What do you remember of your first Boro Match?

F

fmttmadmin

Administrator
Staff member
I posed this question to over 150 Boro fans, a few former players and then waited by my inbox for their replies.
How was your lockdown I? The results were really interesting and have made what I think is a unique book because in true fanzine fashion I stood back and left everything in the fans own words.
Gillie Hatton asked me some questions in an interview at the end of last week - oh and what an incredible cover photo by the great Paul Thompson and lovely design from Graeme of 6e. Interview here - The Tees Online
 

Attachments

  • my boro debut.jpg
    my boro debut.jpg
    440.5 KB · Views: 19
Being slowly crushed down-over towards the floor of the NE corner in the crush to get out of the small exit gate at the bottom of the terrace. Shouting for help and nothing happening until all the weight suddenly went from behind me and I was lifted out of the stand in the arms of a huge Boro boot boy, complete with scarf round his wrist, a very shocked and scared 9 year old boy to be reunited with my uncle from whom the pushing of the crowd had separated me. I’ve no doubt I’d have been trampled under foot without the actions of that guy as I was already on my knees and being pushed further down. I never thanked him as I was too shocked and upset. If you are reading, I’ve never forgotten and I will always be thankful for your actions that day.

Boro 0 Liverpool 0.
 
We got beat 1-0 against Stockport in 1996. Paul Jones, Chris Marsden and Alun Armstrong played for them if I remember rightly.

I remember the ball going straight for my Dad who was excited to catch it and pass it to me on my first game. Some yob ran and dived in front of him from about 5 seats away and punched it away. ******.
 
Mine was Jack Charlton era when I was a nipper. Boro v Leicester. Sat behind the goal and can vividly remember their goalie hitting his head against the post and needing the "magic sponge" :)
 
Smell of beer.
Farts.
Tabs.
Burgers.
Being lifted up by the crowd and flung 10 yards when we scored.
The sheer din of noise in the Holgate.
Smoke.
The glow of the floodlights at night.
 
Like many of my early matches, it was an away match, and I don't think I appreciated a) what a big deal the day was or b) what a good result it was.

Everton away in the cup in '88. I really didn't understand the going out of business 18 months or so before, or how remarkable what BR did with that team. I did know Everton were champions, but it didn't really occur to me that that made even getting a draw special.

I do remember walking to Goodison, and hearing the "Everton, Everton" chants from outside. Singing before the match is something that seems to have vanished due to a combination of numbered seats and selling beer inside the ground. I still have a soft spot for Everton as a result.

The old Park Lane stand was a mass of pillars, and I remember everyone leaning forward (couple of rows in front of me, and the one behind) to see round the post that obstructed our view of the goal.

I remember Paul Kerr's goal very clearly. My Dad and I had taken a friend of mine who was a plastic Everton fan, and I remember the guy sat behind him ruffling my friends hair up when we scored. My friend was not best pleased. Also recall a great Pearsy save late on: he became my first Boro hero after that.
 
In the 70s against Man City, I think I was in the clive road stand and there was a crush and I was lifted up to the seated area above..

At least that is the memory I have but cant work out what the date or score was, i think we got beat 2-0 though?

edit: looks like it might hve been '77 we got beat 2-0 then and the crowd was quite big...
 
Last edited:
Yes, the grass was so lush and green. December 1966 v Darlo. First time I saw football in colour!
 
I remember my dad saying I had to go into the Holgate end for my first game (like a rite of passage) and then asking how I would see knowing it was standing, not seats. I remember going into the toilets on the right and shocked at having to pee up against a wall. Oh and the smell. My dad was adamant I had to take in the pitch so as I walked up the steps and came out under the roof of the Holgate at the back I was struck by the greenness of the pitch looking amazing as I was a red-hot, first game of the season day.

So I could see the game I was taken right into the corner of the Holgate, nearest to the South Stand, and sat on the brick wall. I’ve always been an avid reader and despite been interested for the first half hour i remember been engrossed in the programme for the majority of the rest of the game.

One other thing that stood out and was always the same is that I always thought Ayresome had a “smell”. The mixture of pies, fags, alcohol, pee, all blended into an aroma that for some reason is not at the Riverside. So strange that Ayresome had this aroma and sadly I can sometimes pick this up when I open up a box of programmes for the Ayresome era. How it’s stayed with them I don’t know but each time I open them up it brings it all back.
 
Boro S'land. 73 The sheer weight of noise going in to the Holgate at the corner. I ended up with the Sland fans and yes they really did set aside one corner of the Holgate for them back then.
There was a no mans land of empty terraces between the goal and the corner and every now and then someone would run across to try and take on the opposite supporters.

I was asked by a few lads my age who I supported. I answered S'land for fear of being beaten up. They replied they were Boro. I am still ashamed of that to this day.

It was 40p to get in
 
Last edited:
April 1st 1967 - Boro beat Mansfield 1-0 (own goal)

My sister got married that Saturday and I was 8, I was allowed to go with my older brothers, whilst my dad was celebrating the wedding at the NOWC.

We got the free bus from North ormesby market place and watched from the boys end!!

I don't remember much of the match but did return a month later to see our promotion game against Oxford United!

https://www.11v11.com/teams/middlesbrough/tab/matches/season/1967/
 
3-1 at home to Walsall, 1986. They wore our blue away kit, presumably their kit man brought the wrong gear. Don't recall any details about the match, I was only 6
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top