I started watching Latics as a 5 year old in the late 60’s and my clearest memories from then are some night matches in the Lancashire senior cup against the likes of City, United and Liverpool’s A teams
From 70-71 to 73-74 my memories are clearer and 70-71 was a great season, getting promoted from Division 4, with Jim Fryatt and possibly David Shaw scoring many goals and exciting, attacking football, with us also winning the Ford Sporting League, most of the monthly prizes and £70,000 which led to the Ford Stand being built
in the early 70’s there were good players and many characters like Harry Dowd, Ian Wood, Maurice (90 miles an hour) Whittle , Dick Mulvaney, Jim Bowie, Keith Bebbington, Colin Garwood, and some local lads like Chris Ogden, Andy Sweeney, briefly, and Keith Hicks
we also had a couple of home evening friendlies around 71-72 against Internazionale ( possibly Inter Milan) and Borussia Dortmund
the World Cup in 1970 in Mexico is also the first World Cup I remember and watching the England games or highlights before going to school
it semmed to snow heavily every year too, and we had real pea souper fog
73-74 was another great season, winning promotion from Division 3 in style with more than one 6 goal victory at home, Southport and Huddersfield
That season was when I went to my first away matches, with Latics taking over Southport on Easter Monday and York around the same time
great atmospheres at both those games and we beat Southport too
I also remember in the early 70’s playing Villa at home and losing 6-0, which was on ITV’s Sunday football programme and getting some stick the following day at school from the Reds and blues, who never went to watch their team
silk scarves tied around your wrist and bouncing up and down on the boards at the back of the chaddy
also remember playing Northwich Victoria in the FA Cup at Maine Road around 77 and being in the Kippax when we won 4-1, with 25,000 plus there,the original game being moved from their ground because they’d sold more tickets than the ground capacity
many great memories, and still going now