26 years ago today we said farewell to our beloved Ayresome Park

Erimus74

Well-known member
26 years agao today - 30th April 1995

Boro 2 Luton 1

The final league game at our famous 93 year old ground was here, all the wonderful & not so wonderful, happy & sad memories, us Boro fans will have seen, Bryan Robson in his 1st managerial position had us on the verge of promotion

Late 1971 our dad took me & my younger brother in to the boysend, he could never remember who the opposition was on our 1st ever Boro home game, he would stand in front of us in the bob end, separated by a small wall & that was it, we were hooked

18th January 1972 when I was 11, me & my younger brother went to our 1st ever cup match when top 1st division Man City were the visitors for a 3rd round FAC replay our 1st floodlit game, showing a snow covered Ayresome Park, with snow piled up against the advertising boards, Boro winning the cup tie 1-0, courtesy of iconic legend Mr Middlesbrough John Hickton scoring the only goal

I can't ever remember missing more than a couple of home games in a row from late 72 until we left AP, attending all the very low & very low, low attendances we had, the Boro at home was a must in our household

Charlton's Champions was my favourite era, 47 years & still remembered as a great team, with great players
John Neal’s teams were awesome too with exciting times & very good players, Bobby Murdoch’s era brought us down to earth mind with a bump & reality that it wasn't set in stone we would have great players, in very good Boro teams
I enjoyed Malcolm Allison’s reign as manager, you felt part of something with the dwindling crowds & back's to the wall at times of struggle

Willie Maddren’s term as manager, well he was just so unlucky, the right man at the wrong time, he managed the club at our lowest ebb, made some excellent signings, tried unsuccessfully to make one or two other exceptional signings, but it just wouldn’t work for him, one of his major signings was bringing Bruce Rioch to the football club, Willie knew it wasn’t going to be at the Boro & after a succession of defeats was relieved of his duties, he had brought a group of players to the club who would go on to become household names, Boro legends in their own right
Bruce was given temporary charge of the Boro, with one request, try & keep the Boro in the 2nd division, Bruce tried but was unsuccessful & the Boro were relegated to the 3rd division away to Shrewsbury on the final day of the season

On the 21st May 1986, following relegation, the Boro went in to liquidation, what followed that summer was to become one of the most incredible seasons that many of us were fortunate to witness & most likely never see again, Boro & Bruce, the last person Willie Maddren brought to the Boro & most certainly Willie Maddren’s finest purchase, were made for each other & 3 fantastic season's followed

I can still see the celebrations before the Luton game, a number of ex-players paraded around all sides of the cinder path, Mannion, Maddren, Hickton, Boam, Platt, Hardwick, Mogga, Craggs, Hodgson to name but a few

I was lucky enough to be at the front of the holgate taking plenty of photos & getting my season ticket book signed by some of the ex-players

A fantastic sight to see when all 4 stands, with scarves waving, sang in unison ‘walk on’, followed by the naming of the new stadium being unveiled

The party atmosphere could make the players complacent, a very important game was to be played, the Luton game was massive, with one team going up automatically this was a game we HAD to win, not only avoiding the dreaded playoffs but to push us ahead of our closest promotion rivals for that one spot, plus, we lost our very 1st home league game at Ayresome Park on the 3rd of September 1903, we certainly didn't want to lose the last one

The match kicked off with the Boro players understandably feeling nervous, the atmosphere was quite muted, IIRC, then gerrriinn there, the ref awarded the Boro a penalty, the final spot kick awarded at Ayresome Park, Neil Cox took the responsibility of taking the penalty, unfortunately he stepped up with the kick, the crowd held their breath, the Luton keeper saved the spot kick, this certainly didn’t help the nervous Boro fans one bit, but super cool John Hendrie was to be our saviour, scoring 2 goals, either side of a Luton equaliser, in the 45th minute bang on half time & again in the 72nd minute, putting us Boro fans in dreamland, in the final stages chances were created which went begging, again not helping easing our nerves, eventually the ref blew the full time whistle for the final time for a league game at Ayresome Park, the sun was shining & the Boro had won, a victory parade followed, fan spilled on to the pitch to celebrate with the players, the party atmosphere continued, at this point we weren’t sure of automatic promotion, this came a few days later when Bolton drew at Stoke & Boro were up

In my time following the mighty Boro, we should have won the 1st division, we should have won the FAC & could & should have won the League cup, went in to liquidation, locked out of our ground, numerous promotions & relegations, one of the best ever in Graeme Souness, though we did win one piece of silverware when we won the ASC in 1975, beating Fulham 1-0 over 2 legs

Some 26 managers & approx 600 players have played for the mighty Boro & graced Ayresome Park
To name a few
As well as Charltons aces
Bruces's legends
George Camsell
Tim Williamson
Micky Fenton
George Hardwick
Wilf Mannion
Brian Clough
Alan Peacock
George Elliott
Carr brothers
Andrew Nesbit Wilson
Harold Shepherdson
Willie Whigham
Gordon Jones
Stand Anderson

Boro team in this historic day

Alan Miller
Neil Cox
Derek Whyte
Steve Vickers
Nigel Pearson
Clayton Blackmore
Bryan Robson
Jamie Pollock
Jan Aaga Fjortoft
John Hendrie
Alan Moore
Subs
Uwe Fuchs
Janie Mareno
Stephen Pears, our 1st ever loanee

Attendance, 23,903

I told my kids, once the Boro break your heart they have you for life

Ayresome Park thanks for the memories

UTMB - erimus

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Its funny isn't it but with all the highs and lows we've had and all the modern facilities I've never got the same buzz at The Riverside as I did at at Ayresome Park
 
Its funny isn't it but with all the highs and lows we've had and all the modern facilities I've never got the same buzz at The Riverside as I did at at Ayresome Park
Hard to replicate the experience of standing on a packed terrace, no matter how loud it gets in an all seater.
 
Time flies doesn't it , more especially the older you get 😟 ... I wish the new stadium had been built nearer the town, although I like the name.

I missed the Luton match and I miss (most, not all 'cos some were indeed very grim) matches at AP.
 
Who took the photos as they are good. Had you moved from the Holgate by the time the game kicked off? Living away from Boro at the time I was in Luton seats, keeping quiet until Boro scored and then I realised a fair few Boro fans had mates who were Luton members as there were a fair few of us juumping around with stewards giving us the evil eye.

The Luton fans were very good with us and didn't mind that we had sneaked into their end. I was sat next to a father with his young son and he was telling him 'this is what a real big football club is like son'. I wonder if he was saying that at Kenilworth Rd earlier in the season when again I was in the Luton seats right behind Robbo and Viv.

This was a great day I still remember the tannoy just before the end pleading with fans not to harm the pitch as we might still need it for the playoffs. However thanks to Stoke a few nights later we were champions!
 
Great day - tinged with sadness. Leaving Ayresome Park - it certainly conjured up such mixed emotions. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to stand on the Holgate anymore was probably the hardest pill to swallow - even though it meant going to a spanking new stadium.

Nostalgia often only offers you remembering the good times. Great thread, Erimus. UTB
 
man, it can't be that long ago, can it?! Miss it, I must have been one of the last 10 people to leave the Holgate that day, it was a strange feeling knowing I'd never be EIOing on that terrace anymore.
 
BM - I decided I couldn't leave and am still here. But am down near the Boys End corner.
I was describing yesterday how John Hendrie recreated the final goal ten years after the event by starting his run from someone's doorstep to sneak the ball home at the front post - now marked by a bronze dipped denim jacket plonked over a fence.
 
Remember when I used to go and see Boro and Boro reserves on alternate Saturdays.
Over about 20 years moved from the Kids' Enclosure to the Bob End to the Holgate End. Married and moved from central Middlesbrough to Linthorpe during this time, so it was a shorter walk to the Holgate.

Probably my favourite time was the Brian Clough 5 seasons or so. 3 England Internationals in attack and we still couldn't get promotion. Lots of great goals though.
 
Joseph Brackett scored the 1st penalty at Ayresome Park on the 21st November 1903 v Aston Villa, divison one, now PL, Boro won 2-1
Paul Wilkinson scored the last penalty at Ayresome Park on the 29th October 1994 v Swindon Town, divison one, now championship, Boro won 3-1

John Carr scored the 1st FAC penalty at Ayresome Park on the 15th January 1913 v Millwall, Boro won 4-1
Kevin Beattie scored the last FAC penalty art Ayresome Park on the 29th January 1983 v Notts County, Boro won 2-0

John Hickton scored the 1st league cup penalty at Ayresome Park on the 11th November 1975 v Peterborough, Boro won 3-0
Gary Rowell scored the last league cup penalty at Ayresome Park on the 3rd September 1985 v Mansfield Town, drew 4-4, 1st round, 2nd leg, we lost 6-4 on aggregate
 
Yes, that day 30th April 1995 was my 28th birthday.

I skipped a family christening to go to the game and stand on the Holgate where I had a season ticket (even though you didn't really need one).

Lots of emotion that day ❤

Today is my 54th birthday.
 
Yes, that day 30th April 1995 was my 28th birthday.

I skipped a family christening to go to the game and stand on the Holgate where I had a season ticket (even though you didn't really need one).

Lots of emotion that day ❤

Today is my 54th birthday.
many happy returns, what a day to share a big celebration with
 
10 double penalties in one game while playing at AP, we actually had 11 with the final double penalty been an away game
 

Last season at AP scrapbook, 148 pages of matches, players, facts & every match report from the 94-95 season, including every season fixture scores, league table & team photo of every Boro team from 1903 - 1995
 
26 years agao today - 30th April 1995

Boro 2 Luton 1

The final league game at our famous 93 year old ground was here, all the wonderful & not so wonderful, happy & sad memories, us Boro fans will have seen, Bryan Robson in his 1st managerial position had us on the verge of promotion

Late 1971 our dad took me & my younger brother in to the boysend, he could never remember who the opposition was on our 1st ever Boro home game, he would stand in front of us in the bob end, separated by a small wall & that was it, we were hooked

18th January 1972 when I was 11, me & my younger brother went to our 1st ever cup match when top 1st division Man City were the visitors for a 3rd round FAC replay our 1st floodlit game, showing a snow covered Ayresome Park, with snow piled up against the advertising boards, Boro winning the cup tie 1-0, courtesy of iconic legend Mr Middlesbrough John Hickton scoring the only goal

I can't ever remember missing more than a couple of home games in a row from late 72 until we left AP, attending all the very low & very low, low attendances we had, the Boro at home was a must in our household

Charlton's Champions was my favourite era, 47 years & still remembered as a great team, with great players
John Neal’s teams were awesome too with exciting times & very good players, Bobby Murdoch’s era brought us down to earth mind with a bump & reality that it wasn't set in stone we would have great players, in very good Boro teams
I enjoyed Malcolm Allison’s reign as manager, you felt part of something with the dwindling crowds & back's to the wall at times of struggle

Willie Maddren’s term as manager, well he was just so unlucky, the right man at the wrong time, he managed the club at our lowest ebb, made some excellent signings, tried unsuccessfully to make one or two other exceptional signings, but it just wouldn’t work for him, one of his major signings was bringing Bruce Rioch to the football club, Willie knew it wasn’t going to be at the Boro & after a succession of defeats was relieved of his duties, he had brought a group of players to the club who would go on to become household names, Boro legends in their own right
Bruce was given temporary charge of the Boro, with one request, try & keep the Boro in the 2nd division, Bruce tried but was unsuccessful & the Boro were relegated to the 3rd division away to Shrewsbury on the final day of the season

On the 21st May 1986, following relegation, the Boro went in to liquidation, what followed that summer was to become one of the most incredible seasons that many of us were fortunate to witness & most likely never see again, Boro & Bruce, the last person Willie Maddren brought to the Boro & most certainly Willie Maddren’s finest purchase, were made for each other & 3 fantastic season's followed

I can still see the celebrations before the Luton game, a number of ex-players paraded around all sides of the cinder path, Mannion, Maddren, Hickton, Boam, Platt, Hardwick, Mogga, Craggs, Hodgson to name but a few

I was lucky enough to be at the front of the holgate taking plenty of photos & getting my season ticket book signed by some of the ex-players

A fantastic sight to see when all 4 stands, with scarves waving, sang in unison ‘walk on’, followed by the naming of the new stadium being unveiled

The party atmosphere could make the players complacent, a very important game was to be played, the Luton game was massive, with one team going up automatically this was a game we HAD to win, not only avoiding the dreaded playoffs but to push us ahead of our closest promotion rivals for that one spot, plus, we lost our very 1st home league game at Ayresome Park on the 3rd of September 1903, we certainly didn't want to lose the last one

The match kicked off with the Boro players understandably feeling nervous, the atmosphere was quite muted, IIRC, then gerrriinn there, the ref awarded the Boro a penalty, the final spot kick awarded at Ayresome Park, Neil Cox took the responsibility of taking the penalty, unfortunately he stepped up with the kick, the crowd held their breath, the Luton keeper saved the spot kick, this certainly didn’t help the nervous Boro fans one bit, but super cool John Hendrie was to be our saviour, scoring 2 goals, either side of a Luton equaliser, in the 45th minute bang on half time & again in the 72nd minute, putting us Boro fans in dreamland, in the final stages chances were created which went begging, again not helping easing our nerves, eventually the ref blew the full time whistle for the final time for a league game at Ayresome Park, the sun was shining & the Boro had won, a victory parade followed, fan spilled on to the pitch to celebrate with the players, the party atmosphere continued, at this point we weren’t sure of automatic promotion, this came a few days later when Bolton drew at Stoke & Boro were up

In my time following the mighty Boro, we should have won the 1st division, we should have won the FAC & could & should have won the League cup, went in to liquidation, locked out of our ground, numerous promotions & relegations, one of the best ever in Graeme Souness, though we did win one piece of silverware when we won the ASC in 1975, beating Fulham 1-0 over 2 legs

Some 26 managers & approx 600 players have played for the mighty Boro & graced Ayresome Park
To name a few
As well as Charltons aces
Bruces's legends
George Camsell
Tim Williamson
Micky Fenton
George Hardwick
Wilf Mannion
Brian Clough
Alan Peacock
George Elliott
Carr brothers
Andrew Nesbit Wilson
Harold Shepherdson
Willie Whigham
Gordon Jones
Stand Anderson

Boro team in this historic day

Alan Miller
Neil Cox
Derek Whyte
Steve Vickers
Nigel Pearson
Clayton Blackmore
Bryan Robson
Jamie Pollock
Jan Aaga Fjortoft
John Hendrie
Alan Moore
Subs
Uwe Fuchs
Janie Mareno
Stephen Pears, our 1st ever loanee

Attendance, 23,903

I told my kids, once the Boro break your heart they have you for life

Ayresome Park thanks for the memories

UTMB - erimus

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A brilliant well written post Erimus74.
 
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