Here (pictured below) are the books in WH Smiths - that pile is quite a lot lower now.
- fan first game memories from 1946 to 2015. First game venues Ayresome Park to Wembley Stadium (imagine that).
Transport to match from bicycles looked after in streets around Ayresome to trolley bus, trams, O bus and walking through back streets of Linthorpe. Oh and Billy Ashcroft arriving for debut in a clapped out van.
Pre-match rituals - calling in to corner sweet shops, sitting outside while dad downs a swift pint in Linthorpe pubs.
Odours of bovril, piped and smoked tobacco.
Green green grass of the pitch. Floodlights.
Sounds of the crowd.
Squeeze over turnstiles, jumping over the wall in the Boys End.
Some of the players witnessed Mannion, Clough, Hickton and George Friend.
Fans that you may know included in the book - could be faces you see home and away because I have asked lots of my friends that are regulars.
Also Mark Benton, Glen Durrant, Mark Clemmit, Bob Fischer, Mark Drury, Gordon Cox, Paul Addison, Harry Pearson, Daniel Gray, Bernie Slaven, Jim Platt, Andy Campbell, Billy Ashcroft.
All fans/ex player submitted written accounts - in their own words - from a couple of sentences to over 1000 words. Some are almost family histories including a touching piece from Willie Maddren's brother. People coming from Cannon Street, Linthorpe etc drawn to the floodlights.
Above all in this year where we can't go to the game here are over 160 Boro people taking us back to their first ever game and reminding us all about how it will be so special next year when the turnstiles open again. I deliberately put Jack Bolton's memory first - he talks about the excitement and relief of being able to go to his first game when football resumed after WWII - isn't that a great message for our COVID year. Hope for the future with our many happy Boro returns.
