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Post by 57hattersyears on Oct 25, 2020 15:58:31 GMT
Looking at 'Hatters Matters' earlier today my attention was drawn to the fact we were at Boundary Park 37 years ago this evening. Circumstances in my school yearsI could so easily have meant that I ended up watching Latics. My '57 Hatters Years' piece on Boundary Park outlines why; recalls a Dean Emerson double on the first time I went there with County; reflects on how Oldham tried to pull up the drawbridge once they were in the Premier League. And there's a brief mention of Harpal Singh ... who remembers, (or would want to remember!!) him. Plus a few pictures of how BP looked back then. t's been over a decade since we last played there. And it's quite possible, given current form, that if we do go up this year then there won't be a meeting in 2021/22 either. So far they've got 5 points so a drop may be on the cards?? Boundary Park - what could have been |
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Post by runtothehills on Oct 25, 2020 16:49:56 GMT
Sheffield Wednesday would have been my club if I'd followed in my dad's footsteps, was born there but moved around a bit with his job and we settled in Cheadle Hulme when I was 9, his love of football had completely gone so went to citeh utd a couple of with mates and a couple of Wednesday games over here but it was Friday nights at EP that hooked me when me and a mate decided to go and that was that.
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Post by malc on Oct 25, 2020 19:24:54 GMT
I've never made any secret about my former life as a bitter but it could have been worse. Much worse.
However, I was saved by Southamton's former striker Ron Davies and a dropped bollock by my Dad.
On August 16th 1969, my pa took an 8 year me to Old Trafford for my 4th ever match. For the previous 3, he'd taken me on the Warwick Road end however, on this day, he took me in the Stretford End.
Man U 1 Southampton 4. Ron Davies scored all 4. The natives weren't happy and I was utterly terrified.
3 months earlier, I'd watched City win the Cup so when my best mate at school decided he was going to support City from now on, I followed suit.
I went to Edgeley several times in the 70's but even the most diehard County fan would tell you it was pretty and City were my team until my work situation changed and Mark started to get tickets for County from the players at Whitehill School in 1991 and demanded that I take him to Edgeley on my weekends home. The friends I made then are still my best mates to this day. The rest is history and I've had my colours firmly nailed to the County mast for almost 30 years now.
Funnily enough, I now detest City as much, if not more, than I ever hated the reds. That said, I hate the whole Greedy League set up full stop and probably would have become a County fan anyway.
But I did come close to being a Dunger. Thanks Ron. And Mark.
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Fez
Frequenter
Posts: 471
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Post by Fez on Oct 25, 2020 20:05:28 GMT
Charlton Athletic, if my mother's side of the family had dragged me to The Valley before my grandfather took me to Edgeley Park.
Conceivably it could have been Manchester United. My grandfather was an admirer in the '50s and '60s, and I kind of inherited that when Law, Best, Charlton, Kidd, Stepney et al rolled around.
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Post by Stranded Hatter on Oct 25, 2020 20:07:10 GMT
I actually saw both Manc clubs before County as my gran was a dunger and my godfather was a bitter but didn’t enjoy either. County were the only games I enjoyed.
My parents lived in Rochdale when my brother was born, if they’d stayed there rather than moving to Stockport we could have ended up supporting that lot 😧
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Post by oakwoodbank on Oct 25, 2020 20:34:21 GMT
The nearest team to me as a boy was Ward Street Old Boys who played on St Thomas' Recreation Ground.
I used to play cricket with the Scouts on the patch of land adjacent (1st Stockport Troop).
I suppose all that land has now been used for housing.
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Post by Philcounty on Oct 25, 2020 20:47:31 GMT
Although I was born in Stockport and lived in Reddish. We moved to Longsight when I was around 2. My parents weren't born in England so didn't have an allegiance to any team so I didn't really get into football until I started school. My two best friends in primary school were Liverpool fans so I decided I was too for a while. One day aged about 7 or 8 I went to a birthday party of a different friend and all of the boys were singing 'glory glory Man Utd" so I, being rather fickle at that age, decided I was a United fan. That lasted for a couple of years until some family friends who lived in Cheadle Hulme took me to my first ever live game at Edgeley Park. I was instantly hooked and have followed my hometown team ever since.
Good thread.
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Post by redhatter on Oct 25, 2020 20:57:49 GMT
My family are all reds and my dad took me to a few matches at Old Trafford.
The problem was I wanted to watch much more football than my dad, but my parents weren't willing for me to go to Old Trafford without them as I was about 12 at the time.
I started watching County, as my parents were much more relaxed about me going to Stockport. I invited friends who supported United, City, Liverpool and Everton and we ended up going regularly to Edgeley Park. They hardly ever watched their own team live.
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Post by leicesterhatter on Oct 25, 2020 21:15:03 GMT
My family are all reds and my dad took me to a few matches at Old Trafford. The problem was I wanted to watch much more football than my dad, but my parents weren't willing for me to go to Old Trafford without them as I was about 12 at the time. I started watching County, as my parents were much more relaxed about me going to Stockport. I invited friends who supported United, City, Liverpool and Everton and we ended up going regularly to Edgeley Park. They hardly ever watched their own team live. City. My dad started out as a County fan in the 60s, ended up watching City for a bit when we were particularly bad, but was then only going once in a... ahem... blue moon. I didn't get into football until I was about 10 as I spent most of my time swimming, but dad took me and my sister to EP, and that was that! |
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Post by Imposter on Oct 25, 2020 21:17:38 GMT
My mother is from Hounslow in West London and used to watch both Brentford and Chelsea a bit as a youngster.
My father was born and bred Moss Side, and a Man United fan since early childhood in the 1950's.
They met at college in Leeds.
They moved firstly to Southall in West London.
Then decided they had a better chance of affording somewhere to live up here, so moved up and in with my dad's parents who by then had been moved out to Burnage (opposite St Bernard's Church) following slum clearances in Moss Side.
Househunting they used to see a bus go along Burnage Lane and decided to catch it one day to see where it went and look around there for a house. I'm guessing it must have been the 197 or 22, as they ended up in Heaton Moor and bought a house on Moorside Road (now a chiropodist). They've/she's been in Stockport ever since.
Growing up there was myself and 3 brothers. My dad could never afford to take us to a Football match - and I wasn't interested in football until into my teens anyway.
Of my brothers the oldest 4 years my senior is a United fan - used to go under his own steam/money to stand on the old Stretford End back in the late 80's and early 90's - he still holds a membership and goes a few times a season despite now living in Northamptonshire. My other older brother is not a Football fan. My younger brother, 2 years my junior, is s United fan but less so than my older brother.
So if we look at family allegiances and where I could have been born/brought up then it's
Man United
Man City
Brentford
Chelsea
Leeds
Leeds is unlikely, they both dropped out of college and weren't there all that long. Man United is probably the most likely candidate.
Thankfully it's County instead.
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Post by Imposter on Oct 25, 2020 21:23:56 GMT
The nearest team to me as a boy was Ward Street Old Boys who played on St Thomas' Recreation Ground. I used to play cricket with the Scouts on the patch of land adjacent (1st Stockport Troop). I suppose all that land has now been used for housing. If we're talking closest team when we became a fan then it's County for me - Cheadle Town, Cheadle Heath Nomads, Woodley Sports, West Didsbury and Chorlton, Stockport Georgians etc...all further away than EP. Not for quite a few divisions below that do you get to a closer team, and by then it's proper amateur grassroots with no real ground setup, fan facilities, fan culture, or fan base. |
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Post by Count de Stockport on Oct 25, 2020 21:24:41 GMT
If my grandfather hadn’t died two years before I was born, then I might well have ended up having some allegiance to Citeh (shudder)
Otherwise, all my friends at school were dungers and I was the kind of kid who just wanted to fit in
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Post by scfc73 on Oct 26, 2020 0:13:33 GMT
Portsmouth if i'd of stayed where i was born, Stoke if i'd of followed in my fathers footsteps. Did go to quite a few Stoke games as a kid but we moved to Stockport when i was 13. Luckily i saw the light & have been a County fan for the last 34 years.
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Post by philtheglass on Oct 26, 2020 7:02:27 GMT
Sheffield Wednesday would have been my club if I'd followed in my dad's footsteps, was born there but moved around a bit with his job and we settled in Cheadle Hulme when I was 9, his love of football had completely gone so went to citeh utd a couple of with mates and a couple of Wednesday games over here but it was Friday nights at EP that hooked me when me and a mate decided to go and that was that. Wednesday played a big part in my life aswell, like you, my Dad was a Wednesdayite, exiled in Stockport having moved over the pennines for work reasons. My first ever live game was a League Cup second round game at Edgeley Park against Wednesday in 1967 at the age of 6. Up until then the black & white footage of Best, Law & Charlton on sunday afternoon took most of my interest up. A neighbour of ours was associated with County at the time & i remember standing listening to my Dad & him talking about County's latest game & the neighbour saying on numerous occasions 'you should come to a game', & me saying 'Dad can we go, Dad can we go'. After that initial visit, we started going to the 'big home games' in the division & the rest is history
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Post by Count de Stockport on Oct 26, 2020 7:35:43 GMT
The nearest team to me as a boy was Ward Street Old Boys who played on St Thomas' Recreation Ground. I used to play cricket with the Scouts on the patch of land adjacent (1st Stockport Troop). I suppose all that land has now been used for housing. If we're talking closest team when we became a fan then it's County for me - Cheadle Town, Cheadle Heath Nomads, Woodley Sports, West Didsbury and Chorlton, Stockport Georgians etc...all further away than EP. Not for quite a few divisions below that do you get to a closer team, and by then it's proper amateur grassroots with no real ground setup, fan facilities, fan culture, or fan base. Grew up in the High Peak, so by distance for me would have been: Tintwistle Villa (loooooool) Glossop North End Stalybridge Celtic Some Ashton team County I was born in Stepping Hill and lived in Heaton Moor to begin with - are there any clubs geographically closer to there than County? |
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