collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Topics

Gordon Cowans by ChicagoLion
[Today at 12:32:43 PM]


All aboard the shuttle bus. by dave.woodhall
[Today at 12:23:44 PM]


Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by ChicagoLion
[Today at 12:19:45 PM]


Champions League Contention by AV82EC
[Today at 12:09:23 PM]


Other Games - 2023/24 by pablo_picasso
[Today at 12:05:29 PM]


Villa Park Redevelopment by Clampy
[Today at 11:52:46 AM]


FFP by thick_mike
[Today at 10:19:47 AM]


Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers Pre Match by Ian.
[Today at 10:01:07 AM]

Recent Posts

Re: Gordon Cowans by ChicagoLion
[Today at 12:32:43 PM]


Re: All aboard the shuttle bus. by dave.woodhall
[Today at 12:23:44 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 12:19:57 PM]


Re: Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by ChicagoLion
[Today at 12:19:45 PM]


Re: Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by Skerra
[Today at 12:18:27 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by john2710
[Today at 12:11:45 PM]


Re: Champions League Contention by AV82EC
[Today at 12:09:23 PM]


Re: Champions League Contention by ez
[Today at 12:07:46 PM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere  (Read 5862 times)

Online Exeter 77

  • Member
  • Posts: 7596
  • Location: Back outside the realms of possibility
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2019, 05:46:11 PM »
I was living in Crewe at the time and got to the station just in time to see the last train which would get me to New Street in time for kick off pulling out. A quick sprint back home found Mark, my landlady's boyfriend, just coming out of the front door. As a (then) long-suffering Man City fan he understood what a chance to get to Wembley meant. He pushed me into his Renault 5 and did a passable impression of Ayrton Senna down the M6 to Stafford station where the train was just pulling in and I just about made it into a carriage. I haven't see Mark in several years but I'm forever grateful.

This was followed by the game itself and all the associated drama. I'm still convinced that Dalian Atkinson thought we needed another goal which is why he didn't celebrate his goal and collected the ball from the net while the celebratory carnage was happening on the Holte in front of him.

If my trip to the game was eventful the one back was awkward as the train back to Crewe was full of disappointed Tranmere fans going back to Merseyside.

Offline Legion

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 58253
  • Age: 53
  • Location: With my son
  • Oh, it must be! And it is! Villa in the lead!
    • Personal Education Services
  • GM : 05.04.2019
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2019, 05:53:16 PM »
25 years? Surely it was only yesterday?

Offline Marlon From Bearwood

  • Member
  • Posts: 2617
  • Location: Knowle, not Bearwood.
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2019, 06:03:36 PM »
Dalian definitely thought we still needed another goal, hence his lack of celebrations. I remember it being mentioned after, possibly by Big Ron.

Offline Villan For Life

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13564
  • Location: Exiled on Main Street
  • GM : 07.08.2024
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2019, 06:14:44 PM »
I’d forgotten just what a run up Deano took for his penalty. Almost right arm over the wicket in its length!

Offline West Derby Villan

  • Member
  • Posts: 13600
  • Location: Turn left junction 21A
  • GM : 09.05.2022
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2019, 06:58:30 PM »
Watching that has set my heart racing and goosebumps. What a sensational match and yes the Holte was bouncing, probably the last great "standing" matches at VP. Great memories thanks Eamonn

Offline Pat McMahon

  • Member
  • Posts: 6756
  • Location: Shanghai - Blarney Stone for Villa games
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #20 on: February 27, 2019, 07:36:06 PM »
I was living in Paris and played football that Sunday afternoon. At least it distracted me.

I called a mate at home from a payphone outside St Lazare station and he told me it was going to extra time. I called him again when i got home a short while later and it was during the penalties. He was talking me through them and I nearly had a heart attack when Richardson missed and told him to call me back when it was over.

I spent a few minutes pacing around the room, desperately seeking my lucky spot before he called me back. Very matter of fact told me to relax, we had won and we were going to Wembley. He did a lot of work for the Schools FA at the time so was 90% certain he could get us tickets. He did.

For the away game I was working in Lyon so  called my mom to find the score from my hotel. I almost cried with disappointment - I had never seen the Villa in a final at Wembley, and had only seen us in the 1981 Charity Shield. Better than nothing but not the real thing. My boss had a go at me for making an international call from a hotel room. I told him it was an emergency - which it was! Always thought it was strange that he never pursued  this- how would i know there was an emergency until I called?

Online CT

  • Member
  • Posts: 7436
  • Location: Cheltenhamshire lalala
    • http://astonvilla.blogfootball.com/CT
  • GM : 11.02.2024
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2019, 07:59:23 PM »
25 years, holy shit.

Preston Park, laughing as they went a goal up. Still smug when they went two up - we'll come back, easily. Not laughing at all at 3-0 and thinking we've blown it. Dalian gets his goal at the death and we've got a chance.

I could write a book on the home leg. It is still my favourite ever game at Villa Park.

Happy times.

Offline dave shelley

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 15458
  • Age: 75
  • Location: between a rock and a hard place
  • GM : 01.02.2025
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #22 on: February 27, 2019, 08:27:39 PM »
We had her our old cat back then and she always seemed to find her way to sit on my lap when I least wanted it.  That day, she decided to take up her position.  I'm a very nervous watcher of the Villa on the television and the joy and despair in equal measures during that match was unreal.  We were out as far as I was concerned when we went into that last five minutes of normal time and when Dalian Atkinson got that final equaliser  I swear the poor old cat hit the ceiling!   It must have been such a shock to her that she never came near me in that chair for a very long time. 

I've looked at those penalty highlights many, many times and I can't make up my mind whether or not Liam O'Brien was grinning as he went up to take the penalty that would have put them through.  If he was, he soon had the smile wiped off his face.

Online Chico Hamilton III

  • Member
  • Posts: 19170
  • Location: South London
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #23 on: February 28, 2019, 11:01:56 AM »
Went to the away leg with Alex Alex Cropley from here. We managed to get tickets from Paul McGrath, who left them at the ticket office at Prenton Park. We ended up sitting with the players’ wives/ fancy pieces. A shambles of an evening.

We were on the Holte  for the second leg and then on the pitch at the final whistle. Fantastic. Incredible atmosphere

Liam O’Brian hitting the bar for Tranmere nearly caused me to black out.
 

Online Chico Hamilton III

  • Member
  • Posts: 19170
  • Location: South London
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #24 on: February 28, 2019, 11:24:11 AM »
for me it was firstly the interminable trip on the minibus up from Euston with the London Lions. When we eventually reached Prenton Park we were greeted by lots of lovable scamps who welcomed us the traditional way by throwing stones and questioning some of our parentage. The game itself was awful - the away terrace was little more than a muddy bank in places and the fog was pretty bad i seem to recall. You couldn't see a lot but we did glimpse Yorke's lifeline towards the end.

The "consolation" was by Dalian, not Dwight.

Was this the first year of two-legged semi finals?

Pretty sure they've always been 2 legged semis .

The finals used to be 2 legged as well.

Online AV82EC

  • Member
  • Posts: 10238
  • Location: Macclesfield
  • GM : 22.02.2024
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #25 on: February 28, 2019, 11:34:43 AM »
My initial feeling on entering the ground was one of trepidation and you could feel it around the stadium (amazingly it wasn’t a full house).

My powers of recall are similarly fading but I seem to mind it was the biggest attendance in England up to that point in the season?

As background , a lot of other stadiums were going through building works to make them all seater so stands were closed at Highbury, Anfield, OT etc reducing capacity.

We’d just finished the WL so that was open as well as the still standing Holte.

I think you may be right on the Best attendance at that point as you rightly say there was building and reduced capacities going on all over the show. I think we got just over 40k for this game but the capacity at the time was 45-46k that season. I recall quite a lot of people at the time saying they wouldn’t go as we’d blown it and others electing to watch on TV.

Offline Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 25316
  • Location: Couché dans le caniveau en regardant les étoiles.
  • GM : 06.07.2024
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #26 on: February 28, 2019, 11:44:20 AM »
We were in the chip shop when our goal went in at Tranmere. There was a mix of disappointment that we'd missed a goal and absurd belief that we could actually do them at Villa Park as we went back home in the car.
At home we bagged some front row seats upstairs in the Trinity if I remember - we were Holtenders at the time - and I just remember hitting my knees so many times as we jumped up to celebrate. At one point my glasses landed about four rows behind.
It was my favourite game - I've just tried to watch the penalties but I've had to stop, my fucking heart is banging too much. I'll try later.
What a team. What an atmosphere.

Online AV82EC

  • Member
  • Posts: 10238
  • Location: Macclesfield
  • GM : 22.02.2024
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #27 on: February 28, 2019, 12:03:34 PM »
We were in the chip shop when our goal went in at Tranmere. There was a mix of disappointment that we'd missed a goal and absurd belief that we could actually do them at Villa Park as we went back home in the car.
At home we bagged some front row seats upstairs in the Trinity if I remember - we were Holtenders at the time - and I just remember hitting my knees so many times as we jumped up to celebrate. At one point my glasses landed about four rows behind.
It was my favourite game - I've just tried to watch the penalties but I've had to stop, my fucking heart is banging too much. I'll try later.
What a team. What an atmosphere.

The bit in between full time and extra time with the whole ground singing Big Fat Ron’s Claret and Blue Army was......words can’t describe, up there in my top Villa supporting moments.

Offline Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 25316
  • Location: Couché dans le caniveau en regardant les étoiles.
  • GM : 06.07.2024
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #28 on: February 28, 2019, 01:02:55 PM »
We were in the chip shop when our goal went in at Tranmere. There was a mix of disappointment that we'd missed a goal and absurd belief that we could actually do them at Villa Park as we went back home in the car.
At home we bagged some front row seats upstairs in the Trinity if I remember - we were Holtenders at the time - and I just remember hitting my knees so many times as we jumped up to celebrate. At one point my glasses landed about four rows behind.
It was my favourite game - I've just tried to watch the penalties but I've had to stop, my fucking heart is banging too much. I'll try later.
What a team. What an atmosphere.

The bit in between full time and extra time with the whole ground singing Big Fat Ron’s Claret and Blue Army was......words can’t describe, up there in my top Villa supporting moments.


Too true. Wonderful stuff and what football dreams are made of.

Offline Richie

  • Member
  • Posts: 422
Re: 25 Year Throwback - The Taking of Tranmere
« Reply #29 on: February 28, 2019, 01:59:22 PM »
An absolute rollercoaster of a match, the likes of which I've never seen since. I vividly remember walking back to the car up at their place after the first leg, obviously looking well pissed off and being greeted by a Tranmere fan telling me "looks like we're off to Wembley then". Wish I'd of bumped into him after the second leg.

I can honestly say I've never been more desperate for a Villa goal than I was for that 3rd goal in the last couple of minutes. When Dalian headed it in, I couldn't even celebrate it. I was physically and mentally gone.

The atmosphere that day was off the scale.   

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal