Bury 0; Walsall 0. Peterborough 1; Watford 1, Crystal Palace 2; Wrexham 1, Preston 1. Division four.—Barnsley 0. Tor-

quay 1; Bradford City 1, Workington 1; Brentford 3, Darlington 0; Crewe 0, Rochdale 1; Doncaster 3, Hartlepool 0; Exeter 2, Northampton 2; Lincoln 1, Reading 1; Mansfield 3, Shrewsbury 1; Newport 2, Scunthorpe 0; Rotherham 1, Chester 2; Stockport 1, Cambridge 0; Swansea 2, Southport 2. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Division one.—Aberdeen 1, Rangers 2; Airdreonlans 0, Hibernian 0; Arbroath 0, St Johnstone 0; Ayr 2, Dundee 1; Celtic 2, Dunfermline 1; Dundee United 3, Clyde 3; Hearts 3, Morton 1; Partick 2. Motherwell 1. Postponed: Dumbarton v. Kilmarnock. Division two.—Alloa 0; Ralth 2; Brechin 2, Queen’s Park 1; Cowdenbeath 4, Stirling Albion 5; East Fife 1, Stenhousemulr 1; Falkirk 2, Forfar 0; Hamilton 0, Clydebank 1; Meadowbank 3, Albion 1; Queen of the South 1, Berwick 3; St Mirren 1, Montrose 2; Stranraer 1, East Stirling 0. IRISH LEAGUE Ards 1, Portadown 1; CliftonVille 2, Bangor 4; Coleraine 3, Ballymena 1; Distillery 1, Larne 2; Glenavon 2, Linfield 3; Glentoran 1, Crusaders 4.