Fifty years on Sunday...

[Moreton_Pie]

Since we left our house in Clifton at 7am for the long journey on the train to Plymouth to follow the then very stylish (as they have been all season and a few more) magpies. Notts thrashed Plymouth 4-1 in what was a fantastic performance from the boys. Toilet rolls streaming from the train as we left Midland Station. Upon our victory we had to make the trip across Home Park itself to get the train back. We were ambushed by a gang of Plymouth hooligoolies during that walk but it was very funny seeing my two sisters rearranging one if their straw haired fellows with wriggles juicy fruit and my mum whacking one around the head with her tyranny radio. Just wondering if anyone else on here was on that same train? Got back home at 2.30am Sunday Morning. Happy Days.

[upthemaggies]

Since we left our house in Clifton at 7am for the long journey on the train to Plymouth to follow the then very stylish (as they have been all season and a few more) magpies. Notts thrashed Plymouth 4-1 in what was a fantastic performance from the boys. Toilet rolls streaming from the train as we left Midland Station. Upon our victory we had to make the trip across Home Park itself to get the train back. We were ambushed by a gang of Plymouth hooligoolies during that walk but it was very funny seeing my two sisters rearranging one if their straw haired fellows with wriggles juicy fruit and my mum whacking one around the head with her tyranny radio. Just wondering if anyone else on here was on that same train? Got back home at 2.30am Sunday Morning. Happy Days.

Looking at the line-ups, that must have been the last time a Notts match included a Bill, Ernie and a Willie on the same pitch.
The delightfully named Ray Lugg also at no.11 for Plymouth, managed by Tony Waiters who went on to manage a team in the World Cup finals.

[Old_pie]

Since we left our house in Clifton at 7am for the long journey on the train to Plymouth to follow the then very stylish (as they have been all season and a few more) magpies. Notts thrashed Plymouth 4-1 in what was a fantastic performance from the boys. Toilet rolls streaming from the train as we left Midland Station. Upon our victory we had to make the trip across Home Park itself to get the train back. We were ambushed by a gang of Plymouth hooligoolies during that walk but it was very funny seeing my two sisters rearranging one if their straw haired fellows with wriggles juicy fruit and my mum whacking one around the head with her tyranny radio. Just wondering if anyone else on here was on that same train? Got back home at 2.30am Sunday Morning. Happy Days.

I think you've got the wrong week mate :?

In that month I had unthinkingly let my fiancee arrange our wedding back in the UK as we were living abroad. To my dismay she had chosen April 28th, a fortnight after the Plymouth game. A couple of relatives chose the match rather than the ceremony/reception. I couldn't get out of it XD

(no - we didn't make it to even our 10th)

[Elite_Pie]

Just wondering if anyone else on here was on that same train? Got back home at 2.30am Sunday Morning. Happy Days.

I should have been. I bought my train ticket as usual at the previous home game but got struck by some weird virus the day before. I remember sleeping through the alarm and waking up in a sweat at midday. It was one of only 3 games I missed between 1971 and 1981, home and away in all competitions. Gutted that I missed it and had to rely on Radio Nottingham for score updates. There was no full commentary back then, just a quick score update from Colin Slater every 10 minutes. I remember my disappointment at missing the game being tempered by not only the win, but also Forest losing at home.

[Elite_Pie]

I think you've got the wrong week mate :?

Just googled it and you're right, we won 1-4 at Plymouth on 14th April 1973.

On the same day Forest lost 1-3 at home to Middlesbrough.

[queenslandpie]

I should have been. I bought my train ticket as usual at the previous home game but got struck by some weird virus the day before. I remember sleeping through the alarm and waking up in a sweat at midday. It was one of only 3 games I missed between 1971 and 1981, home and away in all competitions. Gutted that I missed it and had to rely on Radio Nottingham for score updates. There was no full commentary back then, just a quick score update from Colin Slater every 10 minutes. I remember my disappointment at missing the game being tempered by not only the win, but also Forest losing at home.

Missing 3 games in 11 years is very impressive Elite. I doff my cap!

[Elite_Pie]

Missing 3 games in 11 years is very impressive Elite. I doff my cap!

It was a great time to do it, I was young, free and single and did what I wanted.

Now I'm old, shackled and married and do as I'm told!

Still have my season ticket though, some things are not negotiable.

[Moreton_Pie]

Yep sorry I did get my dates wrong. My eyes ain't what they used to be. I saw it in a newspaper cutting about a Leicester v Birmingham game with the results from around the country that weekend and misread the date. That scoreline of ours reminded me of our trip. Must do better at my homework, especially history. 5/10.

[since41]

I was there and on the train great win.
On the way back to the train I remember a couple of young Plymouth supporters snatching a young girl's black and white scarf and running of with it.
I never missed a game home or away and all the home reserve games in those days. Great times.

[Frigiliana Pie 1]

I wasn’t at the Plymouth game, but I did make it to Brentford for the final away game of the season on Good Friday (April 20). Roy Brown was injured near to the end of a hard fought 1-1 draw and I think one of our outfield players went into goal (was it Bob Worthington?).

Notts played again on the following day (April 21) and drew 0-0 at Meadow Lane with Blackburn, our chief rivals for the second promotion spot behind Bolton. Eric McManus was in goal. The next game followed on Easter Monday (April 23), won 2-0 at home to Scnthorpe. There was no such thing as fixture congestion in those days.

The finale was, of course, the 4-1 thrashing in Tranmere the following Saturday, which took us into Division 2.

Attendances for those final home games were 22000, 15000 and 23000. As others have said....great days!

[lunaspie]

Present and correct at Home Park.
Dave Needham was the unlikely recipient of the goalkeeping gloves - and I thought he donned them for most of the second half of a mid-day kick off.
It always seemed odd to me that we finished the season with three successive home games,without fixture re-arrangement. But that was some second half of the season : after the defeat at Scunny on Dec. 23 left us in 17 th with a record of 8-5-10,the remaining fixtures yielded a run of 15-6-2.

[applepie2]

The 4-1 thrashing wasn’t in Tranmere, though of course it was against Tranmere at Meadow Lane. I remember someone moaning about young McManus letting in a goal, ending an impressive run of home clean sheets.

[since41]

The 4-1 thrashing wasn’t in Tranmere, though of course it was against Tranmere at Meadow Lane. I remember someone moaning about young McManus letting in a goal, ending an impressive run of home clean sheets.
Yeah I think it was thir**** clean sheets on the trot.

[lunaspie]

Tranmere would have been 13.
There was also the near elimination of Sunderland,eventual winners,in the Cup third round - old boy Dave Watson netting their leveller on 79 minutes.

[upthemaggies]

Yeah I think it was thir**** clean sheets on the trot.

12 home league consecutive clean sheets, a club record that still stands today.

That 1973 game against Tranmere would probably be in the top 5 greatest days in Meadow Lane history. Arguably only the win against Fword in 1950 to secure the 3rd tier title and promotion betters it. What we don't have from 1950 however is a lasting record of that achievement in terms of a series of photographs, 1973 is well documented in that respect which captures the euphoria - both on the pitch as well as behind the scenes - perfectly.

The 50th anniversary of that historic day is on Friday. The following Friday is the 100th anniversary of what has to be the club's most dramatic and greatest promotion/title win of all time, though as there's not been anybody around to remember it for some years, it's largely been forgotten and overlooked - which is a travesty. It was an incredible set of circumstances that will probably never be matched, at least not at that level.

[CamPie]

12 home league consecutive clean sheets, a club record that still stands today.

That 1973 game against Tranmere would probably be in the top 5 greatest days in Meadow Lane history. Arguably only the win against Fword in 1950 to secure the 3rd tier title and promotion betters it. What we don't have from 1950 however is a lasting record of that achievement in terms of a series of photographs, 1973 is well documented in that respect which captures the euphoria - both on the pitch as well as behind the scenes - perfectly.

The 50th anniversary of that historic day is on Friday. The following Friday is the 100th anniversary of what has to be the club's most dramatic and greatest promotion/title win of all time, though as there's not been anybody around to remember it for some years, it's largely been forgotten and overlooked - which is a travesty. It was an incredible set of circumstances that will probably never be matched, at least not at that level.

The omens are good, every 50 years there’s great drama. Lump on Notts for the title.

[Mablefc]

I was at The game There were Three or four of us from Long Eaton we got in touch with county to ask is The train could stop at Long Eaton station as The train was going That way,they did stop for us but The downside was no Seats left so it was The guards van all The way.Happy memories of The football specials following Notts

[upthemaggies]

I was at The game There were Three or four of us from Long Eaton we got in touch with county to ask is The train could stop at Long Eaton station as The train was going That way,they did stop for us but The downside was no Seats left so it was The guards van all The way.Happy memories of The football specials following Notts

When was the last Notts 'football special' train other than for Wembley trips? I remember seeing one advertised for the Ass Members Semi-final at Wolves in 1988 and thought about it, but as it was a night match I backed out. Only game I ever went to on the train was at Wolves later that same year, but that was on a regular service (changing at Birmingham New Street). It has to be the best and most romantic way to get to games, but must be very expensive now and not practical in many cases with so many grounds now out of town.

[nw6pie]

When was the last Notts 'football special' train other than for Wembley trips? I remember seeing one advertised for the Ass Members Semi-final at Wolves in 1988 and thought about it, but as it was a night match I backed out. Only game I ever went to on the train was at Wolves later that same year, but that was on a regular service (changing at Birmingham New Street). It has to be the best and most romantic way to get to games, but must be very expensive now and not practical in many cases with so many grounds now out of town.

Great question. One of the last ones I can remember getting was to Watford when they opened a new station especially for Vicarage Road (seem to recall a weird route to the ground via allotments). We lost 3-1 in Sept. 1983.

The station was called Watford Stadium Halt and acquired the great nickname of “Hooligan Halt”:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watford_Stadium_Halt_railway_station

The last one for me was Huddersfield away in Jan 1984 - FA Cup fourth round. Raining cats and dogs while we were stood on an open terrace and we won 2-1.

Cup games always seemed to get a railway special - remember a particularly memorable one at Leicester in 1982 at Filbert Street. There was a ground with a decent away end - covered and always full for a local derby.