Forty years ago today

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

1973Blade

1973Blade

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2014
Messages
6,807
Reaction score
16,301
August 29th 1981, our first ever match in the fourth tier. We drew 2-2 at home to Hereford United in front of a crowd of 11,906.
Steve Neville scored the first league goal of the campaign (anywhere) scoring after 30 seconds. I don't remember much else about the game, John Matthews got the second.
A disappointing start to what would become a superb season. We have only played Hereford four times in the league, drawing every game.
It was a sad match for personal reasons. My dad couldn't go, visiting my grandad in hospital. He passed away a few days later. My grandad's first game was our record 11-2 win against Cardiff, his last match was the defeat to Walsall that saw us relegated to the fourth division for the first time. Two matches that must have brought two totally contrasting emotions.
 

Attachments

  • 20210829_184344.jpg
    20210829_184344.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 62
Last edited:

Two-nil up at half-time if I remember correctly and totally p***ed it down in the second half.

It was my first game as a season ticket holder (BL upper) after 5 years in the junior pen on the corner of the Kop.

What a cracking season 81-82 would turn out to be ... "We'll take more care of you Porterfield, Porterfield" as the song went.
 
SUFC Handsworth said:
Two-nil up at half-time if I remember correctly and totally p***ed it down in the second half.

It was my first game as a season ticket holder (BL upper) after 5 years in the junior pen on the corner of the Kop.

What a cracking season 81-82 would turn out to be ... "We'll take more care of you Porterfield, Porterfield" as the song went.
Click to expand...
That season and League One under Wilder were two seasons when we were far superior to anything else in that division.
 
SUFC Handsworth said:
Two-nil up at half-time if I remember correctly and totally p***ed it down in the second half.

It was my first game as a season ticket holder (BL upper) after 5 years in the junior pen on the corner of the Kop.

What a cracking season 81-82 would turn out to be ... "We'll take more care of you Porterfield, Porterfield" as the song went.
Click to expand...
Sadly, the scenes in the carpark after the 5-2 defeat to Norwich showed that in the end we didn't take more care of Porterfield!
 
1973Blade said:
August 29th 1981, our first ever match in the fourth tier. We drew 2-2 at home to Hereford United in front of a crowd of 11,906.
Steve Neville scored the first league goal of the campaign (anywhere) scoring after 30 seconds. I don't remember much else about the game, John Matthews got the second.
A disappointing start to what would become a superb season. We have only played Hereford four times in the league, drawing every game.
It was a sad match for personal reasons. My dad couldn't go, visiting my grandad in hospital. He passed away a few days later. My grandad's first game was our record 11-2 win against Cardiff, his last match was the defeat to Walsall that saw us relegated to the fourth division for the first time. Two matches that must have brought two totally contrasting emotions.
Click to expand...
Ah Fourth Division ,Good Old Days
 
Russ said:
Steve Neville - was a great player for us that season. I vaguely remember the goal was sort of a hooked volley but I might be wrong.

Just found this interesting article about him.

Click to expand...
He started off really well. Remember him scoring at Bradford as well and another away game if my memory serves me but he faded towards Christmas. Porterfield decided we needed better so signed a nippy little winger named Colin Morris…… and the rest as the say is history
 
Russ said:
Steve Neville - was a great player for us that season. I vaguely remember the goal was sort of a hooked volley but I might be wrong.

Just found this interesting article about him.

Click to expand...

Seem to vaguely remember he had one of his best games for us the season before in the Cup replay v Stockport. Did we win 4-3 or 5-4 in extra time?

I could be wrong on this one but didn't Neville get brought on as a sub at Scunthorpe in the Fourth division season, only to get sent off within 5 minutes?
 
We missed the first goal, we were just getting in through the turnstiles.
Our driver had been at a wedding and we were picked up quite late. There were big roadworks on the M18/M1 junction around Thurcroft relating to a bridge, so headed down through Hellaby and Wickersley.
It did turn into a great season after having to endure the the few days when we lost to Hull City and Stockport County.
'Don't worry, Keith Edwards is signing this week' and so it began.
 
SUFC Handsworth said:
Two-nil up at half-time if I remember correctly and totally p***ed it down in the second half.

It was my first game as a season ticket holder (BL upper) after 5 years in the junior pen on the corner of the Kop.

What a cracking season 81-82 would turn out to be ... "We'll take more care of you Porterfield, Porterfield" as the song went.
Click to expand...
Similar..... I was a Kiddies Korner ( not the best name on reflection) regular late 70's though I'd normally scale the fence and go and stand next to the tunnel on John Street so I could talk to the players. Saved me 20p doing it that way :D
 

1973Blade said:
August 29th 1981, our first ever match in the fourth tier. We drew 2-2 at home to Hereford United in front of a crowd of 11,906.
Steve Neville scored the first league goal of the campaign (anywhere) scoring after 30 seconds. I don't remember much else about the game, John Matthews got the second.
A disappointing start to what would become a superb season. We have only played Hereford four times in the league, drawing every game.
It was a sad match for personal reasons. My dad couldn't go, visiting my grandad in hospital. He passed away a few days later. My grandad's first game was our record 11-2 win against Cardiff, his last match was the defeat to Walsall that saw us relegated to the fourth division for the first time. Two matches that must have brought two totally contrasting emotions.
Click to expand...
Remember it like yesterday, first time I ball boyed at The Lane , running out in front of the players , incredible day something I’ll never forget ⚔️
 
1973Blade said:
August 29th 1981, our first ever match in the fourth tier. We drew 2-2 at home to Hereford United in front of a crowd of 11,906.
Steve Neville scored the first league goal of the campaign (anywhere) scoring after 30 seconds. I don't remember much else about the game, John Matthews got the second.
A disappointing start to what would become a superb season. We have only played Hereford four times in the league, drawing every game.
It was a sad match for personal reasons. My dad couldn't go, visiting my grandad in hospital. He passed away a few days later. My grandad's first game was our record 11-2 win against Cardiff, his last match was the defeat to Walsall that saw us relegated to the fourth division for the first time. Two matches that must have brought two totally contrasting emotions.
Click to expand...
If I hadn’t had been on the old Kop the attendance would have been 11,905 !

UTB.
 
We won 2 out of the first 5, losing back to back games against Hull and Stockport. I remember getting back home from the Stockport game thinking the slump would never end.
I think we signed Edwards after that 5th game??
We then went on to win 9 and draw 1 in the next 10 league games.......what a season.
It was similar to the first Wilder season (and the first 3/4 of the first Wilson season), I didn't feel like we weren't going to win.
It was my first season for going to away games, loved going to Crewe, Hartlepool, Halifax etc (was it about £2 on the rail 'special'?)
 
Paisley Blade said:
Similar..... I was a Kiddies Korner ( not the best name on reflection) regular late 70's though I'd normally scale the fence and go and stand next to the tunnel on John Street so I could talk to the players. Saved me 20p doing it that way :D
Click to expand...
Did you wait outside for someone to bring you for nowt , at the turnstile ?
 
John Matthews our 100,000 pound signing from Arsenal, had a good shot on him pity he didn’t take “ that peno “
Was at that game as well ,
overnight trip on the ferry
 
Down the Channels said:
We won 2 out of the first 5, losing back to back games against Hull and Stockport. I remember getting back home from the Stockport game thinking the slump would never end.
I think we signed Edwards after that 5th game??
We then went on to win 9 and draw 1 in the next 10 league games.......what a season.
It was similar to the first Wilder season (and the first 3/4 of the first Wilson season), I didn't feel like we weren't going to win.
It was my first season for going to away games, loved going to Crewe, Hartlepool, Halifax etc (was it about £2 on the rail 'special'?)
Click to expand...
Gives us hope for this season!
 
dublin 10 blade said:
John Matthews our 100,000 pound signing from Arsenal, had a good shot on him pity he didn’t take “ that peno “
Was at that game as well ,
overnight trip on the ferry
Click to expand...
yes he went 'missing'that afternoon about 4.45 and that was a sliding doors sort of moment if he hadnt and put that penalty away who knows the direction the club would have gone in
 
Down the Channels said:
We won 2 out of the first 5, losing back to back games against Hull and Stockport. I remember getting back home from the Stockport game thinking the slump would never end.
I think we signed Edwards after that 5th game??
We then went on to win 9 and draw 1 in the next 10 league games.......what a season.
It was similar to the first Wilder season (and the first 3/4 of the first Wilson season), I didn't feel like we weren't going to win.
It was my first season for going to away games, loved going to Crewe, Hartlepool, Halifax etc (was it about £2 on the rail 'special'?)
Click to expand...

I remember it was £7 to Torquay and Bournemouth.
 

1973Blade said:
August 29th 1981, our first ever match in the fourth tier. We drew 2-2 at home to Hereford United in front of a crowd of 11,906.
Steve Neville scored the first league goal of the campaign (anywhere) scoring after 30 seconds. I don't remember much else about the game, John Matthews got the second.
A disappointing start to what would become a superb season. We have only played Hereford four times in the league, drawing every game.
It was a sad match for personal reasons. My dad couldn't go, visiting my grandad in hospital. He passed away a few days later. My grandad's first game was our record 11-2 win against Cardiff, his last match was the defeat to Walsall that saw us relegated to the fourth division for the first time. Two matches that must have brought two totally contrasting emotions.
Click to expand...

If I remember rightly, the second goal came just a few minutes after the first. As you say, it was Matthews who scored it. I remember it as a pretty good shot from the edge of the area, but it was at the Bramall Lane end and I was standing on the kop, so difficult to be sure of distances.

At that point we were all over them and we looked like we could go on to score 5 or 6. However, as seemed to happen only too frequently in those days, we went off the boil and allowed them back into it. There was even a danger that Hereford could have won.

By the end of the game I felt utterly depressed. Hereford were not a good side and I felt they would probably have a season of struggle and yet we could not beat them at home after being 2-0 up in about 5 minutes! None of our old frailties had disappeared and at that stage the outlook seemed pretty bleak. Things seemed even worse a few weeks later after consecutive defeats against Hull and Stockport. We had 7 points from 5 games and were struggling to score goals.

Our next match was a far from convincing 1-0 win against Scunthorpe. Little did we know that was the start of a 4 month unbeaten league run.

Just shows how quickly things can change, although the signing of Keith Edwards did make an almost immediate impact. Him and Hatton complemented each other perfectly and the addition of Morris in February seemed like the final piece in the jigsaw in terms of our attacking threat. I wish we had someone who could cross like him in the present squad!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom