www.altyfans.co.uk

Excerpt from an email I received this morning, which was sent on behalf of Wrexham FC (have they still not twigged that the tickets I booked for The Racecourse Ground last season were for the AWAY section...?!):


FANCY treating yourself at the match, but without spending a fortune?


Then why not enjoy one of our two-course Carvery menus at the Grays Athletic match on Saturday, 17 October - priced at just £10.95 per person.

You can dine in Bamfords with or without taking seats in the Executive Box.
 
  
Choice of Main Course:
Beef or Pork
Roast Potatoes
Seasonal Vegetables
Yorkshire Pudding
Gravy

Dessert:
Homemade Apple Crumble with lashings of custard

Coffee
 
Enjoy an excellent pre-match meal in Bamfords and then head for your favourite seat to watch the match - what could be better?
 
Call Phil Bennett on 01978 311217 or 01978 296398 to book your place or email phil.bennett@wrexhamfc.tv

Well, as tempting as all that sounds, I think that I'll stick with my original plan to be at Moss Lane for the visit of Luton Town on that particular afternoon....

Any reminiscences would be welcome relating to these two fixtures from almost three decades ago for potential inclusion in an article in the Robins Review :
 
(1) Altrincham...4  Gravesend & Northfleet...1
 
Saturday, 27th October 1979 (APL)
 
* Graham Barrow makes his Alty debut;
 
* John King is sent off with just ten minutes remaining;
 
* goalscorers: Howard; Heathcote (pen); Keirs (own goal) and Whitbread.
 
 
(2) Altrincham...2  Manchester City...0

Tuesday, 30th October 1979
 
Testimonial match for Stan Allan; Ivan Crossley; Mickey Brooke & John Owens

* 4,059 at Moss Lane on a rainswept evening;
 
* Malcolm Allison's City side included the likes of Joe Corrigan; Ray Ranson; Tommy Booth; Paul Power; Willie Donachie; Dragoslav Stepanovic; Steve Daley (!); Mike Robinson and the late Kazimierz Deyna;   
 
* goalscorers: Barrow & Howard.
 
**** Please post any recollections on this thread (or email me at: towerofsong@btinternet.com) by noon on Monday, 12th October 2009.
 
Many thanks, in anticipation.

These statistics were requested by Ballers in the Noel White Suite the other week.....and his word is my command.

2nd February 1991: Alty 3  Gateshead 1 (FA Trophy)

24th September 1991: Alty 1  Gateshead 1 (GMVC)


Alas, a hellish sequence of nine consecutive defeats then commences....

(i) 28th December 1991: Gateshead 4  Alty 0 (GMVC)

(ii) 25th August 1992: Alty 0  Gateshead 1 (GMVC)

(iii) 16th September 1992: Gateshead 2  Alty 0 (GMVC)

(iv) 7th September 1993: Alty 1  Gateshead 3 (Bob Lord Trophy 1st Round 1st Leg)

(v) 22nd September 1993: Gateshead 3  Alty 1 (Bob Lord Trophy 1st Round 2nd Leg)

(vi) 27th November 1993: Alty 0  Gateshead 3 (GMVC)

(vii) 2nd February 1994: Gateshead 2  Alty 1 (GMVC)

(viii) 6th September 1994: Alty 1  Gateshead 3 (GMVC)

(ix) 7th December 1994: Gateshead 1  Alty 0 (GMVC)

(Just how many of those Gateshead goals were scored by either Paul Dobson or Alan Lamb....?!).


The losing run is finally broken:

28th August 1995: Alty 1  Gateshead 1 (GMVC).


And then an overdue victory ensues:

27th March 1996: Gateshead 2  Alty 3 (GMVC).

Since then, by my calculations, we have played Gateshead on 12 occasions, winning eight games; drawing twice and losing a couple of matches. 

As always, any anecdotes/recollections (anything from the quality of pies to the standard of the floodlights...) regarding the following fixtures would be more than welcome.

Belated thanks to those of you who have already sent me some memories of the Kettering match.


(1) KETTERING TOWN…1 ALTRINCHAM…2
Saturday, 6th October 1979 (APL)

John King scores an own goal

Graham Heathcote equalises with a disputed penalty

John Rogers scores an 87th minute winner (with the aid of a huge deflection from a Kettering defender!) and Alty go to top of APL

What do you remember of your first sighting of the cantilever stand?

Or the floodlights with the bulbs arranged as the letter ‘K’?!

 

(2) ALTRINCHAM…4 BATH CITY…0
Saturday, 13th October 1979 (APL)

Barry Howard surprisingly dropped to substitute

Goals from King; Davison (a 30 yard shot); Rogers and Stan Allan

Graham Tobin's APL debut in place of the injured Mal Bailey

Alty could have reached double figures in this one!

 

(3) AP LEAMINGTON…1 ALTRINCHAM…4
Saturday, 20th October 1979

Barry Whitbread scores a first half hat-trick in just 12 minutes

Rogers gets the fourth in the 87th minute

Any memories of the ground and its floodlights?

 

(4) REDDITCH UNITED…0 ALTRINCHAM…1
Tuesday, 23rd October 1979

An off-key Alty struggle to defeat the team at the bottom of the APL

Stepney on form and a late own goal secures the two points

Memories of stadium/floodlights/programme (poor, I believe?!)


*** Please post your recollections in this thread; send me a private message or email: towerofsong@btinternet.com by the evening of Saturday, 26th September 2009.  
 

If anyone owns a copy of the following programme, I'd love to hear from them:

Redditch United v Altrincham
APL
23rd October 1979

It's a rare item that is missing from my own collection and I'd be delighted to see an issue (or even receive a photocopied issue) from anyone, with a view to undertaking some research for my articles on that particular season for the Robins Review.

email: towerofsong@btinternet.com

I have been informed by the wonderfully-named Ed Upright at When Saturday Comes that their next issue is scheduled to include an article on the Birmingham City v Altrincham FA Cup Third Round tie back in 1986.

The publication is No. 272 and is due to appear on Saturday, 5th September 2009.

I provided him with some photographs and accounts of that famous night, as it really is about time that this outrageously-neglected feat of giant-killing began to receive its due recognition.      

Letter published in The Times on 11th August 2009:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article6790518.ece

Could it be from the exiled former Chairman of SAFE himself?

I seem to recall that he lived in Todmorden.

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