This day 1978 As a young 17 year old I stood in the holagte & watched a centre forward make his debut

On Tuesday 4th April, David Shearer made his debut at home to Chelsea scoring 2 goals as the mighty Boro ran out 2-0 winners, a cracking debut. DS went on to make 115 appeearences for the Boro, scoring 30 goals

Peter Johnson made his 1st of 45 appearences for the Boro, scoring one goal

While Alan Walsh was named as No12, the 2nd of 3 games he was named as sub, coming on for Stan Cummins in the 2nd half

Also the 1st game keeper Dave Brown had played in that the Boro won & he kept a clean sheet

John Neals team

Dave Brown
Ian Bailey
Peter Johnson
John Mahoney
Stuey Boam
Alan Ramage
David Mills
Stan Cummins
Dave Shearer
Tony McAndrew
Dave Armstrong
Sub
Alan Walsh

Leeds away
Everton away
(I think)

I remember his last minute winner against Liverpool at the end of the 79/80 season. I was in my final days of primary school and I gave it large to all the Liverpool 'fans' the next morning.

Erimus74 said:

On Tuesday 4th April, David Shearer made his debut at home to Chelsea scoring 2 goals as the mighty Boro ran out 2-0 winners, a cracking debut. DS went on to make 115 appeearences for the Boro, scoring 30 goals

Peter Johnson made his 1st of 45 appearences for the Boro, scoring one goal

While Alan Walsh was named as No12, the 2nd of 3 games he was named as sub, coming on for Stan Cummins in the 2nd half

Also the 1st game keeper Dave Brown had played in that the Boro won & he kept a clean sheet

John Neals team

Dave Brown
Ian Bailey
Peter Johnson
John Mahoney
Stuey Boam
Alan Ramage
David Mills
Stan Cummins
Dave Shearer
Tony McAndrew
Dave Armstrong
Sub
Alan Walsh

Click to expand...

Dave Brown in goal ? I have absolutely no recollection of that name at all (which probably says more about the state of my brain than anything else !)

Malaguena said:

Dave Brown in goal ? I have absolutely no recollection of that name at all (which probably says more about the state of my brain than anything else !)

Click to expand...

During John Neals 1st season 77-78 season he tried both keepers, Pat Cuff & Dave Brown as a potential successor to challenge Jim Platt for the No1 Jersey
Both keepers played 10 games each that season & John Neal looked elsewhere & bought Jim Stewart the following season, 1978-79 who he placed as his No1 keeper, normal service was resumed half way through the season & Jim Platt was reinstated as the No1 Boro keeper

Too fond of the ale and the bookies was David. Big change coming down from the Highlands of Scotland as a boy.
Quiet lad, but could have been much much more than he turned out.
I liked him, twas a shame.
When he left us he played for Gillingham and got 1 in 2 in the 4th division across 4 seasons.

Just a few months later another young forward emerged who is one of my all time favourites; David Hodgson.

Erimus74 said:

During John Neals 1st season 77-78 season he tried both keepers, Pat Cuff & Dave Brown as a potential successor to challenge Jim Platt for the No1 Jersey
Both keepers played 10 games each that season & John Neal looked elsewhere & bought Jim Stewart the following season, 1978-79 who he placed as his No1 keeper, normal service was resumed half way through the season & Jim Platt was reinstated as the No1 Boro keeper

Click to expand...

Pat Cuff I remember well. Did we buy the Brown lad then or did he come up through the club ?

He was another nearly man was Shearer - quite good on his day, but those days didn’t come round often enough

Malaguena said:

Pat Cuff I remember well. Did we buy the Brown lad then or did he come up through the club ?

Click to expand...

Hartlepool lad, came through the ranks

Was is Jim Stewart who had a testimonial late 70s against Scotland. Remember loads travelled south to Ayresome for that?

No, Willie Maddren, 1978

I’ve been going since 1969 and was there. It was an excellent debut. I don’t remember Dave Brown though?

Found this Erimus from a Scottish fan site, they said Tony Mac was the only Scottish Connection. Didn’t our Jim Stewart play in goal for Scotland that night. I was there but I was 8 so it’s a tough one to recall.

The late Willie Maddren's testimonial at Ayresome Park on May 9th 1978 was billed as Middlesbrough v Scottish International XI. The front cover of the programme has a a football with a pic of Maddren (obviously) taking the most prominent position with below left a pic of then Boro boss John Neal and below right a pic of Ally McLeod holding a crown (!!!!!) over his head.

Like Coop there was no ostensible Scottish connection other than that one of the match sponsors (but not the only one, there were also three Middlesbrough nightclubs) was S&N Breweries.

Pre-match entertainment was between a team of Boro veterans (including Jack Charlton who never played for Middlesbrough but had managed them) and the "Wembley Sportsmaster Top Ten XI" (no, I can't work out Top Ten XI either). Best known name in that side was Bill Oddie though it contained some names well-known then but less so today such as Ken Farrington (Billy Walker in Coronation Street), Roy North (Mr Roy to Basil Brush), Dave Dee (minus Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), 'hard man' actors Bryan Marshall, Patrick Mower, Brendan Price & John Lyons, DJ Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart and the only footballer amongst them, then Shamrock Rovers manager Kevin O'Shea. One of the 'Sportsmasters' mercifully missing that night was Stuart Hall.

The 'Scotland' side was picked from amongst all 22 Argentina-bound players but the only Scottish connection in the Boro team was Tony McAndrew and the only World Cup one referee Pat Partridge, the only English ref going to Argentina. There was an article about Ally McLeod - "The Uncrowned King of Scotland" - along with that cringe-inducing photo from the front cover.

IIRC the game finished 5-5. I know these matches aren't to be taken all that seriously but when Billy Ashcroft, a striker renowned for having a head like a threepenny bit (try Google images if you're too young to remember the twelve-sided coin), scored a hat-trick with his napper, that was, for me, an omen that Argentina might not be so easy as most were predicting.

Not sure, I don't think so, I thought it was Alan Rough, Ally Mclo said he'd bring a strong Scottish team