Old Foes | Page 5 | Vital Football

Old Foes

hindleymonwafc said:
Regarding Vale....FA cup 69 went to 1st and 3rd matches. Looking at details crowds were very good. 1st match at Springy 1-1 crowd 12,500 ish. Replay at Burslem 2-2 crowd just under 10k. 2nd replay at Old Trafford lost 1-0 crowd 16,500 ish. Lower league crowds in those days much better than now. All about the Premier league now.
Click to expand...

I went to 1st and 3rd game also ....we were at the scoreboard end ?,,,the one with the white picket fence behind the nets .....Port Vales scruffy scrambled winner was right in front of us Doug Coutts desperately trying to stop it.
I had thought there was only around 10k o at OT but can’t remember for sure.
The best crowd (relative to the level/status of the game) at a Latics home game in mylifetime was the 17k we had on v Peterborough (mid table 4th Division at the time) FA Cup 2nd round Dec 1970.

Never got more on at Springfield after that game.....remember being disappointed with ‘only 15k‘ on against Mansfield in the Cup (who were top of their table) 3 years later.
 
Zeb2 said:
I went to 1st and 3rd game also ....we were at the scoreboard end ?,,,the one with the white picket fence behind the nets .....Port Vales scruffy scrambled winner was right in front of us Doug Coutts desperately trying to stop it.
I had thought there was only around 10k o at OT but can’t remember for sure.
The best crowd (relative to the level/status of the game) at a Latics home game in mylifetime was the 17k we had on v Peterborough (mid table 4th Division at the time) FA Cup 2nd round Dec 1970.

Never got more on at Springfield after that game.....remember being disappointed with ‘only 15k‘ on against Mansfield in the Cup (who were top of their table) 3 years later.
Click to expand...
Big crowds a Springy had that magical feel about it,
no matter what the weather was like, hail,rain,sleet or snow,
when we scored, we was warm as toast.
 
Zeb2 said:
I went to 1st and 3rd game also ....we were at the scoreboard end ?,,,the one with the white picket fence behind the nets .....Port Vales scruffy scrambled winner was right in front of us Doug Coutts desperately trying to stop it.
I had thought there was only around 10k o at OT but can’t remember for sure.
The best crowd (relative to the level/status of the game) at a Latics home game in mylifetime was the 17k we had on v Peterborough (mid table 4th Division at the time) FA Cup 2nd round Dec 1970.

Never got more on at Springfield after that game.....remember being disappointed with ‘only 15k‘ on against Mansfield in the Cup (who were top of their table) 3 years later.
Click to expand...

Yes zeb I also watched the Peterborough and Mansfield games. And dont worry about the memory letting you down either...im same. With you saying the 17k was the last biggest i thought surely not. I could have sworn the league Cup run of 81 had bigger crowds but no...Chelsea 12,500 ish and Villa 15,500 ish. Thought the Villa match was close to 20k but it wasn't.
 
hindleymonwafc said:
I could have sworn the league Cup run of 81 had bigger crowds but no...Chelsea 12,500 ish and Villa 15,500 ish. Thought the Villa match was close to 20k but it wasn't.
Click to expand...
No that’s why it stuck in my mind so strongly, although the Villa game might have been subject to some ground restrictions by then ?....not sure

Still the point stands ....We were a League club by then hosting the reigning Champions, who were on their way to winning the European Cup ! We ought to have had 25,000 on for that (if only could we have fitted them in)

We were in the NPL in Dec 70 hosting what was a stumblebum mid table 4th Division outfit ....it was an astonishing attendance.

Imagine if we’d have been able to have got a fixture like that the Villa one ten years earlier !
I still think we would have had a significantly bigger fan base even now had we got in to the league 7 or 8 years before we did. (not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that Gordon Milne‘s 70/71 team not getting into the league was an absolute travesty that still manages to piss me off now 😅.)
 
springy-park said:
The night we played Tranmere at Springy in the FA Cup,
it was a freezing night and was a blizzard of snow.

The players went off the pitch and we thought it would be
abandoned, but the players came back on, Tranmere scored.

We equalised at the last minute, i think it was Alf Craig who
scored, but the ref disallowed it, by saying by the time the ball
hit the net the ref had blown for full time.

I've never seen this decision since in a match i've watched.
Click to expand...
Went to some replay at Tranmere, in the 60s. A night match. I have the programme in the garage.
Readers may recall how loathed I am to venture in there.
 
daleks.at.the.monaco said:
Went to some replay at Tranmere, in the 60s. A night match. I have the programme in the garage.
Readers may recall how loathed I am to venture in there.
Click to expand...


Mandy Hill scored for Tranmere he then later joined us. I was stood right behind the goal that Alf Craig's free kick came flying into the net the ref blew for time as the free kick was taken ,it was said the ref had to catch the last train back to Halifax and so didnt want to play extra time. Officials had it in for us even then lol
 
NOW THIS WAS A TEAM AROUND 1963


HALSALL WILKINSON CRAIG GUBBINS HOUGHTON D CROMPTON

CAMPBELL DAVENPORT LYON BROWN STANLEY2870dd1d25dd9d99176872e1fe8873be_XL.jpg
 
Last edited:
ZAKKY said:
NOW THIS WAS A TEAM AROUND 1963


HALSALL WILKINSON CRAIG GUBBINS HOUGHTON D CROMPTON

CAMPBELL DAVENPORT LYON BROWN STANLEYView attachment 43132
Click to expand...
Alan Brown arrived in 1964. A Latics manager legend for his two years. I remember the night Davenport left to go to play in Ireland. Crowd were calling out "Davenport, keep him" Dennis Houghton was a colossus at the back and Harry Lyon our greatest ever striker and a childhood hero. Alan Halsall was a fair keeper too.
The trainer on there is Wilf Birkett who was around for years. Always wore his Herrington type jacket.
 
jeffs right said:
Alan Brown arrived in 1964. A Latics manager legend for his two years. I remember the night Davenport left to go to play in Ireland. Crowd were calling out "Davenport, keep him" Dennis Houghton was a colossus at the back and Harry Lyon our greatest ever striker and a childhood hero. Alan Halsall was a fair keeper too.
The trainer on there is Wilf Birkett who was around for years. Always wore his Herrington type jacket.
Click to expand...

Do you remember why Davenport left I was there that day they chanted that but the crowd didn't know the reason till later
 
I remember Walter Stanley playing for Makerfield Mill in 1961. I went to watch them play on a ground opposite Birchall High School in Ashton in the early sixties. I think it was with his brothers family who lived near us. There is a picture of the team on the Wigan World website.
 
jeffs right said:
No I don't. Please tell.OTE="TRUE BELIEVER, post: 2519068, member: 11226"]I remember Walter Stanley playing for Makerfield Mill in 1961. I went to watch them play on a ground opposite Birchall High School in Ashton in the early sixties. I think it was with his brothers family who lived near us. There is a picture of the team on the Wigan World website.
Click to expand...


Did Walter play for Cromptons Recs ?

Carl Davenport scored 45 goals in one season for Latics before being released
 
Last edited:
Welcoming another in Chorley now!

We are at home but only time I went to Chorley we lost the Lancs Junior Cup Final to Skem ...I think 🤔 ....early 70’s
 
Quite ironic given the FA cup draw 🤣
Missing out on games against Blackpool and Chorley in a week 🙄
 
You must log in or register to reply here.