www.altyfans.co.uk
General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: Ukrainian Alty on May 06, 2020, 05:29:44 PM
-
I’m not sure if I imagined this or it was a dream or something. I have lucid memories of my dad taking me to watch Alty play at the Drill Field back in the early to mid-seventies on a damp, cold and misty mid-week evening. I think that it may have been an NPL Cup tie and it was around this time that Alty seemed to be jinxed every time they played Vics, losing by the odd goal or getting a draw if we were lucky.
Anyway, one of the things I remember is that during the game a diesel locomotive hauling about 30 empty coal wagons came to a halt on the railway viaduct behind the ground and it sat there with the pulsating sound of the idling engine filling the air for the best part of the game. Additionally, every now and again the train would edge forward a little and the empty wagons would all clank very loudly in a domino effect jolting every wagon from the first wagon to the back one (for anyone interested the loco looked like a Class 25).
So, back to the game, and the pitch was in a dreadful state, there was barely a blade of grass to be seen, just lots of mud, but this seemed to suit Alty and we raced into a 3 or 4 goal lead before half time. Even more goals came in the second half and we were about 6-1 up when we all noticed that we could still hear the loco but the train was now shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. Inevitably the fog engulfed the ground, the train was heard to depart and the referee abandoned the game after about 75-80 minutes with Alty thrashing Vics about 8-1.
The game was replayed and Vics won 1-0. Does anyone else remember this happening?
-
From memory, a similar story was recounted in a match programme around 1977 by then director Len Pollitt. I'm sure he talked about Alty being 1-0 up but 3-1 down when the smoke cleared. I'll dig the programme out and let you know.
Paul