A trip to Smethwick

[Pat McMahon]

I was only four at the time so do not remember it but my late father always hated them and told me many times why .In the 1959 -60 season we were fighting to stay up and were playing at the Hawthorns With time almost up a certain Ronnie Allen scored and more or less relegated us. It was'nt that he scored but the way he and their supporters celebrated it .

My Dad used to tell me the same story.  He hated Albion because of that game and the way that Ronnie Allen celebrated.

To be fair, we do the same when we score goals like that against Blues.

I’ve told this tale a few times on here but my grandad, a mild Cork man, was at that game when Ronnie Allen scored the late goal. He was in tears at the final whistle. Outside the ground some Albion fans were taunting him, so he took his jacket off, as was customary in those days, and started to deal with his mockers. Other fans waded in to stop the trouble, but he did what he felt was right.

Incidentally, I lost the Peter Morris book years ago but I thought he said that Ronnie Allen had his head in his hands when he realised he had sent us down.

[dave.woodhall]

Peter Morris is the epitome of never letting the facts get in the way of the story.

[andrew08]

My late Father and Uncle told a tale of bonfires being lit in West Bromwich for several days after and non attendance at work being excused due to excessive celebrating.

Dad really wasn’t one for exaggerating so this would be more than likely true. For the rest of his life he wouldn’t even drive past the ground and took great delight in there various mishaps over the years. I think their relegation to Division 3 caused much merriment as I recall.

[wittonwarrior]

I was only four at the time so do not remember it but my late father always hated them and told me many times why .In the 1959 -60 season we were fighting to stay up and were playing at the Hawthorns With time almost up a certain Ronnie Allen scored and more or less relegated us. It was'nt that he scored but the way he and their supporters celebrated it .

My Dad used to tell me the same story.  He hated Albion because of that game and the way that Ronnie Allen celebrated.

To be fair, we do the same when we score goals like that against Blues.

I’ve told this tale a few times on here but my grandad, a mild Cork man, was at that game when Ronnie Allen scored the late goal. He was in tears at the final whistle. Outside the ground some Albion fans were taunting him, so he took his jacket off, as was customary in those days, and started to deal with his mockers. Other fans waded in to stop the trouble, but he did what he felt was right.

Incidentally, I lost the Peter Morris book years ago but I thought he said that Ronnie Allen had his head in his hands when he realised he had sent us down.

I have a scout for you on the tinternet bound to find at least one for sale.  Surprisingly I managed to  track two down together about a  year together, both in really good condition.

[frank]

Incidentally, I lost the Peter Morris book years ago but I thought he said that Ronnie Allen had his head in his hands when he realised he had sent us down.

Peter Morris didn't say that. He wrote "Johnny Dixon, who had fought so hard in his team's cause, hung his head in sheer misery. Saward. kneeling in the mud, flung wide his arms in anguish." No mention of Allen's reaction.

Morris did make factual mistakes, but his 1961 history of the club remains (in my opinion) one of the four best Villa books, together with "Children of the Revolution" by Richard Whitehead, "Villa Park 100 Years" by Simon Inglis and "From One Season to the Next" by Dave Woodhall.

[andrew08]

That Peter Morris book is amongst my favourite possessions. It never got to me with its dust jacket on but it has an inscription from my Nan to my Dad giving it as a Christmas present to him. Worthless to everyone else but priceless to me.

[Pat McMahon]

I was only four at the time so do not remember it but my late father always hated them and told me many times why .In the 1959 -60 season we were fighting to stay up and were playing at the Hawthorns With time almost up a certain Ronnie Allen scored and more or less relegated us. It was'nt that he scored but the way he and their supporters celebrated it .

My Dad used to tell me the same story.  He hated Albion because of that game and the way that Ronnie Allen celebrated.

To be fair, we do the same when we score goals like that against Blues.

I’ve told this tale a few times on here but my grandad, a mild Cork man, was at that game when Ronnie Allen scored the late goal. He was in tears at the final whistle. Outside the ground some Albion fans were taunting him, so he took his jacket off, as was customary in those days, and started to deal with his mockers. Other fans waded in to stop the trouble, but he did what he felt was right.

Incidentally, I lost the Peter Morris book years ago but I thought he said that Ronnie Allen had his head in his hands when he realised he had sent us down.

I have a scout for you on the tinternet bound to find at least one for sale.  Surprisingly I managed to  track two down together about a  year together, both in really good condition.

Ta very much!

[Legion]

[Mister E]

Excellent description by Dave (& Ads).  I've never really got these muppets or their obsessive hatred of us.  Blues I can understand but Albion?  Every now and again, when I go to a game with them, it reminds me that I dislike them immensely.  Last night was one of those games.  Next week, they will return to being absolutely nothing to me.

It's the oldest hatred in football. Us and them have been at it since the 1880s. We've grown up a bit.

I understand the term "rivalry" but hatred is something I don't get.  What have we ever done to them other than get bigger crowds and win more trophies?  Most Villa fans I know (our age) don't hate Albion.  They hate Blues admittedly but not Albion.

I don't see Albion as a rival or a competitor.  I see them as a glorified Walsall.

There you go: I first watched Villa in 1967 and used to despise the Bloose - mainly because I come from what was a Bloose / ManU part of B'ham. Over the last 20 odd years, my dislike of Bloose has morphed into a disinterest in them, and my bile is reserved more for the Bitters.
Why? - I guess that they obsess about a rivalry that, for them, was always unrequited and - frankly - unrealistic; whereas we have pushed on throughout our history and won stuff.

For the sake of clarity, I still want to see Villa humiliate both of them, each time!

[darren woolley]

I can't stand the them either the tesco bags and small heath are vermin.

[dave shelley]

My old man hated the Albion with a passion.  I had Ronnie Allen in our house years ago trying to sell me Referees insurance, needless to say I didn't buy it, I remembered 1959.

[wozwebs]

I was in the bloody home end!! Family stand up the corner. When El Ghazi scored the 2nd I sort of half jumped up and luckily no-one noticed as we were back but one row in that tinpot stand. Listening to most of them on the way out they were all saying they got away with it and we were the best side they've played all season. Funny what you hear when they don't know you are a Villa fan. Got to lads match this morning and some of them saying they played the better football!! I said I must have missed that part of the match. We shackled Barnes brilliantly apart from the one moment where Hutton should have done better and he set up Gayle but he was anonymous for most of the second half. Keep playing like that and top 2 place will be ours.

[ROBBO]

Peter Morris is the epitome of never letting the facts get in the way of the story.

I was at that game with my brother i was nothing short of devastated when they doomed us right at the end, what sticks in my mind was i don't think we said a single word to each other on the way home just totally speechless.

[dave.woodhall]

Funny thing about the Ronnie Allen game in 1959. Up until recently you'd often get Albion supporters saying they were there and describing it in great detail. Yet not one of them ever said a word about the game in 1954 when we beat them 6-1 and effectively stopped them from winning the double. It was strange how they could remember something from fifty years ago absolutely perfectly, buy not from just five years earlier.

[avfc456]

The drum in question