40 years ago today (and this week)

[class-of-82]

Blackpool away was amazing can anyone remember playing footie on the beach before the game about 40 a side then a huge mob coming down the beach towards us and it was all villa.
Thousands upon thousands of Villa at hillsborough it seemed like a home game then the big finale at vp against Sunderland.
God how I think about those days, young not a Care in the world and followed the villa everywhere no tickets no booking history u just jumped on a coach or train and went and got in.

[SirSteveUK]

I can remember sitting in the New (cantilever) stand at Hillsborough - which rapidly emptied on to the pitch at fulltime. I recjkon I was one of the last ones out - took me some time to summon up the nerve to get on the pitch - but remember there was a large crowd at the tunnel calling for their heroes

 

[Wearie Willie]

Remember going to blackpool game,sunderland wasn't the last game we then beat Norwich away 4-1, remember well being on the vp pitch after sunderland game

[Hillbilly]

My aul feller took me and we were in the north bank with the makems. I remember they were quite friendly and passed me down to the front (yes, that kind of thing really used happen). Don't actually remember much else apart from the mass of humanity.

[JD]

The Oldham 5-0 win was my first game at Villa, the 2-0 win over Sunderland the second. After that I was hooked.

I've still got the programmes with half time scores from other games written down on them.

Wonderful, wonderful times.

[castlefields_villan]

Remember going to blackpool game,sunderland wasn't the last game we then beat Norwich away 4-1, remember well being on the vp pitch after sunderland game


Yes, you're right - Norwich had gained promotion on the Saturday we beat Sunderland and their celebration party was the following Wednesday evening against us.  I imagine they felt we'd be happy to "take it a bit easy" having already got promoted ourselves.  We well and truly spoilt their party - imagine planning a celebration party for your last home game and then have the visitors come and beat you 4-1 !

[DeKuip]

Surely the best finishing run to a season we've ever had, and one of the few teams to step up a gear after winning the League Cup (so often teams dip after that).
In 7th place after the Xmas games we had 17 left - won 14, drew 2, lost 1, beat all our promotion rivals and won the League Cup.

Best memories were joining the swarms of Villa fans celebrating promotion on the beach straight after the Blackpool game before word finally got round that rumours of a Sunderland win or draw were wrong and we weren't promoted yet. Went there on a coach with my older brother and his mates so was sneaked the odd can, but dad wanted to go to Hillsborough on the Wednesday. He drove to Sheffield and it seemed a never ending journey with the roads full of Villa fans and traffic moving slowly. We went in the first turnstile which was the Kop and Villa had taken it over (and we had the Leppings Lane end), we stood in the corner of the Kop and the Wednesday fans, miffed at their main end being taken over, were gathering there. By kick-off we too were surrounded by Villa. On the pitch we tore a poor Wednesday side apart that night. On the way back we stopped at a pub just outside Sheffield (I presume) and my dad and brother went in - me and my mate were told to stay in the car but we got out and stood waving our Villa scarves at all the cars going past, who were all hooting their horns at us. Happy days.
I've seen clips of the Blackpool game on YouTube as it was on MOTD but don't think there's footage anywhere of Hillsborough or the Sunderland and Norwich games, which is a shame.

[pooligan]

Great memories of that final match of a memorable season at Norwich. There was a lot of bitterness towards Saunders from the Norwich fans. He had walked out on them after a row with the chairman Robert Chase and joined Manchester City a few days later.We had also beat them in the League Cup final a few months earlier .The Norwich manager John Bond who was never short of a word or two had talked of how they were going to get revenge As it turned out,Villa despite missing a couple of key players cruised to a easy 4-1 win.Great days following the Villa

[castlefields_villan]

Great memories of that final match of a memorable season at Norwich. There was a lot of bitterness towards Saunders from the Norwich fans. He had walked out on them after a row with the chairman Robert Chase and joined Manchester City a few days later.We had also beat them in the League Cup final a few months earlier .The Norwich manager John Bond who was never short of a word or two had talked of how they were going to get revenge As it turned out,Villa despite missing a couple of key players cruised to a easy 4-1 win.Great days following the Villa

Anyone else remember the 3rd match of the following season (75-76) away at Norwich, they really did get their revenge for the season before - I remember going to Carrow Road and the game was cruising to a 1:1 scoreline with about 5 minutes to go before half time - from nowhere they scored three goals - although I seem to remember something dodgy about all of them - half time was 4-1 to them and the game ended at 5-3.

[dave shelley]

I couldn't make the Blackpool game for reasons I just cannot remember.  I went to Hillsborough with a couple of mates from work, I remember it as if it was yesterday.  Got to Sheffield easy enough(by car) and noticed that the crowds were forming up pretty quickly.  Grabbed a quick pint and went in reasonably early to get a good view (on the Kop).  I was, as usual pretty nervous and then, the first goal.  There seemed to be a bit of a scramble and the ball seemed to take an age to cross the line.  Cue pandemonium, all hell broke loose because, there was only going to be one winner from then on.  With all the traffic after the match, it took hours to get home, no pint!  The early hours IIRC and work next day with the biggest grin on my face.

I was at the Sunderland match on the Saturday and, nothing I can say here will add anything to what has already been written.  Such a happy, brilliant season.

[castlefields_villan]

The Sunderland game was 41 years ago today and I've mentioned on here before that my lasting memory will be getting into the Trinity Road Enclosure at 1.00pm, being amongst the first 200 or so people in the ground and watching it fill up - I'll never forget looking at a rammed Holte End before 2pm and thinking "WOW"

[pooligan]

41 Years and i can remember most of that day  we played Sunderland as if it was just a few years back . I recall in those days i use to park my car in Tame Road around 2pm.Lucky for me,that particular say i went early and parked up around 1pm.As i walked to the ground i encountered thousands of Sunderland fans who had been locked out of the Witton End and were not to pleased  obviously.So i went straight into the Holte when it opened at 1 30 pm and by around 2 30 it was full

As for the game itself,i can remember Ian Ross taking the pen and scoring Anyone remember why he took the pen, i am pretty sure he did'nt usually take them.Was it because he was the only player not to have scored all season ?

After the game i can recall lots of trouble down by Witton Station with the Sunderland fans and it was a bit scary getting back to my car but nothing was going to spoil my day that day

[West Derby Villan]

Ian Ross took the pen because he was the only outfield player that hadn't scored in that wonderful season I think

[dcdavecollett]

Rossy took the pen as the regular taker that season, Ray Graydon, was injured.

[Pat McMahon]

I was on the Witton End with my dad, and kitted out in my usual pre-teen outfit of scarves on each wrist and around my neck. Their fans were as good as gold and I remember no animosity at all. There were thousands of Mackems there but the Witton wasn't segregated in those days and I don't recall any trouble.

The Holte really did look amazing from the opposite end of the ground.