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[JTH]

we leathered them

[Saughall Robin]

I was there - my 3 year old son touched the cup! He never stopped talking about it for days (and hates to be reminded of it nowadays  )

[thegazelle]

oh what a day that was

was it really in april ,

[Uncle Globnasty]

Ahh yes, Leathering the heed. Those were the days.

JTH, do you have a nostalgia app on your phone or is it just the onset of dementia where thirty years ago seems like only yesterday, but yesterday seems like another planet?

[jiminlondon]

makes me feel very old

what a day that was

[ManagementGuru]

I was sat at the near the top of the steps from the presentation and was therefore THE FIRST (OK among the first) Alty fan to touch "The Great Pumpkin".  My (older) cousin, who grew up in Alderley Edge when his dad worked on the News Chronicle (now the Sun) moved to Leatherhead when his dad moved to the Sunday People enjoyed the match.  (His only other Alty game bizarrely was Middlewich vs Alty in CSC which he didn't enjoy so much - but if you had to pick two games to show the peaks and troughs of following Alty not a bad two to pick!).

Chris Kelly ignored by "Kelly, Kelly whats the score" as he walked down the steps but Swannell (Leatherhead goalie) was gracious in defeat - "Best team won" he said.  He would have been the first player ever to win an Amateur Cup winner and FA Trophy winners medal, but instead that honour went to Stan Allen.

Oh to be 16 on a balmy spring day in London again!

[mr f.trucker]

A superb day.

[Jezza]

What a day....the first trip to Wemberley.

It was truelly special with too many memories to list.

Wouldn't happen these days though.....9 people in a Ford Granada Estate belting down the M1....4 of us in the boot.

[RedhillAlty]

Yip that was a great day in many ways. I helped organise a coach from the Moss Hotel.
I can assure you that the people of Leatherhead have also not forgotten it, as I go there occasionally as its the HQ of the Surrey FA.
Leatherhead now play in the same League as my local side, Merstham in the Ryman South (step 4). Its quite a nice little ground and club, but way off Conference standard if they ever were to rise again.

[thegazelle]

I wish i was sat on that train, on my way to wembley, now Knowing what i know now and earning the same money i earn now , there would be no need to go robbing from off licences

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

JTH,

Apologies for being an Alty FC pedant....but you are actually a day too early!

The 1978 FA Trophy Final took place on Saturday, 29th April.

Possibly still my favourite ever match involving Alty.

Whatever did happen to the legendary Joe Flaherty?

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

Yip that was a great day in many ways. I helped organise a coach from the Moss Hotel.

Redhill Alty,

I travelled down to Wembley that day on a coach organised by regulars at The Moss, way back in the days when "Hissing Sid" was the landlord.

Alas, I was too young to indulge in the celebrations in The Moss when the coach arrived home....

[Jenga]

My first ever trip to Wembley, I was in awe that day, went with my dad and grandad to that one.

[SW]

Mine too, so excited as a 16 yr old, I got drunk on the coach, sang my heart out, Bounced down the steps with The Gazelle on the way out, and still made a party in Sale Moor about 11ish where I bored the tits off anyone who would listen. Kingy taking his shirt off, JR's volley in very early, the potential row outside with "Leatherhead fans" in butchers coats, rescued by some big Man U boys....sure that's the bit in the first hoolie novel.....chips and gravy, jumpers for goal posts, embassy red filter, the Leather Heads flag, looking for our GAG coach outside, Blackpool team and fans at some service station giving us the big up, Leeds elsewhere looking for a row which didn't happen, going back to Moss Lane on the Sunday to see the team and cup, with the pitch invasion and the Trophy being hurried inside for safe keeping afterthe lap of honour, Ray the ballboy guy missing the coach at Hilton Park getting locked in the bogs, finally getting home to a riled mum, jumping about singing drunk in my bedroom, and really really enjoying my first trip to Wembley and seeing Alty lift the Trophy. My memories from 31 years ago, like it was yesterday.

[Saughall Robin]

Lived in North Manchester at the time and didn't have transport (apart from my Yammy) so hired a car to get down there. My mum minded the baby so that my wife, two elder kids and my 7 year old brother-in-law (!) could make the trip. One of the highlights for me was coming back through London and switching on the car radio to hear the correspondent from Capital Radio - or whatever station had the same frequency as Piccadilly down there) saying that the game was a great disappointment for him and that 2 quick goals from Altrincham spoiled it as a spectacle ... Not for me they didn't!!!!

My other enduring memory was the shooting in practice at the start when my 5 year old daughter kept thinking we'd scored and a Leatherhead fan with his son said to her that we weren't going to score today. I said I'd remind him of that when the first one went in - and I didn When the second went in, I turned round and his young son said glumly, "I think it's US who're not going to score today Dad, their team is fantastic!"