Your first match at the Hawthorns

I?m sure this has been done before, but I?m prompted to ask the question having posted in another thread about the FA Cup draw !
Mine was season 1961/2 vs West Ham?we lost.
Thereafter, I would play football for the school Saturday morning, and then go to the match with a couple of pals from school.
Can?t remember when I first had a season ticket, but it was during the 1980s.

Connection with this forum started when there used to be a pre match ?drink & snack? at the Vine or the Sportsman. I need some help to remind me when that was?..

The board administrator at that time, wore a home baggie shirt with the players name on the back printed as wba-mad.co.uk (in full) Bumped into him at a match this season (Ian - who sat on the WBA Assembly)

Enough reminiscing!

My first game, v. Wolves 1958/59, won 2-1. Kevan scored the winner with three minutes to go. Lived in Leominster at the time and left to catch bus with about 5 mins. left so missed the goal. Knew we had scored from the roar of the crowd, 50,000 plus were there if I am correct.

My Ist match was Albion 1 Alf Ramsey's Ipswich town 3 September 1961 ,
https://www.prideofanglia.com/page.p...961&sequence=0
I've been going every since my Ist match , from 66 to 1984 when I got married went to most of the away games .

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Originally Posted by Prando

I?m sure this has been done before, but I?m prompted to ask the question having posted in another thread about the FA Cup draw !
Mine was season 1961/2 vs West Ham?we lost.
Thereafter, I would play football for the school Saturday morning, and then go to the match with a couple of pals from school.
Can?t remember when I first had a season ticket, but it was during the 1980s.

Connection with this forum started when there used to be a pre match ?drink & snack? at the Vine or the Sportsman. I need some help to remind me when that was?..

The board administrator at that time, wore a home baggie shirt with the players name on the back printed as wba-mad.co.uk (in full) Bumped into him at a match this season (Ian - who sat on the WBA Assembly)

Enough reminiscing!

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Hi . you can get the programme for this match here
https://rjprogrammes.com/product/196...ba-v-west-ham/
There is one on Ebay as well

I can’t remember the actual first match but it was probably in the 1963/64 season. My dad was a rugby fan and my school only played rugby in the Winter, so it wasn’t until I left that school at 16 that a neighbour decided that I should go to a football game. He was an Albion shareholder and season ticket holder (he always bought four season tickets every year so he could take friends). All I know is that it got me hooked on the Albion; the players at that time included John Kaye, Ray Fairfax, Kenny Foggo and Ronnie Fenton, amongst many others from those long gone days. I then attended Halesowen Grammar School and although rugby was played there, too, I was hooked on football and was a regular at The Hawthorns, going either on the football special from Grammar School Lane (Midland Red bus), or with the aforementioned neighbour; his seats were in the Halfords Lane Stand, next to the old press box and he always had a flask of whisky in his pocket for half time! Great days!

I first came to this board in 2006 or 2007, I think; around that time anyway. The board was run by Iain Bate (Donny Valdo), who I have bumped into on numerous occasions at the Hawthorns since. One of the mods was Northy (Northampton Baggie) and being also in Northamptonshire, I suggested that we might travel together sometime. Northy usually, at that time, went to matches with BaggieBoyGeoff, which is how I met him and I am still in regular contact with Geoff. Our pre-match destination was the Sportsman, where I met many from this board. Then of course, came the Baggies Barge, plenty of tales from those trips!

My first match was in September 1958 v Preston. We drew 1-1 with Jimmy Dudley scoring for the Baggies. Went with my dad & met up with my grand-dad, who always stood in the same spot at the Smethwick End.

I was wrapped up in a blanket in my first ever match at the Hawthorns with the old man. I was a little too young to remember any of the game but I do remember how extraordinarily cold the evening was. It was the 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final 2nd leg when Dunfermline Athletic beat us 1–0 so we were knocked out of the cup

I have just been looking at the full records as I have done many times trying to answer this question. It was maybe 1961 and it was maybe Forest. I was excited to go but disappointed when I got there that I couldn’t get my usual place on the wall (for reserve team games) and there were all these grown ups blocking my view. Disappointing but from then on I was there for a every game and I reclaimed that spot on the wall until I was old enough to be allowed to go on the Brummie.

Yes Phil it was a bitterly cold that night. The pitch looked frozen solid. Such a disappointment,

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Originally Posted by soulman101

Hi . you can get the programme for this match here
https://rjprogrammes.com/product/196...ba-v-west-ham/
There is one on Ebay as well

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Blimey soulman buddy. I’m tempted ;D

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Originally Posted by Prando

Blimey soulman buddy. I’m tempted ;D

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Go for it .
A nice memento to show your Grand children