Significant games you only partially remember

[Duck Egg]

3 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Right here is another one. All I really remember about this one is being very upset for a good few days after the game.

Towards the end of 84/5 we started dreaming of Wembley having got to the Northern Semi Final of the Freight Rover. For weeks beforehand, chants of "We're all on the march with Charlie's army, we're all going to Wembley" had swirled around Burnden and various away ends on our travels. 

We had drawn Mansfield at home, at the time a Div 4 side and thus in the league below us. However they had Ian Greaves as their manager and I think they also had Neil Whamore in the side.

Anyway we lost 1-2 and it was a massive let down. As for the game itself I remember virtually nothing. Any memories? I think we scored first?

They'd done the area semi final and final draws at the same time. If we beat Mansfield we had a home tie in the final against the winners of Wigan & someone else. "Bolton home in on Wembley" was the BEN headline.

Little memory of the match apart from getting in as under 16, us taking the lead, then losing. Dave Caldwell scored at least one of theirs. He always seemed to score against us in those days. 

[paulhanley]

45 minutes ago, Duck Egg said:

They'd done the area semi final and final draws at the same time. If we beat Mansfield we had a home tie in the final against the winners of Wigan & someone else. "Bolton home in on Wembley" was the BEN headline.

Little memory of the match apart from getting in as under 16, us taking the lead, then losing. Dave Caldwell scored at least one of theirs. He always seemed to score against us in those days. 

All that rings a bell. There was a lot of confidence around. As ever in the 1980s it was badly misplaced. 

[RONNIE PHILLIPS]

On 06/03/2026 at 23:48, kent_white said:

Do you remember that game we won 1-0 v Preston when John McGinlay scored from the spot?

That's probably the last game I remember in full. It was after that I started doing drugs and it's completely shot my shirt term memory!

Explains a lot 😂

[Mounts Kipper]

Man U game 3-0 at home in the 70s remember pre game and nothing of the game or after. 

[victor meldrew]

23 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Man U game 3-0 at home in the 70s remember pre game and nothing of the game or after. 

Remember the embankment being empty 10 minutes from time 

[Mounts Kipper]

57 minutes ago, victor meldrew said:

Remember the embankment being empty 10 minutes from time 

Actually now you mention it…. Remember it was virtually empty 20 minutes into the second half…. Shame there’s no footage. 

[RONNIE PHILLIPS]

5 hours ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Man U game 3-0 at home in the 70s remember pre game and nothing of the game or after. 

All I remember of the game was standing next to a little mob of Salford rags on the Burnden when they started singing......it didnt end very well for them 😀

[paulhanley]

On 13/03/2026 at 07:33, Mounts Kipper said:

Man U game 3-0 at home in the 70s remember pre game and nothing of the game or after. 

I remember Frank Worthington tormenting Gordon McQueen on the night. Or at least I remember that was what everyone sitting around us was saying was happening. 

I think the rags fans were on the larger segregated area of the Embankment next to the MNR. I just cannot remember any nastiness at all, unlike the season after, which I remember more clearly.

[bwfc2003]

On 13/03/2026 at 07:33, Mounts Kipper said:

Man U game 3-0 at home in the 70s remember pre game and nothing of the game or after. 

Black Eye Friday game - kicked off big style outside sweet green before the game

[paulhanley]

1 minute ago, bwfc2003 said:

Black Eye Friday game - kicked off big style outside sweet green before the game

I have never even heard tales of trouble on that day let alone having seen any. Different story a year later in 79/80. Also of course a different story in 74/5 in Division 2.

[wakey]

16 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

I have never even heard tales of trouble on that day let alone having seen any. Different story a year later in 79/80. Also of course a different story in 74/5 in Division 2.

Just had a look at the table for 74/75.

Never realised before, but 4th, 5th and 6th were Sunderland, Bristol City and West Brom - the top 3 next season in the same order. Bet that's not happened too often.

 

[paulhanley]

19 minutes ago, wakey said:

Just had a look at the table for 74/75.

Never realised before, but 4th, 5th and 6th were Sunderland, Bristol City and West Brom - the top 3 next season in the same order. Bet that's not happened too often.

 

You are right

Maybe a slightly higher possibility of it happening in those days given sides generally only signed one or two player in a summer and things could move from season to season with not too much change. 

[wakey]

But still - I guess - unusual.

Would love to know how many times it happened.

[Johnnyrotten]

On 08/03/2026 at 13:41, paulhanley said:

Right here is another one. All I really remember about this one is being very upset for a good few days after the game.

Towards the end of 84/5 we started dreaming of Wembley having got to the Northern Semi Final of the Freight Rover. For weeks beforehand, chants of "We're all on the march with Charlie's army, we're all going to Wembley" had swirled around Burnden and various away ends on our travels. 

We had drawn Mansfield at home, at the time a Div 4 side and thus in the league below us. However they had Ian Greaves as their manager and I think they also had Neil Whamore in the side.

Anyway we lost 1-2 and it was a massive let down. As for the game itself I remember virtually nothing. Any memories? I think we scored first?

Not been on this thread for a bit, but thanks for rekindling some "fond" memories.  Its hard to imagine now what a biggish game this was at the time, in the context of our general malaise.  We were getting about 4k home fans by that stage of the season, and only 2 days earlier we'd played Bradford here in a league game (a week before the fire) - our last home game of the season in the league.  There would have been no rotation or resting players back then.  And the Monday night cup game attracted about 6k home fans, it doesn't seem a lot but it was buzzing, and Mansfield did their bit bringing about 1k (crowd was just under 7k). 

If that was now we'd have about 18k on Saturday in L1 followed by about 3k on Monday for the BSM quarter final!

No ceremony at the end of the season in them days - certainly no lap of honour/thanks, everyone sloped off gutted the season had ended when we were anticipating a semi final and possible Wembley trip.

Wigan beat Mansfield away in the semi, AET on pens.  I was at Wigan Tech at the time and was so jealous they got to the final v Brentford in front of about 50k, even worse that they won (Tony Kelly scored).

In them days the final was after the play offs which added to the occasion in a way, it was the end of season prestige game for Divs 3 and 4 similar to how the FA Cup final is traditionally the last big domestic game.

It wasn't tucked away amongst 5 other live games of more importance on the same day, it was the only game in England that day, and it was a big deal for us when we got to the final 2 years later and again in 89. 

[paulhanley]

6 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Not been on this thread for a bit, but thanks for rekindling some "fond" memories.  Its hard to imagine now what a biggish game this was at the time, in the context of our general malaise.  We were getting about 4k home fans by that stage of the season, and only 2 days earlier we'd played Bradford here in a league game (a week before the fire) - our last home game of the season in the league.  There would have been no rotation or resting players back then.  And the Monday night cup game attracted about 6k home fans, it doesn't seem a lot but it was buzzing, and Mansfield did their bit bringing about 1k (crowd was just under 7k). 

If that was now we'd have about 18k on Saturday in L1 followed by about 3k on Monday for the BSM quarter final!

No ceremony at the end of the season in them days - certainly no lap of honour/thanks, everyone sloped off gutted the season had ended when we were anticipating a semi final and possible Wembley trip.

Wigan beat Mansfield away in the semi, AET on pens.  I was at Wigan Tech at the time and was so jealous they got to the final v Brentford in front of about 50k, even worse that they won (Tony Kelly scored).

In them days the final was after the play offs which added to the occasion in a way, it was the end of season prestige game for Divs 3 and 4 similar to how the FA Cup final is traditionally the last big domestic game.

It wasn't tucked away amongst 5 other live games of more importance on the same day, it was the only game in England that day, and it was a big deal for us when we got to the final 2 years later and again in 89. 

Good memories. I had not realised it was a Monday night game. Nor had I clocked it was straight after that Bradford home game. Loads of bother that day and Stuart McCall ran the show for Bradford on the pitch from first to last. 

I have a memory in the latter stages of that season of a young right back called Paul Fitzpatrick. Tall pale faced, red haired lad. Was not overly popular and I think ultimately we let him go. As can happen he went on to prove us wrong and had a decent career including spells at Bristol City and Leicester.

[RONNIE PHILLIPS]

2 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Good memories. I had not realised it was a Monday night game. Nor had I clocked it was straight after that Bradford home game. Loads of bother that day and Stuart McCall ran the show for Bradford on the pitch from first to last. 

I have a memory in the latter stages of that season of a young right back called Paul Fitzpatrick. Tall pale faced, red haired lad. Was not overly popular and I think ultimately we let him go. As can happen he went on to prove us wrong and had a decent career including spells at Bristol City and Leicester.

Fitzpatrick came from Preston iirc?......and to be fair ( like his skin) he was gash 😀

[RONNIE PHILLIPS]

Just now, RONNIE PHILLIPS said:

Fitzpatrick came from Preston iirc?......and to be fair ( like his skin) he was gash 😀

Correction.....he was at Tranmere