Villa vs Millwall - FA Cup 1968...A Puzzlement

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Sifting through some old photographs the other day I came across two ticket stubs: one for a nameless and dateless match at the Hawthorns (I suspect it was against Man U as part of my deal with my Brummie Red pal. The other was a stub for the FA Cup game against Millwall 27th January 1968.

I have no recollection of attending, even though we won 3-0 (Godfrey, Anderson, Woodward) with a side that I'd reckon was the last knockings of the few Mercer's Minors still with us:  Withers; Wright, Aitken; Deakin, Chatterley, Mitchinson; Anderson, Park, Woodward, Godfrey, MacLeod.

What's also weird is the cost of the ticket - 10/- which was way beyond my pocket money then and my folks couldn't have afforded it either, with bankruptcy looming (dodged, at a cost - two months later my Mother died and most of our debt was in her name apparently). I know of no-one who could have subbed me either.

In addition, I thought that my first seated match at VP was in the early 80s.

Any thoughts? Or is this how dementia starts?



 

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I would have been at that game also sitting in the Witton Lane stand with my Dad. About 6 rows back approximately 15 yards off the half way line towards the Witton end.
I don't have much recall of the game, I have more recall of the next round when we got beat by Rotherham at home. (Rotherham fans in the Trinity enclosure singing Mighty Quinn by Manfred Mann which had just been released - they had a player called John Quinn.) 
I reckon you would pay more for Cup games than League as the Cup was everything. Although the ticket says 10/-, maybe your ticket had a 5/-  perforated piece on the end for junior admission torn off as you went through the turnstile.
Against Millwall there was 14k for the league game and 34k for the cup game.
Against Rotherham there was 13k for the league game and 33k for the cup game.

 

[dcdavecollett]

Yep, in those days, the FA Cup was far more important than a mere league game for the football-going public.

Makes sense; after all, you can go to a league game anytime you like, but cup matches were a rare treat. (Very rare, in the last five years!!)

[Pat McMahon]

I would have been at that game also sitting in the Witton Lane stand with my Dad. About 6 rows back approximately 15 yards off the half way line towards the Witton end.
I don't have much recall of the game, I have more recall of the next round when we got beat by Rotherham at home. (Rotherham fans in the Trinity enclosure singing Mighty Quinn by Manfred Mann which had just been released - they had a player called John Quinn.) 
I reckon you would pay more for Cup games than League as the Cup was everything. Although the ticket says 10/-, maybe your ticket had a 5/-  perforated piece on the end for junior admission torn off as you went through the turnstile.
Against Millwall there was 14k for the league game and 34k for the cup game.
Against Rotherham there was 13k for the league game and 33k for the cup game.

 

That Rotherham game was my first match, though my mom did continue to go whilst heavily pregnant carrying me in1962.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I’ve just found a 10/- ticket for that Rotherham tie in ‘68. Again I don’t have any recollection of it or how I could have afforded it.p, though I do remember the league game against them, including a astonishing miss by Tony Scott from about 2 yards.

[dcdavecollett]

I missed the Rotherham cup-tie as my brother was getting married that day.

I've more or less got over it now, though...

[ADVILLAFAN]

I would have been at that game also sitting in the Witton Lane stand with my Dad. About 6 rows back approximately 15 yards off the half way line towards the Witton end.
I don't have much recall of the game, I have more recall of the next round when we got beat by Rotherham at home. (Rotherham fans in the Trinity enclosure singing Mighty Quinn by Manfred Mann which had just been released - they had a player called John Quinn.) 
I reckon you would pay more for Cup games than League as the Cup was everything. Although the ticket says 10/-, maybe your ticket had a 5/-  perforated piece on the end for junior admission torn off as you went through the turnstile.
Against Millwall there was 14k for the league game and 34k for the cup game.
Against Rotherham there was 13k for the league game and 33k for the cup game.

 

Were Rotherham not managed by Tommy Docherty in that one, shortly before he left to manage QPR possibly? Still before he had managed us.

[dave shelley]

As a slight aside, I remember at the time of the Doc's appointment watching some variety programme on the telly and Roy Hudd was on, at least I think it was the telly I could have heard it on the radio but he [Hudd] came out with this little rhyme:

He left poor ol' Rotherham,
But that didn't bother him,
He became a Queens Park Ranger,
But left them there in danger,
Now he's at the tiller,
It's Gawd help poor ol' Aston Villa.

Funny the things you remember.

[Perthvillan]

This was my first season of going to the Villa as a nine year old.
I used to go with my mate and his Dad to the games and remember the Dad telling me when we coming home from the league game before the Millwall cup tie, that we would have to leave very early for the next game as it was in the FA Cup.
It's the first time that I realised that the FA Cup was very special, certainly back in those days.
I can still remember the Rotherham game in the next round when we lost to a late goal.
I was gutted.

[dcdavecollett]

Jim Storrie, wasn't it?

[steamer]

As a slight aside, I remember at the time of the Doc's appointment watching some variety programme on the telly and Roy Hudd was on, at least I think it was the telly I could have heard it on the radio but he [Hudd] came out with this little rhyme:

He left poor ol' Rotherham,
But that didn't bother him,
He became a Queens Park Ranger,
But left them there in danger,
Now he's at the tiller,
It's Gawd help poor ol' Aston Villa.

Well posted
I remember this and have been struggling to remember the full quote, although I think it was, Now his hand is on the tiler, Its gawd help poor Aston Villa

[Meanwood Villa]

I missed the Rotherham cup-tie as my brother was getting married that day.

I've more or less got over it now, though...

Did the marriage last at least?

[dcdavecollett]

Yes it did, Meanie.

Whenever they have an anniversary, I always manage to mention Rotherham.

I'll probably get over it some day...

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

On the day of the Rotherham game, Blues, Albion and Walsall were also all at home in the Cup.
33k at Villa Park, 33k at the Hawthorns, 29k at St Andrews, 20k at Fellows Park.
115,000 fans watching FA Cup games all within about 10 miles !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967%E2%80%9368_FA_Cup#:~:text=The%201967%E2%80%9368%20FA%20Cup,the%20final%20at%20Wembley%2C%20London.

[dcdavecollett]

I'd forgotten that!

Of course, that was the year that Albion won it!