18 Witheridge Dec 26_Layout 1 11/03/2014 22:39 Page 32
Ô
In July that year, when he reported back for
pre-season training, he was in a bad
condition. He had lost some of his pace and
was obviously unfit. The management was
also well aware by now of his drug abuse and
so the directors readily accepted an offer of
£30,000 from Second Division side Cardiff
City in mid-December 1976 – half what
Cardiff manager Jimmy Andrews had offered
for the player the season before!
Robin was reluctant to join the Welsh club,
but on December 30, 1976, he travelled to
Cardiff to sign. However, he was arrested by
the British Transport Police at Cardiff station
for having travelled from Reading with only a
platform ticket. Jimmy Andrews bailed his
new player out of police custody and took
him to Ninian Park to sign the contract.
After a long night of drinking on the eve of
his Cardiff debut on New Year’s Day 1977,
Robin lined up against a Fulham side which
included former England captain Bobby
Moore. Robin marked his first match for the
Welsh club with two goals ... and by
squeezing Moore’s testicles and giving the
former England captain the run-around
during the game which Cardiff won 3-0.
Programme editor Colin Gunney, as he was
back in 1975, presents the Reading FC Player of
the Year award to the charismatic Robin Friday.
Aleksic, and was lectured by the referee for a
high tackle on the goalkeeper. Robin held
out a hand to apologise, but Aleksic reacted
angrily. After the free kick was taken, Robin
stole the ball from a Luton defender, rounded
Aleksic and slotted the ball into the net. In
celebration, Robin turned towards the
goalkeeper and gave him the V-sign.
Robin’s form declined after his strong debut.
His personal life continued to be troubled
and chaotic, and he vanished regularly,
missing many matches.
Cardiff won the match 4-2 and avoided
relegation by one point while, Reading were
relegated back to the Fourth Division by one
point.
While Charlie Hurley had been able to
command Robin’s respect, it soon became
clear that Robin disliked the Cardiff manager.
Unhappy living so far from home, he began
to travel back to London at weekends,
avoiding paying rail fares by knocking on
locked toilet doors and shouting, ‘Tickets,
please!’, pretending to be the ticket inspector.
When the occupant passed his ticket under
the door to be checked, Robin would pick it
up, walk off and use it for himself.
In his penultimate professional match on
October 29, 1977, at Brighton & Hove
Albion’s Goldstone Ground, Robin, who was
marked by former Liverpool defender and
now BBC soccer pundit Mark Lawrenson,
was sent off.
Frustrated by the close attention he received
from the defender, Robin kicked Lawrenson
in the face as the defender attempted a
sliding tackle.
One of the many famous photos taken of
Robin during his short career was at the end
of his first season with Cardiff when they
played fifth in the table Luton Town.
Robin changed and left the ground with
the game still going on. According to
legend, before leaving he broke into the
Brighton dressing room and defecated in
Cardiff, were in the relegation zone and had
not won in seven games. Early in the match
Robin clashed with Luton goalkeeper Milija
32