Aston Villa: Memory Lane | Page 20 | Vital Football

Aston Villa: Memory Lane

Other than Villa games, my lasting memory of Villa Park was the FA Cup semi final replay between Leeds and Man Utd in 1970. A class mate of mine at school (11 year olds) was Russell Dugdale, who's dad, Jimmy used to run the Lion's club after playing for Villa and Albion. Russ told me that his dad had got two tickets and we could go to the match. It was a night game and the streets were heaving with fans (attendance 62,000). When I got to the Lion's club Russ told me that his dad had sold my ticket and I started to walk down Trinity Road to get the no 11 back home. Then there was a hand on my shoulder and as an 11 year old, I turned round to gaze up at this enormous copper behind me - he was truly huge. I was expecting the worse and then he said "have you got a ticket son?" I replied that I hadn't and was expecting to be told to "clear off out of the crowd". He then put his hand inside his tunic and pulled out a ticket and said that he had been asked to give it to a deserving cause. Having thanked him profusely, I raced back to the Lion's club to tell Russ. We were in the standing in the Trinity Road stand at the front and although the match ended 0-0, the players on that pitch were all legends. Leeds was Sprake, Reaney, Cooper, Bremner, Charlton, Madeley, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles and Gray (sub Bates). Man Utd was Stepney, Edwards, Dunne, Crerand, Sadler, Stiles, Sartori, Charlton, Kidd,and Best (sub Law). I would suggest that an English football ground would never witness such talent ever again. (see http://www.ozwhitelufc.net.au/23-03-1970 LUFC v Manchester United.htm ) Either of those teams would probably take apart Man City or even Barcelona if they ever played in the same era.
That year the FA Cup was a true marathon with two replays in the semi-final and a replay in the final that Chelsea (with the likes of Bonnetti, Osgood, Webb, Harris, Hollins and Hutchison) won with an injury time winner from Dave Webb.
Happy days and replays until a winner and no penalty shoot outs
 
OVB said:
If you 11 Villa shirts on a line. 20,000 people would turn up to watch them dry
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The saying has always been "if you make it they will come".
The new owners will be truly blown away by the level of support if and when we get success back to Villa Park. All we have ever wanted is a winning team that played good football. Just look at some of the crowds in the 3rd Division!! And then just revisit some of the video of the games when we won the League Cup in the 70's and the title winning team in 1981 and the European Cup winning team of 82. If the new regime can get Villa firing again, the top tier of the Trinity will not be enough to accommodate all the supporters and filling in the corners will be a priority. Aston Villa have been THE sleeping giant for far too long and just watch out if it ever wakes up!
 
Claret & Blue Blood said:
The saying has always been "if you make it they will come".
The new owners will be truly blown away by the level of support if and when we get success back to Villa Park. All we have ever wanted is a winning team that played good football. Just look at some of the crowds in the 3rd Division!! And then just revisit some of the video of the games when we won the League Cup in the 70's and the title winning team in 1981 and the European Cup winning team of 82. If the new regime can get Villa firing again, the top tier of the Trinity will not be enough to accommodate all the supporters and filling in the corners will be a priority. Aston Villa have been THE sleeping giant for far too long and just watch out if it ever wakes up!
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I just hope and pray that we are around to see it
 
Villa since '63 said:
You know what TH I think you maybe right. I did think of him but dismissed him as playing from the mid 60's and this photo is about 1969.
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Yes, I would place this photo about 1969 and Lew was still at the club until he left a couple of years later.

I was around 14-15 when this was taken and didn't recognise Eric Woodward or Barry Lynch.
 
Thomas Holte said:
Yes, I would place this photo about 1969 and Lew was still at the club until he left a couple of years later.

I was around 14-15 when this was taken and didn't recognise Eric Woodward or Barry Lynch.
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Not convinced it’s Lew Chatterley, but don’t have a scooby otherwise. Think the guy in the white shirt standing behind Peter Broadbent could be journalist Jeff Farmer who, sadly, died the day after Doug and was a lovely man. RIP.
 
A reminder of what might have been...

"Our players are enjoying it. If we finish in the top spot, brilliant. But nobody can take away how many Villa supporters have come to this ground this season and have seen – with two or three exceptions – smashing football. They’ve seen players express themselves and enjoy it and that’s the sort of thing we want to try and take through right to the death.”
Ron Atkinson, March 1993



More at -
http://www.the42.ie/aston-villa-1990s-ron-atkinson-doug-ellis-4285465-Oct2018/
 
A great photo of Brian Tiler, Andy Lochhead and the king of Villa Park Bruce Ricoh and the total gent walking behind them, manager Vic Crowe at Wembley 1971 for the League Cup Final against Spurs.

This was my very visit to the old Wembley and even though we lost because of 2 Martin Chivers goals we took the place over and the sound of VILLA.....VILLA echo travelling the stadium drowned out the Spurs fans.
league-cup-final-aston-villa-1971.jpg
It was a long time ago but I still remember it as a great day out with the Villa family.
 
Merlin128777 said:
Millwall in the 70s was ermm interesting !! I found myself separated from my mates and suddenly turned into a deaf mute when asked for the time !! For the old uns I am talking Cold Blow Lane.
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As I have said before and my account was graciously front paged by JF - Millwall on 01 April 1975 Tuesday evening was terrible. I was there, one of the very very few.
 
Thomas Holte said:
A great photo of Brian Tiler, Andy Lochhead and the king of Villa Park Bruce Ricoh and the total gent walking behind them, manager Vic Crowe at Wembley 1971 for the League Cup Final against Spurs.

This was my very visit to the old Wembley and even though we lost because of 2 Martin Chivers goals we took the place over and the sound of VILLA.....VILLA echo travelling the stadium drowned out the Spurs fans.
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It was a long time ago but I still remember it as a great day out with the Villa family.
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Will never ever forget it, got the album [lp] as well, I was still 14 and what I had to do to get that game is just unbelievable. I have hated spuds ever since and I also hate this
 
Merlin128777 said:
Do remember us winning the F.A.youth cup in 1972 team had Little & Gidman in . Used to draw some decent crowds back then as well.
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Briliant wasn't it - beat the sh*t and then Liverpool, I think attendances were around 18,000 and 21,000 for the home games and this was for the youth team in those days - I will never ever forget those games. God, it was a different era
 
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