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Your First Match and Who Took You


Rich

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I want to watch as much City as I can, and we're normally not televised a great deal so the thrill of going is still very much intact for me. 

Couldn't tell you who we played in my first match but my Dad took me. 20 years later, we've just bought season tickets next to each other for the first time after I finally talked him into forking out the money to get himself one! I've been going alone for a few years and that doesn't bother me in the slightest, but having my pops there makes it even better. Can't wait for next season.

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1 hour ago, Abraham Romanovich said:

As we now get wall to wall coverage of football on the telly, is going to your first match still the same rite of passage.

The crowds, the noise ,words you didn't understand ,the fog of cigarette smoke ,the smell of frying onions and that moment when you first see the pitch .

Unforgettable

Spurs v Sheffield Wednesday 1962 .my Dad

@Abraham Romanovich

Are you that young?

My first game at White Hart Lane was in September 1961.

On a Monday I travelled by train to Paddington en route to Southend to see City's evening game in Division 3. I sat next to Fred Ford and we talked football. As I was on a weeks holiday, he suggested that while in London changing trains, I go to White Hart Lane and get a ticket for European Cup game v. Gornick in the Wednesday.

Got to WHL wearing my red/white City scarf and at ticket shed, asked to buy one. Man said all sold out but asked about scarf. I explained who suggested I go to the game and he found a complimentary for Fred Ford that he said I could use.

At the game, I was stood on the "Shelf" as Spurs turned a 1-3 first leg deficit by scoring EIGHT!

Blanchflower, Medwin, Jones and the brilliant John White. What a night.

Hope to see you back at the Gate soon, Mike.

PS.

Feb 1950 with Dad, The Unmentionables v Palace. Raining so hard we went home at half time.

First proper football team was 7/4/50 City v Aldershot with My Father, bless him.

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Whilst my family (Mother, Uncles, Granddad) all supported City and also went over the years I never actually got taken to a game as a child.

All first games are memorable of course but mine was a baptism of fire: 8th October 1991, home to the Gas in the second leg of the league cup.

I’d not long started working life and some friends from work took me and we stood in the East End right behind the goal at the back. I remember the noise, the smells, the pure hatred in the air. I don’t mind admitting I was properly scared....but incredibly excited as well.

As you will all know we lost the tie but I got to see a couple of goals, one from an early favourite, Nicky Morgan.

After the game it was total carnage, running street battles, I’d never seen anything like it.

It was at the time one of the scariest experiences of my life, but the passion, singing, atmosphere and camaraderie of the whole experience meant I was hooked.

By the start of the 1992 season I was going regularly and by 1996 had a season ticket and have done ever since.

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Early seventies my dad took me to see City vs Portsmouth. Very young Clive Whitehead played wearing WHITE boots. I didn't know they existed then. City win 2:0 and Garland scored one.

Chris Garland was highlighted by Dad as one to watch.

Happy days, thanks Dad miss you.

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1 hour ago, Abraham Romanovich said:

As we now get wall to wall coverage of football on the telly, is going to your first match still the same rite of passage.

The crowds, the noise ,words you didn't understand ,the fog of cigarette smoke ,the smell of frying onions and that moment when you first see the pitch .

Unforgettable

Spurs v Sheffield Wednesday 1962 .my Dad

City v Carlisle 1960 my grandad and uncle open end crackers corner not a smoker but the wiff of tobacco across that ground  6yrs old .

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First game was a big one. November 1982, Chester City vs Bury. Chester lost 1 nil. Went with my Grandad. Even though it was so long ago now I still remember the game being absolutely terrible.

My second game was the following season, Chester vs Colchester. Chester lost 1-4 and finished the season bottom of div 4 by a country mile. So you could say I’m used to football disappointment.

After an initial intro to watching football being the cup final on tv my first live games weren’t quite so glamorous. Didn’t put me off the game though

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City v Arsenal 1979; my Dad took me.

It was an unbelievable experience; I had barely seen crowds before and suddenly there was this swaying mass of people roaring "Bri-stol" so loudly that you could feel it.

I can't believe the experience in the much quieter all seater stadiums of today would have come over as being anything like that impressive.

Though my maternal grandfather, a big Rovers' fan, missed a trick there as I am sure I would have been equally impressed by Rovers at Eastville and would have followed them instead.  He was a much keener Rovers' fan than my Dad was a City fan so I don't know why he didn't think to do so. My Dad wouldn't have minded as he much prefers rugby.

This is a lesson to anyone with young relatives - boys or girls these days - living in or around Bristol.  Make the effort to take them to a City game or two and they will be fans for life.

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My Dad a Palace fan took me to AG circa 1963 to watch City play them. We lost 1 nil and I got confused as I didn't realise that the teams changed ends at half time.  After the game he asked me what I thought and I said I like the team in red. He has never forgiven me since.

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I asked my old man this at the weekend, he couldn’t recall the exact first game he took me but said Terry Bush was definitely playing & so we deduced it was in 1970, so I was 7 & he was coming to the end of his 20s & he is 80 now.

So fifty years plus for me, I’ve seen nearly every home game since, I did miss a few in the 79/80 season when I played for my school team & the very occasional one since when on holiday, but the definition of a lifer.

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4 hours ago, Street said:

City v Bath city in fa cup.  We drew 1-1,  my dad took me and some mates for my birthday. Loved it!

The reply was again staged at ashton gate and we won 3-1, I didn't go to the reply.  Hooked ever since!

Always remember those games as my dad won £1000 on the City Society draw in the first game and we went on the pitch at halftime in the replay to pick up the big cheque!

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ManUre, possibly '78/9, drew 1-1, taken by my teacher (he worked part time at AG) and went into Schoolboy Enclosure. My step Dad came along, one of my few good memories of him. I think Dave Rogers scored for us? Later groundsman at my school, even as a teenager I was too chicken to go up and tell him. That little **** Macari scored for ManUre.

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9th May 1987 - Went with my Dad and brother.  City drew 1-1 with Swindon, Gordon Owen missed a late penalty which I think would have put us in the old 3rd division play offs.

My overriding memory of that game was a massive bottle of milk in the middle of the pitch before the game, and my Dad telling me it was for the players at half time (as a joke, which as an 8 year old I believed).  I think I told all my school mates that as well until I was told otherwise.  19,000 as well, most amount of people I had ever seen in my life.  Cannot believe that was 34 years ago.  My Dad and myself are season ticket holders in the Dolman :) 

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4 hours ago, Kingswood Robin said:

My first game November 1983 at home to Corinthian Casuals in the FA cup, with my Dad, won 4-0.

My first away game April 1984 at Reading, lost 2-0, but that wasn't really the story of the day!

Did you think at the time that all City away games were like that?

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1977 at home to Boro, Joe Royles 4 goal debut. Took by my Dad who wasn’t really a football fan but had been to a few gas games! I was 6 and had asked to go , my mates family supported City and I remember having a Ray Cashley card from one of those packets of a flat sheet of chewing gum.I think those two things sparked my interest.We stood in the east end and went regularly though never had season tickets. The smells,atmosphere and those horrendous concrete gutter east end toilets were what I remember more than particular games of that time. Think it was 70 or 75p to get in for a young un back then. 
Things have gone full circle now and I’m a dad taking their kid to games. My girl is 9 and loves the big day out, bus trip into town, boat across the harbour and meeting up with mates in the pub for pre game drinks. Hopefully get back to it soon!

 

 

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On 25/05/2021 at 21:38, Waffleflap said:

First game was Wembly in 86 v Bolton. I was 9. 

As above , Freight Rover trophy ‘86.  I think I might have been to some earlier games but too young to recall.  This is the game I remember.

Just looking through some old programmes, 70p ?

30114B81-D176-4E91-BB1A-997C4BB4242E.jpeg

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