Your First Villa Match

[hansardtony]

January 1963. FA Cup v Leicester. Lost 2-1 with the Doog getting the winner for Leicester. That makes me feel old.!

[Rodders]

sat 19 october 1996 H v Leeds United won 2-0. Can't even remember the goals, although I believe Sasa Curcic got one. I remember him being involved as it can't have been too long since we bought him from Bolton so I was excited for that. In the Doug Ellis Stand, I mostly recall my dad sheepishy not saying anything as I misheard a chant and kept calling the referee a 'flanker'.

[tonyh29]

Saturday, 4th February 1978 @ Highbury

 

I was there as a 7 year old with my Arsenal supporting Dad and brother

 

Malcolm MacDonald scored an own goal and thus I supported Villa to annoy my older brother 

 

and the rest is history  ...

[AlwaysAVFC]

3 hours ago, handsworthvilla said:

Great thread!

Mine is a bit of a strange one. When we bought Savo Milsosevic in the summer of '95 we agreed to play his old club (Partizan Belgrade I believe) in a friendly at VP as part of the deal. 

I remember it was a couple of weeks before the infamous 3-1 victory against Manchester United, which is remembered for Alan Hansens "you won't win nothing with kids" quote. 

Anyway, we won 3-0 if I remember correctly. My dad was really excited because a bunch of new players were on show (Southgate, Draper, Alan Wright, Milosevic etc). 

I'm pretty sure Milosevic scored. After that game I got a shirt with his name on the back and he was my hero. To this day I'm still unsure why he got such a bad rap from the press and villa fans. His scoring record wasn't all that bad and he complimented Yorke well. Not to mention the screamer in the cup final. 

It was a great day, especially because we won. I hope one day if I have a son he can be introduced to Villa with a win, because I think that played a big part in my obsession going forward. 

I never went to the game but remember going on a Villa Park tour with Kiddy Harriers which happened to be the day after that game. While I was at VP i bought a Villa bandana which I got signed by the man himself at bodymoor Heath a few weeks later. I've still got it somewhere.

[TRO]

9 hours ago, rjw63 said:

Villa Times, I used to get our papershop to keep me a copy. No idea if I have any copies in the loft, haven't seen em for years.

 

So nostalgic that, the bottom row is interesting.....Alex Cropley, I could watch him all day in his pomp, a technician.....and my old pal Gordon Smith, spent much time with him having a sherbert....a lovely boy, true Gent.....a very sad loss.

Ps that '77 side was some team.

pps....thanks to rjw63

Edited September 5, 2016 by TRO

[blandy]

9 minutes ago, tonyh29 said:

Saturday, 4th February 1978 @ Highbury

 

I was there as a 7 year old with my Arsenal supporting Dad and brother

 

Malcolm MacDonald scored an own goal and thus I supported Villa to annoy my older brother 

 

and the rest is history  ...

Was it a really crap game, and peeing it down with rain? o.g. in the second half?

[tonyh29]

1 minute ago, blandy said:

Was it a really crap game, and peeing it down with rain? o.g. in the second half?

sounds about right ... seem to recall Pat Jennings coming out to punch and MacDonald heading it past him

[Dave J]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

So nostalgic that, the bottom row is interesting.....Alex Cropley, I could watch him all day in his pomp, a technician.....and my old pal Gordon Smith, spent much time with him having a sherbert....a lovely boy, true Gent.....a very sad loss.

 

Alex Cropley- what a player, boy how I loved watching him play. Don't think he was ever the same after breaking his leg- TRO you might remember was it against the baggies when he sustained the injury? Honestly not sure, memory fading now- but what a player!

[LondonLax]

It was a 3-3 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage in 2005. 

Luke Moore and Liam Ridgewell were the scorers with O'Leary in charge as manger. 

I had scored a ticket in the members area at Fulham and was sat just behind AlFayed and Doug Ellis. 

We went back to the 'Chairmans lounge' after the game and Martin O'Neil was there. Perhaps a sign of things to come.

Edited September 5, 2016 by LondonLax

[Dave J]

4 hours ago, TRO said:

So nostalgic that, the bottom row is interesting.....Alex Cropley, I could watch him all day in his pomp, a technician.....and my old pal Gordon Smith, spent much time with him having a sherbert....a lovely boy, true Gent.....a very sad loss.

 

Ok TRO- I need a bit of help  here Giddy- Little- Phillips- Deehan.

Gray- Brown?? Nicholl- ?? Carradus.

sid- Alex- Budgie- smith- Graydon.

thanks:-)

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Dave J said:

Alex Cropley- what a player, boy how I loved watching him play. Don't think he was ever the same after breaking his leg- TRO you might remember was it against the baggies when he sustained the injury? Honestly not sure, memory fading now- but what a player!

Yes it was.....Alistair Brown....It happened in the centre circle and you could hear the crack where i was in the upper old trinity....it was sickening.

we have had some great players suffer through that....Sid Cowans, Luke Nilis and Alex

ps one of my favourite Villa players.....his play made me purr.

Edited September 5, 2016 by TRO

[TRO]

25 minutes ago, Dave J said:

Ok TRO- I need a bit of help  here Giddy- Little- Phillips- Deehan.

Gray- Brown?? Nicholl- ?? Carradus.

sid- Alex- Budgie- smith- Graydon.

thanks:-)

First I think is Frank Pimblett, the second is John Robson.

[Dave J]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

First I think is Frank Pimblett, the second is John Robson.

John Robson- yes I believe your correct, thank you. Frank Pimblett? I honestly don't know this name TRO- gosh I thought it may have been Jimmy Brown.

thank you again:-)

[Dave J]

24 minutes ago, TRO said:

Yes it was.....Alistair Brown....It happened in the centre circle and you could hear the crack where i was in the upper old trinity....it was sickening.

we have had some great players suffer through that....Sid Cowans, Luke Nilis and Alex

ps one of my favourite Villa players.....his play made me purr.

Brilliant footballer was Alex- I'm fairly sure the boggies must have singled him out as a danger man because I think they took him out at the Hawthorns in a night game- this was also a serious injury as well for Alex?

[TRO]

16 minutes ago, Dave J said:

John Robson- yes I believe your correct, thank you. Frank Pimblett? I honestly don't know this name TRO- gosh I thought it may have been Jimmy Brown.

thank you again:-)

I am not absolutely sure but I think its Frank.

Frank was from the Youth academy and came out with us as a group with Jake, Andy and Bobby Mac....He was a mercurial talent, who Andy championed vociferously.

Frank was from Liverpool, but unfortunately had a bit of an appetite for the amber nectar.....remember watching him at Stoke have a really good game, but unfortunately didn't play many first team games.

Ps Dave after saying all that i think its David Hughes, not Frank

Edited September 5, 2016 by TRO

[Dave J]

8 minutes ago, TRO said:

I am not absolutely sure but I think its Frank.

Frank was from the Youth academy and came out with us as a group with Jake, Andy and Bobby Mac....He was a mercurial talent, who Andy championed vociferously.

Frank was from Liverpool, but unfortunately had a bit of an appetite for the amber nectar.....remember watching him at Stoke have a really good game, but unfortunately didn't play many first team games.

Thanks TRO. Great days these!

[The Moustache of Teale]

I was a late starter in going to games as my dad was an armchair fan. When I did finally go, my first match was a baptism of fire in the local derby away at St Andrews in December 1987. Villa won 2-1 with Garry Thompson netting both. The atmosphere was unbelievable - complete mutual hatred and hostility with the sound of police dogs and helicopters everywhere. 

The away end was so overcrowded there was a real danger of crush injuries.

Brilliant first match. I was hooked from that day.

Two of the starting 11 that day, Paul Birch and Bernie Gallacher are sadly no longer with us.

[Mantis]

I've just realised, I don't think I actually saw the goal we scored at my first Villa game. It was a penalty and everyone one was standing up and since I was only little I just had to go by the crowd reactions.

[Raver50032]

First game I was 9 or 10 years old in the 1984/85 season - at home against Sheffield Wednesday. I was sat with my dad in the Upper North in my brand new Aston Villa bomber jacket. Didier Six (a French man) was playing for us, and I have a suspicion that instead of Spink in goal, Kevin Poole was playing. Sheffield had Imre Varadi and Lee Chapman playing.

Villa won 3-0. The only real thing I remember about the game was seeing crowd scuffles in the Lower North over towards the Trinity and some Police around there jumping up and down with some sort of legalised methods of control.

My first game in the Holte End was August 1992, against Southampton. 1-1. Frank McAvennie scoring for us, with Micky Adams scoring for them. For me, the 1992/93 home kit will always be my favourite. Closely followed by the Reebok kit for 1995/96. The days when football kits were still class.  

[VILLAMARV]

8 hours ago, Mantis said:

I've just realised, I don't think I actually saw the goal we scored at my first Villa game. It was a penalty and everyone one was standing up and since I was only little I just had to go by the crowd reactions.

I particularly used to hate corners for this reason as a kid. Never saw a damn thing! I couldn't even remember the scorers in my first game lol but when I was trying to take in the sheer size of everything around me, the crowds, the stadium, the pitch I remember the players being so small and far away (if I know VT, cue Father Ted right?). I wonder if the non-standing thing made it better for the kids in this respect?