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General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe on July 31, 2009, 11:57:22 AM

Title: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe on July 31, 2009, 11:57:22 AM

As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Alliance Premier League, I plan to contribute a series of articles to the Robins Review during the impending season which document the events of Alty's Championship winning 1979/80 campaign in that new national divison.

Consequently, I would welcome any memories or anecdotes about following The Robins that you can dredge up in relation to those halcyon days.
 
Did you attend the first APL match at Weymouth by any chance?
 
For the moment, please concentrate on the first 10 fixtures of that season and then we'll move on in due course.

The opening 10 matches of the 1979/80 season were as follows:

Saturday, 18th August: Weymouth (A) Drew 0-0

Monday, 20th August: Telford United (H) Won 2-0

Saturday, 25th August: Maidstone United (H) Won 1-0

Tuesday, 28th August: Bangor City (A) Drew 1-1

Saturday, 1st September: Worcester City (A) Lost 3-2

Monday, 3rd September: Telford United (A) Lost 3-2

Saturday, 8th September: Nuneaton Borough (H) Won 3-1
**** This was Alex Stepney's Alty debut***

Saturday, 15th September: Stafford Rangers (A) Won 2-1

Saturday, 22nd September: Yeovil Town (A) Lost 3-2

Monday, 24th September: Mossley (A) (NPL Challenge Shield) Won 4-2.

Post your recollections and comments in this thread; send me a Private Message or email me at  towerofsong@btinternet.com

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe on August 03, 2009, 05:54:47 PM

Many thanks to Bill W and Robert S for their emailed responses/reminiscences so far.

All contributions welcome.

So, where are you SW; Uncle Globnasty; Nic Seller...etc?!

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: SW on August 03, 2009, 06:04:57 PM

Sorry Cult but I remember nothing about the actual games, not unusual for me nowadays thanks to the pub, but I was just 16 then.

I do recall however visiting the ground pre-season and peeping through a gap in the gates and being tremendously excited on seeing the then new Chequers end terrace with real proper league style barriers and feeling that we were now a proper big club!

I also recall getting off the train at Alty and falling into conversation with a Maidstone supporter who was very complimentary about our reputation; I met same fellow later on the way home and he told me then we'd win the league with this team, I felt in awe somehow as the Southern clubs were regarded highly by the media that existed then, Wimbledon, Walton & Hersham, Leatherhead etc, as our cup exploits seemed rather downgraded compared to theirs.

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: jiminlondon on August 03, 2009, 10:10:05 PM

i'm afraid i had to tell cult the same thing sw, i cant remember a damn thing about any of it despite going to virtually all the games

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: Paul Cain's Chip Pan on August 03, 2009, 10:19:10 PM

Quote from: SW on August 03, 2009, 06:04:57 PM

I remember nothing about the actual games.........I was just 16 then.

I hope I suffer from the same affliction one day! When I was 16 we were getting relegated for the first time in our history!   :(

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: blackpoolalty on August 03, 2009, 10:23:20 PM

Quote from: ALTY 1981 on August 03, 2009, 10:19:10 PM

Quote from: SW on August 03, 2009, 06:04:57 PM

I remember nothing about the actual games.........I was just 16 then.

I hope I suffer from the same affliction one day! When I was 16 we were getting relegated for the first time in our history!   :(

Me too  :(

I was still dizzy after the 94-95 season

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: Uncle Globnasty on August 05, 2009, 12:17:42 PM

I have some flashbacks, but I unfortunately missed most of the first couple of months of that season. I may be of more use in the memory department as we roll through that momentous season......although, I too suffer from many years of brain cell depletion......I do have my press cuttings to fall back on as an aide memoire (I was quite the little archiver).

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe on August 07, 2009, 11:55:55 PM

The first article in the series documenting Alty's 1979/80 season should appear in the Robins Review for the Ebbsfleet United match.

If any Alty exiles of a certain vintage would like to wallow in some nostalgia but are unable to purchase a programme, send me a private message or email me at: towerofsong@btinternet.com and I'll forward a copy of this opening piece on to you.

As previously stated, please keep those memories of the 1979/80 season coming!  

Title: Re: Your memories are required of Alty's first season in the APL: 1979/80
Post by: thegazelle on August 08, 2009, 05:04:14 AM

I too am astounded at memories like yours and Brians

I have a few memories of northwich at the end of the season in the final and I missed the league winning game at Gravesend because  I had an operation the day before .
One or two ittle flash backs come to me of the rest of the season but nothing worth sending to press
The cup games brink back a little bit but Drink and old age have stolen those memories of great days
all i  know now is they were fantastic
Regards pete