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Newbury Blade

Newbury Blade

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Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of my first United game: Blades 0 Blackpool 1, Easter Monday, April 11 1966. I got the bus from Attercliffe Common with my cousin Patrick (who later became a Wednesdayite, unforgivably; he died a couple of years ago). We were both 12.
For some reason despite being an Easter Monday fixture it was an evening kickoff and I remember the thrill of climbing the back of the Kop and seeing the floodlit pitch. A thrill that has never really gone away actually. We stood about halfway down which is more or less where I continued to stand in subsequent seasons until they put the seats in.
It was the old Division One (top tier) and the crowd was 15,196, pretty unexciting for a bank holiday unless everyone in Sheffield had buggered off to Cleethorpes for the day.
Blackpool had two England players, Jimmy Armfield and Alan Ball, who were chosen for England's World Cup-winning squad a few weeks later (Ball would be sold to Everton in August). They had beaten us on Good Friday, 2-1 at Bloomfield Road – so we managed to let them do the double over us in three days.
I can't remember anything at all about the match except we lost and I was hooked for life.
Sorry to ramble but I just wonder if anyone else on the forum can recall going to this game?
 

Newbury Blade said:
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of my first United game: Blades 0 Blackpool 1, Easter Monday, April 11 1966. I got the bus from Attercliffe Common with my cousin Patrick (who later became a Wednesdayite, unforgivably; he died a couple of years ago). We were both 12.
For some reason despite being an Easter Monday fixture it was an evening kickoff and I remember the thrill of climbing the back of the Kop and seeing the floodlit pitch. A thrill that has never really gone away actually. We stood about halfway down which is more or less where I continued to stand in subsequent seasons until they put the seats in.
It was the old Division One (top tier) and the crowd was 15,196, pretty unexciting for a bank holiday unless everyone in Sheffield had buggered off to Cleethorpes for the day.
Blackpool had two England players, Jimmy Armfield and Alan Ball, who were chosen for England's World Cup-winning squad a few weeks later (Ball would be sold to Everton in August). They had beaten us on Good Friday, 2-1 at Bloomfield Road – so we managed to let them do the double over us in three days.
I can't remember anything at all about the match except we lost and I was hooked for life.
Sorry to ramble but I just wonder if anyone else on the forum can recall going to this game?
Click to expand...
My dad said my first ever 1st team match was when I was four and it was at home to Blackpool and it was probably the same as your first match. He couldn't remember the score when he told me about it some years later (I have no recollection of the match same for when I watched Spain v Switzerland at S6 in the 1966 World Cup)
 
We played them again at the Lane in November 1966 and this time managed a 1-1 draw. Looking at it, our record against the Seasiders is not at all impressive and includes a 1-5 home defeat in 1977 that I have, thankfully, managed to excise from my memory completely.
 
One more and I'll stop … it's just occurred to me that if my four-year-old son Freddie, whose picture you see on the left, is going to Bramall Lane long enough to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first match, it will be more than 100 years since my first match, which hardly seems possible, but it's true.
And I expect we'll still be in League One.
 
Newbury Blade said:
We played them again at the Lane in November 1966 and this time managed a 1-1 draw. Looking at it, our record against the Seasiders is not at all impressive and includes a 1-5 home defeat in 1977 that I have, thankfully, managed to excise from my memory completely.
Click to expand...

The one in Nov 66 was the day I was born :-) Gil Reece broke his leg.
 
I vaguely remember the 1968-69 season. We were back in the 2nd tier and - just like this season - looking like we *might* get promotion :rolleyes:. We played at Blackpool (also in contention for promotion) on Saturday 5th April. (We were at Derby on Monday 7th, so I assume it was a Bank Holiday). I pestered the fuck out of my old man to go to the coast, convinced that we were going up. My dad, with the wisdom that finally comes after a lifetime of watching the Blades, said 'we have no chance.'

He was, of course, right. We finished the season in 9th, Blackpool were 8th and I never got to sample the delights of Smackpool.

Away travel was pretty rare back then and there wasn't the mass support we see now. The previous year, my old man had bundled me into his Ford Cortina for the short trip up the M1 for a 6th round FA Cup match at Elland Road. This was around the time that Leeds started perfecting the art of being cheating bastards. Naturally, we lost in front of 48,322. The match was memorable for one of the worst players I've ever seen in a United shirt - Tony Wagstaff.
 
Last edited:
Darren said:
The one in Nov 66 was the day I was born :) Gil Reece broke his leg.
Click to expand...
And then we signed Bill Punton. Many Blades probably didn't have a clue what he looked like and were surprised to see that we had signed someone who looked 60 years old! He was the Sheffield derby hero in February 1967
 
Love these "down memory lane" threads. NewburyBlade we're the same age as 1966 was my first year watching the Blades also at 12 years of age ( we were both late starters). Can't recollect the Blackpool match that you refer to as I was a couple of months later. I recollect going to Blackpool away late 1960s , may even have been a Bank Holiday.

Grafikhaus I was at that Leeds Cup match which we lost 1-0, Addison as I recall forced the ball over he line but the goal wasn't given. Most people I knew at the time were Leeds fans and I hated that club with a vengeance at the time. "Dirty Leeds" was a name they truly deserved. The previous season we played Leeds back to back on Easter Monday and Tuesday (I think) losing both.

Silent. I'm 62 and Bill Punton looked my age when he played for us. I was in the kop end when he scored the winner against that lot. Happy days
 
Newbury Blade said:
Sorry to ramble but I just wonder if anyone else on the forum can recall going to this game?
Click to expand...

NB, I can specifically recall not going to this game. I was eight at the time. My mum was a nurse and had just got a job at weekends working nights at the Jessop Hospital Annexe at Norton. As a result she slept during the day and my dad was left with the task of cooking Sunday dinner for me and my three brothers. She was a great cook but he was lousy. On the Sunday I either refused or failed to eat something he'd cooked for us. I have a vague memory that he cooked the meal in stages so you had the meat followed by the veg followed by the Yorkshire puddings and so on. I suspect we even got gravy separately, too. Mind you, you should have seen his gravy. Anyway, my punishment was that I wasn't allowed to go to the match. It was one of only three home games I missed all that season. I've no idea why missing this particular game sticks in my mind but it does.

A footnote to the above story is that in 2005 at the age of 84 my dad was admitted to Weston Park and diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live. He was a widower by then. He desperately wanted to be allowed to return to live at home but he was dodgy on his pins and the medical staff and social workers were dubious about his ability to cope. My brother was invited to attend a conference where all interested parties apart from Dad were present. Some bright spark piped up and said he needed to be observed in a home situation: "I'd like to see him cook a three-course meal." To which my brother's response was: "So would I..."
 
Newbury Blade said:
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of my first United game: Blades 0 Blackpool 1, Easter Monday, April 11 1966. I got the bus from Attercliffe Common with my cousin Patrick (who later became a Wednesdayite, unforgivably; he died a couple of years ago). We were both 12.
For some reason despite being an Easter Monday fixture it was an evening kickoff and I remember the thrill of climbing the back of the Kop and seeing the floodlit pitch. A thrill that has never really gone away actually. We stood about halfway down which is more or less where I continued to stand in subsequent seasons until they put the seats in.
It was the old Division One (top tier) and the crowd was 15,196, pretty unexciting for a bank holiday unless everyone in Sheffield had buggered off to Cleethorpes for the day.
Blackpool had two England players, Jimmy Armfield and Alan Ball, who were chosen for England's World Cup-winning squad a few weeks later (Ball would be sold to Everton in August). They had beaten us on Good Friday, 2-1 at Bloomfield Road – so we managed to let them do the double over us in three days.
I can't remember anything at all about the match except we lost and I was hooked for life.
Sorry to ramble but I just wonder if anyone else on the forum can recall going to this game?
Click to expand...

This must have been a typical United period of inconsistency. As you say, Blackpool beat us twice in 3 days but the results surrounding this were:
Blackburn HW 2-0, Everton AW 3-1, ManU HW 3-1, Newcastle AW 2-0, Arsenal HW 3-0
 
grafikhaus said:
1966? Pfftt. Here's Blackpool at home from 1955:

View attachment 16876

No, even I wasn't at that one. A friend tracked it down for my 60th last year. My first game was April 23rd, 1962. More stuff on the morning of the Baaarnsley game.
Click to expand...

That custodian of the onion bag is Bert Trautmann is it not?

Looks like he stopped the Blade from netting the leather on that occasion. Well done Bernhardt!
 

cahill said:
I recollect going to Blackpool away late 1960s , may even have been a Bank Holiday.
Click to expand...

Easter Monday 30th March 1970? We had lost 3 games in a row and we needed to win to give us a better chance of beating Blackpool to the 2nd promotion spot. Think John Craven scored the late winner to make it 4 losses in a row and ending our promotion hopes. I was watching Wendy play Spurs that day and I remember the look of disappointment on my dad's face when we found out that Blackpool had scored
 
cahill said:
Love these "down memory lane" threads. NewburyBlade we're the same age as 1966 was my first year watching the Blades also at 12 years of age ( we were both late starters). Can't recollect the Blackpool match that you refer to as I was a couple of months later. I recollect going to Blackpool away late 1960s , may even have been a Bank Holiday.

Grafikhaus I was at that Leeds Cup match which we lost 1-0, Addison as I recall forced the ball over he line but the goal wasn't given. Most people I knew at the time were Leeds fans and I hated that club with a vengeance at the time. "Dirty Leeds" was a name they truly deserved. The previous season we played Leeds back to back on Easter Monday and Tuesday (I think) losing both.

Silent. I'm 62 and Bill Punton looked my age when he played for us. I was in the kop end when he scored the winner against that lot. Happy days
Click to expand...

My first match was at the age of 4 , standing under the cricket pavilion 1960.

Went to the Leeds game if it was the 6th round of the FA Cup.

I was taken to S6 one Saturday then BDTBL the week after . S6 always seemed very cold , no soul , and this academy of football image like Everton was a myth and fallacy . ( things never change and club and supporters are still up there own arse )

The night games at the lane were magical with the covered Kop , flags , banners and noise . Even the red and white shirts were something special . Good good times and memories .

I used to think Bill Punton was 60ish , but must have been in his twenties.

Anyway whether we are young , middle aged , or old , as they say. - once a blade , always a blade .

UTB
 
my memories of games v Blackpool tend to be those of disappointment remember 3 years running going there for days out april end of march winning 1-0 drawing 1=1 then losing 1=0

but remember the pleasure beach rides being of greater interest, all the games were pretty poor
 
Newbury Blade said:
I remember the thrill of climbing the back of the Kop and seeing the floodlit pitch
Click to expand...

This

I had been to some Saturday Games, but went on the Worksop Supporters Coach for my first night game, in 1968 i fink, would have 13.

Dont remember the game, but the view of the lit up pitch, after climbing the steps to the back of the Kop still lives with me now ..............
 
Never post about your first match. Some years ago I posted about my first match in 1954. Remembered every moment, every goal, every kick.

Silent Blade could have let me down a little more gently.
 
I remember the Leeds FA cup game 1968 well, we stood on that open kop and the Leeds fans were opposite in the scratching shed. Their chanting was led by a girl in a white trouser suit, 10k plus Blades there that day
A nutter near me had knicked some snooker balls and was throwing them towards Gary Sprake
Anyhow unlucky to lose 0-1, hated seeing my boyhood hero Mick Jones playing in a Leeds shirt....
 
Yep. I would have been at the Blackpool match in 1966. It was the first year I had a season ticket and I was10. Previously I'd been to a few home games and lots of home reserve games with my Grandad while Grandma and assorted other women shopped in the rag and tag, and generally around the city centre. I do vaguely remember the match because we were expected to win and everyone was disappointed going home. Stood on terrace, near Kop end at the front behind or on the white railings.
I remember banners on the kop
 

Lord Bos of Eckington. said:
No but a friend of the club does - Arnold Laver :D

UTB
Click to expand...
Personally I think the blades should look after its senior supporters better. Waitress service for your pie and bovril. First chance to leave the ground after the match with the rest of being kept behind till 7pm when the last Zimmer frame pusher has departed. I was going to add the offer of a free Samaritan by there side but after 50 years plus of watching the blades they are far too thick skinned to need one
 
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