50 years ago - Oldham 1 Notts County 3

[Frigiliana Pie 1]

Anyone remember this one?

It was played on 6 March 1971 at Boundary Park. Both teams were going hard for promotion with, if I remember correctly, Notts leading by a few points.

I was in my first year at Sheffield Uni, sharing a room with an Oldham supporter. He’d been sent an article from their local paper previewing the match, which claimed that Notts were “working class leaders” of Division 4 and were reliant on the big boot up the park to Tony Hateley. Oldham, by contrast, played skilful pleasing football apparently.

We went across the Pennines to the match with a Chelsea fan. Notts were brilliant that day - a convincing 3-1 win with 2 goals from Hateley and one from Les Bradd. It was still a few weeks before promotion and the championship were mathematically certain, but I believe that was the day we really clinched it. The attendance was 17,060.

We got back to Sheffield and my mate solemnly removed the newspaper article which he’d pinned to the notice board. It didn’t reappear. At least he had the consolation that Oldham also went up that season, 10 points behind Notts.

Notts team: Watling, Brindley, Needham, Stubbs, Worthington, Jones, Masson, Nixon (Barker), Bradd, Hateley, Crickmore (4-2-4 formation)

[ncfcog]

Anyone remember this one?

It was played on 6 March 1971 at Boundary Park. Both teams were going hard for promotion with, if I remember correctly, Notts leading by a few points.

I was in my first year at Sheffield Uni, sharing a room with an Oldham supporter. He’d been sent an article from their local paper previewing the match, which claimed that Notts were “working class leaders” of Division 4 and were reliant on the big boot up the park to Tony Hateley. Oldham, by contrast, played skilful pleasing football apparently.

We went across the Pennines to the match with a Chelsea fan. Notts were brilliant that day - a convincing 3-1 win with 2 goals from Hateley and one from Les Bradd. It was still a few weeks before promotion and the championship were mathematically certain, but I believe that was the day we really clinched it. The attendance was 17,060.

We got back to Sheffield and my mate solemnly removed the newspaper article which he’d pinned to the notice board. It didn’t reappear. At least he had the consolation that Oldham also went up that season, 10 points behind Notts.

Notts team: Watling, Brindley, Needham, Stubbs, Worthington, Jones, Masson, Nixon (Barker), Bradd, Hateley, Crickmore (4-2-4 formation)

A little bit before my time. Thanks for sharing, love hearing people’s stories and memories like this.

[GEZMAN]

I was there for that match. I was 15 years old & went to lots of away games that season, usually on the supporters club bus (run by Bill Reynolds) Different times..........

[IluvNotts]

I was there too.
I was 20 years old and my Uncle (a lifelong Notts supporter) my cousin and I went to nearly all Notts games that season home and away.
We went on the charter train to lots of games but I think my Uncle drove us to this one.
I started following Notts in the old 4th Division in 1959 and had been starved of success until this season. Notts had two speedy wingers Charlie Crickmore and Jon Nixon and both could skin the full back and deliver a killer cross for either big Tony or big Les to nod home. For corners Brian Stubbs would usually join the fray and frequently score with a bullet header.
Notts finished as champions with Tony Hateley top scorer on 23 goals. Happy days indeed.

[Elite_Pie]

We went on the charter train to lots of games but I think my Uncle drove us to this one.

Although I think this game was a few months before my first away game, the mention of the charter train evokes some fantastic memories. These are all a bit hazy and may not be factually correct, but for me they are what being a Notts fan is all about. As I recall, they were organised by the supporter's club and I remember Claude Bishop and Neal Hook running them.

1. The away trip to Carlisle. Once we got the other side of Manchester, it was a scenic delight. Sitting back and looking out at the magnificence of the Lake District made one of our longest trips seem short.
2. The day we played a top of the table clash at Sunderland and lost 4-0. As we walked back to the train station it was absolutely pissing down, but these was the days of hooliganism so the police kept us waiting outside in the pouring rain until all the home fans had dispersed. We all boarded the train soaked to the skin, and still hadn't dried off when we got back to Nottingham.
3. A game at Highbury which I think was in the FA Cup. Arsenal beat us on a freezing cold day, and when we got on the train it was announced that the heating system had broken. The journey back was like sitting in a fridge.
4. A cup game on the south coast (I think either Bournemouth or Portsmouth) which we found out on arrival had been postponed due to a frozen pitch. We were told the return train was still scheduled to leave at 5:30, so I spent most of the afternoon in a betting shop, mainly for a bit of warmth. I got lucky and covered not only the cost of the journey, but also enough for a coffee and omelette and chips in a local cafe.
5. The epic Fulham 1-5 Notts game when they had Bobby Moore, George Best and Rodney Marsh in the team. For London games the train always stopped at St Pancras and we had to make the onward journey using the London underground. I just managed to hop on a tube and got back at St Pancras station an hour before we were due to depart, so sought out the nearest pub which had only just opened at 5:30 (no all day drinking in those days). I was euphoric so must have necked 4 pints in 40 minutes. I even asked for a couple of bottles with the tops taken off to sneak on the train for the journey back.
6. Whatever the game or distance, whenever we got back to Nottingham station there was always a bloke outside selling the Football Post. I always tried to be quick to avoid the queue.

We often get mocked for being 'old people' but I wouldn't swap memories like these for anything.

[upthemaggies]

3. A game at Highbury which I think was in the FA Cup. Arsenal beat us on a freezing cold day, and when we got on the train it was announced that the heating system had broken. The journey back was like sitting in a fridge..

That would be the 1979 'winter of discontent' when it snowed very heavily on New Years Day (which PP'D out home game with Sheff U) and kept on snowing for weeks on end, I remember it well because we couldn't play football at school for what seemed like an absolute eternity, the playground was under a solid block of thick ice. Notts only got to play three league games before we got to March. In the FA Cup 3rd round Arsenal were playing at Sheff Wed and the locals bombarded Pat Jennings with snowballs which delayed the start of the 2nd half. Owls boss Jack Charlton went over to appeal to them to stop but they snowballed him as well.
Footage here....
https://youtu.be/YK0HkGEPmxI?t=321
That tie ended up going to a 4th replay, only being completed five days before Arsenal played Notts in the 4th round.

[nw6pie]

Although I think this game was a few months before my first away game, the mention of the charter train evokes some fantastic memories. These are all a bit hazy and may not be factually correct, but for me they are what being a Notts fan is all about. As I recall, they were organised by the supporter's club and I remember Claude Bishop and Neal Hook running them.

1. The away trip to Carlisle. Once we got the other side of Manchester, it was a scenic delight. Sitting back and looking out at the magnificence of the Lake District made one of our longest trips seem short.
2. The day we played a top of the table clash at Sunderland and lost 4-0. As we walked back to the train station it was absolutely pissing down, but these was the days of hooliganism so the police kept us waiting outside in the pouring rain until all the home fans had dispersed. We all boarded the train soaked to the skin, and still hadn't dried off when we got back to Nottingham.
3. A game at Highbury which I think was in the FA Cup. Arsenal beat us on a freezing cold day, and when we got on the train it was announced that the heating system had broken. The journey back was like sitting in a fridge.
4. A cup game on the south coast (I think either Bournemouth or Portsmouth) which we found out on arrival had been postponed due to a frozen pitch. We were told the return train was still scheduled to leave at 5:30, so I spent most of the afternoon in a betting shop, mainly for a bit of warmth. I got lucky and covered not only the cost of the journey, but also enough for a coffee and omelette and chips in a local cafe.
5. The epic Fulham 1-5 Notts game when they had Bobby Moore, George Best and Rodney Marsh in the team. For London games the train always stopped at St Pancras and we had to make the onward journey using the London underground. I just managed to hop on a tube and got back at St Pancras station an hour before we were due to depart, so sought out the nearest pub which had only just opened at 5:30 (no all day drinking in those days). I was euphoric so must have necked 4 pints in 40 minutes. I even asked for a couple of bottles with the tops taken off to sneak on the train for the journey back.
6. Whatever the game or distance, whenever we got back to Nottingham station there was always a bloke outside selling the Football Post. I always tried to be quick to avoid the queue.

We often get mocked for being 'old people' but I wouldn't swap memories like these for anything.

Great memories, though I assume the postponed cup game on the south coast was Brighton in 1978.

My first away game on a football special was the FA Cup tie at Leicester in 1982, we won 3-2 (they scored a couple of late goals to make it interesting). I have a 100% record at Filbert Street after seeing that and a 4-0 win on the opening day of the 1983-84 season.

Don’t think I ever recall a single train we went on that wasn’t in a shambolic state with no heating. I was just relieved they had the same number of wheels when we returned to Nottingham Station. Happy days. Last one I remember going on was the night game at Huddersfield in 84 (another cup tie) when the rain was monsoon-esque. I’d been to see the Scorpions at the RCH the previous night, I think, after the cup game - due to be played that same night - had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

[Elite_Pie]

Great memories, though I assume the postponed cup game on the south coast was Brighton in 1978.

That's the one!

[maddogslater]

We had less materially but so much more, my first game was 3 2 home to Southampton 74 and it was on star soccer the following day, I can still name the team without looking it up.
McManus Brindley OBrien Masson Needham Stubbs Randall Probert Bradd Mann Scanlon , happy days.
Walking from Victoria bus station down the back of narrow Marsh, across the railway bridge. The smell of redmane and Todd's with the cotton football shirts shorts, wood and leather, Coleman's northern soul night on Monday evenings where I had a fight with a lad from a year above me outside, he was a Chelsea fan and hated Notts (and me) half the club emptied and formed a circle, he must have thought it was going to be glorious for him, it turned out completely the opposite, still remember his surname is Daft, how appropriate.

[60YearsAPie]

I remember going to that game as well. I think apart from the two goals Tony Hateley scored he had one disallowed. It was a top-of-the-table clash as Notts were top and Oldham second prior to the game, with our arch rivals in those days, Bournemouth, third.

The following year it was Tony Hateley who scored the winner a couple of minutes before the end. It was the game Steve Carter made his Notts debut. We were then second to Aston Villa with a couple of games in hand I think. Two successive promotions weren't to be though, as we eventually finished fourth. I think that was the year when me and a mate had a candle lit lunch at a cafe on the way to the game, as there'd been a power cut!