[Football] My first trip to Wembley

[Eeyore]

1981 (ish) Eng v Scotchland schoolboy international.
Blonde haired lad from Villa played, Shaw?

Probably not in 1981. He was in the Villa side that won the title that year.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Yup, against Bulgaria. Was postponed as we walked up Wembley way. It was held the next night. Funny how so many aspects of the modern age would just never allow an international to be postponed and played the following night. Life is getting more complicated.

I was going to that game on a school trip, 2 coach loads of us got stopped by the police in London, we were told the match was postponed.
The coaches stopped at the next public toilets and loads of older lads just disappeared for what seemed like ages.
The school didn’t rearrange coaches for the next night but told us we could make our own way to Wembley.
I didn’t go but a train got vandalised on the way back and that was the end of anymore trips to Wembley.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

That wasn’t a bad England team.

Ridiculous, that Revie made a mess of 1978 qualification.

 

[PeterT]

My first trip to Wembley also in 1978, school trip on a coach full of riff raff.


View attachment 159863

I know it says ‘to be retained’ on the ticket, but I don’t think they meant it quite that literally!

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

Remember going on a school trip to Wembley in the 70’s. Tarring High School Worthing. Got totally outclassed by the Dutch. What a team!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Yup, against Bulgaria. Was postponed as we walked up Wembley way. It was held the next night. Funny how so many aspects of the modern age would just never allow an international to be postponed and played the following night. Life is getting more complicated.

This has just come up on my Twitter feed, bit of a coincidence.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

I was at the 4-1 win against Scotland in 1969. I wasn't really interested in football back then, how things change!

 

[um bongo molongo]

Funnily enough, my first England game at Wembley was also a 1-1 draw between England and Brazil, but NOT that one!

this one.
england 1 brazil 1 1987

My first as well!

 

[thejackal]

My first (and only) visit to the old Wembley for a footy match was the cup final replay '83. Obviously not the happiest of days for a Brighton supporter but I was also at Highbury for the semi so I can't grumble. I used to regard that semi as the Albion's biggest ever 'win' and I suppose it still is.

 

[LamieRobertson]

It’s boring I know ..but that game some might remember against some northern team that ended 2/2 ….second wasn’t quite so good

 

[calvstar]

Randomly it was a preseason American Football game between the Dolphins and 49ers, I was a dolphin fan and got to see Dan Marino play one series but that was enough for 12 year old me

 

[Bodian]

Funnily enough, my first England game at Wembley was also a 1-1 draw between England and Brazil, but NOT that one!

this one.
england 1 brazil 1 1987

I went to that game. I remember being in the pub in Green Park, and suddenly thinking 'better get to the ground'. I think we got in with about a minute to spare. A proper packed 92,000 on the terraces - felt like more than at the cup final matches somehow.

 

[faoileán]

There is no two ways about it; playing the cup semi-finals at Wembley has seriously eroded the status of the FA Cup. Fun though it may be to sing "Que Sera Sera..." at Stamford Bridge last weekend, this is only the semi-final... a game that should really be played at Villa Park. WEM-BER-LEE should be the ultimate achievement...

 

[ExmouthExile]

My first game at Wembley was the Full Members Cup Final between Man City and Chelsea about 1986? I only went up because my boss‘ brother was a Chelsea fan and I think it was on a Sunday so nothing better to do so a group of us went up, pay on the gate I think, not a bad crowd about 60k I think. I also went to the Nott’s County play off final, that was on my 26th birthday, felt like shit that day and the next day found out I had chicken pox.

 

[Brovion]

Are you sure it was for a Full International if it was the school who ran it? Mine was for the schoolboys internationals and the teams were both school kids aged around 15.
Chelsea Stoke, I was in the Chelsea end! I was 17 and went by train. Stupidly wore a scarf of the wrong colours, it was just a scarf to me, and had it nicked by Chelsea fans. Strangly I remember telling a copper whose reply was "3'o'clock son". So many things you forget in old age but some things stay with me forever.

100% certain it was a full international. It was at night, (they were all evening games I went to) and the thing I do remember is that the coach used to leave about an hour or before school finished at 4 0'clock, so we got to skip some lessons!

The other thing I remember is looking at the crowd on the opposite side and watching all the smokers light up. There were so many in those days that we were treated to a twinkling light display caused by the flares of all the matches and lighters.

 

[Lethargic]

Are you sure it was for a Full International if it was the school who ran it? Mine was for the schoolboys internationals and the teams were both school kids aged around 15.
Chelsea Stoke, I was in the Chelsea end! I was 17 and went by train. Stupidly wore a scarf of the wrong colours, it was just a scarf to me, and had it nicked by Chelsea fans. Strangly I remember telling a copper whose reply was "3'o'clock son". So many things you forget in old age but some things stay with me forever.

Tarring High School regularly ran multiple coaches to full internationals, I did Brazil, Netherlands, Czech and another in the 70s.

 

[Skuller]

I was going to that game on a school trip, 2 coach loads of us got stopped by the police in London, we were told the match was postponed.
The coaches stopped at the next public toilets and loads of older lads just disappeared for what seemed like ages.
The school didn’t rearrange coaches for the next night but told us we could make our own way to Wembley.
I didn’t go but a train got vandalised on the way back and that was the end of anymore trips to Wembley.

I went to the rearranged England Bulgaria match the day after it was postponed for fog. Three of our party couldn’t go so I tried to tout the tickets outside Wembley (I said life was simpler then). I was offering three £3 tickets for £3 (it was a buyers’ market), shouting “3 tickets for £3”. A guy came up and I confirmed I was selling for £3, he misunderstood, gave me £9, and walked away happy (as was I).

 

[Skuller]

Remember going on a school trip to Wembley in the 70’s. Tarring High School Worthing. Got totally outclassed by the Dutch. What a team!

I’m not surprised considering the Dutch were playing a school team.

 

[theboybilly]

There is no two ways about it; playing the cup semi-finals at Wembley has seriously eroded the status of the FA Cup. Fun though it may be to sing "Que Sera Sera..." at Stamford Bridge last weekend, this is only the semi-final... a game that should really be played at Villa Park. WEM-BER-LEE should be the ultimate achievement...

Or played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite the jokes about United's London support it is still just as easy to get to Wembley from Manchester as it is from the South Coast with it just taking an hour longer by train these days.

 

[tronnogull]

Yes, that's it. But these games took place every year so not sure which year I went. I wonder was it Primary School or Secondary School. I started the latter in 1966 but reckon it would have been Primary School kids aged around 10.

I think mine was primary school. I was at Goldstone junior, Ellen Street...

Yes, that's it. But these games took place every year so not sure which year I went. I wonder was it Primary School or Secondary School. I started the latter in 1966 but reckon it would have been Primary School kids aged around 10.