Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: ZhongYi on May 25, 2018, 10:08:04 AM
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did a search before this to check but hey what are you best memories / recollections or anecdotes from standing in the Holte End?
I went to a game after work in 1988 against Ipswich and had a bag with my work boots and tools in it then after a knees up / disco / mental rendtion some guy said to me "what the fuck you got in that bag mate?"
another one was a game in about 1988 when a large % of the Holte just hummed Villa, Villa, Villa, Villa for about 75 of the 90. Very unique.
took a gf in to the Holte during summer time in 1992 we was allowed in by workers only just went up to top left she was looking down and overawed.
makes you proud to support ASTON VILLA
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The left/right side.....shit, Tarzan, Trumpet man, AV floodlights pylons on the terrace.
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Celtic Rangers. u missed that
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I twisted my ankle celebrating us beating Tranmere in the semi final on the right side of the Holte End in pain and having to hobble home I didn't care I was just happy and countless other memories I could write a book about all my times standing in the Holte End happy beautiful days and nights and some not so good.
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Standing on a milk crate as a kid and a phase sometimes in the late 80's where all kinds of inflatable objects were bounced around. Felt a bit old when I not only had to explain to my young nephew what a milk crate was, but also what a milkman was!!
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Tiswas Swap Shop
Knees Up Mother Brown
Goal celebrations when you ended up 20 feet away from your mates hugging a random stranger.
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Let’s all have a disco.
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Claret and blue balloons in the 70s.
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The 1971 League Cup semi-final second leg win over Man. Utd.
The 1960? FACup sixth round win over Preston 2-0 in a crowd of 69,000 plus.
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Denis Mortimer breaking free from the half-way line against Liverpool and the Holte sucking the ball into the net
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When we played Wimbledon and beat them 7-1 was a mad atmosphere in the snow and always sticks out for some reason
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When we played Wimbledon and beat them 7-1 was a mad atmosphere in the snow and always sticks out for some reason
I was there but I don't remember any snow that day? Check the highlights on YouTube. ..
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When we played Wimbledon and beat them 7-1 was a mad atmosphere in the snow and always sticks out for some reason
I was there but I don't remember any snow that day? Check the highlights on YouTube. ..
Must have got it mixed up with another game was definitely a good atmosphere though.
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Kent Nielsen's goal against Inter. My mate disappeared about 10 yards away. It was half time before we could speak to eachother.
Tranmere penalties a different mate went as white as Casper the Ghost and couldn't watch the last 3 or 4 kicks. Just stood there with his back to the pitch.
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When we played Wimbledon and beat them 7-1 was a mad atmosphere in the snow and always sticks out for some reason
I was there but I don't remember any snow that day? Check the highlights on YouTube. ..
Must have got it mixed up with another game was definitely a good atmosphere though.
The 7-1 was a half empty seated Holte.
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Sunderland in 1974/75, absolutely jam packed and great atmosphere
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Not a match day experience but there was a time when you could just walk around the inside of Villa Park on none match days as it was left open to all .
Standing on a completely empty Holte End used to give me proper goose bumps, it was magical even when empty.
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Freezing cold in a tiny crowd just before Christmas against Forest in the ZDS Cup. No villa players wanted to form the wall to defend a Stuart Pearce free kick on the edge of the box. Coldest I’ve ever been at a match.
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When we played Wimbledon and beat them 7-1 was a mad atmosphere in the snow and always sticks out for some reason
I was there but I don't remember any snow that day? Check the highlights on YouTube. ..
Must have got it mixed up with another game was definitely a good atmosphere though.
The 7-1 was a half empty seated Holte.
Rain. Wimbmedon. Forget it? Went at very short notice and loved it. Their 100 fans did a Conga.
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If my memory is right it snowed when we beat Wimbledon towards the end of 92/93. It was the game where ST Holders could bring a friend for a quid and became my first match on the Holte End.
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Bird's Eye/Eskimo?
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Kent Nielsen's goal against Inter. My mate disappeared about 10 yards away. It was half time before we could speak to eachother.
Tranmere penalties a different mate went as white as Casper the Ghost and couldn't watch the last 3 or 4 kicks. Just stood there with his back to the pitch.
I have never ended up so far from where I started on The Holte than the celebrations after Kent Nielson's goal against Inter. It took a good few minutes until the half a dozen or so of us who all stood together were reunited next to each other. The atmospheres at the Barcelona and Juventus games were electric and so too was the atmosphere later that year/ the following season when we beat Small Heath in the game that became known as 'the battle of Brum'.
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When we played Wimbledon and beat them 7-1 was a mad atmosphere in the snow and always sticks out for some reason
I was there but I don't remember any snow that day? Check the highlights on YouTube. ..
Must have got it mixed up with another game was definitely a good atmosphere though.
The 7-1 was a half empty seated Holte.
Rain. Wimbmedon. Forget it? Went at very short notice and loved it. Their 100 fans did a Conga.
I took my cousin to that one. He'd only ever been to one game before: Blues 7-1 Blackpool, which I think was a few weeks before.
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Freezing cold in a tiny crowd just before Christmas against Forest in the ZDS Cup. No villa players wanted to form the wall to defend a Stuart Pearce free kick on the edge of the box. Coldest I’ve ever been at a match.
We played Forest twice at Villa Park in the Simod/Zenith/whatever cup it was called that particular year. Once was a couple of days before Christmas in 1989 on a Friday night and I think we won 2-1 in the middle of that great run we had from September to March. I was on The Holte as usual and it would have been cold but I don't remember it being really really cold. We then played them in the same poxy competition under BFR. One of our 'gang' (I think it was Nodge) had complimentary tickets for The Trinity and it was the coldest I have ever been at Villa Park.
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Freezing cold in a tiny crowd just before Christmas against Forest in the ZDS Cup. No villa players wanted to form the wall to defend a Stuart Pearce free kick on the edge of the box. Coldest I’ve ever been at a match.
Attendance of about 7000 if I remember right.
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The 'Full Members'/'Simod'/'ZDS' cup started in 1985. The first game I can recall us playing in the competition was when we got stuffed 0-5 at Villa Park by Bradford and Ormondroyd caused us loads of problems in SGT's first season in 1987. I can't recall any ties we played in the competition before that. It did give me one of my favourite Villa memories when we beat Small Heath 6-0 on my eighteenth birthday.
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The previous season we beat Derby at home 4-1 and then lost 1-0 at Ipswich.
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I remember playing Leeds, first time in Witton Lane, can't remember anything though.
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I remember playing Leeds, first time in Witton Lane, can't remember anything though.
That was the Northern area semi, we won 2-0 at home. In the area final we lost both legs 2-1 against Boro.
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Can remember Huddersfield stood at the back of the Holte as a 16 year old holding the roof, stood on the standing barriers. Alan McInally was sat on his ass 3 yards out trying to put the ball in the net. He failed but we sold him for a million anyway.😂
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I had a nagging feeling we played Derby at some point but had no recollection of the score or even if I was right about us playing them. I have no recollection of the Leeds game. I remember the second leg of the Boro game as it was on SKY about a year or so before we actually got SKY at my parents house. My next door neighbour got his mate who had SKY to tape it whilst watching it, then bring it over for him to watch and then dropped it round to me afterwards. It was into the early hours before I got to watch it 'as live'. In hindsight I don't know why my next door neighbour and I didn't just watch it together once he had the tape!
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We played Derby twice in it. Lost 2-1 away in 1988.
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We played Derby twice in it. Lost 2-1 away in 1988.
When was the other time? Were we home or away and what what was the score? Because I think the one you have already mentioned above was the one I vaguely remembered even though I'm as sure as I can be that I wasn't there.
Thinking about it I am pretty sure the first time I ever went to the Baseball Ground was the Tony Daley 'whistle from the crowd' game around 1986 and I didn't go there again until Tony Cascarino's debut in 1990.
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The 4-1 home win I mentioned a few posts ago :P
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The 4-1 home win I mentioned a few posts ago :P
Aah, November 1986. We played them three times in a month. We drew 1-1 at the Baseball with that controversial Daley goal and then beat them 2-1 in the replay with goals from Thompson and Birch. Then beat them 4-1 in the full members cup. But I couldn't find the goalscorers for that one.
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Freezing cold in a tiny crowd just before Christmas against Forest in the ZDS Cup. No villa players wanted to form the wall to defend a Stuart Pearce free kick on the edge of the box. Coldest I’ve ever been at a match.
Can't remember it being cold, but I was very, very drunk. I sang ' Gagey is back' from the top of the Holte and he waved at me. From what I remember it was a very good game....
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Sunderland in 1974/75, absolutely jam packed and great atmosphere
I've said on here before now, this was one of the most amazing days ever at VP. I was amongst the first 100 or so inside the ground (I knew it would be a sell out, so I was queuing up outside the old Trinity Road Enclosure before 1.00pm). I used to sit about 12 rows from the front just to the Holte End half of the half way line.
The memories of looking at a rammed Holte End and then looking at the old clock on the Witton Lane Stand saying barely 2.00pm and thinking "WOW" are ones that I've never forgotten and hopefully never will. Words can't explain how it looked.
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Didn't we play at home to Arsenal in their first game after Tony Adams was sent down? "Wheres your donkey gone, wheres your donkey gone" ringing out from the Holte.
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Yes. Remember that.
Also "Are you watching in the nick"
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The sheer joy and relief after beating Tranmere in the semi final was unforgettable, especially when Richardson ( I think..or was it Ugo or both ?? ) smashed a penalty over or against the bar....i'm not known for my memory.
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Freezing cold in a tiny crowd just before Christmas against Forest in the ZDS Cup. No villa players wanted to form the wall to defend a Stuart Pearce free kick on the edge of the box. Coldest I’ve ever been at a match.
Can't remember it being cold, but I was very, very drunk. I sang ' Gagey is back' from the top of the Holte and he waved at me. From what I remember it was a very good game....
I was terrifically pissed too (drinking in the pub from lunchtime on the last day at work before Christmas). A Forest supporting mate I was at uni with a few years earlier came down on spec and found me on the Holte...that’s how empty it was.
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The sheer joy and relief after beating Tranmere in the semi final was unforgettable, especially when Richardson ( I think..or was it Ugo or both ?? ) smashed a penalty over or against the bar....i'm not known for my memory.
Ugo hit the bar, Richardson, as was his wont in shootouts, hammered his over the bar.
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The game against Liverpool in the cup, Holte was rocking and felt like the good times were back.
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The sheer joy and relief after beating Tranmere in the semi final was unforgettable, especially when Richardson ( I think..or was it Ugo or both ?? ) smashed a penalty over or against the bar....i'm not known for my memory.
Ugo hit the bar, Richardson, as was his wont in shootouts, hammered his over the bar.
Not a good memory and nothing to do with the Holte, but would I be right in saying both Richardson and Teale missed penalties in front of our away end at Selhurst Park in a midweek FA Cup game? I think Vinnie Jones conveted the winning penalty for them. I had some malicious thoughts whilst walking past his heavily sponsored BMW in the car park after the game but didn't act on them.
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I wouldn't like to choose between Inter Milan October 90 or the Arsenal & Man United games at Christmas the previous year
When I was younger in the early 80s, I had to sit with Dad, (he never took me in the Holte) but we did sit in the Trinity Road enclosure & it used to get a bit lively there
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Sunderland in 1974/75, absolutely jam packed and great atmosphere
I've said on here before now, this was one of the most amazing days ever at VP. I was amongst the first 100 or so inside the ground (I knew it would be a sell out, so I was queuing up outside the old Trinity Road Enclosure before 1.00pm). I used to sit about 12 rows from the front just to the Holte End half of the half way line.
The memories of looking at a rammed Holte End and then looking at the old clock on the Witton Lane Stand saying barely 2.00pm and thinking "WOW" are ones that I've never forgotten and hopefully never will. Words can't explain how it looked.
I can tell you a story that is the polar opposite of your story. I had a 'year off' from the Holte in the mid eighties and sat next to my mate and his dad in the Trinity. We were there for the Southampton game (attendance 8,456). I couldn't believe how empty the Holte was in the hour leading up tothe game and was waiting for it to fill up. It didn't and it was quite eerie and surreal.
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For me the best atmosphere ever was the 4th Round FA Cup tie against West Spam. At the time it was not only Brian Little who walked on water but everything connected to the Villa. It was just before the QPR semi first leg and the place was buzzing. The Holte that afternoon was amazing.
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My old man taking nine year old me down the Villa for the first time as my birthday present on 19 March 1955.
I'd been down to Villa Park on my own on non match days and used to stare in wonder at the outside of the ground and wishing I was big enough to go to a match.
Going through the turnstiles and seeing inside the Holte End for the first time I was filled with awe, I imagine it was the same feeling that westerners had when they first set eyes on the pyramids.
The noise, the size of the crowd was an assault on my senses I just couldn't take it all in.
And to top it all off we were playing the Baggies who we proceeded to thrash 3-0. :D
I have lots of other memories of the Holte good and bad but that first time will never be beaten.
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The thing is for people of my generation is the fact that there wasn't the saturation coverage that there is today, progress and all that. You would have to wait a fortnight between matches to go down the Villa if you couldn't afford to travel away which; as a young kid we couldn't.
Not living in Brum for over thirty years; when I do get home and get to go to a match, I still get that same excitement that I did as that seven/eight/nine-year-old little boy. Before all my relatives passed away and my son and family moved to Shropshire, if I was at home on holiday; I would always try and make a point of going to Villa Park to take in the atmosphere and be transported back across all those years.
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I think we lost 0-3 to Liverpool on my first time on The Holte in the early eighties. I had been to three games before that. At home to Manure (0-3) and Spurs (1-0 Dennis Mortimer) in 1979 when I was in the Trinity and away to Small Heath in the title winning season.
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Well for me the best was the 5-1 vs Liverpool. At lot of Scousers bailed at half time that night.
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Well for me the best was the 5-1 vs Liverpool. At lot of Scousers bailed at half time that night.
If you are going to use the words 'Scousers' and 'bailed' in the same sentence then you really need to clarify in what context. ;)
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The thing is for people of my generation is the fact that there wasn't the saturation coverage that there is today, progress and all that. You would have to wait a fortnight between matches to go down the Villa if you couldn't afford to travel away which; as a young kid we couldn't.
It was always exciting when you got to the ground and saw the TV cameras were there.
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The thing is for people of my generation is the fact that there wasn't the saturation coverage that there is today, progress and all that. You would have to wait a fortnight between matches to go down the Villa if you couldn't afford to travel away which; as a young kid we couldn't.
It was always exciting when you got to the ground and saw the TV cameras were there.
Absolutely. One of the great long lost football chants is "Can you hear us on the box".
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Well for me the best was the 5-1 vs Liverpool. At lot of Scousers bailed at half time that night.
If you are going to use the words 'Scousers' and 'bailed' in the same sentence then you really need to clarify in what context. ;)
Ok....they legged it
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One of my fondest memories on the Holte was during the second division campaign 87/88, playing Hull at home and we ripped them a new one - was it 5-0? I can remember feeling that we really were on our way back that day. It also reminds me of the song ‘Heaven is a place on earth’ too for some reason!
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One of my fondest memories on the Holte was during the second division campaign 87/88, playing Hull at home and we ripped them a new one - was it 5-0? I can remember feeling that we really were on our way back that day. It also reminds me of the song ‘Heaven is a place on earth’ too for some reason!
87/88 was when I had just left school and my first season going to away games regularly. I was in Australia on a trip with my family over Christmas and New Year. The last game I went to before I left was the away win at Bradford (which I think sent us top for the first time). My first game game back was the away trip to Leeds in the FA Cup and for some reason I distinctly associate that day with hearing 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth' being played on the coach and being chuffed at being back on the road watching Villa.
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Being in the Holte Boxing day late 80's beating Man Utd 3-0, absolute pandomonium in there ill never forget it!
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Being in the Holte Boxing day late 80's beating Man Utd 3-0, absolute pandomonium in there ill never forget it!
I seem to recall "Thank you very much for Paul McGrath" being sung long and loud.
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Being in the Holte Boxing day late 80's beating Man Utd 3-0, absolute pandomonium in there ill never forget it!
And then beating Arsenal two days later. Two full houses back to back, playing some great football.
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Being in the Holte Boxing day late 80's beating Man Utd 3-0, absolute pandomonium in there ill never forget it!
And then beating Arsenal two days later. Two full houses back to back, playing some great football.
I seem to remember us beating Arsenal with a quite late goal all of their defenders claimed was offside. The fanzine 'When Saturday Comes' showed a cartoon around that time advertising the new Subbuteo Arsenal team with all of the back four in a pose with their arms in the air claiming for offside.
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Being in the Holte Boxing day late 80's beating Man Utd 3-0, absolute pandomonium in there ill never forget it!
And then beating Arsenal two days later. Two full houses back to back, playing some great football.
I seem to remember us beating Arsenal with a quite late goal all of their defenders claimed was offside. The fanzine 'When Saturday Comes' showed a cartoon around that time advertising the new Subbuteo Arsenal team with all of the back four in a pose with their arms in the air claiming for offside.
It was fairly late I think. but the thing that stood out the most to me was the fact it took an eternity for the ball to drop in the next - it was almost slow motion.
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That Arsenal footage reminded me of one of the early BFR games at Villa Park against them when he was 'geeing up' Tony Daley by practically running alongside him up the touchline.
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That Arsenal footage reminded me of one of the early BFR games at Villa Park against them when he was 'geeing up' Tony Daley by practically running alongside him up the touchline.
Thank you. For years i've wondered if i really saw that or whether my memory was playing tricks on me.
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I have a memory of beating blues 1-0 with Sid scoring the goal and the noise from the holte being deafening.
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That Arsenal footage reminded me of one of the early BFR games at Villa Park against them when he was 'geeing up' Tony Daley by practically running alongside him up the touchline.
Thank you. For years i've wondered if i really saw that or whether my memory was playing tricks on me.
In the post match interview he claimed that Daley had hold of his tie.
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V Liverpool has Deanos first game.
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V Liverpool has Deanos first game.
Deano made his debut for us at Elland Road and had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside. I think we drew 1-1 with Hodge getting a late equaliser for them. The game against Liverpool was his home debut but his second game for us.
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V Liverpool has Deanos first game.
Deano made his debut for us at Elland Road and had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside. I think we drew 1-1 with Hodge getting a late equaliser for them. The game against Liverpool was his home debut but his second game for us.
That's right Damo. Deano's home debut was also the Ronny Rosenthal game if I remember rightly. One of my favourite games in the Holte End as it turned out.
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V Liverpool has Deanos first game.
Deano made his debut for us at Elland Road and had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside. I think we drew 1-1 with Hodge getting a late equaliser for them. The game against Liverpool was his home debut but his second game for us.
That's right Damo. Deano's home debut was also the Ronny Rosenthal game if I remember rightly. One of my favourite games in the Holte End as it turned out.
Didn't Mark Walters score for them and blow kisses to the Holte End.I know he was a great player for us , but that really pissed me off .
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Late 70s onwards we always stood in the same spot. Slightly over half way back, just left of centre level with edge of the 6 yard box. Can't remember the game but it's about 10 minutes to kick off and it's filling up fast around us, our mate Gareth suddenly goes "Oh Shit". We all look round and he's been hit straight on the head with an egg thrown from the back, egg shell in his hair and its dripping down his face. We all burst out laughing which is compounded by angry Gareth deciding he's going to find who threw it. Great mirth amongst us while he's gone wondering at his chances of finding who is the culprit from approximately 10,000 suspects. He reappears about 15 minutes into the game telling us how he had been going round the back of the Holte asking people if they knew anything and that one guy seemed to have a guilty look on his face but he couldn't be sure !
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V Liverpool has Deanos first game.
Deano made his debut for us at Elland Road and had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside. I think we drew 1-1 with Hodge getting a late equaliser for them. The game against Liverpool was his home debut but his second game for us.
That's right Damo. Deano's home debut was also the Ronny Rosenthal game if I remember rightly. One of my favourite games in the Holte End as it turned out.
Didn't Mark Walters score for them and blow kisses to the Holte End.I know he was a great player for us , but that really pissed me off .
I think Walters put Liverpool 1-0 up by scoring at the Holte End and then did some sort of funky dance move/body popping kind of thing. By the time we were winning 4-2 the Holte were chanting "Walters, Walters show us your dance". He didn't oblige us by doing another 'turn'. I think Liverpool gave a debut to a Dane by the name of Torben Piechnik that day. He was appropriately named as Dean Saunders had a picnic playing against him.
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Sunderland in 1974/75, absolutely jam packed and great atmosphere
Yes our promotion and league cup win year.
The Holte was rammed, you literally couldn't move.
I was 15 and was jammed in behind a rather nice woman, so I didn't want to move ;)
I felt this warm sensation down my leg, glanced down and the bloke behind me was having a piss!!