Went with my parents that day as an 8 year old on the coaches from HQ, we'd done the Ipswich trip a few weeks earlier when we scored in last minute (?) to get a 2-2 draw.......... Think from memory we were in the seats at Villa Park in the large stand as it was,,,,,, Don't recall much about the game except my late father was in tears at the end with joy at little old QPR getting into the first division in their history......... my father was an R's fan from being a boy and his father also, being Latimer Road lads......... I just have this memory of when we got back to London on the M1 there had been an almighty storm , described as a cloud burst and everywhere was saturated and it was the weekend of the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final and a poor lad missed a conversion in front of the posts to win the cup......... funny how some things stick in the mind after all these years........
Back to the Coventry connection...... My only time going to Highfield Road was for a cup tie in 74 (?)........ it was our first season back in the top flight and we were building towards our greatest ever side, TV was in midfield with Gerry, Don Givens and Stan were forming a formidable striker partnership, DT was flying down the wing with his socks round his ankles....... Highfield Road was a fine ground, modern stands, and they were a decent side....... We had a really good following that day as we'd beaten the SW6 lot in the previous round, the first time we had beaten them, on a mud heap of a pitch as HQ often was in those days, with a midweek lunchtime kick off with close to 30,000 fans in the ground......... anyway the game was about as uneventful as a 0-0 could be........ the replay was a few days later and was a belter of a game culminating in Stan scoring direct from a free kick with the last kick of the game........ Never need an excuse to show this grainy tv footage of the replay....... And then came bloody Joe Walters.......
I was there at Newcastle away when Kevin Keegan made his debut for them. There were 500 of us in a crowd of over fifty thousand passionate geordies. On my way to the ground I slipped into what I thought was a working men’s club to get a beer before the game. It turned out to be the Gallowgate Club or Newcastle United Supporters Club if you wish. The place went silent when I was at the bar ordering a pint of lager top but they treated me really well after introductions were made. I think they beat us 1-0 and my only other memory that stands out is that there was a streaker who wore nothing other than a pair of luminous pink socks.
I was at that game too Stick. Keegan landed in a helicopter on the pitch. I was sixteen and had just started my first full time job. ( Antiquarian bookseller. ) I had nothing else to spend my wages on, so vowed to go to every QPR game home and away. ( Completed it! ) This was our first game of the season and as my mates had no money I made the trip on the special train on my own ( and Daphne Biggs God bless her ). The away supporters had a better viewing point than they do now. I think it's quite mad to how many of those away games I went to at such a young age. Thank god for the old football specials. Navigating an away rail journey away now is a nightmare.
One of my best times watching the Rsss away was at Birmingham in 66/67 a semi final first leg which we one 4-1 & magic night & to crown it all There was a TV shop & for some reason the TV’s was on showing highlights of the match & there was stacks of fans outside the shop watching the highlights, no trouble & police was fine, perfect night for young 16year old, my doesn’t time fly by!
My memory of an away day at St James' Park was having an egg thrown at me just round the corner from the ground. It would have been in the 80's, can't recall if we won but Keegan was playing so, it might be the same match.
I was on the high speed train. After the game they segregated those on the special from those on the HS. There was about six of us on the HS so they put us in the back of a police transit and drove us to the station. They backed the van up to the station doors told us to get out and cross the bridge to the southbound platform and keep quiet. It wasn’t long before we were spotted I can tell you.
3rd April 1976 Newcastle 1 QPR 2. It was Grand National Day. There was about 10 of us standing and maybe 40 in the seats, and I think that's when Stanley went up MacDonald when we scored the winner late on.
I was at the game before 81/82 season around about the time of the cup final. Toon 0 QPR 4 we ****ing annihilated them. I was in the home end having made the short trip from Durham with ‘neutral’ mates, who proceeded to edge further and further away from me as the match progressed….got some dirty looks but no thumps
Sorry to change the subject but is anyone else having trouble buying the live stream for tomorrow? I'm using the same vpn that I used for WBA but I get a message that starts "This login.qpr.co.uk page can’t be found" followed by lots of technical jargon, can anyone help please?
I can't go back that far as my Dad only took me to certain QPR games.... But talking of Toon years later 86/87? It was at the home game when a certain Gazza made his debut and got sent off. Said at the time 'That fat one in the middle looks good'.
Says small number of tickets available on the day wtf small is a relative term. I don’t want to endure that dump of a city without watching the game
And me. I was in the North Bank with my gooner supporting friend as he had invited me to sit with him using his son's season ticket. Didn't have to work too hard to stay safe as it was all season ticket holders particularly as my reaction to Kevin Gallen's early goal soon marked me out as 'not one of them'. Not to mention my muted applause for Jensen's strike. Polite and probably best described as 'stirred' not shaken.
I think you would be very unlucky to have been thumped at Newcastle as they are generally a friendly lot. My first ever away game (I don't count the League Cup Final as an away game) was in 1968 when my father managed to buy two tickets from a fan at Highbury when we lost 2-1 in our first ever season in the top flight. The game was memorable because Mike Kelly played an absolute blinder in goal and then Alan Wilks came on as the sub in the second half and scored with a belter from outside the box after12 seconds.
I would say the same with Sunderland fans. A few years back we played them away (Tony Scully era 99?) and It was the first or our first visit to the Stadium of light. Never foret wearing my new bright yellow QPR away top and walked over this small bridge with thousands of the red and white striped tops. I was the only different colour... thousands of them but friendly. I think it was the game Lee clark broke his leg and we lost 1-0? Blimey my memory is going.
