12-15-2020, 07:13 PM
I was lucky enough to go to pretty much every home game in the 70s after seeing the light aged 5 at my first game vs Liverpool. Grew up in Redditch in a family with no car so that meant getting Jakey's coach (no idea what the real name was) in front of the old fire station on Red Lion Street before they demolished the entire town centre in favour of a brutalist shithole of a shopping centre.
Anyhow, away games were far and few between, cue dozens of bus trips to Birmingham, a Wimpey in the Bull Ring if I was lucky, and the corporation bus (74/75?) up to the Shrine for the reserve fixtures.
Things I can remember from this:
Happy days indeed.
Anyhow, away games were far and few between, cue dozens of bus trips to Birmingham, a Wimpey in the Bull Ring if I was lucky, and the corporation bus (74/75?) up to the Shrine for the reserve fixtures.
Things I can remember from this:
- I sat on at least 2 or 3 occasions with the King in the old Halfords (the only bit open ?) watching the games-he was always injured as you know 71-74 and was good enough to indulge a little kid who hero-worshipped him. If only I had a photo.
- I still have an ace autograph book (err, aged 55) to this day-really good players got punted into the reserves and/or were coming back from injury. In the early 70s you could run onto the pitch to get their autographs while they were warming up !
- England losing to West Germany 1-3 in the 71-72 European Nations Cup 1st leg at Wembley-unusually played on a Saturday afternoon and the score was constantly relayed as the reserve match was going on.
- Oh, and the 1st team game live score was put on the 2 big scorebaords (length of Old Halfords/Woodman Corner) on the H/V (Home/Versus) bit. In the very unlikely event of us scoring away from home under Don Howe this raised a great (and disbelieving) cheer.
Happy days indeed.
