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Rare Wanderers Photo

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  • And when you eventually got to the front of the queue I was there to sell you the ticket(s)

    (that was one way to make sure I got a ticket - and my 1.5 minutes of fame as they filmed it for ITV news or something that night)

  • Glad there was some left ! I think to be fair on the club they were a little bit like rabbits caught in the headlights for that game but I think they adopted some sort of priority system going forward.

  • 18 May 1974, last game of the season and fans gather on the pitch after beating Leytonstone 3-0, to win the Isthmian League by two points from Hendon. I am top right corner, looking to my right. I can see at least one other Gasroomer.

    Interesting that the BFP give the "official paying attendance" as 1,930, but the "appoximate total attendance" as 2,500.

  • Top left I can see Malcolm Heather.

  • I certainly remember that game although can’t see myself in the photo. Regarding the attendance figures given at the time I think the lower figure was those who paid through the turnstiles with the higher figure being the total taken into account the season-ticket holders who used to go through a little gate with no turnstile at the top of Loakes Road. I remember many at the time used to comment that this way of counting the crowd was open to Let’s say Alleged Possible accounting discrepancies. I’m sure this wasn’t the case

  • Thanks @Mr67, I've also since heard this from someone, with the higher figure also including complimentaries. I have also been told that attendance figures in the 70s and 80s were not reliably accurate.

  • @Steve_Peart Always thought that some of the very low figures from the early to mid 80s were especially understated.

  • Many years ago, well before the 80s, I worked with a member of the committee who, in an unguarded moment, let slip that this happened all the time. How else, he asked, could amateur players be paid what they were due?

  • What's this happy occasion?

    A few off-field legends in the first picture, and a few on-field legends in the other two.

    Three of the players no longer with us - RIP.

    Can anyone name all the players?


  • I can see the late Geoff Sutton I think in the top picture. A lovely man, sadly missed.

    Sure I was at that game. Strong squad with Barratt, Ashford, Durham, Graham and West amongst my favourites. Not sure how many games Hoddle played

  • Top picture - Brian Lee with the trophy and John Goldsworthy to his right. Jock Sheppard top left and I recognise the smiling black haired guy two rows down from him. Is that Geoff Sutton?

    Was that really Glenn Hoddle, extreme left in the second picture? Goalkeeper is Gary Lester. Next to him is Andy Graham and, in front of AG is Keith Barrett. Bottom left in the third picture could be Mickey Holifield.

    It was the B&B Senior Cup Final against Aylesbury on 25 April 1987 at Wolverton Town’s ground, Milton Keynes. Wycombe won 3-2.

  • edited September 2022

    Great kit... should always be the away kit, end of... yellow with light blue trims

  • It was at Dulwich, its Carl Hoddle, Glen's brother, sadly no longer with us.

    2nd picture is Richard Teale coach, Carl Hoddle, Kevin Day, Gary Lester, Andy Graham, Noel Ashford Neal Stanley, John Reardon.

    kneeling Kevin Durham, George Link, Keith Barrat, Dave Burgess, Westy.

    Best ever change kit.

  • @ChasHarps has nailed it.

    Was the end of an era. The club's last ever Isthmian League game, May 2nd 1987.

    Lots of people at Champion Hill wearing Noel Ashford masks 🙂

  • Still probably my favourite ever season following the Blues

  • edited September 2022

    Probably not my best work! I saw a trophy, worked out it was Spring 1987 and assumed Berks & Bucks Final. But that was the previous Saturday at Wolverton. I wouldn’t have been at either match. Have no idea what Wolverton’s stand would have looked like but didn’t think the Dulwich stand would be painted red and white.

    Thanks for putting me straight @ChasHarps. When it comes to Wycombe Wanderers history you are virtually sans pareil .

  • I attended most of the games in the run into that very happy 86/87 season. That was definitely the last ever (we hope) Isthmian league game we played. At the old Champion Hill Dulwich. I didn’t attend that one as in those days was juggling football with domestic responsibilities so that one had to go We had clinched the title a week or so before at Hitchin. Totally agree about that kit brilliant.

    quite right we had won the B&B at Wolverton a week before. The treble was Achieved during the following week. On the May bank holiday Monday we won one nil at Barnet in the first leg of the Capital league cup and follow that up the following Friday evening we drew 2-2 at home in a second leg to clinch the trophy. I believe Kevin Durham got our second goal that night sadly no longer with us as is Gary Lester and as I’ve learnt today Glenn’s brother Carl

    Brilliant season. Amazing to think that six years after leaving the Isthmian league we were a football league club

  • Absolutely love memories like this. As @Mr67 says, extraordinary that we were a league club so soon after these pictures were taken.

    I notice each player has their own individual award. Was that normal? There was no Isthmian trophy?

  • A good question about the trophy. Famously prior to 1973 the Isthmian league didn’t award a trophy to the winners. In the true amateur tradition they decided that “honour was sufficient” that was all turned on its head when Rothmans sponsored the league from 1973 onwards also incidentally introducing three points for a win quite a few years before the football league did. By 1987 we’ve gone through quite a few league sponsors so not sure whether there was a trophy that year. Maybe someone who was at the game can remember if we were presented with it

  • I remember going onto the pitch at Hitchin when we mathematically won it. Have the feeling there was a presentation of something there?

  • I went to every game home and away that season. Which was quite an achievement as I had to work every other Saturday till 12.00. The Isthmian lge used to present a flag to the winners, and it would be flown on the pole by the loakes Park gates for the following season.

  • There was a trophy in 1987, @Mr67, presented at the Hitchin game, see blurry BFP cutting (from WWFC Archive site).


  • edited September 2022

    It was the season we changed kit, mid way through, we started with shadow stripes as being worn by Budgie and Zico Seacole, and ended up with the plain shiny shirt worn by the rest.

  • edited September 2022

    It was a brilliant season. We also cannily contrived to get ourselves knocked out of the FA Cup, FA trophy, Isthmian league cup, and GMac Cup (The latter was a cup for National League teams and the feeder leagues) early so that we could concentrate on the league until we had basically won it and then we thought this is good we’ll pick up the B&B and the Capital league cup just to keep the league trophy company in the cabinet.

    An oddity is that we swept nearly all before us but managed to lose to Yeovil four times !

  • Our four cup exits that year, came against teams playing in green and white.

  • What a day that was. I can clearly see my hand in the picture. They had a hopped railing around the pitch and I managed to get caught in it when invading the pitch. Thankfully no TV in those days

  • It obviously was something that was catching. When we won at Bognor a couple of weeks before with the last minute own goal to all but clinched the league cue pitch invasion at the end yours truly fell flat on his back attempting to get over a not very high fence around the pitch

    I’m still reminded of that by my friends from time to time

  • JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE, JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE! Simon Read has just struck a fatal dagger blow into the heart of the Essex scum during our famous FA Cup win in 1985. Cue utter mayhem! I won't say which one is me, but I'm feeling pretty good about life from the look of it. Anyone else recognise themselves in this one? I seem to remember this picture being cut from the BFP and stuck on the wall at work, as a warning what Lager and football can do to a person. Picture courtesy of the Wycombe Wanderers archive.

  • That's a fantastic photo! I was there, at one of my first Wycombe matches, but sadly can't spot myself in the pic.

    Reminds somewhat of the photo taken at Layer Road of the celebrations of one of our goals in the fractious 0-2 win there under MON. Think it was in the Midweek under the headline of something like 'Happiness is thumping your biggest rivals'

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