Jon
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Post by Jon on Mar 13, 2009 0:59:17 GMT
It's funny to think that two trips "up North" within a month would have been quite a novelty then - as we were only a few years away from the joys of the Fourth Division.
By my reckoning these were only our sixth and seventh ever ventures up North after :
Accrington 1910 and 1930
Bury 1931
Wigan 1934
Stockport 1948
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2009 7:59:31 GMT
Well there were quite a few games between Glasgow teams and London teams in the early years. Do we go as the crow flies or by AA route planner? Such is the depth of historical and geographical knowledge on this forum that I wouldn't be at all surprised if somebody actually knows whether Glasgow Rangers v Old Westminsters by 1887 roads is further than Blyth v Torquay by 1954 roads. There were also a few Irish teams in the FA Cup in the early days. They must have had the most tortuous journeys if not the furthest as the crow flies. Railway miles - and the number of changes - might be a better guide. Anybody got a 1887 Bradshaws? Perhaps the chap who does those railway articles in Saturday's Herald Express has the Blyth travelling times in his log books somewhere? It's an interesting one - Blyth by coach or train in 1954? Queen's Park of Glasgow actually entered the very first FA Cup in 1871/72 and reached the semi-finals without playing. With all of those byes, walk overs and scratchings - to do with travelling it's assumed - a Torquay club of the 1870s might have managed to stack up a few semi-final "appearances." Queen's Park in the FA Cup (www.fchd.info/QUEENSPG.HTM): 1871-72 1 DONINGTON SCHOOL H Could not agree dates, both allowed through 2 DONINGTON SCHOOL H W/O QF BYE SF WANDERERS N 0-0 @ Kennington Oval SFr WANDERERS N SCR 1872-73 1 BYE 2 BYE 3 BYE QF BYE SF OXFORD UNIVERSITY N SCR 1876-77 1 BYE 2 BYE 3 OXFORD UNIVERSITY A SCR 1877-78 1 BYE 2 DRUIDS A SCR 1883-84 3 OSWESTRY A 7-1 4 ASTON VILLA H 6-1 QF OLD WESTMINSTERS A 1-0 SF BLACKBURN OLYMPIC N 4-1 @ Trent Bridge F BLACKBURN ROVERS N 1-2 @ Kennington Oval 1884-85 4 OLD WYKEHAMISTS H 7-0 5 BYE QF NOTTS COUNTY A 2-2 QFr NOTTS COUNTY N 2-1 @ Derby Cricket Ground SF NOTTINGHAM FOREST N 1-1 @ Derby Cricket Ground SFr NOTTINGHAM FOREST N 3-0 @ Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh F BLACKBURN ROVERS N 0-2 @ Kennington Oval The first Irish club to enter was probably Cliftonville who travelled to Partick Thistle for their first fixture. There were even all-Belfast FA Cup games between Cliftonville, Linfield and Distillery. The most awkward trip appears to be Linfield to Nottingham Forest (no George Best or East Midlands airports in those days). That very first international between Scotland and England in 1872 set the scene for the four British nations to compete separately but you do wonder how close we came to the game being organised on a British basis at some stage in the 19th century. As for Linfield v Cliftonville, I saw one of those in 1990 (by which time it was a fixture which "crossed the sectarian divide"). Walking around West Belfast was a little worrying but my experiences of football in the 1970s and 1980s served me well (although I'd never heard rubber bullets being fired at a Torquay v Exeter game of course). |
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Post by Budleigh on Mar 13, 2009 9:12:53 GMT
I went to the Glentoran v Linfield Boxing day game in 2001 at the Oval. Now that was an experience! I was staying with my then sister-in-law outside the city and they were all going to family for the day so I decided to try and take in a game. Phoned the club and was told no tickets were available but they gave me a 'number to call'... This I did and got a very broad belfast accent on the other end telling me that a ticket was there (wherever 'there' was?) and available for me if I wanted, and was given directions to the collection point. Now I was driving brother-in-laws car with british plates on and it was put to me that it may be just as well to stick to the main motorway into the city, come off at the airport turn off and not venture too far into the 'other parts'. But being Mr 'want-to-see-it-all' I set off early and decided to visit all the grounds in one Grand Tour, including the site of Belfast Celtic's old haunt. (Now a sports centre in West Belfast)
First off and along the Falls Road trying to get to Linfield's ground, saw a newsagent so popped into get the morning paper; not the best of ideas... came out and three or four ragamuffins (to put it politely) asked if I was hanging around long 'cos if you are mate then yous need our car lookin after'!
After a tour of Belfast on a quiet boxing day morning I then followed the instructions to get the ticket. This was one of life's experiences! I drove down the main road past Glentoran's ground, the Oval, until I reached a row of boarded up terrace houses, took a left turn, followed by a right until I was opposite a pub, opposite the said pub was a row of heavily fortified shop fronts. I found the number of the one I was supposed to be going to but it looked completely derelict and empty, but I couldn't be sure as there were grills on the windows which were in any case blacked out from the inside. I knocked on the door, hard... twice... and waited. After a short while I heard footsteps followed by what can only be described as the sound of numerous bolts being pulled across, a number of large locks being undone and then a small grill pulled across whereupon a very, very large bearded man asked what I wanted. I told him I was the chap from England who was coming to collect the ticket for the match... Suddenly the door opened and it was like I was visiting my best friend! Handshakes, a warm welcome and into the strangest 'shop' i've ever seen. It was fairly dark, with a long counter and just loads of posters, pamphlets and signing on forms for an army of some sort! I paid the cash, took the ticket and left... pronto after declining to sign something that I had no time, or inclination, to read.
I then decided to have a beer, so walked into the pub and asked for a Guinness (at this point I was feeling a little undecided on the merits of the days undertaking so was trying to be local!) It was placed on the counter in front of me, meanwhile I noticed the area around me had gone remarkably quiet as I went to pay. But that wasn't going to happen, a slap on the back and someone at the bar told me it was Christmas and I was obviously a visitor to their fair shores, no way should I have to cough up for a drink. Same with the next one which I hadn't even asked for, it just appeared. A great hour or so but at that point I decided to get going or else i'd not be able to drive back later as another drink was obviously on it's way. The hospitality was quite unbelivable, I was even given a replica Glentoran shirt to wear from someone i'd just that second met.
Got to the ground and the atmosphere was superb for what is equivalent to the Merseyside derby in Belfast, and a cracking game which ended 3-3. And for those who think our chants and songs are controversial you should hear what comes out at this fixture...
All-in-all an odd'ish way to spend Boxing day away but a fantastic experience.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2009 19:06:13 GMT
First off and along the Falls Road trying to get to Linfield's ground I'm not sure if that's the usual, AA recommended route somehow! I went to the Glentoran v Linfield Boxing day game in 2001 at the Oval. Now that was an experience! Apparently this season's game at Windsor Park was on the tasty side and led to a ban - which has just been overturned - on holiday games between the two clubs. It's a curious rivalry between East and West Belfast Prods which I can't quite get my head around. Mind you fixtures between the UDA, UVF, UFF and all the other Us weren't for the faint-hearted, were they? Last time I was in Belfast I headed up the Shankhill to the People's Museum. By "people" we're talking about a particular segment of the community which wouldn't even encompass Glentoran supporters let alone at least 40% of the wider population. In a small English town - such as Topsham - such a museum would be staffed by older, genteel folk. In this neck of the woods it's young lads wearing Rangers away shirts (including the infamous orange edition) who are museum volunteers. It's certainly a worthwhile experience and - should you visit - you'll surely be invited to inspect the Orange Room and sign the visitors book (I settled for the safe ground of "fascinating"). You might choose to declare your credentials by getting "Brixham" into the conversation as frequently as possible but I chose not to follow that particular path. Fittingly there's a Linfield display cabinet which displayed a handful of programmes including - oddly - the one from the only game I've ever seen in the north of Ireland: Linfield 1 Cliftonville 4 (October 1990). As this would represent a rather inauspicious day in the club's history I couldn't fathom its inclusion. For me, however, it reminded me of the pleasures of sitting in Windsor Park's West Stand as the posher, better-dressed element of Linfield's Billy Boys seethed with collective anger as events unfurled. The masonic halls and Orange lodges would have been empty that afternoon. The next day I saw Bohemians v Shelbourne in Dublin at the then-crumbling Dalymount Park followed, a few years later, by Shamrock Rovers v St Patrick's Atheltic at the Royal Dublin Showgrounds (which I can only describe as the League of Ireland meets Hickstead) and the Republic of Ireland v Latvia at Lansdowne. Other than that the only football I've seen in Ireland has been Torquay United in a park on Dublin's nether limits, on a rugby pitch in Galway and at proper football ground in Sligo. I must go back. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2009 19:26:38 GMT
Even the old North Somerset coalfield got in on the act with Peasedown Miners Welfare ..... who, of course, we played in the Western League in or first professional season. Can you imagine the murmurings of the forums of the day when we lost up there 2-1? And did the "Welfare" put on a trip for the game at Plainmoor? The old coalfield never sat too kindly with Bath just over the hill. Apprently adverts for domestics in Bath's better crescents carried the words " Radstock girls need not apply". |
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merse
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Post by merse on Mar 13, 2009 19:44:52 GMT
The old coalfield never sat too kindly with Bath just over the hill. Apprently adverts for domestics in Bath's better crescents carried the words " Radstock girls need not apply".  The very mention of the name "Radstock" brings tears to my eyes........................I was running a line at Ottery St Mary and making a return many years after breaking some bones in my foot there during a pre-season playing for Newton 66 (with a certain Plainmoor director ~ Brian Palk as a team mate) only to turn and collapse in pain when my dodgy Achilles tendon (incurred at Beesands as earlier chronicled) went on me. To a man the entire Radstock "technical area crew" burst out laughing and shouted to the ref "never touched him ref"Stupidly, rather than heroically; I agreed to carry on running the line at half cock as the ref confessed to me he had been about to seek to come off himself due to a pull in his calf muscle. So we both stayed on and the previous humour of the Radstock bench disappeared as quick as a turd down the toilet when we inevitably messed up a shout for offside that resulted in a goal for the home team and then (allegedly) missed a "Russian Linesman's goal" in the second half. Both were down to me and the half paced ref, and it did us no favours of course; even though we both felt at the time we were doing them a favour. Hopefully, we figured afterwards; our anticipated low marks would be factored out of the final season's reckoning as the highest and lowest always were and boy were we confident they would be the worst markings we ever got! |
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Post by Budleigh on Jan 23, 2011 21:18:55 GMT
I've brought this back up to show those who may've missed it, the cuttings from the 1954/55 cup run to the fourth round.
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