Funny or Strange Happenings You Have Witnessed As a Villa Fan

[ADVILLAFAN]

I remember Juan Pablo Angel attempting to take a corner, missing the ball, kicking the flag and then somehow the ball rolling out for a goal kick. Possibly in his last game for us?

He then ran up the other end and accidently headed the ball into our net from an opposition corner. It may have been Tottenham that we were playing. I think he played for us after that though.

[IAmTheOneIanOlney]

You have to be the only person I have ever known who had Simon Stainrod as their favourite player.

Ha, Stainrod and Aspinall too, the innocence of youth...

[Pat McMahon]

You have to be the only person I have ever known who had Simon Stainrod as their favourite player.

Not sure about that - I reckon Stainrod was the type of player who had posters of himself on his bedroom wall.

[E I Adio]

Night game at the Hawthorns, mid winter, packed house, sometime in the '60's. Several inches of snow covered the pitch and only the lines had been cleared of snow. Not a recipe for a good game of football.

[dave shelley]

EIA, I think that was a league cup game.  I was definitely at something like what you describe.  They had a much better side then than we had.  What I remember most about that match, other than we lost, was that every time we attacked Tony Hateley got pelted with snowballs, as did Jeff Astle when they did.  Sad that both players are now gone.

[E I Adio]

I think you could well be right, certainly Hateley and Astle were playing, although the memory's a little hazy these days, (I tell my Villa supporting nephew that it's because I have more to remember than he does) mind you, I can still recite the '57 cup winning team at the drop of a hat.

[PeterWithesShin]

Having looked it up there was a LC match 17th Nov 1965. We lost 3-1, Hateley scored for us. Does that ring any bells?

Actually there was one there the following September, too early for snow and i'll be fecked if i'm mentioning the score!

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

Often thought of Gordan Cowan's testimonial match in 1993 when Stoke sent on their kit man to play for a while. Never knew why and assumed he was retiring or something. However the BBC are broadcasting a Drama on Thursday night called 'Marvellous' about Neil Baldwin a remarkable guy from Stoke who has become alocal hero-he's a Stoke fan.

Part of Guardian article on him: "Macari, like Clarke, grew to love him. He and Baldwin were often seen together in Stoke, walking Macari's dog. And one day in 1993, during a friendly against Aston Villa at Villa Park, Baldwin's old friends among the Stoke supporters saw him, in full Stoke kit, warming up on the touchline. With five minutes to go in the match, Macari actually sent this rather overweight man of nearly 50 on to the pitch. The players on both sides and the referee must have been in on the plan, because Macari then had 12 players on the pitch – and the players passed the ball to Baldwin, who almost got a shot at goal."

Mystery solved!

I was watching this from the Trinity and remember this bloke coming on. He had the ball passed to him at one point and started running with it only for Sid to take the ball off him to a chorus of boos from all round. Often thought about that. Glad I hadn't dreamt it.

[E I Adio]

Having looked it up there was a LC match 17th Nov 1965. We lost 3-1, Hateley scored for us. Does that ring any bells?

Actually there was one there the following September, too early for snow and i'll be fecked if i'm mentioning the score!

Not really, but then little seems to these days, but I strongly suspect that you are right as it must have been around that time.

Another memory of the Villa at the Hawthorns around about that era was of a Scottish player called Willie Hamilton, who was very skilful and stylish. I recall him collecting a ball from a Villa goal kick which reached him in the centre circle. Bizarrely, it appeared that he then proceeded to shoot, but in the direction in which the ball had arrived and if it hadn't been for the agility of the keeper - Colin Withers I think, it would have been an own goal. It may have been the same game.

There were later rumours that he was a bit too fond of pre-match wee drams.

[dave shelley]

Having looked it up there was a LC match 17th Nov 1965. We lost 3-1, Hateley scored for us. Does that ring any bells?

Actually there was one there the following September, too early for snow and i'll be fecked if i'm mentioning the score!

Not really, but then little seems to these days, but I strongly suspect that you are right as it must have been around that time.

Another memory of the Villa at the Hawthorns around about that era was of a Scottish player called Willie Hamilton, who was very skilful and stylish. I recall him collecting a ball from a Villa goal kick which reached him in the centre circle. Bizarrely, it appeared that he then proceeded to shoot, but in the direction in which the ball had arrived and if it hadn't been for the agility of the keeper - Colin Withers I think, it would have been an own goal. It may have been the same game.

There were later rumours that he was a bit too fond of pre-match wee drams.

That was the match PWS.  Freezing cold as I recall.  Those snowballs must have been hard!

EIA, I too remember Willie Hamilton and, you are correct in what you say, very skillful and very fond of the pop.  I'm not too sure due to the mists of time but, I have a vague recollection of us being one of the first clubs to be shown on MOD in 1964 when it was shown on BBC2.  I distinctly remember Willie Hamilton scoring an absolutely wonderful goal in a match against, I think Middlesborough in front of the cameras and me and the old man couldn't wait to watch it again that night.  Cue problem, couldn't get a picture.  I still smile when I think of the old man fiddling with the rabbits ears arial trying to get a picture.

BTW, thanks EIA for the commiserations on my finger on the annoying things thread.

[Lucky Eddie]

Ronnie Rosenthal

[Chico Hamilton III]

The Dell, last game of the season (94?) when a Villa fan dressed as Robin ran on the pitch to throw a punch at Iain Dowie. And the ensuing pitch invasion with Doug threatening to identify everyone on the pitch and ban them for life

[OzVilla]

20 years on and I still don't know whether to laugh or cry at the bloke in the pink suit singing you'll never walk alone before the Holtes last stand.

I know we weren't happy but the reception he got was very funny at the same time.

A real head shaker.

[PeterWithesShin]

Dave Chance was the bloke.
We briefly talked about it in the pub last night. Villa used to sing YNWA at games, and none of us could remember why or when it stopped, it just sort of did.

[He wears a magic hat]

A lot of clubs used to sing YNWA.

We definitely sang it at Wembley in 94 but can't remember singing it much after that