Gangstas
Remember that day so well, as if it was yesterday. Went with my mum of all people, she did not understand the value of the win, but harped on and on about how impressed she was with the police escort away from Birmingham City. Both my dad - now deceased and my mum were Brummies who moved to Sale in 1951 when dad got promoted. that side of my family were all Aston Villa fans, and took great amusement from our win. Our phone was pretty hot next day as cousins, Aunts and Uncles called me to get the low down on what happened. Mum still has her Birmingham accent though it is toned down, coming out strongly when she speaks with her own fellow Brummies - she is now 92 and lives near me in Sale. Cannot get to Alty games but always asks after them. she kept asking who the nice looking boy with blond curly hair was that night, the one who kept snapping at Birmingham's defender heels! I informed her it was Colin Chesters, and he was obviously in a bad mood!
I do remember Ronnie Ellis's equaliser clearly, as he swept in and scored from the left past David Seaman - bet Ronnie Ellis has had loads of credo from his family about scoring past an England keeper!! I also remember whatching Gary Anderson shadowing Mark Hopkins as he ran towards his own goal, he was trying to get either side of him and hussled, I think it was Mark Hopkins , into an own goal. The atmosphere that night from Alty was superb as we raised a crescendo of noise when the goals went in.
I remember going home with a incredibly sore throat afterwards, as we had chanted all through the game, but I found the atmosphere from the Birmingham end strangely eerie. I think to be honest it is a night which has been swept under the carpet, and I remember the words of Greavsie clearly. Saint said we have to congratulate Altrincham on a fine win last week, but Greavsie replied, yeh but another 1st division manager has lost his job in the fallout, hasnt he? No further words were said about it.
Since then the whole of the press, TV and other media outlets have closed off the fine win, Birmingham swept it under the carpet and even the Villa fans have little memory of it now. I still remember the Daily Mirror's single column about it with the heading - Rockin Robins. Then a birmingham City player saying a few days later that some of the Alty players were carrying weight - Round Robins!!! Oh the taste of bitterness in defeat.
Despite all that, I and other Alty fans present will never forget that night, especially the 'Was I really there, did I really see that' syndrome I was going through. I lost a full nights sleep after that game!! It took me two days to come down from the adrenaline burst. Jeez, what a night!