Games You Remember but Not for the Football

The goalkeeper who dived through a plate glass window

 

Back in the 70s. after away games we often used to end up standing on the same station platform as the manager and players. After one 2-0 defeat at Burnley in 1976, where we'd been forced to play Colin Boulton, a loanee from Derby, it was obvious that we needed a better goalkeeper. At the time, a Reading goalkeeper, called Steve Death was playing brilliantly and keeping a string of clean sheets. In fact, he held the all-time record of 1,074 minutes without conceding a goal in English league football, so I asked McMenemy, " Why don't you take a look at Steve Death?" Quick as a flash, he replied "Why? Is he off the booze yet." Shortly after that, Death made the headlines for getting blind drunk and diving through a pub window. Eventually, six years later, McMenemy got the goalkeeper he'd always wanted, Peter Shilton.

 

We also used to see the players on the trains back from away games. After a 1-0 defeat at Blackpool at the end of the 76/77 season, when our promotion campaign had disappointingly fizzled out, Alan Ball walked the length of the train and said to every group of Saints' fans he saw, "I promise you we'll get promoted next season." And he was right.

Inredible! Can you imagine todays players slumming it with the fans on the way back from a game?

Thanks for sharing

We were playing Argyll away on our way down in the Championship in the early 2000's. One of our players became injured and our long time trainer, whose name escapes me at present, came running onto the pitch but pulled a hamstring on the way and had to be treated by the Argyll trainer. I think this was also the game when the floodlights failed a couple of times during the match.

Inredible! Can you imagine todays players slumming it with the fans on the way back from a game?

 

Thanks for sharing

My Dad and I walked back to catch the train out of Southampton after the Man Utd game in c 1973 I think. Platform full of mancs at a time they were draping themselves in tartan scarves for Tommy Docherty. Suddenly a load of singing from them and scarves aloft, we walked towards it and suddenly were face to face with Docherty leading the players towards their train.

Sat in a carriage with about 6 Man Utd supporters - incredibly travelling back to Manchester of all places - although they had all the 70's hooligan regalia complete with DM's etc and had what I now know to be gobby mancumian accents they weren't too bad and gave an intersting insight into their thoughts on City, and Big Mal who'd just resigned to go to Palace.

Another train story - once saw Cloughie and Peter Taylor walking out of The Dell about 6pm after a game intent on marching their squad down Hill Lane to the station (whilst in Division 2 that is).

I used to see Ken Monkou walking back up Wilton Avenue after games towards Bedford Place. He was mates with the guy who ran Videotheque.

The ones that stand out are;

Newcastle away in 2013. I was getting picked up at 5am in our mini bus so needed to get an early night. Decided to go to the pub with a mate for “a couple” which ended up in on a full night out in town. Stumbled home at 3am with a lovely lady who kept me awake until 4:55am when I suddenly jumped up, got dressed and left her in my room to get my lift. Never saw her again, could easily have robbed me.

Beers all the way up there, beers all night and got back to the hotel around 4am the following morning, then had to go to the game. No idea how I managed to stay awake that long but I wanted to sleep through the match. I do remember being in a nightclub that night which was pretty much 100% saints fans and was a brilliant laugh.

Then Liverpool away the same year. A huge group of us rented a ridiculously massive lucrative apartment. Why they let us have it I’ll never know. Also the minibus breaking down in Liverpool, having to taxi to Manchester airport to rent a car to drive back. Fortunately I wasn’t driving but there’s no way my mate was in a fit state to. That was a horrendous journey home and then I had to move house the next day.

Finally, San Siro. Just a surreal time.

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Luton away in the 90s with away fans ban. A Luton fanzine guy got us a couple of tickets in the home stand behind one of the goals. It didn’t take long before we were sussed and it all kicked offf, two of us taking on a fair few. We survived.

15th April 1989. West Ham away.

 

Got there as the game kicked off and missed Rod Wallace scoring in the first minute. The game was crap and I put my radio on to hear how the Cup semi-finals were going. There was no commentary, but instead had to listen to the death toll at Hillsborough mounting up.

 

Saints won 2-1 which would keep us up and relegate W Ham, but there wasn't much celebrating.

On that day I was taken into hospital with severe appendicitis. I came round from the aneasthetic at about 16:40 and got the radio turned on for the football results.

Forest away in 2012.

Got the train up with a mate, train is halted at for about an hour at Bedford, end up having to get a cab from Bedford to Nottingham with a couple of other saints fans and a woman going to a job interview. Made it to Nottingham about 2:55pm.

I have vague recollections of Roy Kinnear on the pitch in the late 70's & Jim from Eastenders at some point??? Did i just make this up??

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/872262.amp/

We were playing Argyll away on our way down in the Championship in the early 2000's. One of our players became injured and our long time trainer, whose name escapes me at present, came running onto the pitch but pulled a hamstring on the way and had to be treated by the Argyll trainer. I think this was also the game when the floodlights failed a couple of times during the match.

Ha, I was at this game - Jim Joyce

Ha, I was at this game - Jim Joyce

That's it and thanks for the reminder. I think he went to Andover or Eastleigh FC when he retired from us.

I have vague recollections of Roy Kinnear on the pitch in the late 70's & Jim from Eastenders at some point??? Did i just make this up??

Yep, 'Jim Branning' serenading us all on the pitch pre-match earlier this decade.

We were playing Argyll away on our way down in the Championship in the early 2000's. One of our players became injured and our long time trainer, whose name escapes me at present, came running onto the pitch but pulled a hamstring on the way and had to be treated by the Argyll trainer. I think this was also the game when the floodlights failed a couple of times during the match.

This reminded me of a European tie away in Ireland at Carrick Rangers around '77 when one of their players got injured and needed to be carried off. On trot the stretcher-bearers who load the player and then proceed to pick up the stretcher facing in opposite directions. Down he goes and they try again only to both turn around and once again set off in different directions (no stereotype jokes that day...)

Another one which I just remembered was the 3-1 win away at Plymouth in 2011 which got us promoted from League 1 (barring a 13-0 home defeat to relegation threatened Walsall). In itself that's a fairly remarkable game in our history but for me the day started with a 4am alarm clock for work, with the breaking news that Bin Laden had been killed. Put me in a positive mood for the day.