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I
was very sad to find out that the throw-in expert we all
copied as kids has died after a long illness. Ian
Hutchinson was a part of the famous Chelsea 1970 FA Cup
Final team that beat Leeds United, and was No.56 in the
'World of Soccer Stars' album this site was originally
based upon. Bob's 70-71 pages would like to offer
condolences to the family of one of the true heroes of
Sixties and Seventies football.
Here's
the tribute from The Official Chelsea FC
Website - News Headlines
Cup
winner Ian Hutchinson dies
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Ian
Hutchinson, our 1970 FA Cup winning centre-forward,
has died this morning aged 54. He had been ill for
some time.
There will be a minute's silence before tonight's
match and the players will wear black armbands.
Ian was bought by manager Dave Sexton in 1968 from
Cambridge Utd for £5,000 and proved to be an
outstanding partner for Peter Osgood in attack.
He was the first striker Osgood played with who was
the main target man and allowed Ossie, despite being
so tall, to be the forward who linked play.
Hutch had immense strength, good pace, unique bravery
and – famously – the longest throw football
had seen. He would run up to the touchline from
anywhere in the forward quarter of the pitch and hurl
an extraordinary missile into the penalty area which
seemed to go up and up before plummeting from its
peak.
Chelsea scored so many goals from this set-play, most
famously the 1970 FA Cup Final Replay winner.
But Hutch was much more than just a long-throw man.
He smashed through tackles, he rose with awesome
power to send wonderful headers into the goal –
his 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup header against
Aris Salonika must be one of the hardest ever –
and he had an excellent eye for goal, capable of
surprisingly delicate play around the penalty area
even if it often looked clumsy. His 18 yard sweep
into the roof of the net against Watford in the 1970
FA Cup semi-final followed by the one-two he played
for Peter Houseman's second goal were good examples.
In the Final against Leeds at Wembley he dived to
head home Ron Harris' cross with four minutes
remaining, two minutes after Leeds had taken a 2-1
lead. Without him there would have been no 1970
glory.
And then in extra-time of the replay he launched that
unforgettable throw for David Webb to head in the
winner.
Such a bettering ram style was sure to have its
costs, especially in the age of the tackle from
behind, and so it proved. After the Cup Final he soon
faced a spell of two years out with a broken arm, a
knee operation and a broken leg – the latter
suffered in a reserves comeback match. So upset was
Sexton by his bad luck in the face of mammoth
determination that after the broken leg he transfer
listed Osgood whom he felt didn't show the same
attitude.
But that breakdown of communication was sorted out
and, when Hutch made his comeback in 1973, Ossie
happily dropped into midfield, and against Norwich
City Hutch scored twice in a 3-1 win. It was one of
those emotional Stamford Bridge days that anyone
there will never forget.
However, after that problems always seemed to arise
and operation followed operation until in 1976 he
announced his retirement. He had played 144 games,
scored 58 goals, and won the FA Cup, Chelsea's first
FA Cup.
Hutch loved life. He was a 1960s high-liver. Osgood
uses the line regularly about him: "He was my
best friend. In fact he was best man at my three
weddings and I was best man at his two."
In recent years his health had been failing, and in
recent weeks it had deteriorated a lot. Osgood and
John Dempsey had been frequent visitors to him in
hospital. His partner Elaine had been an absolute
rock for him through the increasingly difficult
times. He died at 9.30am this morning.
He was a Chelsea 'great'.
Neil Barnett
At the BBC
website, Ron Harris (Chelsea) offers his tributes.
See BBC SPORT Football Teams Chelsea
Harris salutes Hutchinson
Chelsea
legend Ron "Chopper" Harris has paid
tribute to former team-mate Ian Hutchinson, who has
died after a long illness.
Derby-born
Hutchinson, renowned for his long throw, was a
centre-forward in Chelsea's 1970 FA Cup-winning side.
He died on Thursday
at the age of 54 after a long illness.
"I knew he had
been ill for quite some time and just recently he had
got steadily worse," said Harris.
"Ian was very
much part of the side. He was big brave lad who was
fantastic from a defender's point of view because if
you got a ball down the line he was that brave he
used to go where other people feared to go.
"He was a 110%
player and I think that was why he went down ever so
well with Chelsea.
"He also scored
the equalising goal for us at Wembley (in 1970) that
took the game into a replay and he was responsible
for the winning goal (in the replay) with a long
throw which he took."
Hutchinson partnered
Peter Osgood in the Chelsea attack and played 144
games between 1968 and his retirement in 1976,
scoring 58 goals.
A minute's silence
will be held before Chelsea's UEFA Cup first round,
first leg game against Viking Stavanger at Stamford
Bridge later on Thursday.
The Chelsea players
will also wear black armbands as a mark of respect.
"At the moment
I'm playing a golf tournament with a lot of the old
Chelsea players and most of them are
devastated," Harris told Sky Sports News.
(Thanks to Jeff Harding for
informing of this news)
See more September 2002
news at the following ...
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