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Post by tenniscourtgas on Feb 13, 2023 12:03:22 GMT
Anybody else attend the FA Cup match in January 1960, 38,000 against Preston in 1960?
I was there as a 10 year old in the Boys Enclosure, top left hand corner of the Muller Rd end.
This was in the days of the magic of the FA Cup, pre Match of the Day, with the FA Cup the only live club football on TV.
Rovers were very much renowned FA Cup fighters in those days, always dangerous opponents at Eastville, and I can remember almost expecting them to see off Preston.
I remember very little of the game, apart from Rovers scoring very early on, when a cross into the box was diverted into his own goal, by a Preston defender.
The match finished 3-3, a good result for Division 2 Rovers, and it is difficult to believe now, that Preston were then one of the top teams in the country.
Their star man was Tom Finney, alongside Stanley Matthews, the most famous player in the country, and he was a massive attraction.
I do remember he was brilliant in the replay, when we were rinsed, 5-1, and he must have in his late thirties by then.
I think Finney retired at the end of that season, Preston were relegated the following year, and never regained their top division status.
I also went to a home FA Cup fixture against Aston Villa, a couple of years later, when the crowd was 20,000 plus, as the famous Bert Tann side was starting to fade.
We drew 1-1, but lost 4-0 in the replay, and again can’t recall much about the game, but only which part of Eastville I was standing.
The Evening Post would always print a souvenir FA Cup big match edition, with pen pictures of players in both teams, on sale at the ground.
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Post by lostinspace on Feb 13, 2023 13:09:58 GMT
Recall that what I think was a quarter final of the league cup against Stoke City, Banks and all, a crowd in the region of 30,000, They went on to win it that year( Stoke that is 🤭)
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Post by baselswh on Feb 13, 2023 13:38:05 GMT
I remember how packed Eastville was in the Saints FA Cup game.26,000.
Must have been packed in like sardines with 38,000!
38,000!
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Post by CabbagePatchBlues on Feb 13, 2023 14:24:11 GMT
We lost 0-3 to Arsenal in the FA Cup to a packed house of 34,000 odd. People were up on the floodlight pylons. Those two great runs to the quarter finals of the League Cup were great occasions too. Then we got turned into "a small family club"...
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oldie
Joined: September 2021
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Post by oldie on Feb 13, 2023 14:53:39 GMT
We lost 0-3 to Arsenal in the FA Cup to a packed house of 34,000 odd. People were up on the floodlight pylons. Those two great runs to the quarter finals of the League Cup were great occasions too. Then we got turned into "a small family club"... I was at that game...1967 I think. We had just splashed out on a young striker, Dick Plumb, from Weymouth FC I think (might have been Yeovil (😂😂😂). He missed a sitter after being set up by Alfie Biggs. We lost 0-3, but was no disgrace, Arsenal were a top side. Stood in the Tote End, Sardine like |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Feb 13, 2023 15:46:21 GMT
Nearest I come to it for a home game is the FA Cup tie vs Southampton (the Paul Randall one) where 26,000 ish (I think) were shoehorned into Eastville. It felt bursting at the seams and perhaps there were more there than the official record.
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Post by thegaspirate on Feb 13, 2023 17:09:40 GMT
Yes I was at the Preston game AND also in the boy's enclosure. Only time that I stood there and remembered being able to see very little. Now the strange things is that I thought it was in the bottom right of the Muller Road end (so on the South Stand side). Time no doubt must have played a trick on one of us - probably me!
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kentgas
Archie Stephens
Joined: May 2014
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Post by kentgas on Feb 13, 2023 17:19:39 GMT
Biggest crowds I have seen at Rovers home games were against Stoke and Man U.
The crowd v Stoke in the League Cup in 1971 was c33.500 iirc.
Same the next season when we played Man U also in the League Cup.
Both were advertised as 35,000 sellouts I believe.
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Post by Colyton Gas. on Feb 13, 2023 17:26:29 GMT
Was there for the record crowd.North enclosure.Alfie Biggs heavily involved for us and the famous Tom Finney played for them.Had to leave early to do my paper round at Totterdown.
Alfie signed for them for one season and scored from miles out in the rain and mud at the Tote End but pleased to say he returned.The famous Baron had a brother Burt who played in the Bristol Suburban League.
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Post by tenniscourtgas on Feb 13, 2023 17:49:35 GMT
You may be right, thegaspirate.
I have enough problems remembering my name theses days!
I do seem to recall that the early Rovers goal was at the Muller Rd end, and I looked to the right as the Preston player either headed, or sliced the ball into his own net.
The only other time I remember being in the Boys Enclosure was a couple of years later, when there was an international representative match, Football League versus League of Ireland.
It was a night match, and virtually the full England team played,, players such as Charlton, Haynes, but not Jimmy Greaves.
There must have been over 30,000 there that night too.
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trymer
Joined: November 2018
Posts: 1,484
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Post by trymer on Feb 13, 2023 19:48:31 GMT
Recall that what I think was a quarter final of the league cup against Stoke City, Banks and all, a crowd in the region of 30,000, They went on to win it that year( Stoke that is 🤭) I was at that match,it was rammed how they got thousands more in against Preston I dont know. I was also the Saints FA cup game thats been mentioned and the game against Ipswich in the next round,pretty sure there were more at the Ipswich match. |
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oldie
Joined: September 2021
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Post by oldie on Feb 13, 2023 20:32:24 GMT
Was there for the record crowd.North enclosure.Alfie Biggs heavily involved for us and the famous Tom Finney played for them.Had to leave early to do my paper round at Totterdown. Alfie signed for them for one season and scored from miles out in the rain and mud at the Tote End but pleased to say he returned.The famous Baron had a brother Bert who played in the Bristol Suburban League. Bert Biggs! 😂😂😂😂 |
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Post by Colyton Gas. on Feb 13, 2023 20:49:02 GMT
According to Alfie's Obituary it was Burt with a 'U'.
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oldie
Joined: September 2021
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Post by oldie on Feb 13, 2023 21:15:07 GMT
According to Alfie's Obituary it was Burt with a 'U'. Bloody Germans |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Feb 14, 2023 0:27:59 GMT
Recall that what I think was a quarter final of the league cup against Stoke City, Banks and all, a crowd in the region of 30,000, They went on to win it that year( Stoke that is 🤭) I was at that match,it was rammed how they got thousands more in against Preston I dont know. I was also the Saints FA cup game thats been mentioned and the game against Ipswich in the next round,pretty sure there were more at the Ipswich match. I was at the Ipswich game too. Had to resort to Google. Att vs Saints 26574, vsTractor boys 23453 which accords with my memory of the Saints game being more packed. Probably because it was bitterly cold and snow cleared from off the pitch. Remember use of orange ball and cheating f**kpot ref Brian Daniel denying Bobby Gould a perfectly legitimate goal which would have won the game for us - in the year ipswich went on to win the cup |
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Post by toteend3 on Feb 14, 2023 0:45:11 GMT
Two cracking matches and excellent attendances, few years later, our last ever game at Eastville, when only 3570 attended and I can tell you all their names!
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warehamgas
Predictions League
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Posts: 3,436
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Post by warehamgas on Feb 14, 2023 12:03:49 GMT
Anybody else attend the FA Cup match in January 1960, 38,000 against Preston in 1960? I was there as a 10 year old in the Boys Enclosure, top left hand corner of the Muller Rd end. This was in the days of the magic of the FA Cup, pre Match of the Day, with the FA Cup the only live club football on TV. Rovers were very much renowned FA Cup fighters in those days, always dangerous opponents at Eastville, and I can remember almost expecting them to see off Preston. I remember very little of the game, apart from Rovers scoring very early on, when a cross into the box was diverted into his own goal, by a Preston defender. The match finished 3-3, a good result for Division 2 Rovers, and it is difficult to believe now, that Preston were then one of the top teams in the country. Their star man was Tom Finney, alongside Stanley Matthews, the most famous player in the country, and he was a massive attraction. I do remember he was brilliant in the replay, when we were rinsed, 5-1, and he must have in his late thirties by then. I think Finney retired at the end of that season, Preston were relegated the following year, and never regained their top division status. I also went to a home FA Cup fixture against Aston Villa, a couple of years later, when the crowd was 20,000 plus, as the famous Bert Tann side was starting to fade. We drew 1-1, but lost 4-0 in the replay, and again can’t recall much about the game, but only which part of Eastville I was standing. The Evening Post would always print a souvenir FA Cup big match edition, with pen pictures of players in both teams, on sale at the ground. Great memories tenniscourt. The Preston match was a few years before my time. But the Arsenal match early 1967 was great. Iirc we’d looked down and out at 0-2 down at Luton in the 2nd Round but came back to win 3-2 and earn the Arsenal tie. Though to be honest I remember several good FA Cup matches in the early rounds in the late 60s and 70s it’s the matches in the LeagueCup that I remember most. The Man U and Stoke games and esp the match against Aston Villa in the quarterfinals in 1971 (?) when it poured down from start to end. Villa 1-0 up from an early goal and we just kept on coming at them to get a latish equaliser. Got absolutely soaked, although rammed in the Tote End. Lost the replay 1-0. I’d say it was the last time I was genuinely thinking about a Wembley appearance for us in a major competition! I think we repeated the quarter final in the next season but I was never confident but that earlier season….. Just for a moment! ☹️ Over 50 years ago now! Had someone said that to me in 1971 they would have been watching our very first league game in 1921!!! Now that does make me feel old. UTG! |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2023 12:46:17 GMT
Anyone remember the good old days of getting over 12,000 at the Mem? How sad that mismanagement has left us over 2,000 down on our capacity,
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Feb 14, 2023 17:50:28 GMT
Biggest crowds I have seen at Rovers home games were against Stoke and Man U. The crowd v Stoke in the League Cup in 1971 was c33.500 iirc. Same the next season when we played Man U also in the League Cup. Both were advertised as 35,000 sellouts I believe. This really hit hard as my father and 3 older brother went to both but i was deemed too young and it being too dangerous. I vividly remember the penalty save, by Dick Shepphard by George Best and then having them all come back and rub it in by saying how great it was, they told me people were rammed , onto the pitch v Stoke |
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Feb 14, 2023 17:53:07 GMT
I was at that match,it was rammed how they got thousands more in against Preston I dont know. I was also the Saints FA cup game thats been mentioned and the game against Ipswich in the next round,pretty sure there were more at the Ipswich match. I was at the Ipswich game too. Had to resort to Google. Att vs Saints 26574, vsTractor boys 23453 which accords with my memory of the Saints game being more packed. Probably because it was bitterly cold and snow cleared from off the pitch. Remember use of orange ball and cheating f**kpot ref Brian Daniel denying Bobby Gould a perfectly legitimate goal which would have won the game for us - in the year ipswich went on to win the cup Yes, was legitimate because it the ball came off of an Ipswich player. Plenty of shenanigans after the game. In my mind we lost by 6-1 in the reply but it seems that must have been a different season, going by the stats provided. Funny how the mind plays tricks as you age |
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