happyhippy
Well-Known Member
For me the Division Four season has a ring to it. I was at school in Sydenham at the time, and used to get kids doing the finger pointing because I supported a Fourth Division side. It kinda grates when the one Orient fan in the whole of South London is giving you grief, as they were two divisions above at the time.
Thing was though, I was only 7 when the season started, ands we breezed it (apart from one little stutter), and I was there against Northampton when we got seven, beat Peterborough 4-0 when their manager had been saying how "they'd thrash us", at all six defeats that year (including Cup matches), and of course the majestic match at Darlington.
It was only Division Four, but it was OUR Division Four, and the only meaningful bit of silverware I've ever seen as a Blade.
The first three Bassett years were special too. Bouncing back after relegation to Division Three was great, but the following promotion to Division One after such a long time, and after having plumbed the depths was miraculous.
In a way, I wish some of the younger people who are on the Kop now had had to watch matches like Hereford away when we salvaged a draw in the Fourth with a (Kenworthy or Edwards?) penalty, the crushing defeat away to Altrincham in the FA Cup, yet holding the mighty Arsenal to a draw in the League Cup at the Lane.
The 'Triple Assault' season would be right up there were it not for so many personal reasons. It started with a defeat to Coventry away, when we had a good goal denied, and they had a penalty warded which never was (or the other way round?), and then one of the worst nights of my life.
Following on from that, bearing I used to be able to travel more then, the following happened .....
Celtic ...... lost a League Cup Final by missing a last minute penalty to the Hun ...... went out of the Scottish Cup to another awful defeat to Caley, athough at least it wasn't a semi-final or Final ...... lost the League by one goal after conceding in injury time away to Hibs ...... and lost the UEFA Cup Final to Porto in extra time after being down to ten men for most of the match, and Moravcik missing a sitter* ......
United ...... lost a League Cup semi-final v Liverpool we should have won (remember what happened just before Owen scored?), lost an FA Cup semi-final we could have won (Seaman's wonder save from Pesky?), and lost a Play-off Final where we just didn't turn up against the perennial losers.
My marriage ended on the first day of that season, and the near misses which followed just summed it up. I missed the first home match that year (Tuesday v Portsmouth) as I was trying to kill people, but I can remember being sat with sufclucy the following match when losing 1-0 to Walsall on the Kop and tears being in my eyes, and her saying
"Don't worry Dad, we're bound to score against these!"
Probably the only time I smiled through that season, and that day I also won the framed shirt on the half-time draw which is in my frontroom. She was right too. We drew 1-1.
There were happy days at Leicester though, but Division Four for me.
Thank you for listening
* Moravcik or Larsson ..... I watched it very hungover the day after being astonishingly drunk at a Whitesnake gig ...... I even taped it to compound the misery ......
Thing was though, I was only 7 when the season started, ands we breezed it (apart from one little stutter), and I was there against Northampton when we got seven, beat Peterborough 4-0 when their manager had been saying how "they'd thrash us", at all six defeats that year (including Cup matches), and of course the majestic match at Darlington.
It was only Division Four, but it was OUR Division Four, and the only meaningful bit of silverware I've ever seen as a Blade.
The first three Bassett years were special too. Bouncing back after relegation to Division Three was great, but the following promotion to Division One after such a long time, and after having plumbed the depths was miraculous.
In a way, I wish some of the younger people who are on the Kop now had had to watch matches like Hereford away when we salvaged a draw in the Fourth with a (Kenworthy or Edwards?) penalty, the crushing defeat away to Altrincham in the FA Cup, yet holding the mighty Arsenal to a draw in the League Cup at the Lane.
The 'Triple Assault' season would be right up there were it not for so many personal reasons. It started with a defeat to Coventry away, when we had a good goal denied, and they had a penalty warded which never was (or the other way round?), and then one of the worst nights of my life.
Following on from that, bearing I used to be able to travel more then, the following happened .....
Celtic ...... lost a League Cup Final by missing a last minute penalty to the Hun ...... went out of the Scottish Cup to another awful defeat to Caley, athough at least it wasn't a semi-final or Final ...... lost the League by one goal after conceding in injury time away to Hibs ...... and lost the UEFA Cup Final to Porto in extra time after being down to ten men for most of the match, and Moravcik missing a sitter* ......
United ...... lost a League Cup semi-final v Liverpool we should have won (remember what happened just before Owen scored?), lost an FA Cup semi-final we could have won (Seaman's wonder save from Pesky?), and lost a Play-off Final where we just didn't turn up against the perennial losers.
My marriage ended on the first day of that season, and the near misses which followed just summed it up. I missed the first home match that year (Tuesday v Portsmouth) as I was trying to kill people, but I can remember being sat with sufclucy the following match when losing 1-0 to Walsall on the Kop and tears being in my eyes, and her saying
"Don't worry Dad, we're bound to score against these!"
Probably the only time I smiled through that season, and that day I also won the framed shirt on the half-time draw which is in my frontroom. She was right too. We drew 1-1.
There were happy days at Leicester though, but Division Four for me.
Thank you for listening
* Moravcik or Larsson ..... I watched it very hungover the day after being astonishingly drunk at a Whitesnake gig ...... I even taped it to compound the misery ......
