by AustrianAndyGull » 18 Sep 2013, 18:58
Matt85 wrote:Born in Torbay hospital and spent 22 years living in Torquay. Seven years of my life was spent walking over Petitor or Westhill (depending on which way I felt like walking to school) to spend a large chunk of my education at Westlands School, in the shadow of Plainmoor. When the redevelopment of the school was completed a great view of the ground could found from the library. Many times I was sent back to class after making up some lame excuse or reason as to why I needed to be in the library, when really I was watching
the odd youth game or training session. (The window can be seen between the bench and family stand but I don't know if the library is still there).
My university years where spent in Exeter, where my uni house was uncomfortably close to St James's Park. (During those years Millwall fans were a great sight to behold as I recall)
I then went to America to work for a summer where I found myself a lovely Lancashire lass with who'm I fell in love and is now where I am happily exiled. It's strange compared to recent years going to more away games than home games but it's given me a different perspective on the team. Despite being a short distance from Accy I'm lucky to reside in the picturesque place that is the Rossendale valley. In easy reach of Bury, Rochdale and the endless list of clubs that can be found in Lancashire.
Andy you've probably explained it many times before to orhers on the forum but where does the Austrian connection come into play?
Always happy to talk about the motherland Matt!
Although i'm a complicated bloke in many ways, my Austrian connection is pretty easy to explain. On my mothers side of the family are a great many Austrians, my Oma sadly passed away a few years ago now and she was the member of the family I saw the most as she moved over to the Uk in the 60's I believe and married an Englishman (my Opa - I never called them Grandma and Grandad, always was told to call them Oma and Opa which are shortened German terms for Granny and Gramps I suppose). My great Oma passed on too but she was very very old and frail and I remember one time she came over to England that I thought she was a hundred and ten!! She spoke no English and she taught me the words for Birds Egg or Vogel Ei which was a bit odd but hey, we were related!
I have extended family only in Graz now and I have always considered myself Austrian first and English second ever since i was at school and that is why i have such fond recollections of the 1990 World Cup in Italy as like Wisconsin says about Torquay, that tournament brings nostalgia flooding back. My Oma had just returned from Austria visitng and she brought me back a home replica shirt, it was the white one with the black swirls over it. I remember wearing it proud as punch as probably I was the only schoolkid in the country with an Austria shirt and back then you couldn't just order shirts online and wham, for most foreign shirts you would have had to actually visit the country and go into a sports shop.
Anyway, I followed Casino Salzburg who then branched off into a sort of new phoenix club (not the one with Peter Kay in it though) and they started all over again at the very bottom of Austrian football as SV Austria Salzburg. I chose to follow the sheep and the franchise and went to Red Bull Salzburg and that is where I am at now.
I've will go and watch Austrian teams when they play any British team in Europe if I can get and I've been to a few games over there and a few internationals.
[quote="Matt85"]Born in Torbay hospital and spent 22 years living in Torquay. Seven years of my life was spent walking over Petitor or Westhill (depending on which way I felt like walking to school) to spend a large chunk of my education at Westlands School, in the shadow of Plainmoor. When the redevelopment of the school was completed a great view of the ground could found from the library. Many times I was sent back to class after making up some lame excuse or reason as to why I needed to be in the library, when really I was watching
the odd youth game or training session. (The window can be seen between the bench and family stand but I don't know if the library is still there).
My university years where spent in Exeter, where my uni house was uncomfortably close to St James's Park. (During those years Millwall fans were a great sight to behold as I recall)
I then went to America to work for a summer where I found myself a lovely Lancashire lass with who'm I fell in love and is now where I am happily exiled. It's strange compared to recent years going to more away games than home games but it's given me a different perspective on the team. Despite being a short distance from Accy I'm lucky to reside in the picturesque place that is the Rossendale valley. In easy reach of Bury, Rochdale and the endless list of clubs that can be found in Lancashire.
[color=#FF0000]Andy you've probably explained it many times before to orhers on the forum but where does the Austrian connection come into play?[/quote][/color]
Always happy to talk about the motherland Matt! :)
Although i'm a complicated bloke in many ways, my Austrian connection is pretty easy to explain. On my mothers side of the family are a great many Austrians, my Oma sadly passed away a few years ago now and she was the member of the family I saw the most as she moved over to the Uk in the 60's I believe and married an Englishman (my Opa - I never called them Grandma and Grandad, always was told to call them Oma and Opa which are shortened German terms for Granny and Gramps I suppose). My great Oma passed on too but she was very very old and frail and I remember one time she came over to England that I thought she was a hundred and ten!! She spoke no English and she taught me the words for Birds Egg or Vogel Ei which was a bit odd but hey, we were related!
I have extended family only in Graz now and I have always considered myself Austrian first and English second ever since i was at school and that is why i have such fond recollections of the 1990 World Cup in Italy as like Wisconsin says about Torquay, that tournament brings nostalgia flooding back. My Oma had just returned from Austria visitng and she brought me back a home replica shirt, it was the white one with the black swirls over it. I remember wearing it proud as punch as probably I was the only schoolkid in the country with an Austria shirt and back then you couldn't just order shirts online and wham, for most foreign shirts you would have had to actually visit the country and go into a sports shop.
Anyway, I followed Casino Salzburg who then branched off into a sort of new phoenix club (not the one with Peter Kay in it though) and they started all over again at the very bottom of Austrian football as SV Austria Salzburg. I chose to follow the sheep and the franchise and went to Red Bull Salzburg and that is where I am at now.
I've will go and watch Austrian teams when they play any British team in Europe if I can get and I've been to a few games over there and a few internationals.
