Best non-SUFC game you've been at

[JJFearnley]

Middlesbrough 4-2 Steaua Bucharest, (agg 4-3), UEFA Cup Semi Final, 2006.

I was a student in Teesside at the time and because it was a Boro home game tickets were very much available. Even for the biggest game in their history I could walk up to the ground 3 days before and have a selection of pairs of seats to choose for me and my dad. Having decided against going to the QF against Basel (best game I had the chance to go to but didn't) and thinking I would never see a European semi final involving United I made sure I went to this one. (I'm much less sure on that last point now than I was in 2006.)

2 down on the night (almost entirely because Brad Jones was in goal rather than Mark Schwarzer) Boro began the fightback with Maccarone later in the first half. Viduka looped a header in, Riggott bundled one in from close range and in the 89th minute Maccarone again with a diving header. Same player, same minute, same result as the round before. Unbelievable. It's right up there with the Forest playoff semi as the best game I've ever seen.

So, what's the best non-SUFC game you've been to?

 

[Rusty view]

England 3 v 2 Argentina in Geneva

Just a "friendly", but what a game.

Owen scores winner last minute

#limbs as the kids say

Can't think of a club game which stands out tbh.

 

[cahill]

Man Utd 3-Barcelona 0

Oldham 4 Bolton 4

 

[Blade for Sale]

Milan 1-0 Celtic at the San Siro in the CL a few years back. It wasn't a huge CL game but the stadium was packed and Celtic brought about 8000, atmosphere was magic, got hurled down about 10 rows in the surge when Kaka scored the winner.

Shame to see Milan where they are now, they always sprinkled a bit of stardust on the CL.

 

[dazzlingblade]

Pigs v Everton, fa Cup replay 1988, went in the away end with a mate from school who is an Everton fan

Everton won 5-0, and if I remember right all the goals were in the first half, and graeme sharp got 4, great team that Everton one

 

[bibbity bobbity boo]

My Uncle took me to watch Man Utd beat Barcelona early 80s. Think it was the UEFA Cup. Anyway they won 3-0, Bryan Robson scored a couple. Atmosphere was absolutely amazing.

Also went to the match where Donny beat QPR in the FA Cup, 1985. Dave Harle scored the winner, his niece was my girlfriend at the time. The only time I have ever run on a pitch at full time.

 

[mattbianco1]

England 3 v 2 Argentina in Geneva

Just a "friendly", but what a game.

Owen scores winner last minute

#limbs as the kids say

Can't think of a club game which stands out tbh.

I watched that in a pub in Munich.

Owen actually scored twice in the last couple of minutes. I was surrounded by Germans, they weren't best pleased...

That night, I went to see the Arctic Monkeys in the Atomic Café. It was just before they'd released their first single.

 

[bibbity bobbity boo]

Pigs v Everton, fa Cup replay 1988, went in the away end with a mate from school who is an Everton fan

Everton won 5-0, and if I remember right all the goals were in the first half, and graeme sharp got 4, great team that Everton one

I was there too, Sharp only got the 3 though.

 

[Silent Blade]

For joy Wendy 0 Norwich 5 in December 2001

For class Man City 3 Barcelona 1 in Nov 2016

 

[raimond]

2012- Barca 3-2 Real Madrid
1998- I think...Everton 4-4 Fucking Leeds
2016- City 3-1 Barca
2014- City 3-2 Bayern

 

[SheepdipBlade]

Stockbridge Park Steels 2 - Northwich Victoria 4.

Our forum had a long running link with the Vic's and I went to a few of their games.

The game started with a ratty version of the Chip Butty Song by the Vic's fans, just cos a few Blades had turned up (for pint pots from the last Vic's beer festy ). Within five mins the Vic's scored the opener right in front of the travelling support - and twenty mins later grabbed a second.

Stockbridge scored right on the stroke of half time - and equalised before most people were out of the bar for the second half.

I was talking to Pez (who comes over to BDTBL a few times each season nowadays) and reckoned Vic's has Stockbridge beated down the flanks - so non-league being what it is, he wandered across to the manager and had a word. Within twenty minutes Vic's had scored two more, both from crosses.

Who says Footy Manager has no relevance to the real game?!

 

[from Sheffield - Doo Dah]

Burnley 0-2 Hull City in 1984

The worst game to endure and the best finish all in one.
I doubt it will ever happen again, seeing United promoted whilst watching two other teams play.

I was there with two friends, many of us on the Burnley kop and a section of Blades in the stand to the left.
I don't believe any other game (eg England) compares to the pain and pleasure of watching your own team, but this was an experience I will never forget.

I wonder how many of us were there that night.

 

[aBladeInTheNorthernSky]

2012/13 season. as you can see, proper back and forth affair. Messi started on the bench but came on with half an hour left and scored twice, including an absolute pearler of a free kick, and missed a sitter which would have given him his hat trick. Tito Vilanova was the barca manager at the time in one of his last games before he stepped down at the end of the season. Obviously it was a treat to see that Barcelona team anyway but Betis gave them a hell of a game.

 

[Paulus]

Difficult question, I really haven't been to that many non-Blades games however:

Villa v Spurs Charity Shield 1981 -
Went along predominantly to watch Ardiles, Villa, Hoddle etc. but came away very impressed with Villa, a proper team. McNaught, Mortimer, Withe and Sid Cowans all played for Villa that day. Cowans ran the midfield, Hoddle hardly had a touch. At the end of that season they were European Champions. Having never been convinced before, this was also the match I finally decided Ray Clemence was a pile of shit and it resulted in me going off on one thereafter every time he was picked for England at Shilton's expense, he wasn't fit to lace Shilton's boots.
Wycombe v Boro 1974 FA Cup 3rd round -
I lived in Wycombe back then and used to watch them regularly. Not a technically great match! but a proper cup tie, the type the media would love to have you believe still happens in the cup these days. 3 Wycombe players worked on the morning of the match! Sounness was a dirty bugger back then. Wycombe lost the replay 1-0 at Ayresome Park to an 88th minute goal. I think one Wycombe player couldn't get the time off work to allow him to play in the replay. Different times.

 

[Paulus]

Gotta love the Wycombe player, still in his kit, having a fag behind Jack Charlton doing his post match interview.

 

[Grappler]

May 7th 1988 - Pigs 1 v 5 Liverpool.

My brother in law (not originally from Sheffield) started going to see the pigs when they were in the top flight, with his young lad. For some reason, his lad couldn't make the game and he asked if I wanted to have his ticket. I wanted to see Liverpool, so I went. John Barnes, Peter Beardsley (2 goals) and Craig Johnston (2 goals) were the scorers.

Grobbelaar in goal, acting daft, swinging on the cross bar (or maybe I imagined this bit), me cheering every Liverpool goal and getting nasty looks from all the pigs sat around me.

October 6th 2001 England vs Greece (Old Trafford), with the clock ticking down and England looking like they wouldn't qualify for the World Cup, up steps David Beckham for a free kick. We were sat behind the goal, the crowd went nuts.

 

[TAMUS]

Pigs v Ian Bower , about 69 , superb result

 

[bypassblade]

Burnley 0-2 Hull City in 1984

The worst game to endure and the best finish all in one.
I doubt it will ever happen again, seeing United promoted whilst watching two other teams play.

I was there with two friends, many of us on the Burnley kop and a section of Blades in the stand to the left.
I don't believe any other game (eg England) compares to the pain and pleasure of watching your own team, but this was an experience I will never forget.

I wonder how many of us were there that night.

My mates went I didn't have the balls and stayed home listening on radio, Hull needed to win 3-0 and were 2 up inside 10 minutes IMS. I then spent the rest of the game pacing round my house or walking round the lump it was terrible, I wish I had gone now.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Czech Republic 2-3 Turkey at Euro 2008. It was the last group match, the Czech Republic went 2-0 up in the second half, Plasil adding to Koller’s first-half effort. That put the Czechs on course to finish 2nd and qualify.

Colin Kazim-Richards had come on after about an hour and had started to offer a bit of an outlet for Turkey. At 75 minutes Arda Turan got a goal back, and while Turkey continued to press it looked unlikely they’d get the equaliser that would have seen a penalty shootout decide who qualified.

It’s at this point that the woes of Petr Cech, a feature of the following season, seemed to begin. I can’t recall him ever making a howler before, but this was an awful one, dropping a cross at the feet of Nihat to score with about 5 minutes left. With a minute left and penalties on the cards, out of nowhere Nihat gets free about 25 yards out and pings an unstoppable effort in off the bar. There was still time for one last bit of madness as the Turkey keeper inexplicably pushed Koller to the floor off the ball to be red carded in injury time, and with all subs used Tuncay had to head in goal.

The maddest 15 minutes I think I’ve seen. I was right behind all three Turkey goals in the Turkish end. Great night.

 

[Silent Blade]

Pigs v Ian Bower , about 69 , superb result

April 1970

 

[JJFearnley]

Czech Republic 2-3 Turkey at Euro 2008. It was the last group match, the Czech Republic went 2-0 up in the second half, Plasil adding to Koller’s first-half effort. That put the Czechs on course to finish 2nd and qualify.

Colin Kazim-Richards had come on after about an hour and had started to offer a bit of an outlet for Turkey. At 75 minutes Arda Turan got a goal back, and while Turkey continued to press it looked unlikely they’d get the equaliser that would have seen a penalty shootout decide who qualified.

It’s at this point that the woes of Petr Cech, a feature of the following season, seemed to begin. I can’t recall him ever making a howler before, but this was an awful one, dropping a cross at the feet of Nihat to score with about 5 minutes left. With a minute left and penalties on the cards, out of nowhere Nihat gets free about 25 yards out and pings an unstoppable effort in off the bar. There was still time for one last bit of madness as the Turkey keeper inexplicably pushed Koller to the floor off the ball to be red carded in injury time, and with all subs used Tuncay had to head in goal.

The maddest 15 minutes I think I’ve seen. I was right behind all three Turkey goals in the Turkish end. Great night.

This is one of my favourite games ever. I loved Nihat and that Turkish team and was desperate for them to win. I've not celebrated any goals in my own front room as much as I did those from Nihat. I still maintain that the winner is the greatest 'finish' I've ever seen from any player. Perfection.

The final few minutes of that game were the craziest I've ever seen and Jon Champion got it spot on just after the red card, "If a spaceship landed in the centre circle, direct from Mars, I wouldn't be surprised."

 

[Jimmy23]

“Collymore closing in”

I don’t need to elaborate further

 

[raul]

"Henderson to deliverrrrrrrrr DAVID GRAY !!! HAS SCORED!!! THE CAPTAIN!! HIBS ARE STANDING ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY....."

21/5/16. #persevered

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Bradford city 3, Grimsby town 4.
About 1997.
Clive Mendonca brilliant and two goals too.

 

[10-0 win]

1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
Aberdeen 2 Real Madrid 1 the scots celebrated wildly and we were all scottish that night, and what a night, I woke up next morning in a freightrainwagon, never could remember how I ended up sleeping in it, as I woke it started moving out of Gothenburg and I just got time to jump off, all scots and all friends nowherer to be seen so I hitched all the way back to Oslo where I lived. Got lucky and got a Lift with a strange man from Austria who was stopped at the customsborder and charged with serious smuggling. Found a truck heading for Oslo and got home around midnight looking like a coalminer. My girlfriend at the time was both angry and happy, didn't have a single drink the next two weeks.

 

[jt64]

Stockport County 3 Manchester City 1, 1997, 3-0 up after half an hour, those were the days

 

[Digs blade]

View attachment 74327

2012/13 season. as you can see, proper back and forth affair. Messi started on the bench but came on with half an hour left and scored twice, including an absolute pearler of a free kick, and missed a sitter which would have given him his hat trick. Tito Vilanova was the barca manager at the time in one of his last games before he stepped down at the end of the season. Obviously it was a treat to see that Barcelona team anyway but Betis gave them a hell of a game.

I also went to this game as was in Barcelona for the weekend.

Couple of observations.

Pre match was completely different from England. No masses of people in pubs drinking although I was frantically trying to find one in true Brit fashion.

The number of fans outside the ground a couple of hours before kick off was astounding. Thousands of people doing nothing but waving flags and blowing horns.

Called at the ground the day before for a look round. Again the number of people milling round the stadium was unreal.

That Barcelona team was a pure joy to watch live. Iniesta on a different planet.

As you rightly pointed out, Messi was only a sub due to an injury and when he came in they were kicking towards the other end to where I was sat so didn’t really get a closeup of him but typical messi bangs a couple of goals in in the 25 mins he was on the pitch.

Although there was 90000 or so in the ground there were times in the match when it was so quiet you could here a pin drop.

The Betis fans were up in the gods and there wasn’t any chanting between opposing fans

Lastly it’s nice to hear that I wasnt the only blade in attendance that night

 

[bornablade]

1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
Aberdeen 2 Real Madrid 1 the scots celebrated wildly and we were all scottish that night, and what a night, I woke up next morning in a freightrainwagon, never could remember how I ended up sleeping in it, as I woke it started moving out of Gothenburg and I just got time to jump off, all scots and all friends nowherer to be seen so I hitched all the way back to Oslo where I lived. Got lucky and got a Lift with a strange man from Austria who was stopped at the customsborder and charged with serious smuggling. Found a truck heading for Oslo and got home around midnight looking like a coalminer. My girlfriend at the time was both angry and happy, didn't have a single drink the next two weeks.

I always felt that Alex Ferguson's achievements at Aberdeen were equal to what he achieved at Man Utd.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Went to a match at Maine Rd when I was a student in Salford.
Man City 10 Huddersfield 1

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Not been to many non SUFC games but the Burnley v Hull one back in the err...a previous decade, sticks out in the memory. We needed Hull not to win for us to go up, and they drew. So that was a cracking night at Turf Moor for me and hundreds of other Blades!

Other than that, I’d probably pick the junior football games in the Sheffield league watching my sons play. Nowt finer than seeing your own kids doing well at footy and feeling proud of them.

They got their footballing skills from their mother obviously!