My eldest (he posts on here) and a couple of mates are going to Yeovil for his first away game on Saturday, they are getting thr coach down. He is jolly excited at the adventure that awaits him. I wish I was sharing the day with him, however he's a big boy, so rights of passage and all that!!!
I haven't been away for some time, which has prompted the old memory bank and started me thinking..
One of my first aways was with my dad and all his cronies to Gillingham, FA Cup, mid 70's, we left early, so they could get beered up, stopped somewhere on the A2? and went into a big boozer, I noticed there was a coach outside as we went in. It was the players coach, at the bar was Killer and co. all having a sly one before the game. My old man spoke to Killer who said 'Its ok its only scotch, not beer'...cant remember the result....
My first away with mates was QPR about 1979/80, there was a huge row on the tube, coppers smacking everyone as they came down the escalator, claret everywhere, glad most of that shit is in the past, not a nice day out that one!! Most have been a blinding laugh!!
For some reason I remember Harlow Town FA Cup, early 80's Killer scored the flukiest goal I have seen.
Anymore?
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But first away game proper was our first away game in the PL against Newcastle, Rufus got sent off and we drew if i recall. That year I also went to Man Utd (which was good as most of the kids at my school supported them and had never seen them play. let alone been to OT. So I bragged about that for a while....we were even 1-0 up at one stage).
I think my first 'home' game was Sheffield Wednesday at Selhurst, a 0-1 defeat in September 1990
I think my first away game was at the Manor Ground Oxford, a 0-1 victory in April 1993
But alas... I'll never be sure!
Bob Bolder was making one of his first appearances for us and was pretty awful to be honest. Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 win, Curbs scored an o.g in the 4th minute and Niall Quinn headed the second midway through the 2nd half.
First away game outside of London was at Norwich in 1988 when we were again beaten 2-0 with Ruel Fox and Kevin Drinkell getting the goals.
Remember a good sing song in the pub on the corner of the ground,
that bloomin long walk around the allotments,
Steve Brown getting injured,
little Perry crawling under the fences and goading the watford fans in the middle section and a tug of war occurring with us holding his arms and the police pulling his legs,
A getting arrested for D&D,
Fatrob having a fight on the train with Chinese August,
a fight with Watford on some playing field after,
and Larry the Lamb having a fight with a ticket inspector on the way home.
Remember thinking if all away games are like this, then blimey !
AFKA that quite possibly could have been my first away game as well I cant remember which one it was because i went to my first 2 there the first we lost 2-0 and im sure the second was 2-1 gorman getting one back.
The first on my own was Palace away bowyer scored for us not really memorable for the game as me and my mate got mugged at Knife point at Tulse Hill on the way to the game
we won 1-0 (og i think) after struggling to get out of our own half for most of the match.
may have imagined it but i think they had a sort of scaffold board floor for where we stood. the original bouncy bouncy.
Big fat Pete scored a screamer that night, a blinding perfomance (which was ararity in them days)
I would not remember my first game, my dad always took me from about 18months, first real memory was probably being 3-0 down against Barnsley and winning 5-3, first away game with Dad was Spurs in FA Cup 1-1, with mates??? Prob Manutd relegation day, fanbloodytastic day all round.
My boys first away game was 4-2 Arsenal, told him not to expect that every week.
Remember chanting "Walsall are winning 1-0, even though they weren't", game seemed fairly uneventful and they won it 2-0. West Bromich (sp) did not seem the nicest place.
First outside london - 83/84 Brighton lost 7-0 and again remember the CAFC fans up to no good and thinking I was part of it whilst staying 20 metres away from any "action" at all points.
I was at that one, I remember the newspaper pix the next day, straight in the scrap book!! Great match!
Nicky Johns got injured and George Shipley scored for us,the following week i think we were up at Maine Road and lost that one 1-0 which i think was Bob Bolders debut
Went by Lewis coaches for about £6 return, I had a complete shock when I asked when we could stop for a loo brake and somebody passed me a big plastic bottle.
The coach got a puncture on the way, and the driver was unwilling to crawl under the coach to replace the inside rear wheel, one of the passengers fixed it in the end.
We won 3-0, and on the way home our coach drove down the M4 side by side with the Charlton coach. Good times.
First away outside London was a 5-5 draw at Eastville against Bristol Rovers. Went by Lewis coach, what a day out, totally addicted to away games from that day on. Remember they had a red hot striker in those days by the name of Paul Randall or as they called him "The sharpest shooter in the West"
Tel, I never made the Selhurst Park game but went to the original tie which was 0-0. We were flying at that time. Went to Highbury - that was my first away game. Magic experience. Loads of Charlton there. Happy days eh? Out with my Dad, swept along with the crowd - Highbury with its period stands. Everything the Valley might have been but for the war and perhaps a bit more ambition.
Happy days eh?
I didn't go but I well remember the result which was completely out of the blue. Oh for future victories at Stamford Bridge!
I was also on Lewis' for that one. Was that the game when the numbers in the away support suddenly increased by an extra 30 who had jumped into the toilets from the home end?
fairplay mentality of that time, I felt their fans were particularly 'unsportive'....
There was a problem on getting the wheel off and it took the recovery people ages to sort it out while we were waiting on the hard shoulder. After an hour we were back on the road, and we all thought we could miss the start of the game if the coach driver didnt put his foot down...
Someone on a coach further ahead of us told us of really heavy traffic up ahead and so we managed to to avoid it and made the game with 10 minutes to spare...
However, the people caught in the traffic missed the start of the game...
I think everyone on our coach must have stepped on horses crap that day or something!
Does anyone else remember this or was involved in it?