Memries of Stoke

[Isaw Joeshaw]

12th April 1975. Blades 2 (Eddy (pen), Field) Stoke 0

Before the game the newspapers billed the match as the "TC v Alan Hudson show". It was TC who ran the show with a 10/10 performance (only one of the four 10/10 performance I have seen from a Blades player). In the 1st half Bill Dearden broke through, Peter Shilton ran out of goal, Dearden pushed the ball past Shilton and tried to run on the other side to get a 2nd touch but Shilton body checked Dearden (Harald Schumacher-style) for a definite penalty(see below). The crowd loudly booed at Shilton while Dearden had a lengthy treatment from Cec Coldwell (our bucket and sponge man). Geoff Salmons (who had moved to Stoke from us in the previous summer), thinking that Woodward was going to take the penalty, ran to Shilton advising him to dive to his left for the penalty. To Salmons's surprise, Keith Eddy stepped up to take the penalty and sent Shilton the wrong way to put the ball to Shilton's right. Shilton was furious by booting the ball to hit goal a few times while the gleeful Blades fans in the BLUT mocked at him chanting "Shit-on, Shit-on"

Tony Field put us 2-0 up in the 2nd half. In the latter stages TC did his showman stuff on the left wing waving both his arms at the crowd every time he dribbled past a Stoke player!

Great stuff Silent .

Am I right in thinking the ref booked him for his waves and kisses to the crowd , or was that a different match ?

 

[Jonboy60]

Did you know....

On the final day of the 1946-47 season Stoke needed to win their final game to claim the Division One title. They brought around 10,000 fans to Bramall Lane but lost 2-1 and ended up in 4th position.

Played 14th June, due to postponements caused by a long winter. Many blame the sale of an unhappy Stanley Matthews to Blackpool in May as the reason Stoke missed out.

View attachment 45340

We qualified for Europe that year.?

 

[Silent Blade]

Great stuff Silent .

Am I right in thinking the ref booked him for his waves and kisses to the crowd , or was that a different match ?

Dont recall him being booked for blowing kisses at the crowd, I recall him going past Middlesbrough defender John Craggs with ease and then waving both hands at the crowd but the irate defender ran back to tackle TC from behind, and then in front of the poleaxed TC, Craggs waved at the crowd. The ref booked Craggs. That match was in Boxing Day 1975 (1-1 draw)

 

[Silent Blade]

Did you know....

On the final day of the 1946-47 season Stoke needed to win their final game to claim the Division One title. They brought around 10,000 fans to Bramall Lane but lost 2-1 and ended up in 4th position.

Played 14th June, due to postponements caused by a long winter. Many blame the sale of an unhappy Stanley Matthews to Blackpool in May as the reason Stoke missed out.

View attachment 45340

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/spo...stoke-city-liverpool-sheffield-united-2110084

 

[BushBlade]

Random Stoke memories:

They were the first top division side I ever saw. We drew 0-0 with them in the 3rd round of the Cup in 1983 (losing the replay 3-2 on the night when Terry Curran was outstanding)

3-1 win at home in 1986-7: Lee Dixon scored our first with an own goal after 2 minutes, volleying a clearance in off the bar. Beagrie scored a header for the 3rd: that might be the first time we saw his back flip after scoring.

2-1 win at home in 1989-90: good goal from Bradshaw, twisting inside the box Mark Duffy style.

1-1 draw in 1994-5 at their place. Our goal was a deflected long shot from Kevin Gage. After that, Alan Kelly played them on his own, and almost won us the game, making a string of superb saves. I was there for the Mel Rees game, but I still say that Kelly's performance that night was the finest I have seen from a Blades keeper. I also remember being amazed how down at heel Stoke looked.

That was the first time I’d seen a top level side too. The next one would have been Everton the season after. Again, we drew and got a replay and again, Curran had a great game. So good, Everton signed him and we got rid of the...

 

[BushBlade]

Mate of mine applied to be a ball boy, he couldn’t make it, it was a night match against Stoke. So he asked if I would like to go in his place.
I was behind the goal, kop end, wearing an oversized track-suit, with the legs and sleeves rolled back.
Behind the legendary Gordon Banks. Mid to late 60s, I was 13/14yrs old.
Some of you must have been there, you must remember me surely.

I didn’t realise Banks played into his late sixties.

 

[Jonboy60]

I didn’t realise Banks played into his late sixties.

Yep, beat the other legend Stanley Mathews by quite a few years.

 

[PaulHalfway]

Old ground was well dodgy after the game at the cross roads near the cemetery

 

[Lane Ender]

Old ground was well dodgy after the game at the cross roads near the cemetery

Remember it all kicking off in that cemetery late 70s

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Have been to Stoke loads of time, either Vic or Brit, and I've been to Port Vale loads too. First one at Stoke was the January 83 Cup replay when, as someone else has stated, Terry Curran had his finest hour in a Blades shirt. We were 2-1 up at half time and the players went off celebrating as though already won, they scored 2 in the second half but remember King Pig Curran waltzing through their defence only to put his shot over the keeper and over the bar. A few years earlier local football on tv in their opening credits always showed Curran for the pigs, doing similar but finishing off by waltzing around the keeper to score in an open net, many Blades that night commented they were expecting the same type of finish.

Second time at Stoke was the opening day of the 85/86 season Peter Withe's debut, King Keith had been dropped by Porterfield and on a red hot day, backed by a big United following, we started the campaign with a 3-1 win. Average of the team that day about 95 years old! Went the following season in that 5-2 defeat and also went for the full members cup game there which we won 2-1. Relegation season under Bassett was a 1-0 defeat before bouncing back a couple of years later by reversing the score for a vital win in the run in to promotion (that was the Saturday if I remember correctly after we had won 2-0 at Oldham midweek). My last time at the Victoria was the 4-0 win, where I seem to recall Gareth Taylor had his finest hour in a United shirt, to the tune of the Macarena "yaki di, yaki di, yaki di, Gareth Taylor, ohhhh, Gareth Tayor"

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Bumping cos it's todays game.

 

[Bladesthorpe]

Bored ?

 

[Guesty]

I've only been to Stoke once but it was a great game, two down at half time (Kris Commons double perhaps?) only to storm back to draw 2-2. Kozluk scored, Lester equalised with a late penalty but it truth we could have run away with it. I remember Ed De Goey making a string of fine saves.

 

[breeny]

I went in 2003 and we drew 2-2 with Jack Lester netting the equaliser with a 93rd penalty. Bedlam. Coaches were kept behind, bricks were chucked - all sorts going off. I’ll have been 17 at the time. I don’t remember owt else about the game other than the penalty. Very intimidating place I found

Went to the previous season’s fixture - bricks at the end again but a very dull 0-0. Highlight was someone shouting, “Windass, you’ve got a windy ass.”

 

[Chezzy Blades]

Standing next to Sean Bean on the terrace at the Victoria Ground when we won 4-0 (95/96?) but being 5 years old and having absolutely no idea who Sean Bean was.

 

[Stockholm syndrom]

Went to the previous season’s fixture - bricks at the end again but a very dull 0-0. Highlight was someone shouting, “Windass, you’ve got a windy ass.”

I was also at the game, my old man mooned their fans after the equaliser they were throwing coins into our area and all sorts. Was intimidating atmosphere

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

Standing next to Sean Bean on the terrace at the Victoria Ground when we won 4-0 (95/96?) but being 5 years old and having absolutely no idea who Sean Bean was.

3 up after about half an hour, I remember wondering if my lift might bugger off home without me being as he's a Stoke fan.

 

[bertieblade]

Went with a good mate, big blade who is sadly no longer with us, god bless you Gorey.
Last match of the season which saw us gain promotion.
A friend of his had a box and very kindly gave it to us so we ate and we drank and we cheered and we drank to see and sing us to promotion.

We are Sheff United
They call us the blades
We've got Billy Sharp
He's a legend at the Lane
Basham and O'Connell
Overlapping down the wing
Duffy, Fleck and Norwood
With his fucking ping
Allez, Allez, Allez, Allez (x4)

Chris Wilder is our gaffer
He leads us all the way
Playing proper football
The Sheff United way
Allez, Allez, Allez, Allez (x4)

He stuck pink paper on the wall
They call us journeymen
Now we're going on a journey
To the fucking Prem
Allez, Allez, Allez, Allez (x4)

Great day great guy

 

[breeny]

I was also at the game, my old man mooned their fans after the equaliser they were throwing coins into our area and all sorts. Was intimidating atmosphere

 

[Ace of Blades]

Remember one of my early days as a Blade was watching Stoke at the lane the year Sammons played for them after leaving us.
My more recent, and vivid memory, was at theirs when Whitehurst was brought on quite late and a packed away end started chanting “ Billy’s gonna get ya “. Can’t remember much else about the game though.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

I've only been to Stoke once but it was a great game, two down at half time (Kris Commons double perhaps?) only to storm back to draw 2-2. Kozluk scored, Lester equalised with a late penalty but it truth we could have run away with it. I remember Ed De Goey making a string of fine saves.

Noel-Williams and Akinbiyi scored.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Remember one of my early days as a Blade was watching Stoke at the lane the year Sammons played for them after leaving us.
My more recent, and vivid memory, was at theirs when Whitehurst was brought on quite late and a packed away end started chanting “ Billy’s gonna get ya “. Can’t remember much else about the game though.

1 0 win 1989 90.
Agana header.

 

[HarryHaslam]

I remember going on their end in the 70s, got chased all over and battered, remember getting chased through a graveyard by God knows how many.

 

[cahill]

Went there early 1980s, leaving train station we were met with this “ Hoolivan” police vehicle. It was like something out of MadMax, escorted / shadowed us all way to ground. Really intimidating, never saw one again, fuck knows what that was about ?

 

[cahill]

I remember going on their end in the 70s, got chased all over and battered, remember getting chased through a graveyard by God knows how many.

Always was a dodgy place for away fans

 

[cahill]

The fantastic start to the 1971-72 season was spoiled by a home loss to Stoke. To be honest we’d already lost the unbeaten record to Man Utd.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

1 0 win 1989 90.
Agana header.

No it was a Deano header.

 

[Ace of Blades]

1 0 win 1989 90.
Agana header.

Thankyou

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Thankyou

It was a Deano header actually.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Bump for today's match