Places I remember

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

As an aside and may be deserving of a thread of its own if not already done, that was where I experienced the worst pie I've ever tasted.

Gigg Lane 1968. Charcoal base which burnt your fingers when you took it out the foil tray, barely luke warm meat inside, with a stone cold topping which had collapsed in.

[dave shelley]

As an aside and may be deserving of a thread of its own if not already done, that was where I experienced the worst pie I've ever tasted.

Gigg Lane 1968. Charcoal base which burnt your fingers when you took it out the foil tray, barely luke warm meat inside, with a stone cold topping which had collapsed in.

F**k me, same caterers two hundred miles apart.  Have pie will travel.  Been to Gigg Lane twice btw but managed to abstain on the pie front.

[cdbearsfan]

My Grandad (a Bluenose) used to go to Blues and Villa in alternate weeks. He said in the late 40s-late 50s you used to have to arrive before 1pm to get in for a 3 o' clock kick-off or you'd be locked out due to the size of the crowds. Was that true, or nostalgic exaggeration?

[Bernie]

Port Vale away in 71/72 was a 4-4 draw. For some reason I though Neil Rioch had scored a couple of goals there. Having checked he had come into the side the previous week and scored two at home to Blackburn in a 4-1 win. He also played at Port Vale(No. 5 shirt) the next week but didn't score. I think we were 4-2 up with a few minutes to go. George Curtis came back and took back the No.5 shirt the next game.

Lower division grounds I remember being really rammed when the Villa were in town were Meadow Lane, Vetch Field, Saltergate, and Eastville.
Also the last game of 1973/74 going to Leyton Orient for a night match when they needed to win to get promotion and there were over 30,000 there. Imagine, as many people as we typically get in VP these days all packed into Brisbane Road.

I was at that match at Vale Park, I think it was around November '71 & you're right ALITA that we threw away a 4-2 lead late on. I'd forgotten about the Blackburn match when Neil Rioch scored 2 but it all comes back to me now & I remember the headline in the Argus started "Oh brother.........."

[Ron Manager]

God I must had a few that day Andy. That 4-4 was the match I was thinking of. So Rioch N didnt score but he was the first Englishman to touch the ball in the 1966 World Cup Final. Now who won that one?

Eastville had a superb flowerbed I seem to remember.

[Dave Clark Five]

The name Tony Loska rings a bell for Port Vale's fourth goal.

[Ron Manager]

My Grandad (a Bluenose) used to go to Blues and Villa in alternate weeks. He said in the late 40s-late 50s you used to have to arrive before 1pm to get in for a 3 o' clock kick-off or you'd be locked out due to the size of the crowds. Was that true, or nostalgic exaggeration?

Partly an exaggeration I think  I started going down with my dad around late 1956 early 1957 . But I do remember dad saying they had a 70,000 crowd against someone Ive forgotten. First player I remember was Billy Myerscough and the game that has stuck in the memory was Sunderland in 1958 when Stan Lynn scored his hat trick. It persisted down throughout the match and I got soaking wet but felt I was seeing something special.....and I was!!

[pooligan]

I was at that Port Vale game and sounds mad but can't remember hardly anything about the game. Am i right in thinking that it was Tommy Hughes in goal and he was nicknamed Dracula by many villa fans as he did'nt like crosses. I have a feeling it was his last game and he was replaced by big Jimmy Cumbes the next match .Could be wrong ,memory not as good as i would like. Another thing i do remember about that day is the walk back to the station and hundreds of Vale fans waiting for us.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I was at that Port Vale game and sounds mad but can't remember hardly anything about the game. Am i right in thinking that it was Tommy Hughes in goal and he was nicknamed Dracula by many villa fans as he did'nt like crosses. I have a feeling it was his last game and he was replaced by big Jimmy Cumbes the next match .Could be wrong ,memory not as good as i would like. Another thing i do remember about that day is the walk back to the station and hundreds of Vale fans waiting for us.

Tommy Hughes last game was the following week. A 1-0 1st round FA Cup defeat away to Southend which I remember going to. We went out in the 1st round both seasons when we were in the 3rd division. The previous season I remember going to watch us at Torquay, 3-0 down at half time. Villa and the FA Cup eh ?
Anyway it was out with Tommy Hughes and with Jimmy Cumbes. Has any Villa keeper ever had a bigger kick and a bigger throw than Jim Cumbes ? 

[Dave Clark Five]

I was at that Port Vale game and sounds mad but can't remember hardly anything about the game. Am i right in thinking that it was Tommy Hughes in goal and he was nicknamed Dracula by many villa fans as he did'nt like crosses. I have a feeling it was his last game and he was replaced by big Jimmy Cumbes the next match .Could be wrong ,memory not as good as i would like. Another thing i do remember about that day is the walk back to the station and hundreds of Vale fans waiting for us.

Tommy Hughes last game was the following week. A 1-0 1st round FA Cup defeat away to Southend which I remember going to. We went out in the 1st round both seasons when we were in the 3rd division. The previous season I remember going to watch us at Torquay, 3-0 down at half time. Villa and the FA Cup eh ?
Anyway it was out with Tommy Hughes and with Jimmy Cumbes. Has any Villa keeper ever had a bigger kick and a bigger throw than Jim Cumbes ? 

Jimmy Cumbes debut was the 6-0 win at Oldham.
One memorable kick of his was against Shrewsbury at Villa Park. It bounced once before Andy Lochhead, who scored three at Oldham, put it past the keeper.

[Hopadop]

Some fantastic old photos here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2288458/Footballs-golden-years-From-Hampden-The-Dell--.html

[willywombat]

I was at that Port Vale game and sounds mad but can't remember hardly anything about the game. Am i right in thinking that it was Tommy Hughes in goal and he was nicknamed Dracula by many villa fans as he did'nt like crosses. I have a feeling it was his last game and he was replaced by big Jimmy Cumbes the next match .Could be wrong ,memory not as good as i would like. Another thing i do remember about that day is the walk back to the station and hundreds of Vale fans waiting for us.

I was there too and Hughes had an absolute mare. If I remember correctly he was directly responsible for at least 3 of Vale's goals. I seem to remember that there were probably more Stoke than Vale fans having a go at us on the way back to the station

[Steve R]

...
As I remember it 62,500  was our capacity from the early sixties onward but for some reason Port Vales ground sticks in my mind as one of the biggest grounds I have been in. However I may have drunken to excess before the match as for some reason I think I saw Neil Rioch get a hat trick...Neil Rioch!! and we drew 3-3.
I saw the Who couple of times. Once at The Midnight City in Digbeth and I think Earls Court. God they were loud no wonder Pete Townshend has lost the majority of his hearing.
I think The Holte End held 28,000 in those days with The South Bank at Wolves just beating it.

How times have changed for both clubs

Capacity at VP was 65,000 until Ellis started filling in the terrace directly blow the old Trinity upper tier with corporate stuff at the end of the 69 season. Then it became 62,500.

Anyone remember the old 'Vice Presidents club' that preceded the executive boxes?

The Everton v Man city cup semi at VP in early 69 had a 65,000 crowd. I was on the Holte amongst the Everton supporters.

Thanks to the low camera angle this Pathe film of the game has some good shots of a packed Villa Park.

[dave shelley]

I was in the Witton End for that match amongst the Mancs.  I desperately wanted Everton to win that day as I couldn't stand Citeh.  I'm still not that fond.  I used to go to as many semi-finals as I could at Villa Park back then as it was the only realistic chance I had of attending one as we were real cack then.  Tremendous crowds those days, look at the surge when Citeh scored.

[walsall villain]

I was at that Port Vale game and sounds mad but can't remember hardly anything about the game. Am i right in thinking that it was Tommy Hughes in goal and he was nicknamed Dracula by many villa fans as he did'nt like crosses. I have a feeling it was his last game and he was replaced by big Jimmy Cumbes the next match .Could be wrong ,memory not as good as i would like. Another thing i do remember about that day is the walk back to the station and hundreds of Vale fans waiting for us.

I was there too and Hughes had an absolute mare. If I remember correctly he was directly responsible for at least 3 of Vale's goals. I seem to remember that there were probably more Stoke than Vale fans having a go at us on the way back to the station

Tommy Hughes, I remember watching him smoking in goal at the Wilton end, when the ball got anywhere near the goal he would throw the ciggie into the net and retrieve it when the ball was cleared. Seems unbelievable today doesn't it!
I also remember him taking a goal kick which went 20 yards straight to the opposition forward who then luckily shot wide. He turned to the crowd and said, loudly, ain't I a c##t. Players don't do that nowadays either.