32 Years tomorrow

[AlexAlexCropley]

I find it hard to remember the day-i think i was so super charged i was out of it by the end.
Funnily enough i can recall the celebrations in the Windsor on the parade day better.Made a party at Gatsby's seem like a WI  meeting.

[Godfrey Brian]

One of THE special days of following the club. I remember the majestic sight of all the travelers club coaches in convoy along the motorway , an agonising gridlock on the North circular at 2.30pm , the mayhem of those final minutes after the 'boro goal and a trip back where it still hadn't really sunk in. At Villa Park they'd switched on a single floodlight shining on The Holte like a lone welcome candle in the darkness. Mad hungover Sunday morning at the Council House where Sir Ron announced "I will now smile!" and then on the Monday night we beat the Blues six something at St Andrews in a testimonial they were desperate to win in front of a mainly Villa crowd that rocked the Tilton - Magical times!

[dave.woodhall]

Just been flicking through my copy of WSC now and came to the centre spread.  Fantastic photos of a fantastic day!  Those of us of a certain age to be the Children of the Revolution are so lucky to have those memories.




As an aside, someone I know celebrated her fiftieth birthday on 2nd May.  She was somewhat taken aback when I told her that I could remember exactly what I was doing the day she celebrated turning 18!

The thing that's most obvious about those crowd shots is that everyone in them is male and aged about 16-25. It brings it home how crowds have changed.

[class_of_82]

quite simply the best yrs of my life. only missed one game all season boro away cause my dog died day before r.i.p. lassie. and i buried her at 3 o clock when we kicked off with my villa scarf round her neck. promised a mate i would go with him and he had seats behind the band we was amongst all arsenal but we never shut up all game that game was 90 mins of pure hell but the afters was amazing remember being on the roof of his car in a jam on way back to m1 and it seemed the holte was up there with me. had my villa flag out of his sunroof all way home aaah days that can never be repeated (or can they).

[Sunny Villa]

Some Very good lads on the one photo , gone but not forgotten !


HEITS

[Rico]

How many Villa fans did we take to highbury? I've heard as low as 14000 and as many as 26000. Also is it true that it was a record away following for a top flight game?

[Pat McMahon]

How many Villa fans did we take to highbury? I've heard as low as 14000 and as many as 26000. Also is it true that it was a record away following for a top flight game?

Most of the press at the tiime talked of 20,000, but I have no idea how many tickets were officially allocated. We had all the Clock End plus some fans in the seats. A few people were incognito in various parts of the ground too.

IIRC the gate was around 55-60k

[dave shelley]

59,000 is the figure I remember Pat.  All I know is that it was massive down that clock end, we were about half way between the main stand and the goal; half way up.  What a day!

[dave.woodhall]

59,000 is the figure I remember Pat.  All I know is that it was massive down that clock end, we were about half way between the main stand and the goal; half way up.  What a day!

57,472. Despite the figures bandied around since then, the Clock End held 14,000, say a couple of thousand with stand tickets and the same dotted elsewhere around the ground. We probably took around 18,000. 

[Pat McMahon]

59,000 is the figure I remember Pat.  All I know is that it was massive down that clock end, we were about half way between the main stand and the goal; half way up.  What a day!

57,472. Despite the figures bandied around since then, the Clock End held 14,000, say a couple of thousand with stand tickets and the same dotted elsewhere around the ground. We probably took around 18,000. 

r

So basically about half as many as Everton brought to Villa Park in 1987......

[dave.woodhall]

59,000 is the figure I remember Pat.  All I know is that it was massive down that clock end, we were about half way between the main stand and the goal; half way up.  What a day!

57,472. Despite the figures bandied around since then, the Clock End held 14,000, say a couple of thousand with stand tickets and the same dotted elsewhere around the ground. We probably took around 18,000. 

r

So basically about half as many as Everton brought to Villa Park in 1987......

Maybe a quarter. Depends who you talk to.

[Rico]

57,472. Despite the figures bandied around since then, the Clock End held 14,000, say a couple of thousand with stand tickets and the same dotted elsewhere around the ground. We probably took around 18,000. 




Fickle!

[class_of_82]

in reply to ricos question about how many we took, the answer is quite simply we took more to highbury than blues get average gate.

[Rudy65]

Like others feel very privileged to have attended Highbury and Rotterdam.

My memories of Highbury

Long queue of coaches stretching down from VP
Pele being escorted past us before going in the ground. He was about 10 yards away from me
A really poor performance from the team on the day
Vividly remember McDermot scuffed shot rolling past Jimmy toward where I was standing
Massive support from Villa
Getting on the pitch at the end and taking some turf home which i planted in the garden
Having my picture in the NoTW the next day

Great days

[Dave Cooper please]

I was 16 and pissed as a fart on cheap lager that my mate who had a mustache and so could get away with buying lager had bought, can't remember anything much. Was sick on the train on the way home.