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[Ukrainian Alty]

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Well, its yet another big one again on Saturday and we really do need to be winning it.  Barnet have left behind some of the good form that they had shown early doors when it looked as though they were going to make Chesterfield work for the title, however they will be hoping that their recent win against Southend will give them a boost.  Southend are no mugs as we soon found out when we met them at Moss Lane a few weeks ago.  They will no doubt fancy themselves to take all three points back to North London. Lets hope that the pitch will stay dry and fingers crossed for a bumper crowd to get behind Alty. Is it at all possible that we might see the return of the SuperMaxibon during the January transfer window?  I really hope so.

The first of two featured matchday programmes from the past is from what I believe was our first ever meeting with Barnet occurring during the inaugural season (1979/80) of the Alliance Premier League, the league that essentially evolved into the highly competitive National League. We won the game 1-0.


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I remember that I didn't think much of Barnet at the time. They were in a lowly position in the league and we were "Top of the League" a position that we grew used to.  We were regularly referred to as the "Manchester United" of non-league football.  There was one major point that was not in our favour... look at the poor attendances. Pitiful for such a good team.


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Exactly one week later we met our old friends from Wealdstone in the 3rd Round of the APL Cup in which we were 2-1 Victors.


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Why is this game interesting?  Well, aside from Alex Stepney, legendary Manchester goalkeeper playing for Alty, look who their number 3 was that evening.  Yes, it was the same one.

[brisbane_alty]

I wonder why the Barnet programme wasn't the usual professional-looking Robins Review? Was that match scheduled at short notice?

[Ukrainian Alty]

It actually does say at the top on the front cover 'Rush Programme' but I must have trimmed it off by accident whilst I was editing the scan (Sorry).
I suspect that the game was one re-arranged due to our home 1st Round FA Cup tie against Crewe Alex taking precedent over the original fixture.

Oh yeah, Alty 3 Alex 0.  The crowd was segregated for the first time that I can remember and it was the biggest crowd that I had ever seen at Alty up until then (5,001).  The Alex fans were put on the grass bank in windy corner (where the CSH is now). 
 

[cheshire cat]

Thanks for that bit of history. It was before I arrived in the Northwest.

[Ukrainian Alty]

You're most welcome Cheshire Cat.

I am sure without much doubt that you and most others reading this are aware that we won the title that season (1979/80) becoming the first ever National Non-League Champions.  We also won it again in 1980/81 becoming the first Club to retain the title.

We had been knocking on the door of the Football League for some time and following our successful 1979/80 season we appeared to have canvassed a shed load of support that we were certain would see us over the line... lets get my scrapbook out and see what the Chairman of the Alliance Premier League had to say in the Liverpool Echo on 30th June 1980 following the vote...



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[brisbane_alty]

Oh yeah, Alty 3 Alex 0.  The crowd was segregated for the first time that I can remember and it was the biggest crowd that I had ever seen at Alty up until then (5,001).  The Alex fans were put on the grass bank in windy corner (where the CSH is now). 
 

That was my first season watching Alty and my first FA Cup game. I remember being on the Chequers terrace. We absolutely took Crewe to pieces in that game.

After disposing of Rotherham in the second round at their ground, we then faced Leyton Orient at Moss Lane in the 3rd round. I sat in the main stand. I believe there were over 7,000 in attendance. We drew 1-1 after conceding a late equaliser, an attempted back-pass to Alex Stepney getting stuck in the mud and allowing Orient to score.

I wonder if we will we ever have another 3rd-round tie at Moss Lane?

[swindellsworth]

And that was our last 3rd round tie at ML. Curiously they were called just Orient back then , anyway the gate was 7,833 and i was in the Golf Road and we were packed in like sardines one end t'other.  The winners were drawn to face West Ham at home who went on to beat Arsenal in the final.

[Ukrainian Alty]

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The 2-0 win at Millmoor, Rotherham in the second round provided us with closure following a 0-5 reverse in the Cup just two seasons prior.  As well as the usual supporters coaches, regular British Rail services and those who travelled there by car, the club also chartered a train for 500 fans leaving from Platform 1 at Alty station (now occupied by trams).

The team were very well supported that day and this was in part due to a shed load of Barnsley fans who turned up from nowhere shortly after kick off and joined the Alty fans.  I unexpectedly met Darth Vader and John Rogers at the bar in the Moss Hotel that same evening.  Incidentally, their match programme was in the format of a newspaper and used newsprint as its medium.  I can't remember seeing this elsewhere.

Just to add a little to what swindellsworth has provided re Orient I was thrilled to see the likes of Alex Stepney, Mervyn Day and Ralph Coates play at Moss Lane that day but the pitch was not in a good state and I doubt that the game would have been allowed to go ahead these days.  It was responsible for our downfall that day.  I remember being absolutely horrified when the ball stuck in the mud gifting them a late equaliser.


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[cheshire cat]

It's a great scrapbook you've got

[Ukrainian Alty]

It's a great scrapbook you've got

Thank you most graciously for your comment.  We aim to please.
Here is a little diversion for a moment (although there is a sort of Alty link to it) that you might like.
 
There is another non-league football club probably within walking distance from Moss Lane (certainly do-able if you are a young, fit and healthy sort, but alas, not me anymore).
They were founded in 1888, play in Red shirts and their nickname is “The Robins”.  They compete in the Cheshire League (Premier League) as we once did and their home ground is Manchester Road… as was ours (I really want to believe this bit) when we were Broadheath FC.   Have you guessed who it is yet?

Anyway, let’s get going with the intended subject matter.  I attended the game associated with today’s football programme in 1974 along with a couple of thousand other lovers of the beautiful game.  Just look at some of the names on there.  Most of the players advertised played even though a few of them only made a short appearance.  I feel that I have to say at this juncture that I doubt many of the big star names of today would be prepared to give their valuable time to help out a local community in such a way (possibly with perhaps, the exception of Marcus Rashford).
Here comes the best bit.  Tony Davies is recorded as a member of Knutsford’s team that evening but what became of him?


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Here is a picture of Tony and his wife Lynda celebrating 30 years as mine hosts at the Railway Inn in Mobberley. This image was taken a few years ago now and the couple have since retired handing the running of the pub to their two children Matthew and Laura.


The last time I was there I saw an Altrincham FC fixture list on the noticeboard in the vault. 

[Ukrainian Alty]

Just a quickie.  We found this inside the pages of a book (probably used as a marker) along with my father's possessions after he died in 1984.  Are there many older one's out there?


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Not so much as a programme as a teamsheet and we still hand those out.

[JTH]

Just a quickie.  We found this inside the pages of a book (probably used as a marker) along with my father's possessions after he died in 1984.  Are there many older one's out there?


Click to see full image.


Click to see full image.

Not so much as a programme as a teamsheet and we still hand those out.

Fascinating stuff from January 1957, the manager bemoaning our luck in front of goal against moneybags Vics. White & Swales place a small advert in the bottom left corner of the teamsheet. A quick Google shows UK TV ownership was 5.7m at the end of 1956 and by February 1961 when the duo took the helm at the club it had doubled to 11.4m. Alty at least became the beneficaries of the rise of television even if at the expense of the Hale Cinema showing Jimmy Dean in a stone cold classic.

[PaulClementsLaments]

I have a facsimile of a programme from 1950.  I remember my late Grandfather having a few team sheets from Alty games that were pre-war but they didn't surface when we cleared his house after he passed in 1990. I do have some pre-war autographs somewhere

The Facebook group "Moss Lane Memories" that I set up a few years ago has a lot of old Alty programmes and photos to view

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AltrinchamFCMemories

[Ukrainian Alty]

The season is 1965/66 and the England National Team was destined to win the FIFA World Cup “upon England’s green and pleasant land.”  However, there was little green and pleasant in Wolvehampton where Alty were drawn to play against Wolves at Molineux in their first ever appearance in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup.   I was only 4-years old at the time and I remember nought about either of these two landmark footballing events but my dad was  one of the estimated 10,000 that on Saturday 22nd January 1966 travelled to the midlands to see little Cheshire League Altrincham take on the mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers.  There is some interesting information about the development of Moss Lane under White and Swales.  I have copied and posted all the pages where Alty get a mention.








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Sadly, we lost the game 0-5 but it was to be the beginning of our journey to the pinnicle of non-league football.

 

[swindellsworth]

Brilliant recollections fellas and thanks so much ,  i could read these all day , great memories all of them and some newbies to boot !  Us vets ( we're known as 'masters' in my running fraternity ) could do with a stand alone thread to recall our tales 'back in the day' .🙂