Early Away Days
Altrincham to reach Wembley and Slough Town away, going with my family when I was a nipper really stick in my mind.
Yesterday, my son did his first ‘proper away match’ (White Hart Lane and Wembley Saarfend aside) and his first terrace experience.
I gave him his ticket when we took our place and asked if he wanted to keep it to remember the day. He took it and didn’t look arsed or know what I was on about.
He really enjoyed the day, and it’s not just because of the team. It’s YOU LOT too. The fans made his day so good, from the fry up breakfast nearby with lots of blue around us, the singing, the inflatables, the ‘saving our spaces when he need the loo’! Bumping into Jason McCarthy in the service station on the way back and meeting what felt like half of High Wycombe in there too! Everything. I think he may become a ‘left side’ which is fine by me, but I’m a ‘barmy army!’ whereas he is a ‘chairboys!’.
I think he sang himself to sleep with E-I-E-I-E-I-O!
When he went off to bed last night, the last thing he says was “Dad, I think I will keep that ticket”.
My heart melts.
If he remembers the day in 30 years like I remember days like Altrincham and Slough Town away when I was young, just what price can you put on that?
So I got thinking, what really early away days really stick with you and why?
Comments
Bridgend away in 1978 (I think). Met Keith Mead on the train on the way home he was a real gent and sat with us for about 30 minutes talking about football.
One memory of that day was being chased around town by a group of bikers,i was only about 18 and i shit myself!! We won 1-0.
I’m assuming you got away!!! ?
0-0 away at Farnborough. It was the match where Graham Bressington ended up playing in goal as Gary Lester was injured in the warm up.
I remember being hugely impressed by the Wycombe support, which was probably at least half the total attendance of perhaps 1000. We used to take good numbers away in those days, even though the home support had declined from what it had been and wasn't anywhere near the level it is now.
When I saw the title of this thread I was gearing myself up to say (as diplomatically as possible of course!) that it was jumping the gun a little. I was anticipating talk of away days to places as near as Watford and as far away as Everton in a few months time. Completely wrong. Not ‘early’ in the sense of eagerly anticipated trips later this year but trips early in life.
And what a wonderful tale from @username123. Brought tears to my eyes. For a few minutes I was back in the kind of setting he/she described. Great memories.
Great story @username123 ... hope its the start of many years to come for him, and obviously both of you together.
My lad unfortunately is not interested at all, so have to go on my own.
@micra I thought it was going to be announcing a pre-season tour of Louisiana!
Not Wycombe but one memory of an away day that sticks in my mind is when Ashford Town travelled to Stotfold. It was an FA Cup game, maybe 2nd or 3rd qualifying round or something. Stotfold won 2-1, Ashford’s ‘Kaiser’ Paul German missed from the spot and it kicked off in the dugouts. Ashford’s manager Dave Kent was a fierce character. There was so much tension in the crowd and I remember that feeling of both sides wanting to win as it was the FA Cup.
My first ever awayday was back in 1968 when as a 12 year old I managed to persuade my parents that they wanted to do their Christmas shopping in the city of Oxford. This of course quite coincidentally was the day Wycombe playing Oxford city away in the first round of the Amateur cup. The game was played at the wonderfully quirky White House ground on the Abingdon Road. Unfortunately we lost 3-2 so no Wembley glory that year. We wore our classic change kit (note I didn’t say away kit) of red shirts white shorts and red socks. A few years later another away day that sticks in my memory was playing Corinthian casuals again on a December afternoon at a rather sparsely populated oval cricket ground. Nowadays we frequent stadiums like Hillsborough, the stadium of light and Portman Road on a regular basis. What a rich and varied history this club has
The White House Ground looked amazing and I'm sad I never had the chance to visit! Such a shame that it was developed into housing and Oxford City had to move to Marston. The White House pub is still there however, and is really great
Gateshead away in 1992 was an extraordinary afternoon. Virtually every fan there was a Wycombe fan, and whilst we fought out a back and forth battle in our game our bitter rivals for the title, Col U, were locked in a titanic battle themselves away at Macclesfield. I believe we went into the game two points behind them.
This was long before the days of mobile phones but I believe someone in the press box was keeping Wycombe fans updated with the score at Macclesfield.
The hosts scored a couple of early goals to go 3-2 up and the Wycombe fans erupted, singing "Maccy Maccy Maccy Maccy Macclesfield" to relay the message to the players that something special was happening elsewhere. Col U equalised but then Macclesfield took the lead again. Keith Scott scored to put us 3-2 up and we went wild. This was it, the day the title race swings definitively in our favour and we end up a point ahead with two games left
Sadly, heartbreakingly, Col U equalised to rescue a point and we ended the day still in 2nd place, on goal difference, to Col U. And that's how the season was to end. 42 games, 94 points, and missing out on the title due to goal difference.
The following season wasn't bad though, and look at us now and look at them now.
That’s near enough exactly 30 years ago...!! I have the same memories of the to and fro scoring at the other game, whispers in the crowd, the chanting, believing Maccy had won until back in the car, when the Sports Report result reading brought us down to earth again.