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17 hours ago, Bobledgersheart said:

Was a fairly late starter at Boundary Park as my dad hadn't much interest in football, relied on George a mate of his taking me. Can remember watching Johnstone, Lister, Colquhoun and of course my hero Bob and the cup match versus West Ham ( when my 5'5" dad told some 6 foot plus Hammers to "get to the back of the bloody queue" as they tried to push to the front of us waiting to get into the cowshed. Was excited walking to the match seeing posters on lamp posts that we'd signed Ian Towers and equally disappointed when we sold George Kinnell to Sunderland after a dozen or so matches. But the match that really sticks in my memory was one of my first night matches against Mansfield Town. My favourite player was played as a makeshift centre forward and, late in the game if I remember rightly, was through on goal and shot straight at their goalie, shot against the crossbar with his second effort and finally buried his header on the rebound.

If only I would have been old enough to savour a pint* on the way home it would have been the perfect night ! 

 

* We did use to have a couple of pints of mild in the Dog and Duck on St. Domingo Street before night matches with schoolmates ( Dad told me to only drink mild 'til I was 18 which I diligently observed ! ) only to be told by the Landlord to "fuck off you're underage" when I attempted to change a particularly rank pint. And this after he'd served us for a season and a half ! 

 

Thanks for the memories, great days they where. 

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6th Dec 1986. Latics 3 Shrewsbury Town 0.

 

My dad - born in Middleton - had riden his bike to BP as a young kid and watched Latics in the late 50’s & early 60’s & could recall Eric Gemmill. Sadly, my dad became a City fan from the mid 60’s onward and was a season ticket holder at Maine Road for the best part of 2 decades.

 

As a boy in the early 80’s I had City kits - pictures still exist of me in them. As I got more into football - bearing in mind you could barely find a live game on telly during the 80’s - I asked him to take me to Maine Road. He procrastinated. I’ve no idea why really, the fact City weren’t any good in he post Summerbee, Bell, Lee era - my dad’s favourite team. Football hooliganism in the early 80’s. I’ve asked him since and I never really get a straight answer, as I know he regretted it.

 

Anyway, he took me to our local club Droylsden, before places like Mossley, Stalybridge Celtic, Curzon Ashton, Ashton United.... before Spotland & then Gigg Lane. They were all days out and I recall having a good time. Then, one fateful Saturday, he decided to try Boundary Park.

 

I recall him parking up in the car park on the broadway side of the ground. We walked around the back of the Chaddy End. I could feel the atmosphere coming off the covered terrace & I recall the tannoy system blaring out music. To this day, if I think of or hear; Respectible by Mel & Kim, The only way is up by Yazz & the plastic population or Walk the dinosaur by Was not Was, I can be transported to the same walk around the back of the Chaddy End, seeing people laughing & joking as they spilled out of the Clayton Arms. Players or Management walking from the Players car park begind the Chaddy End to the Players entrance, while signing autographs & chatting to supporters. No-one carried cameras in those days, let alone demeaned themselves with a selfie. It’s a very warm and comforting memory.

 

Once inside BP - standing on the Chaddy End terrace - it just felt different. Electric almost. Pipe smoke and Bovril smells that were welcoming, like in a cosy living room. Having my hair ruffled by friendly strangers. The singing corner in the top left as you look and the stand, the top right from within in. The person with the air horn, followed by the deafening chant of “OLD-HAM”. The pitch - the plastic - looked different too. More modern and space age, not these mud baths I’d seen before. It alllowed for slick passing football. Latics were awesome. I’d never seen a side so good. Andy Goram, Denis Irwin, Tony Henry, Roger Palmer - who scored that day with backpost (obviously) volley from a left wing cross. “Oooh Roger Palmer”. They also wore this beautiful electric blue kit with a horizontal white stripe across the middle and some red piping either side of it. I wanted it. It was the first time I’d fallen in love for sure.

 

Throughout the remainder of that season - the season Latics were the 1st club to finish 3rd in the 2nd tier and not get promoted to the 1st - my dad tried to get me to go to Maine Road. I refused. I want to go to Boundary Park I’d say, I’m a Latics fan now. As soon as the 1987-88 fixtures were out, I was onto them. I raced in to my dad and said, “I want to go to Maine Road. I want to go on the 17th December please”. By then my dad knew the score. We sat in the Platt Lane End. The result that day, City 1 Latics 2 (Tommy Wright 2).

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On 8/4/2018 at 10:32 AM, Dick_Valentine said:

I’m taking my boy to his first Latics match today and I’ve been thinking (or trying to as it was quite some years ago) about my first match at home to Cardiff in August 1981. 

 

That feeling walking into the Chaddy with my dad, then up at the back on the wooden steps at my dads favourite spot behind that wall above the old tunnel. Seeing the pitch, hearing all the shouts etc. Magical. I hope he remembers it in a way I do, although I know the experience is very different now. 

 

What are other people’s memories of their first visit to BP? 

 

 

My oldest son, who is 3, is a bit of an experienced campaigner at Latics nowadays. He did 9 games last season, but only saw us win once, and has a season ticket for this season. Luckily, he is too young to appreciate how shite we are, but he did spend most of Saturday's game asking where "Oh Eoin Doyle" was. I took him to his first game when he was 11 days old and he slept all the way through it - it has become more difficult since keeping him entertained and has cost me a fortune in the kiddies meal deals, but I have enjoyed my match day experience so much more since taking him and I will be taking his younger brother along too later on in the season.

 

As for my first game, my mum and dad were taking me from a very early age, but one of my earliest memories was absolutely twatting Wimbledon 6-2 when I was 4 or 5. It has got progressively worse ever since...

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On 8/4/2018 at 10:32 AM, Dick_Valentine said:

I’m taking my boy to his first Latics match today and I’ve been thinking (or trying to as it was quite some years ago) about my first match at home to Cardiff in August 1981. 

 

That feeling walking into the Chaddy with my dad, then up at the back on the wooden steps at my dads favourite spot behind that wall above the old tunnel. Seeing the pitch, hearing all the shouts etc. Magical. I hope he remembers it in a way I do, although I know the experience is very different now. 

 

What are other people’s memories of their first visit to BP? 

 

 

1970-71 v Chesterfield , who were top of the league. I would have been 8 years old. Won 1-0, think Jim Fryatt scored the goal

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I believe it was 6th Sept 1980, against Sheffield Wednesday....the afternoon it all kicked off with Terry Curran and Simon Stainrod. 7 years old at the time and don’t really remember too much, but it must have been okay, as 38 years later I’m still doing a 500 mile round trip for most home games ?

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7 hours ago, BFPhil said:

I believe it was 6th Sept 1980, against Sheffield Wednesday....the afternoon it all kicked off with Terry Curran and Simon Stainrod. 7 years old at the time and don’t really remember too much, but it must have been okay, as 38 years later I’m still doing a 500 mile round trip for most home games ?

Respect !

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