A packed Roker Park, under floodlights, looked like an old oil painting, incredible atmosphere. But my first match was the 3rd round FA Cup match, Mansfield v West Ham when they were a top team full of internationals. I think there were 24,000 packed in and Mansfield battered them 3-0, what a night!
My first floodlit game was Charley Hurley's testimonial evening. My Dad treated us to seats.... Great evening. My next evening game was a real match, a few years later. 1973 against Man City. Roker end that time, but a bit crowded! Walked back home in time to see the highlights on the TV, only in B&W as the Roker Park lights weren't good enough for the colour cameras at the time.
3-2 defeat against Huddersfield, early 90's. First Leg League Cup. First game that I was allowed to go to without my parents, 11 years old. Remember being in awe of Terry Butcher, a 'proper famous person.' Only time I've ever been in the Roker End. We were 3-0 down but came back to 3-2. Even though the attendance would have been small I remember the loud roar that greeted the rest of the game as we pushed for an unlikely equaliser. Even though it was almost a meaningless game, and we lost, I thought it was ****ing great.
