Interesting question. Is a four minute spell at the end of a rather dispiriting 45 minutes of football capable of turning a game into one of the best ever? I'm not sure it does.
For me, the Wimbledon game remains the best I've ever been at, and what a great post from @Steve_Peart as a reminder of it. What made those four minutes at the end of the Carlisle game so extraordinary was the double-pump when Beany's goal came on top of an already brilliant injury time equaliser, but the second half hadn't been brilliant (and in fact the first hadn't been all that great, apart from the two goals). At Wimbledon the tension built throughout the game and when the penalties came round, you kind of saw each moment of excitement coming; while the outcome of a moment was unknown, you knew you were in a moment that was going to one way or the other. On Saturday we'd already had that moment of excitement and had barely drawn breath before we had another, utterly unexpected one. So I think those four minutes were for me better than any other equivalent period in any other game, but the whole experience of the game doesn't compare with the Wimbledon game.
@Wig_and_Pen said:
Interesting question. Is a four minute spell at the end of a rather dispiriting 45 minutes of football capable of turning a game into one of the best ever? I'm not sure it does.
Got to disagree. Sometimes the highs just lift everything that went before (or after) to another level. You can sit and analyse after and say well the quality of football wasnt great, so it can't have been a great game of football, but then you'll come across like @DevC (no offence).
talking of that Peterborough game, there were some great games during that whole run (back in the day when just to make the first round meant you'd had a decent cup run)
there was a replay against Trowbridge in one of the qualifying rounds that we just about scraped through in extra time courtesy of Nicky Evans
and a 1st round replay against Boston for which the official attendance was about 4,000 but anyone present will tell you that there was barely room for another person. I'd say it was nearer double the official figure
I'd love anyone who knows these things to tell us how many were really in the ground that night
For the dramatic finish, Saturday is hard to top, but as far as the best ever Adams Park match, hard to say, but the 2-1 against Huddersfield and the 5-3 V Brentford stick out for me.
I can't imagine the Wimbledon game ever being beaten though, the drama & tension that night was quite extraordinary.
To answer @Wig_and_Pen's post, although the quality of the football wasn't great, although their penalty was a shock and Joe's miss probably a greater one, and although the collapse from 2 - 0 to 2 - 3 was dispiriting while it was happening, all those thing were part of the narrative that made the two goals in injury time so absolutely wonderful.
Football, particularly at our level, is only partly about the quality of play and the aesthetics of the beautiful game. For us, surely, it's mainly about the emotion, and the emotional roller-coaster of Saturday's game was what made the dėnouement what it was.
Totally agree @OakwoodExile Similarly, if we hadn't lost in such dispiriting fashion to Bristol Rovers, Torquay wouldn't have been the unbridled joy it turned out to be. If we hadn't ballsed up the end of the 93/94 season so badly, we'd never have had the play-off victory, and Davey Carroll's legendary goals. So many more.
After much thought, my favourite Adams Park match is the Coventry league cup tie in 93-94. To be 3-0 down from the first leg but take it into extra time with a late equaliser, and then go 4-0 up with a Cousins free kick, was just extraordinary. We just didn’t have the legs to finish the job, their winning goal took a lucky deflection, but we beat a top level side 4-2, the only time we have beaten one at home, ever.
It was a fabulous performance and the atmosphere was absolutely electric, reaching its peak with that Cousins goal, blasted through the wall from 25 yards. It was his first game back after being stripped of the captaincy, sent off two Saturdays running.
Thinking about my favourite games, it's clear that the most of them were away, and in the evening. Might have to have a separate thread for Top Ten favourite games!
Given that when I arrived they had closed 3 corner turnstiles due to that section being full (so 3/4 of the ground) and I ended up crushed in what is now the away end it's hard to believe that it was only 66% capacity!
On the Coventry game I just remember screaming like a maniac for about 5 minutes after Cousins scored. Was really unbelievable until reality kicked in
@eric_plant I was speaking with the late John Goldsworthy about that gate at a capital league game and he stated that the paying attendance was over 7,000 the turnstile stopped recording at some point. I never really understood exactly what he meant. But it was pretty obvious that there were far more than the stated official attendance.
Comments
Interesting question. Is a four minute spell at the end of a rather dispiriting 45 minutes of football capable of turning a game into one of the best ever? I'm not sure it does.
For me, the Wimbledon game remains the best I've ever been at, and what a great post from @Steve_Peart as a reminder of it. What made those four minutes at the end of the Carlisle game so extraordinary was the double-pump when Beany's goal came on top of an already brilliant injury time equaliser, but the second half hadn't been brilliant (and in fact the first hadn't been all that great, apart from the two goals). At Wimbledon the tension built throughout the game and when the penalties came round, you kind of saw each moment of excitement coming; while the outcome of a moment was unknown, you knew you were in a moment that was going to one way or the other. On Saturday we'd already had that moment of excitement and had barely drawn breath before we had another, utterly unexpected one. So I think those four minutes were for me better than any other equivalent period in any other game, but the whole experience of the game doesn't compare with the Wimbledon game.
England U21s v Moldova U21s has to be up there for AP games
Got to disagree. Sometimes the highs just lift everything that went before (or after) to another level. You can sit and analyse after and say well the quality of football wasnt great, so it can't have been a great game of football, but then you'll come across like @DevC (no offence).
Peterborough and Kettering in the first season were pretty special
That Kettering game was amazing
Including Martin O'Neill popping over to the Valley Terrace at half time to say thanks for the great support, but could you mind the language a bit?
talking of that Peterborough game, there were some great games during that whole run (back in the day when just to make the first round meant you'd had a decent cup run)
there was a replay against Trowbridge in one of the qualifying rounds that we just about scraped through in extra time courtesy of Nicky Evans
and a 1st round replay against Boston for which the official attendance was about 4,000 but anyone present will tell you that there was barely room for another person. I'd say it was nearer double the official figure
I'd love anyone who knows these things to tell us how many were really in the ground that night
The 5-3 vs Reading was a superb game.
Wasn't that the one where they subbed their goalie at half-time because he was so rubbish?
For the dramatic finish, Saturday is hard to top, but as far as the best ever Adams Park match, hard to say, but the 2-1 against Huddersfield and the 5-3 V Brentford stick out for me.
I can't imagine the Wimbledon game ever being beaten though, the drama & tension that night was quite extraordinary.
I think it may be well up there as a league game, however some cup's have been amazing at AP.
To answer @Wig_and_Pen's post, although the quality of the football wasn't great, although their penalty was a shock and Joe's miss probably a greater one, and although the collapse from 2 - 0 to 2 - 3 was dispiriting while it was happening, all those thing were part of the narrative that made the two goals in injury time so absolutely wonderful.
Football, particularly at our level, is only partly about the quality of play and the aesthetics of the beautiful game. For us, surely, it's mainly about the emotion, and the emotional roller-coaster of Saturday's game was what made the dėnouement what it was.
Totally agree @OakwoodExile Similarly, if we hadn't lost in such dispiriting fashion to Bristol Rovers, Torquay wouldn't have been the unbridled joy it turned out to be. If we hadn't ballsed up the end of the 93/94 season so badly, we'd never have had the play-off victory, and Davey Carroll's legendary goals. So many more.
After much thought, my favourite Adams Park match is the Coventry league cup tie in 93-94. To be 3-0 down from the first leg but take it into extra time with a late equaliser, and then go 4-0 up with a Cousins free kick, was just extraordinary. We just didn’t have the legs to finish the job, their winning goal took a lucky deflection, but we beat a top level side 4-2, the only time we have beaten one at home, ever.
It was a fabulous performance and the atmosphere was absolutely electric, reaching its peak with that Cousins goal, blasted through the wall from 25 yards. It was his first game back after being stripped of the captaincy, sent off two Saturdays running.
Thinking about my favourite games, it's clear that the most of them were away, and in the evening. Might have to have a separate thread for Top Ten favourite games!
Steve, do you know how many were actually in the ground for that Boston replay, and are you able to say?
@eric_plant , I don't know, I did query it at the time with the club and was assured the stated figure was accurate. I still have my doubts.
I don't have any doubts!
Given that when I arrived they had closed 3 corner turnstiles due to that section being full (so 3/4 of the ground) and I ended up crushed in what is now the away end it's hard to believe that it was only 66% capacity!
On the Coventry game I just remember screaming like a maniac for about 5 minutes after Cousins scored. Was really unbelievable until reality kicked in
@eric_plant I was speaking with the late John Goldsworthy about that gate at a capital league game and he stated that the paying attendance was over 7,000 the turnstile stopped recording at some point. I never really understood exactly what he meant. But it was pretty obvious that there were far more than the stated official attendance.