Post by Budleigh on Mar 30, 2009 17:33:33 GMT
Reading the reports on the Mansfield game mention was made of a game postponed in 1997 due to fog at which vouchers were issued. This reminded me of an earlier incident, one which Mr A.G. Merson should well remember as we shall see!
Saturday January 31st, 1981 and we were due to play a home game against York City. In those days we played our games in the evening with a 7.30 kick off and this game had a major significance for me as it was my 18th birthday weekend and as a treat I was allowing myself to pay extra to sit in the grandstand, something i'd never done before. (Actually, I was dressed to the nines in typical early eighties get-up in readiness of the birthday celebrations to follow in the town and the anticipation of ending up on 'the pull' in Monroe's nightclub! And I really didn't want the crowd on the Pop side seeing me in this 'un-natural' garb....)
With thirty minutes to go I was sat waiting for the action to start but was having difficulty seeing much of the ground as by this time an unbelievable fog had started to swirl around Plainmoor and visibility was virtually nil. At that point an announcement was made that the referee had postponed the game and vouchers were to be issued to those who had paid to come in. These would be available for the re-run, which at the time was considered for the next day, Sunday, as the York players and management were already down in the Bay. This latter point my be insignificant now with the proliferation of games held at various times on a Sunday these days, but it was a big thing then, as it would've been the first league game in any division to be played on the Sabbath since the power crisis of the early seventies. As it was the idea was pushed aside and the match played later in the season.
Of course this meant my evening out started a lot earlier than first mooted and by the time my friends arrived in Torquay I was well on my way to alcoholic happiness on the harbour side...
There are a number of interesting features of this weekend's postponement..
Firstly I bought two programmes for the one match, and all because of Mr Merson! Obviously I got hold of the one for the York game before it was called off, then I went on the following Wednesday for the game against Scunthorpe and bought a programme for this, as seen below. As can be seen from the wording on the front it was a wrap around cover, the inside being the previous saturday's York one... fair enough... but read on after the pictures...
The write-up inside of the 'new' wrap around cover gave the reasoning for using the 'old' programme as explained by Editor Alan Merson... who decided on a 're-hash' as it was going to give us, the paying customer, even more value for money!?
The Scunthorpe game was won 2-1 in front of just under 1,700 with the goals coming from who else but Steve Cooper and Les Lawrence.
And the rearranged York game? It was finally played on the 8th of April when we lost 2-1 in front of 1,354 spectators.
A month later we played at home to a Bury side who had a young keeper in goal by the name of Neville Southall...
Incidentally, Sunday football was not long in coming to Plainmoor with games later in the season against Aldershot on Sunday 29th of March (2-0), and against Mansfield on the 12th of April (1-1).
Saturday January 31st, 1981 and we were due to play a home game against York City. In those days we played our games in the evening with a 7.30 kick off and this game had a major significance for me as it was my 18th birthday weekend and as a treat I was allowing myself to pay extra to sit in the grandstand, something i'd never done before. (Actually, I was dressed to the nines in typical early eighties get-up in readiness of the birthday celebrations to follow in the town and the anticipation of ending up on 'the pull' in Monroe's nightclub! And I really didn't want the crowd on the Pop side seeing me in this 'un-natural' garb....)
With thirty minutes to go I was sat waiting for the action to start but was having difficulty seeing much of the ground as by this time an unbelievable fog had started to swirl around Plainmoor and visibility was virtually nil. At that point an announcement was made that the referee had postponed the game and vouchers were to be issued to those who had paid to come in. These would be available for the re-run, which at the time was considered for the next day, Sunday, as the York players and management were already down in the Bay. This latter point my be insignificant now with the proliferation of games held at various times on a Sunday these days, but it was a big thing then, as it would've been the first league game in any division to be played on the Sabbath since the power crisis of the early seventies. As it was the idea was pushed aside and the match played later in the season.
Of course this meant my evening out started a lot earlier than first mooted and by the time my friends arrived in Torquay I was well on my way to alcoholic happiness on the harbour side...
There are a number of interesting features of this weekend's postponement..
Firstly I bought two programmes for the one match, and all because of Mr Merson! Obviously I got hold of the one for the York game before it was called off, then I went on the following Wednesday for the game against Scunthorpe and bought a programme for this, as seen below. As can be seen from the wording on the front it was a wrap around cover, the inside being the previous saturday's York one... fair enough... but read on after the pictures...
The write-up inside of the 'new' wrap around cover gave the reasoning for using the 'old' programme as explained by Editor Alan Merson... who decided on a 're-hash' as it was going to give us, the paying customer, even more value for money!?
The Scunthorpe game was won 2-1 in front of just under 1,700 with the goals coming from who else but Steve Cooper and Les Lawrence.
And the rearranged York game? It was finally played on the 8th of April when we lost 2-1 in front of 1,354 spectators.
A month later we played at home to a Bury side who had a young keeper in goal by the name of Neville Southall...
Incidentally, Sunday football was not long in coming to Plainmoor with games later in the season against Aldershot on Sunday 29th of March (2-0), and against Mansfield on the 12th of April (1-1).
Well it could have been that mum played up front whilst Maurice did the typing and accounting (he did take up a career in banking later on!) if you prefer, but I don't think that the rest of the lads would have worn it somehow!
