Third Division or nowadays?

[Witton Warrior]

Thanks for bringing back some happy memories.
The one abiding memory is the "We're all in this together" (I've heard that phrase elsewhere recently) attitude that ran throughout the club during that period.
Something we could do with in the coming season. So how about when AM walks out for the first home game we give him a standing ovation and then sing our hearts out for the full ninety minutes?
It'd certainly upset the gathered media vultures.

Great point. This is how I have always felt about the Villa. "All Together!" It is what is missing sure enough and has a lot to do with the cult of the individual IMHO.

My lad and I will be at the Blackburn game and will give Alex a proper Villa Park welcome.

[Dave Clark Five]

At a time when a new book about our days in Division Three is launched, the thread is resurrected.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Didn't we win the FA Youth Cup for the first time in about 1972 as well?

[Deano's Mullet]

I started going late 80s and even those days I would go back to like a shot. Just watching some of the old games from the Ron Atkinson era is enough to make me weep. As I type this I am wearing the 90-92 Mita Copiers shirt. Nostalgia may often be seen with rose tinted glasses but by McGrath football was so much better then.

[class-of-82]

My first ever game was in 1967, my first away game was man ure away in the league cup semi aged 10 I can still recall ted mcdougall with his flying header for Bournemouth at vp in the 3rd div a game that was the first ever 3rd div game ever on motd. Such magical times I would only go back to if a Steve perrymann never kicked Chico Hamiltons shot off the line( what was our support like that day).
I remember walking down witton lane with my grandad after we had been relegated to the 3rd and he said "we will be back".
Just over 11-12 years time I wonder where we might be.

[clash city rocker]

The evening games in those days took on an almost magical atmosphere for me..The AV floodlights. .looking up at the holte as I walked up the trinity road with my dad..The programme sellers...that's why I still love this club even though the bastards are making it hard at the moment..!

[Witton Warrior]

Not the Third Division but the feel and pure tribalism of being Villa in a heartbeat...

[Dave Clark Five]

My first ever game was in 1967, my first away game was man ure away in the league cup semi aged 10 I can still recall ted mcdougall with his flying header for Bournemouth at vp in the 3rd div a game that was the first ever 3rd div game ever on motd. Such magical times I would only go back to if a Steve perrymann never kicked Chico Hamiltons shot off the line( what was our support like that day).
I remember walking down witton lane with my grandad after we had been relegated to the 3rd and he said "we will be back".
Just over 11-12 years time I wonder where we might be.

Great post but Perryman cleared Andy Lochhead's shot off the line. Chico scraped the bar with one effort. Is your granddad still around? Did he get to see his prophecy come true?

[dave shelley]

I'll never miss standing in shitholes like Rochdale (although glad to see them promoted) or Halifax.  Some of those places were dire.  Nostalgia, like hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I knew from the moment we won our fist game in the 3rd division against Chesterfield we were on our way back but, never in my wildest dreams did I dare to imagine it would end up in glory that night in Rotterdam when you actually had to be a champion to contest it.

[class-of-82]

Sadly my grandfather is not around now but he was on that magical night in Rotterdam. He was at home cheering us on but I was there and when the final whistle went I looked up at the sky amongst all the mayhem and said "you was right grandad".

We need the same support against hull Dave Clark five

[Godfrey Brian]

I'll never miss standing in shitholes like Rochdale (although glad to see them promoted) or Halifax.  Some of those places were dire.  Nostalgia, like hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I knew from the moment we won our fist game in the 3rd division against Chesterfield we were on our way back but, never in my wildest dreams did I dare to imagine it would end up in glory that night in Rotterdam when you actually had to be a champion to contest it.

Great times to be a Villa fan helped by the fact it was a single period,no yo-yo, and it felt we were progressing most of the time which was something a lot of us hadn't experienced before . Loved the symmetry of those two seasons - started and ended with odd goal wins against Chesterfield, out of the FA cup in the FIRST round both years and ,as you say Dave, exactly 10 years to the month of our final Div three fixture we were european champions - that's special. That final game at Villa Park against Chesterfield was one of my favorites-it took place on a Friday night because of the FA cup final and the players kicked plastic footballs into the crowd. No chance if you were towards the back of the Holte..................until one Jimmy Cumbes stepped forward - biggest kicker of his time-problem solved!

[Steve R]

What also makes a difference is that football generally was better to follow in the 1970's. It wasn't until later in the decade that even competition disappeared and whilst hooliganism had started to be significant in the 60's, it wasn't until well into the 70's that aggressive policing really kicked in.

45,000+ at the Chesterfield game, great goal from Ian Ross. From memory our average gate that season was circa 33,000. Given there were so few away fans then that is probably about the same in terms of Villa supporters as today. We really did miss out on the Premier League boom.

[SirSteveUK]

The evening games in those days took on an almost magical atmosphere for me..The AV floodlights. .looking up at the holte as I walked up the trinity road with my dad..The programme sellers...that's why I still love this club even though the bastards are making it hard at the moment..!

seeing the glow of the floodlights as I came down Brookvale Road or Aston Lane was - correction - IS one of the most vivid memories of my life - always slightly late and rushing up the Holte stairs to stand on tiptoe at the back of the terracing -waiting for a pause in the game to find a better view...
Being at Man Uni - I got to a few away games in the NW - and losing 3-1 to Bury in front of 5609 was the nadir - but the best was the LC at OT - i was on my own in the area next to the Stretford End.....magic.

I totally concur that being part of the Villa away following was amazing in the 3rd division days...

[Dave Clark Five]

Do you remember the Man City mob chasing us around the ground waving bike chains?

[peter w]

Thing is those great days of the seventies were geared up to getting us back where we are now. That football has changed doesn't mean we should be having too many more seasons of dull vapid football. Get that improved and we'll have days getting closer to big, voiceful (I think I've just invented a great new word) crowds more regularly.