Freddie Goodwin.
Well-known member
Albion's chase for promotion was back on track following the 2-1 defeat of leaders Aston Villa.
March 31st was good Friday and a chance to close the gap on Bournemouth with one of our games in hand, and what an opportunity, at home to bottom of the table Torquay.
Nearly 28,000 turned up, on a sunny day, to see what should have been an easy day but Albion were strangly jaded. Maybe it was the tension, the effort of beating Villa or the heat. Maybe it was because no-hopers Torquay were free to relax and play some football because it was Torquay who stunned the Goldstone crowd when taking the lead before half time.
The packed North Stand were doing their best and there was even a bugler who kept playing the 'charge' just like in the old Westerns and it was a bit like that as Albion laid seige to the south goal.
But the spark was missing and frustration was turning to dispair as we entered the last 10 mins and still losing. Then , with just eight mins to go, a lifeline, penalty!
You could cut the tension with a knife and then the huge wave of relief as Bert Murray levelled the score. The noise and the passion was back but the game was not over yet. Albion scored 2 more, through Kenny Beamish & Bertie Lutton so the record books show a respectable score hiding the tale of a real nail-biter.
Albion had closed the gap on Bournemouth to just 1 point and we had a game in hand. And coming up the next day was the eagerly awaited trip to Bournemouth for a sold-out all ticket encounter.
A little, personal, footnote to the Torquay game. My long suffering mother had to put up with my many moods depending on the Albion scores, and i was pretty stroppy when we lost too! She was not into football but took up following Albion so she'd know what mood i'd be coming home in.
When I got home from the match and started to tell her about it she stunned me by saying "yes i know, I was there" I think that may have been the only time she went but I'm so glad she did and she became quite knowledgable over the years and I miss not being able to chat about Albion's fortunes with her now. It makes me smile to think about her, no doubt with shopping bag on arm, standing on the crowed terraces of the Goldstone!
March 31st was good Friday and a chance to close the gap on Bournemouth with one of our games in hand, and what an opportunity, at home to bottom of the table Torquay.
Nearly 28,000 turned up, on a sunny day, to see what should have been an easy day but Albion were strangly jaded. Maybe it was the tension, the effort of beating Villa or the heat. Maybe it was because no-hopers Torquay were free to relax and play some football because it was Torquay who stunned the Goldstone crowd when taking the lead before half time.
The packed North Stand were doing their best and there was even a bugler who kept playing the 'charge' just like in the old Westerns and it was a bit like that as Albion laid seige to the south goal.
But the spark was missing and frustration was turning to dispair as we entered the last 10 mins and still losing. Then , with just eight mins to go, a lifeline, penalty!
You could cut the tension with a knife and then the huge wave of relief as Bert Murray levelled the score. The noise and the passion was back but the game was not over yet. Albion scored 2 more, through Kenny Beamish & Bertie Lutton so the record books show a respectable score hiding the tale of a real nail-biter.
Albion had closed the gap on Bournemouth to just 1 point and we had a game in hand. And coming up the next day was the eagerly awaited trip to Bournemouth for a sold-out all ticket encounter.
A little, personal, footnote to the Torquay game. My long suffering mother had to put up with my many moods depending on the Albion scores, and i was pretty stroppy when we lost too! She was not into football but took up following Albion so she'd know what mood i'd be coming home in.
When I got home from the match and started to tell her about it she stunned me by saying "yes i know, I was there" I think that may have been the only time she went but I'm so glad she did and she became quite knowledgable over the years and I miss not being able to chat about Albion's fortunes with her now. It makes me smile to think about her, no doubt with shopping bag on arm, standing on the crowed terraces of the Goldstone!
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