twenty years ago

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I have just been looking online and can't find any details . . . . it must be almost 20 years to the day that a few of us saw our first 'home' game at Pristfield. It was either a friendly or some sort of Layland Daft Ruck competition. Only the Rainham end was open, and we watched this evening game with watery sun in our eyes (made the eyes water. ahem). It was utterly dismal and depressing. Anyone else there? My goodness, what a 20 years. If the Football Gods offred me the chance of doing it all again, boy would they get a dry slap.

 

[Grassman]

I was! From Tunbridge Wells it was only an hr.

 

[studio150]

Was it the Leyton Orient League Cup 1st round 1st leg game, or was there a friendly before this.

I was certainly at the Orient game, but struggling to recall a friendly

 

[Bigtomfu]

Was it the Leyton Orient League Cup 1st round 1st leg game, or was there a friendly before this.

I was certainly at the Orient game, but struggling to recall a friendly

Think I was one of the hardy 1,073 souls at that game. What a bizarre set of circumstances to be watching us at the Priestfield and yet despite that the Rainham end almost became 'home' for those two seasons and the pub on the corner by the roundabout with the old school saloon bar and wood partition followed by the chippie immediately opposite became routine just as much as a trip to Corals sports bar had at the Greyhound stadium pre Goldstone.

 

[AZ Gull]

Was it the Leyton Orient League Cup 1st round 1st leg game, or was there a friendly before this.

I was certainly at the Orient game, but struggling to recall a friendly

We played a friendly at "home" to Palace on Saturday August 2 1997. From memory I think the attendance was around 600.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Didn't we play friendliest at Crawley and Worthing that summer?

 

[Monkey Man]

Such weird times at Priestfield. Simply by attending games you felt you were keeping the life support switched on for a little bit longer, and yet there was a nagging sense that the club was slowly dying. It really did seem at times that all hope was lost.

It puts into perspective most of the worries that are expressed these days by BHA fans.

 

[AZ Gull]

Didn't we play friendliest at Crawley and Worthing that summer?

Portsmouth, Tiverton Town, Bridgwater Town, Bideford, Welling Utd and Crawley. The Worthing game was the same day as the Palace Priestfield game (and was therefore a reserves/youth line-up).

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The nadir for me was losing 4-0 at home to Darlington when that tub of lard Gabbiadini scored a hat trick. I bet even those of us who were there would be genuinely shocked by the standard of football on display if we could watch it again now. Easy to forget just how dire things were.

 

[Hamilton]

I was there.

It was my first ever season as a season ticket holder. Up until that point I had only ever gone along on a match by match basis, but for that season I guess I thought I needed to show my commitment to supporting the club and I bought a season ticket and have had one pretty much ever since (with a break between 2006 and 2010).

Priestfield was a lonely experience. I'll never forget watching the Albion on the evening of a Champions League game. On the way back, Allan Green on Radio 5 asked in dismay what 2000 odd people were doing travelling to Priestfield on a Wednesday night when there had been such a huge Champions League game on TV. I instantly lost respect for Mr Green and my hatred of Champions League was reinforced. Real fans - clearly Mr Green has never been one - know where their priorities lie.

 

[Insel affe]

We played a friendly at "home" to Palace on Saturday August 2 1997. From memory I think the attendance was around 600.

I was one of that 600

Do I get a cookie

 

[chaileyjem]

here's that Leyton Orient programme courtesy of [MENTION=118]Hiney[/MENTION] 's wonderful programme archive. via
https://www.flickr.com/photos/75238685@N02/sets/72157634849329250/

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The nadir for me was losing 4-0 at home to Darlington when that tub of lard Gabbiadini scored a hat trick. I bet even those of us who were there would be genuinely shocked by the standard of football on display if we could watch it again now. Easy to forget just how dire things were.

That was not the worst for me (although it was no knees up). The 'Fans United' 0-0 bore draw versus Donny Rovers was quite something in terms of pain and humiliation. And the 1-5 loss to Millwall in the Freight Rover trophy (or whatever it was called then) was also a bit unspecial, with the mighty Jamie Moralee getting a rare goal. I always thought of Moralee in terms of Deep Purple's Ian Gillan's much recycled lyrical cliche: the blind man on the hill, standing very still.

Such were the times that we could have a striker go more than 20 gams without a goal and we still liked him. Well, we liked his hair mostly. Ooo aaa, ooo aaa, Richie Barkaaa!

The Cricketers was my prematch haunt, along with several old lovelies who still post on NSC and have season tickets at the Amex

 

[studio150]

Priestfield was a lonely experience. I'll never forget watching the Albion on the evening of a Champions League game. On the way back, Allan Green on Radio 5 asked in dismay what 2000 odd people were doing travelling to Priestfield on a Wednesday night when there had been such a huge Champions League game on TV. I instantly lost respect for Mr Green and my hatred of Champions League was reinforced. Real fans - clearly Mr Green has never been one - know where their priorities lie.

Totally agree, who doesn't go to a live game of the team that you support because of some live tv game.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Totally agree, who doesn't go to a live game of the team that you support because of some live tv game.

Always been a bit of a tit though, Green. I've long imagined him to be a puffed-up little Mr Toad figure, sat in his commentary box wallowing in his own sense of self-importance.

 

[Bob!]

I was at The Palace friendly.

Also went to the friendly at Welling. Remember it pissing down before the game so much that they decided to play 30 minutes each way.

We sat in the San Siro stand, named after the Fiat dealership across the road from the ground.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Totally agree, who doesn't go to a live game of the team that you support because of some live tv game.

Come on! AG 's comment was tongue in cheek/ironic

 

[DumLum]

That was not the worst for me (although it was no knees up). The 'Fans United' 0-0 bore draw versus Donny Rovers was quite something in terms of pain and humiliation.

Especially memorable for me as I broke down near Rochester and had to pay about £100 to join the AA.

 

[supaseagull]

My enduring memory of that first season was watching us play Torquay at home. I'd never seen us play Torquay as I missed the 2-2 draw the season before and always thought of them as a bottom 2 team when I was growing up. Not only was it probably the worst game of football I think I've ever witnessed, with us losing 4-1 at home, I missed the damn bus home. I was fortunate that Matt Hicks was there to sort me out a lift home, otherwise I would have been stranded! God that place was hell!

 

[jimhigham]

Ah, yes. Orient. I was there for that match. And that Darlington howler too. It's odd but I actually have fairly decent Priestfield memories if only because it made the bond between the hardcore supporters all the stronger. If you were there then it really must have meant something.