Rochdale 3rd May 1972

[perseus]

And we won 5-3 at Shrewsbury at the previous away game.

That had to be the worst season for going to away games. All games were up North. After Bournemouth, I think the nearest game was Shrewsbury. May have been Bristol Rovers.

There were no London clubs in our division.

The old Eastville (Bristol Rovers) a large decrepit stadium in a worse state than the Goldstone, Fellows Park (Walsall) which really should have been condemned (but steam trains had not been gone long) and Spotland (Rochdale) where the main terrace was a compacted slag heap and the perimeter a corrugated fence which conveniently fell down. I think Southend was a big day out.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

yes and he adapted to each new challenge

He certainly did - I recall he sort of morphed from wide player when he first came to the Albion (but never regarded him as an out and out winger) to more of a midfield utility player in the 1st Div era. Can't remember when his trademark 'stepover' developed?

 

[APACHE]

Took the day off work to make sure I got in. Masses of fans outside well before the gates opened to get in the N Stand which was packed. The game was really between 2 sides that were happy with a point each and at the end the players and the ref were edging towards the tunnel to get off as quick as possible. Great scenes at the end with promotion gained. Does anyone remember the game up there, where we pushed open the gate before the game and lots of Brighton fans got in free and it seemed strange that you could make your way to the other end at half time?

 

[perseus]

yes and he adapted to each new challenge

I put it to Sully (reading between the lines), that it was his ability to hold on to the ball (as instructed by Cloughie) and not make the first and easiest pass but the one that was most effective: I think he eventually lost his place to Neil NcCrab who took the same philosophy to ridiculous lengths and made the crowd impatient. Sully said (simply) that he hardly ever saw Cloughie.

 

[thatguy]

I recall being in the queue with my Dad for the East Terrace about 20 minutes AFTER kick off and being told that the gates were now closed. I clearly remember we were still in Fonthill Road, perhaps 250 yards from the entrance, with hundreds still behind us. Therefore assuming other entrances had similar queues I've always thought that about 5,000 were locked out. This could be the only time 40,000 Albion fans have been at a game (presumably Rochdale only brought one man and his labrador). Of course this record could not be equalled or beaten until we get to a Championship Play-off Final!!!!

 

[osgood]

my main memory of this game is of being crushed, hot, thirsty, generally uncomfortable, unable to move anywhere at all in an chaotic seething mass just outside the north stand on the corner of newtown road ,
for what seemed an eternity, wasnt much better inside comfort-wise, crap to watch, aside from the fact we went up, had a thoroughly unpleasant evening and if i had my time over again would elect to stay at home !

 

[element]

Don't remember much about the game, being a ten year old at the time, but managed to faint due to the heat (excitement?), and waking up on my own on the little bit of grass slope at the back of the East Stand. Second biggest league gate in BHA history, if memory serves...

 

[seagullsoverlincoln]

i remember the massive celebration on the pitch at the final whistle.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I always feel got carried away on how good he was because, on gaining promotion he transfer listed 4 stalwalts in the Napiers, Dave Turner & Stewart Henderson. I feel this unsettled a pretty small squad and we certainly lacked the experince to cope when results were not going too well, after promotion.

 

[inland seagull]

the Watford game in 1958 when we won 6-0 to clinch promotion for the first time, the gates were closed with only 31,000 inside. This was a 6.15 kick off, in the days before floodlights, not sure that had anything to do with it

 

[u'vebeenamexed]

The Rotherham game.........we had drawn at home to Bolton on the Saturday and on Wednesday night another massive crowd was watching the game teeter towards another point lost, and with it a blow to our hopes. Into the last minute we went, and Ken Beamish, our latest hero signed for a record fee just a few weeks earlier, got the ball on the edge of the penalty area in front of the North Stand and swivelled towards us, up at the top of the North East chicken run terrace, and hit a hopeful right-footer towards the far post......the Rotherham goalkeeper dived comfortably to his left but the ball somehow escaped him and squeezed into the net!!!! Cue pandemonium on the terraces - that remains to this day the biggest surge of adrenaline I've ever experienced at the Albion, the desperation for the win, the running down of time and the status of the scorer combining unforgettably.....my heart rate has doubled just writing this post.....after that the Rochdale game was a bit of an anti-climax!

I think this may be the goal where the Goldstone crowd pressurised the Rotherham keeper into taking a short goalkick out to their left back infront of the Chicken Run who lost the ball and it was squared to Beamish to score the goal you described.

I can remember the incredible excitement and importance of the last minute goal by Beamish and the keepers mistake but I could not remember the game. Their keeper had been dodgy kicking all night and finally went short to waste time.

The Goldstone Roar - super memories.

 

[Bish Bosh]

There was a story - maybe apochryphal - about Jack Taylor the ref that night. With both teams playing the ball around and not challenging to get it back, he apparently said; 'you lot don't need me and I've got a long journey home'...and then blew a couple of minutes early. Doubt this can ever be confirmed now but does anyone know?

Thought their goal was scored by Cowans not Train btw.

Bournemouth away on April 1 (so just had 40th anniversary...jeez) was awfully tense too and the crowd must have exceeded their capacity that day. Suspect a lot of 'creative' gate reporting went on back then.

 

[LamieRobertson]

There was a story - maybe apochryphal - about Jack Taylor the ref that night. With both teams playing the ball around and not challenging to get it back, he apparently said; 'you lot don't need me and I've got a long journey home'...and then blew a couple of minutes early. Doubt this can ever be confirmed now but does anyone know?

Thought their goal was scored by Cowans not Train btw.

Bournemouth away on April 1 (so just had 40th anniversary...jeez) was awfully tense too and the crowd must have exceeded their capacity that day. Suspect a lot of 'creative' gate reporting went on back then.

lol..i don't think health n safety was in vogue back then

 

[Screaming J]

I was in 4th year at school (Lewes Priory) but have to say I don't remember having to bunk off early to get in.

Me and a mate ended up in the NE corner under the floodlight. We hadn't originally stood there but the crowd just got so big you were pushed further and further along.

I can't remember anything about the game at all except Templeman scoring in front of the S Stand early on.

Going home was an epic though. My Dad had arranged to pick us up at the Greyhound stadium and take us back to Ringmer but in the crowds we missed each other. We ended up walking all the way down the Old Shoreham Road and Upper Lewes Road trying to thumb a lift and eventually got one from someone who had been at the game when we were at Brighton Poly (as it then was) out by Moulsecoomb. My Dad got back about 01:00 having contacted the Police, every local hospital, Dr Barnados, Battersea Dogs Home and god knows what else! He wasn't pleased.

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

the Watford game in 1958 when we won 6-0 to clinch promotion for the first time, the gates were closed with only 31,000 inside. This was a 6.15 kick off, in the days before floodlights, not sure that had anything to do with it

must of been the game the local lad thorne bagged 5 goals,didn't he leave shortly after that?