Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 17:24:27 GMT
In comparison to most of the excellent contributions on this topic, my Eton Park memories are more recent.
I moved to Burton in 1989 and started to go to an occasional game. In those days though I was a season ticket holder at Wednesday so usually headed up the M1. So my first game is difficult to pinpoint. I remember though some great players, Simon Redfern being foremost in my mind from those days. Our first house was on Barley Close and we chose the one that had the best view of the pitch (also the biggest garden). It was great, ok, the occasional bit of poor parking and a bit of noise, but perfect peace and quiet for the rest of the time. On nice days, when not at Hillsborough I stood on a pair of stepladders to watch the games, muck to the annoyance of 'mad Mick'.
It was towards the end of the nineties that I started going regularly and certainly when Clough took over. First i stood on the Popside then took seat in the main stand.
Great memories include:
The Southern League Cup final v Hastings, I had been on the independent coach to their place the week before - Andy garner scored twice I think. Back at ours on a rain soaked pitch under the lights it was a bit of a demolition, Alan Davies cracked a beauty and we won our first silverware under Clough. James Wall, a young lad on loan from Hereford broke his leg but carried on playing even hobbling up the steps for his medal.
Farnborough at home in the Trophy, Terry Henshaw with a late goal, shirt off twirling it above his head as he celebrated.
The Boston pub team game…
The whole of the Northern Prem season, rolling on relentlessly to the title…
The swapping ends at half time, occasionally I would leave the seats and go on the Gordon Bray if we were attacking that way…
It was a tidy little ground, obviously not a patch on what we have now, but small and perfectly formed, cover and decent facilities for all fans and a reasonable view. Same can't be said for some League teams, York, Accrington amongst others come to mind.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 17:45:36 GMT
Somewhere I have a video yes a video of that Farnborough FA Trophy tie, I was on about to a young lad I work with the other day, turns out he was with his mate who was mascot that night and involved in the pre-match kickabout, I must dig it out and see if he is on it as a 12 year old !
|
|
|
Post by claymillman on Dec 21, 2015 19:02:07 GMT
The story about Tom Bradbury remortgaging his house without telling his wife is true This is one of the reasons Ben has the Tom Bradbury Suite in his name. I was at the officially opening of the suite, and the story was retold by Ben in the presence of Tom's family. He kept Burton Albion alive at that time.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 19:09:25 GMT
The story about Tom Bradbury remortgaging his house without telling his wife is true This is one of the reasons Ben has the Tom Bradbury Suite in his name. I was at the officially opening of the suite, and the story was retold by Ben in the presence of Tom's family. He kept Burton Albion alive at that time. I remember Tom and his brother Walter, Cut them and they would have bled Burton Albion. Gone but never ever forgotten. Without them it is true the club would have folded.
|
|
|
Post by North Wales Brewer on Dec 21, 2015 19:35:06 GMT
The story about Tom Bradbury remortgaging his house without telling his wife is true This is one of the reasons Ben has the Tom Bradbury Suite in his name. I was at the officially opening of the suite, and the story was retold by Ben in the presence of Tom's family. He kept Burton Albion alive at that time. I remember Tom and his brother Walter, Cut them and they would have bled Burton Albion. Gone but never ever forgotten. Without them it is true the club would have folded. Tom was a fine gentleman,I was at William Hutson School in the same class as one of his daughters and would often give me a lift home when he came to collect her,as for Walter I think he was Sportsmaster at Horninglow Secondry Modern School.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 20:09:52 GMT
Can any one remember a game against Corby Town in the early 90's when I think we scored 3 goals in the 1st 2 minutes or something similar. On a very sombre note I don't think any of us who were there for the game against Cambridge City following the death of Simon Redfearn will ever forget that sad day.
|
|
|
Post by mikeyboy on Dec 21, 2015 20:23:27 GMT
Just a few more memories to take us back to Eton park. I remember the floodlights being put up. They were purchased from Bristol rovers I think. They were painted a reddy brown colour and presumably we could not afford to repaint them. the lights always shone in your eyes which I was told was because they were on a concrete base in Bristol and they were therefore lower when fixed in the ground at Eton park. I also seem to remember that at one point we played in black and AMBER or is my memory playing tricks on me? I think it was actually Bristol City, Eton Parker, Alex Tait was our manager at the time and Bristol City was his old club. He took us up to the Southern Premier too. And yes in those days we were definitely Black and Amber - not dissimilar to Wolves, one of the top teams of the 50's.
|
|
|
Post by mikeyboy on Dec 21, 2015 20:25:26 GMT
Can any one remember a game against Corby Town in the early 90's when I think we scored 3 goals in the 1st 2 minutes or something similar. On a very sombre note I don't think any of us who were there for the game against Cambridge City following the death of Simon Redfearn will ever forget that sad day. I remember both games TM - Eton Park was like a morgue after Simon died.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 20:37:51 GMT
The floodlights did indeed come from Bristol City, I remember reading about them in one of my old programmes. Black and Amber were our colours, when and why did we actually change to Black and yellow ? I really liked the amber. The season we lost "Reddars" I don't think I had missed a game home and away with my 2 boys, my mate Steve Spooner was playing in midfield for us at the time. It was difficult explaining what had happened, the previous game we had been at Bromsgrove Rovers and I remember our old boy Mark Whitehouse had elbowed him in the face that day, on the way home Simon wasn't on the players coach and drove past the supporters coach on the M5 in his own car tooting his horn and waving as he passed us. That was the last time I saw him and I think he was dead just a few hours later.
|
|
E.D.
Youth Team
Posts: 105
|
Post by E.D. on Dec 21, 2015 22:22:19 GMT
Can any one remember a game against Corby Town in the early 90's when I think we scored 3 goals in the 1st 2 minutes or something similar. On a very sombre note I don't think any of us who were there for the game against Cambridge City following the death of Simon Redfearn will ever forget that sad day. I've got a feeling that game might have been against Bedworth if it's the one that got us into the Guinness Book of Records, but I could be wrong. We got 3 goals in the first couple of minutes or so, and "only" won 4 - 2. Does anyone remember the Andy Canning goal one cold night that was very similar to the aforementioned Dale Anderson goal?
|
|
|
Post by swaddy Dave on Dec 22, 2015 9:10:37 GMT
Being able to wander anywhere, Having a drink and chat with players and staff in the clubroom post match, Real Bovril, Looking for any minor improvements to the ground every pre-season, Having to stand on the stairs to the stand in the York City FA cup replay because the ground was rammed, good view though and they were considered at the time to be a big club, Paul Groves hit the post at Bootham Cresent when it looked easier to score , Our Andy Garner doing a Trombone impression down the popside touchline after scoring an hat trick when he had received loads of abuse from some of our own fans when he came on, Robbie Talbots family who were standing just in front of us, ooops, giving us stick, fair dues, after us abusing him for being useless then he scored an hat trick. Countless good players some of which could easily have graced the football league but for some reason didn't get there chance, A lot who did move on to league teams, Many ex pro's playing for us, (amazing at the time), But most of all the friendly atmosphere of the cozy little arena called Eton Park, the memories will last forever.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 18:10:05 GMT
Was speaking to my eldest lad today and he informed me he was mascot for the Cambridge City/Simon Redfearn game, I had completely forgotten.
|
|
|
Post by swaddy Dave on Dec 23, 2015 9:45:21 GMT
I think I have posted this before maybe on the previous CTMD. After watching one of the first games at the Pirelli stadium I decided to wander over and take a look at Eton park during the days of its demolition, after walking down the path from Princess way behind the co op to where the turnstiles were at the end of the pop side I scanned the entire site which created real mixed emotions, my attention was drawn to a pile of masonry right by my feet some of which was painted bright yellow, I was like an excited little boy as I picked a piece up thinking about keeping it forever as a momento of the old ground, it was only as I rubbed my hands lovingly over it and drew it nearer to my face that I noticed it had a distinctive aroma, it was indeed a piece of the wall from the gents toilet that I and thousands of others had pissed against so many times, what a Tw-t .
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2015 20:35:36 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2015 20:42:43 GMT
That's brilliant, well done Terraceman for finding that
|
|
|
Post by bennyboy on Dec 23, 2015 21:41:50 GMT
Was that an assist by Pat Lyons then?
Brilliant find, I must have been there, forgot that one.
|
|
|
Post by mikeyboy on Dec 23, 2015 21:42:21 GMT
What an incredible goal it was - thanks TM.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2015 22:39:36 GMT
Was that an assist by Pat Lyons then? Brilliant find, I must have been there, forgot that one. The way Pat Lyons set him up I don't think he could miss !!!!! A fantastic goal in a truly fantastic season !
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2015 14:25:54 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2015 14:26:53 GMT
|
|