FA Cup, The Doc... and that bench!

[DeKuip]

Some fantastic old Villa footage on the Pathe News site but this one caught me eye. It's from the early years of my Villa supporting days when, with Tommy Docherty having just become manager, we played QPR at home in the FA Cup 3rd round. It's back when the 3rd round was a big occasion and has some great action and scenes of young fans running on the pitch to celebrate a goal, plus a packed Holte and old Witton End (way before the Ugly North Stand was built).
One thing I'd forgotten though, which you can see on this, was that the managers and trainers used to sit on the other side of the ground (Witton Lane Stand) on an old bench against the wall.

Sorry I don't know how to paste the film onto here, but here's a link

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=45329

[pauliewalnuts]

What a fantastic site.

This one is ace

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=5017

Observe the Villa fans rattling their rattles and tipping their hats amongst the Gooners when we score.

[pauliewalnuts]

Cup paraded in 1957

"Those who last saw the Villa parade the cup in 1920 never thought it would be 37 years till they saw it again!"

:-(

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=32841

[usav]

They were the lucky ones!

[The Left Side]

Wow, what a fantastic website... some great images there although some of the football played was a little scrappy.

[frank]

Some fantastic old Villa footage on the Pathe News site but this one caught me eye. It's from the early years of my Villa supporting days when, with Tommy Docherty having just become manager, we played QPR at home in the FA Cup 3rd round. It's back when the 3rd round was a big occasion and has some great action and scenes of young fans running on the pitch to celebrate a goal, plus a packed Holte and old Witton End (way before the Ugly North Stand was built).
One thing I'd forgotten though, which you can see on this, was that the managers and trainers used to sit on the other side of the ground (Witton Lane Stand) on an old bench against the wall.

Thanks for the memory, DeKuip - great to see the old Holte End. I was at the QPR game, during that period of a few months when Docherty could do no wrong. I also remember our abject performance in the Cup the year before, when we were knocked out at home by Docherty's Rotherham.

[TheMitaCopier]

thank you for bringing this website to my attention, i love olden day commentators!

[DeKuip]

Some fantastic old Villa footage on the Pathe News site but this one caught me eye. It's from the early years of my Villa supporting days when, with Tommy Docherty having just become manager, we played QPR at home in the FA Cup 3rd round. It's back when the 3rd round was a big occasion and has some great action and scenes of young fans running on the pitch to celebrate a goal, plus a packed Holte and old Witton End (way before the Ugly North Stand was built).
One thing I'd forgotten though, which you can see on this, was that the managers and trainers used to sit on the other side of the ground (Witton Lane Stand) on an old bench against the wall.

Thanks for the memory, DeKuip - great to see the old Holte End. I was at the QPR game, during that period of a few months when Docherty could do no wrong. I also remember our abject performance in the Cup the year before, when we were knocked out at home by Docherty's Rotherham.

'Browns Day at Villa Park' is a good one for amazing crowd shots looking up from pitchside at packed Holte and Witton Ends during the wartime international between England and Scotland.
Also "Sea Cadets Parade" shows the ground in the same era but empty. Interesting to see the old Witton Lane and Trinity Stands in that one.
Another good one is "Birmingham City v Barcleona" played on a lake by the looks of it. Most the Small Heath crowd were old women even then!

[darren woolley]

Really enjoyed that DeKuip nice one.

[alanclare]

Absolutely brilliant. Thanks a bunch.i

I wasn't at that game but I remember one just previous to it when the Doc was presented to the crowd at half time as the next Villa manager, and he did a lap of honour while we all cheered.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Wow, what a fantastic website... some great images there although some of the football played was a little scrappy.

Scrappy ?? Ashley Youngs not fit to lace Lionel Martins boots !

[The Left Side]

Anyone know why the bench was originally on the other side of the field?

[DeKuip]

Anyone know why the bench was originally on the other side of the field?

I imagine it's because there was a wall at the front on the Witton Lane Stand, but on the Trinity Road side there were just low railings and with the eye level of fans at the front being so low they wouldn't have been too pleased at looking at someone's fat arse hanging off the back of a bench all game. It was a year or two later that a dugout was sunk into the Trinity Road side.

[dave.woodhall]

Anyone know why the bench was originally on the other side of the field?

I imagine it's because there was a wall at the front on the Witton Lane Stand, but on the Trinity Road side there were just low railings and with the eye level of fans at the front being so low they wouldn't have been too pleased at looking at someone's fat arse hanging off the back of a bench all game. It was a year or two later that a dugout was sunk into the Trinity Road side.

Trinity Road lower was standing then, though.

[Bald Eagle]

Anyone know why the bench was originally on the other side of the field?

I imagine it's because there was a wall at the front on the Witton Lane Stand, but on the Trinity Road side there were just low railings and with the eye level of fans at the front being so low they wouldn't have been too pleased at looking at someone's fat arse hanging off the back of a bench all game. It was a year or two later that a dugout was sunk into the Trinity Road side.

Trinity Road lower was standing then, though.

I seem to recall that Tommy Doc liked to walk across the pitch before the game . He could recieve the full adulation of the fans.