AS we continue our Up The Boro series focussing on some of the club's most memorable promotion seasons, we turn our attention to the record-breaking 1973-74 campaign.

Jack Charlton had just brought to an end an illustrious playing career that spanned almost 20 years and saw him win just about everything the game could offer, including the World Cup.

He would go on to take Ireland to a World Cup quarter-final, but his first job in management level was with the Boro.

Appointing Big Jack might have been something of a gamble for the Boro board, but it was one that paid rich dividends.

The signing of Bobby Murdoch, a supremely gifted Scot who had won every domestic honour with Celtic, was seen by many as the catalyst for a side which went on to take the division by storm.

But it was the role played by Alan Foggon that Charlton insists to this day was the final piece in the jigsaw.

Boro set 17 records as they won the Championship with six games still to play, a game after securing promotion. They won the division with the highest ever number of points for a second division side, 65, and by the biggest margin, 15 points.

This was built by recording a club record of 27 wins in a 42 game season, by recording a club record a just four defeats, keeping 25 clean sheets and conceding a club record low of just 30 goals.

After winning the opening game away to Portsmouth with the first of Foggon's 19 goals, Boro lost their opening home game 1-0 against Fulham.

It was the only home defeat of the season, equalling a club record.

A 3-2 win away to Crystal Palace the following week started a club record run of 24 games without defeat.

That run started on September 8 and came to a shuddering halt with a 5-1 defeat away to Nottingham Forest on February 2.

Those five goals were part of a club record low of 22 conceded away from home.

Little wonder that Jack Charlton, after being named Manager of the Month in September and March, was named Manager of the Season.

It was a campaign that saw the emergence of Graeme Souness and one where every outfield player scored.

Three of them, David Armstrong, captain Stuart Boam and Willie Maddren, played every one of the 42 games.

Foggon played 41, John Hickton and Jim Platt 40, John Craggs and Frank Spraggon 39, David Mills 38, Souness 34 and Murdoch 33.

THE STATISTICS

Top scorer Alan Foggon (19)
Biggest win 8-0 at home v Sheffield Wednesday, April 20.
Number of clean sheets: 25
Points after first 10 games: 15
Highest attendance: 37,030 v Sunderland on Boxing Day, won 2-1
Average attendance 22,498 - the second division average that season was 13,693.

Key game: The goalless draw away to Blackpool on September 22, a game which saw the debut of Bobby Murdoch and brought hundreds of Celtic fans to Bloomfield Road. Boro went top of the league and stayed there all season.

Regular line-up: 1 Platt, 2 Craggs, 3 Spraggon, 4 Souness, 5 Boam, 6 Maddren, 7 Murdoch, 8 Mills, 9 Hickton, 10 Foggon, 11 Armstrong.
Others: McMordie, Smith, Brine, Taylor, Cochrane, Creamer, Cuff, Gates, McAndrew.