Thursday, December 22, 2005
The first one ever
So I'm talking 60s here - I was at school then and a friend (at the time) used to go and watch Coventry City, who had just been promoted to Division One. I used to follow football on the telly and in the papers, but my Dad wasn't into that sort of thing so I never went to a match. Until this one. They were playing Spurs, which was the team I'd watched win the Cup Winners Cup against Dukla ( Prague, only I didn't know that bit) and I wanted to go. Just for once, I was allowed to, because it was with a friend from school. That didn't happen very often - so I made the most of it !!
It was weird - I can still remember some of the things that happened - like the Kinks "Autumn Almanac" being played on the sound system in the ground. It was in the days when fans weren't segregated, although they did tend to take over the ends of the ground behind the goals, and fight with rival fans who tried to get into that part of the ground, so we were near the half-way line with a mixture of Spurs and Coventry fans, where it was safer.
I can still remember all the Spurs team ( some of the Coventry players, too, but they weren't as memorable) Jennings, Kinnear, Knowles, Mullery, England, Mackay, Robertson, Greaves, Gilzean, Venables, Jones. No subs, they didn't have them yet. They played 4 4 2 I think, or maybe 4 2 4 they were good though.
Several things really amazed me - first off, the way Mike England (centre half) kind of hung in the air, bent from the waist and headed the ball away over and over again -then the level of physical contact, the crunching tackles, the pushing, shoving and all that - TV didn't give you that level of close up. Then there was the fact that you didn't get action replays when something happened - you didn't get them that much on the telly, but you got them once or twice. So when people scored, it was a "blink and you missed it" moment. Anyway, Spurs won 3-2 ( Greaves 2, Jones) : ( Tudor 2) and I was kind of surprised about how scrappy the goals seemed - no blistering drives, no amazing dribbles and shots, just a little scramble and kick really close in, that you couldn't really see. Saw Pat Jennings make a couple of stunning saves. So that was it. Didn't go again for 20 years or so.
I've just looked up a website - 14th October 1967 it was and there were 38,008 people in the ground - if I hadn't gone, there would only have been 38,007!!
Next time I'll tell you about the second match I ever went to ! 21 years, 3 months and 16 days later, to be precise - but who's counting ? I didn't at the time - I'd watched "my" team (Spurs, that is) and they'd won. That would do for me, I thought. No point in going to see Coventry, they weren't anything special.
It was weird - I can still remember some of the things that happened - like the Kinks "Autumn Almanac" being played on the sound system in the ground. It was in the days when fans weren't segregated, although they did tend to take over the ends of the ground behind the goals, and fight with rival fans who tried to get into that part of the ground, so we were near the half-way line with a mixture of Spurs and Coventry fans, where it was safer.
I can still remember all the Spurs team ( some of the Coventry players, too, but they weren't as memorable) Jennings, Kinnear, Knowles, Mullery, England, Mackay, Robertson, Greaves, Gilzean, Venables, Jones. No subs, they didn't have them yet. They played 4 4 2 I think, or maybe 4 2 4 they were good though.
Several things really amazed me - first off, the way Mike England (centre half) kind of hung in the air, bent from the waist and headed the ball away over and over again -then the level of physical contact, the crunching tackles, the pushing, shoving and all that - TV didn't give you that level of close up. Then there was the fact that you didn't get action replays when something happened - you didn't get them that much on the telly, but you got them once or twice. So when people scored, it was a "blink and you missed it" moment. Anyway, Spurs won 3-2 ( Greaves 2, Jones) : ( Tudor 2) and I was kind of surprised about how scrappy the goals seemed - no blistering drives, no amazing dribbles and shots, just a little scramble and kick really close in, that you couldn't really see. Saw Pat Jennings make a couple of stunning saves. So that was it. Didn't go again for 20 years or so.
I've just looked up a website - 14th October 1967 it was and there were 38,008 people in the ground - if I hadn't gone, there would only have been 38,007!!
Next time I'll tell you about the second match I ever went to ! 21 years, 3 months and 16 days later, to be precise - but who's counting ? I didn't at the time - I'd watched "my" team (Spurs, that is) and they'd won. That would do for me, I thought. No point in going to see Coventry, they weren't anything special.
