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[RedhillAlty]

Everton - when the draw was made they were top of the old 1st Dision and we were top of the NPL. We scared the living daylights out of them, and should have won not for a rare sitter missed by Johnny Hughes in the second half at 1-0 and a dodgy penalty. However Southern League Wimbledon made the headlines the following day by beating bottom of the 1st division Burnley away 1-0. The downside of the games with Everton was that every team we played that season treated their game with Alty as their Cup Final, this included crap sides like Wigan, who we played the following week in the FA Trophy. As a result of the Cup run that season, although we were favourites to win the NPL, we got involved in the usual end of season fiature pile up and blew it. I still view Wigan as a Non League Club and they should never have got promoted to the Football League ahead of us. I remember us losing 4-1 away to Netherfield that season.

[Ballers]

It's difficult this. I think Flynny had it right when he said that the whole future of the club changed on a Tuesday night in Berkshire. I guess we'll never know, we'd still have had to beat Vics on the THursday and Boston on a Saturday. We were rather lacklustre in those 2 games but I think it was because Slough was where the dream died. I couldn't make the game and only found out the full score. I don't think I could have coped with seeing the lead whittled away. It was the one Alty game I desperately wanted to be at and turned out to be the one I was probably glad I didn't see.

That said, maybe the season turned on Ken McKenna's injury and suspensions and the moment the board decided not to buy Mark Carter. I think Runcorn wanted £40k and I hear that John Maunders said he'd stump up half of it if the rest of the board put the rest in. They didn't and we never quite got the goals. We could also have gone and got Chris Camden I believe who whilst not of the standard of that side could at least have done a job for us.


Again, the biggest games are the ones in hindsight, i.e. RUncorn and as Hughesy says Bradford PA in our promotion season.

For me, there was something about the Kettering game. Once we had won it I felt calm and knew that we'd win at Stoke, not often I say that at all.

I'd like to nominate Dagenham away 2 seasons ago to be honest. It shouldn't count beacause we still had our 18 points deducted so were relegated and also we were repreived for other reasons. But for me that was the night we made a statement. We stayed up on our own backs with a great performance. I guess we'll never know what us finishing up on merit made to important decisions in that summer.

[jiminlondon]

this thread has got me reminiscing again and started me thinking about the times i was most proud of the performance. leaving out all the obvious trophy wins and spurs/brum/eveton etc

first one that springs to mind was the second rotherham game.
the gazelle will tell you i ended in tears that day. i think the reason was that it was the first time i had seen us not only beat league opposition, but totally deserve it, be the better team by a mile, dominate the whole match and never look in trouble
(see also sheff utd replay)

second is the QF and SF of the trophy in 81/2
the performance at bishops stortford in the replayed QF sticks in my mind  as one of those night where we never gave them a sniff. they must have thought they had done the hard part after we only got a late equaliser at moss lane. there were very few alty there that night to see it but anyone who went to the semi at wycombe will know exactly the feeling.
alty were so great that day at wycombe and so dominant (i suppose it was a team in decline but still capable of great days) that i could concentrate solely on survival and not worry about the score

[Alty TV]

first one that springs to mind was the second rotherham game.
the gazelle will tell you i ended in tears that day. i think the reason was that it was the first time i had seen us not only beat league opposition, but totally deserve it, be the better team by a mile, dominate the whole match and never look in trouble
(see also sheff utd replay)

My two favourite Alty wins of all time - Rotherham and Sheff Utd. We were awsome at Rotherham - Barry Howards wonder goal and Stepney's penalty save, Kingy barging their keeper into the net and claiming a goal. We out classed Sheff Utd at Moss Lane.
Great memories

[Thomas H]

Wolves away in the 60,s
Our first big payday and put AFC on the footballing map.
Wolves then were a big club and had won most things.
I was about 11difficult to remember other than a great experience bit like Havant and W today first one..

We did not fair so well but thousands went.
A great day.

[thegazelle]

when i saw the name barry H i thought it was god on the message board . how good was he against sheff utd he tore stuart houston apart

[Jezza]

I think the biggest match..the one which meant the most...thye most memorable.....the biggest day out........... had to be the first time we went to Wembley and returned home victorious...a great game we could enjoy from the 5th minute with the outcome from then never in any doubt.

Seemed to mean so much more first time round...hardly anyone mentions the Runcorn FAT final in such terms?

Most enjoyable? can't pick between Barnet, Birmingham, Rotherham, Everton, Gravesend (again few mentions of our 2nd APL title win which was won with a drab 0-0 at Worcester ande no-one knew until we reached our cars)and the eastbourne celebration of our return to the big time..

The biggest turning point was surely the Runcorn last match in the Unibond.

Had we gone down or stayed up in any other season it nwouldn't have meant that much difference...but if we had not qualified I truelly think oblivion beckoned.

[hsmith1]

The games against Wrexham in the 60s which were a turning point for the club and then the 3rd round game at Wolves,all these matches were the points where Alty became A GREAT CLUB

[Butty]

Only followed alty for about 5 years, so my opinions will be based around the recent alty.
As ballers mentioned before with daghenam, i think aldershot at the end of last season was one of the biggest matches we played, for the sheer dedication of the 11 out there.
Another candidate for this would have to be the milwall game in terms of hype around it.
And maybe, just maybe in april/may we will look back at New Years day and see the turning point of our season, where everything went tits up, and we begun to stage a heroic recovery to mid table safety.
Again, olya  personal view as i have not followed alty for long

[Alty Dave]

Flagger M

Have to agree Barry's run and shot from the edge of the box was out of this world. Stepney was superb. Mal Bailey get the other?

Was any one else on the special train?

[RedhillAlty]

Yes Alty Dave I was on that Special train to Rotherham. I have been reminded about that game a lot recently as I am working with a Barnsley supporter and there was a big gang of Barnsley supporters with us behind that goal that day. I went with an old BTH schoolmate of mine, Tony Deane, a 6'6"" lanky fruitcase of a City supporter from the Grange Estate who went to Alty games where things were likely to kick off on the terraces - he once nearly got me lynched at Wigan when we won one evening in the 1970's. That Barry Howard goal rates as one of the best in Alty history.

[Timperley The Best]

Yes Alty Dave I was on that Special train to Rotherham. I have been reminded about that game a lot recently as I am working with a Barnsley supporter and there was a big gang of Barnsley supporters with us behind that goal that day. I went with an old BTH schoolmate of mine, Tony Deane, a 6'6"" lanky fruitcase of a City supporter from the Grange Estate who went to Alty games where things were likely to kick off on the terraces - he once nearly got me lynched at Wigan when we won one evening in the 1970's. That Barry Howard goal rates as one of the best in Alty history.

did your mate tony have a younger brother , called jonathan ? sadly deceased now.

[brightonrobin]

I reckon the biggest game was when we beat Rochdale which gave us the game in the next round at Wolves.

3-1 away.It was a fantastic night and for me  was the catylist for all the glory days that followed.

Barnet 4-0, Everton 1-1 Spurs 1-1 Rotheram,Sheff utd Blackpool (twice) Leatherhead all great games but that Rochdale game was the beginning.

[Darren]

I reckon the biggest game was when we beat Rochdale which gave us the game in the next round at Wolves.

3-1 away.It was a fantastic night and for me  was the catylist for all the glory days that followed.

Barnet 4-0, Everton 1-1 Spurs 1-1 Rotheram,Sheff utd Blackpool (twice) Leatherhead all great games but that Rochdale game was the beginning.

That was a fast ferry you were Brighton robin a few minutes ago

[brightonrobin]

Lol I moved to he Island from Brighton and just up dated my profile.