Fatsuma
Well-known member
4th November 1972
My first Boro match!
A young lad from the south, professing support for Leeds, my Dad took me to Ayresome Park to watch his team: ‘The Mighty Boro’
The ‘Fever Pitch’ experience of seeing the floodlit green grass and the intense red of the players’ shirts has remained with me all these years.
As has the memory of my Dad’s reaction when I declared “That was exciting!” on our walk back to the car, after two late Burnley goals turned an inevitable victory into a 3-3 draw!
To be honest, it took several years and the threat of extinction to totally recognise the Boro as ‘my team’ and fully acknowledge my heritage, hampered as I was by our distance from Middlesbrough.
The rugged quality of the players’ names from that game in ‘72 is sheer poetry: Platt, Spraggon, Boam, Nattrass, Craggs, Stiles, Gates, McMordie, Armstrong, Hickton, Mills.
The following season, the addition of the equally wonderful sounding names of Foggon, Souness and Murdoch and Big Jack - and a trip with my dad to nearby Luton Town to see us secure promotion to the Championship.
I’ve been fortunate to witness Cup finals, promotion matches and even relegations in the past 50 years, as well as the first league victory at Old Trafford in my dad’s lifetime in ‘98, and 8 goals scored against Man City at home. Oh, and a run of 28 away games over several seasons without seeing us win!
It took a while for the penny to drop for this southerner, but glad that it did. And I am very thankful for that first match experience and everything that has followed.
Here’s to the next 50!!
My first Boro match!
A young lad from the south, professing support for Leeds, my Dad took me to Ayresome Park to watch his team: ‘The Mighty Boro’
The ‘Fever Pitch’ experience of seeing the floodlit green grass and the intense red of the players’ shirts has remained with me all these years.
As has the memory of my Dad’s reaction when I declared “That was exciting!” on our walk back to the car, after two late Burnley goals turned an inevitable victory into a 3-3 draw!
To be honest, it took several years and the threat of extinction to totally recognise the Boro as ‘my team’ and fully acknowledge my heritage, hampered as I was by our distance from Middlesbrough.
The rugged quality of the players’ names from that game in ‘72 is sheer poetry: Platt, Spraggon, Boam, Nattrass, Craggs, Stiles, Gates, McMordie, Armstrong, Hickton, Mills.
The following season, the addition of the equally wonderful sounding names of Foggon, Souness and Murdoch and Big Jack - and a trip with my dad to nearby Luton Town to see us secure promotion to the Championship.
I’ve been fortunate to witness Cup finals, promotion matches and even relegations in the past 50 years, as well as the first league victory at Old Trafford in my dad’s lifetime in ‘98, and 8 goals scored against Man City at home. Oh, and a run of 28 away games over several seasons without seeing us win!
It took a while for the penny to drop for this southerner, but glad that it did. And I am very thankful for that first match experience and everything that has followed.
Here’s to the next 50!!
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