portugull wrote:tq1 is first class. A real credit to the club.
I would like to see a feature on the Directors. It would be good to know a little more about the current Board who have done so much to bring the club
back to life after the ill fated Roberts era.
One comment about the Stoke programme.The feature on the Old Grandstand by Matt Parkman was not correct. The record gate of 21,908 in Jan 1955 was against Huddersfield Town in the F A Cup when we lost 1-0. We did not play Tottenham Hotspur until 1965 I think and the score was 3-3 not 2-2.
I was at both games.
I think you will find that the 3-3 scoreline was in fact at home and featured our 2nd largest home gate ever. The main thing that used to give us extra income was the replays that would give another game whereas nowadays we get penalties in some of the competitions. I particularly mourn the loss of the Watney cup for teams who scored the most goals in the previous season and didn't actually win anything or qualify for any European competion. It usualy garaunteed a good game as the clubs were there by virtue of being high scorers. The replay at White Hart lane was above 55k but we lost 5-1. I can well remember the crowd at that home game. I was sat on my grandfathers knee and looking out his window two houses away from what is now the Lodge. the view above the away terrace was totaly uninterupted.
I felt it particularly appropriate that Cyril Knowles was in that Spurs team to win the first tie against us but was our manager when we met Spurs in the league Cup to beat them 1-0 in the second tie only to lose away. But a win is a win and we had some payback.
What you have to remember if you are old enough was the way the ground was built.
There was the Grandstand which went the full length of the pitch I am sure. There was the terrace in front of it and then the two terraces behind each goal which were bigger than the present areas are now. The Marnham road terrace was huge and capable of around 10k on it's own. it went right back to the wall with the road. and was not a perfect recatgular shape but sloped down toward the away end if I am correct. There was also an entrance through which invalid carriages gained entry, I think they came in from the lane coming off from Warboro road, they then entered by the away gate alongside the away turnstiles. I used to see four or five of them sometimes. but as the years went by they dwindled to only a couple untill they were replaced by motobility. They certainly sorted out those who deserved the cars and those who worked the system. Who would want to drive one if they could get away without one. worse than having a plastic pig.
We had many more gates which filled or seemed to fill Plainmoor as well. Many times we saw 11 to 16 thousand cram in and the noise in those days was unbelieveable. I sometimes wish those days back. But where would we put them now.
[quote="portugull"]tq1 is first class. A real credit to the club.
I would like to see a feature on the Directors. It would be good to know a little more about the current Board who have done so much to bring the club
back to life after the ill fated Roberts era.
One comment about the Stoke programme.The feature on the Old Grandstand by Matt Parkman was not correct. The record gate of 21,908 in Jan 1955 was against Huddersfield Town in the F A Cup when we lost 1-0. We did not play Tottenham Hotspur until 1965 I think and the score was 3-3 not 2-2.
I was at both games.[/quote]
I think you will find that the 3-3 scoreline was in fact at home and featured our 2nd largest home gate ever. The main thing that used to give us extra income was the replays that would give another game whereas nowadays we get penalties in some of the competitions. I particularly mourn the loss of the Watney cup for teams who scored the most goals in the previous season and didn't actually win anything or qualify for any European competion. It usualy garaunteed a good game as the clubs were there by virtue of being high scorers. The replay at White Hart lane was above 55k but we lost 5-1. I can well remember the crowd at that home game. I was sat on my grandfathers knee and looking out his window two houses away from what is now the Lodge. the view above the away terrace was totaly uninterupted.
I felt it particularly appropriate that Cyril Knowles was in that Spurs team to win the first tie against us but was our manager when we met Spurs in the league Cup to beat them 1-0 in the second tie only to lose away. But a win is a win and we had some payback.
What you have to remember if you are old enough was the way the ground was built.
There was the Grandstand which went the full length of the pitch I am sure. There was the terrace in front of it and then the two terraces behind each goal which were bigger than the present areas are now. The Marnham road terrace was huge and capable of around 10k on it's own. it went right back to the wall with the road. and was not a perfect recatgular shape but sloped down toward the away end if I am correct. There was also an entrance through which invalid carriages gained entry, I think they came in from the lane coming off from Warboro road, they then entered by the away gate alongside the away turnstiles. I used to see four or five of them sometimes. but as the years went by they dwindled to only a couple untill they were replaced by motobility. They certainly sorted out those who deserved the cars and those who worked the system. Who would want to drive one if they could get away without one. worse than having a plastic pig.
We had many more gates which filled or seemed to fill Plainmoor as well. Many times we saw 11 to 16 thousand cram in and the noise in those days was unbelieveable. I sometimes wish those days back. But where would we put them now.
