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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

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superjohnmcginlay

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Following the Carlisle win we had another home game against another lowly side in the shape of Exeter City.

This was a drizzly Autumnal Burnden Tuesday night. A second win in four days would re-ignite belief in our credentials as promotion contenders.

Bolton played well but for more than 80 minutes Exeter held firm. Just as a breakthrough looked like a forlorn hope our centre backs came to the rescue. Dave Sutton provided a well directed header from a corner and Mark Came deflected the ball over the line. There was even time for Steve Thompson to come within a whisker of a second as he hit the post with a long distance free kick.

You can sense a return of enthusiasm after this muck and nettles win. Won 7 Drawn 2 Lost 4 suddenly made for a better picture than the mid table gloom that beckoned after the Darlington defeat 10 days before. Onward and upwards.

 

Edited by paulhanley
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11 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Following the Carlisle win we had another home game against another lowly side in the shape of Exeter City.

This was a drizzly Autumnal Burnden Tuesday night. A second win in four days would re-ignite belief in our credentials as promotion contenders.

Bolton played well but for more than 80 minutes Exeter held firm. Just as a breakthrough looked like a forlorn hope our centre backs came to the rescue. Dave Sutton provided a well directed header from a corner and Mark Came deflected the ball over the line. There was even time for Steve Thompson to come within a whisker of a second as he hit the post with a long distance free kick.

You can sense a return of enthusiasm after this muck and nettles win. Won 7 Drawn 2 Lost 4 suddenly made for a better picture than the mid table gloom that beckoned after the Darlington defeat 10 days before. Onward and upwards.

 

Thanks Paul , the team looked to have a bit more self belief here , not sure how Exeter played overall but Dave thinks we were worthy winners . Julian Darby again showing he had a good footballing brain ( For the Lower divisions at least) , I always liked him but I know he got a lot of stick.

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23 minutes ago, dusan nikolic said:

Thanks Paul , the team looked to have a bit more self belief here , not sure how Exeter played overall but Dave thinks we were worthy winners . Julian Darby again showing he had a good footballing brain ( For the Lower divisions at least) , I always liked him but I know he got a lot of stick.

I don't remember much about the game from the night itself but we definitely dominated and two home wins put that dodgy run of results behind us. This was when Julian first started regularly playing in central midfield ...Warren Joyce having recently transferred to PNE.

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Back to posting the matches from our previous Div 4 season in 1987/88. Two wins on the bounce at home to Carlisle and Exeter and Bolton were back in the promotion frame - won 7 drawn 2 lost 4. Next up was a derby match at Rochdale - a fixture that had been rarely played up to that point. Thousands made the trip - as can be seen on this video. Not all of them chose the away enclosure as their vantage point, including Dave Higson whose chosen spot was among scores of Bolton fans in the side terrace.
 
When Bolton conceded a first and then a second, feelings began to run high. Abuse was rained down on Phil Neal and the bench. The word frequently used by Dave in his commentary was that this was "degredation". Rochdale had been in the basement division for many years and would remain there for many years thereafter. 
 
The team finally awoke from its slumbers and it was John Thomas to the rescue - his second from the penalty spot after yet more frantic action in the Rochdale goalmouth. The away end seethes and it's almost too packed for celebration. 
 
Won 7 Drawn 3 Lost 4 - but still only the one away win to our name. The fans went home relieved at a point but renewed with doubts in their minds about our promotion credentials.

 

 

 

 

Edited by paulhanley
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3 hours ago, paulhanley said:

 

Back to posting the matches from our previous Div 4 season in 1987/88. Two wins on the bounce at home to Carlisle and Exeter and Bolton were back in the promotion frame - won 7 drawn 2 lost 4. Next up was a derby match at Rochdale - a fixture that had been rarely played up to that point. Thousands made the trip - as can be seen on this video. Not all of them chose the away enclosure as their vantage point, including Dave Higson whose chosen spot was among scores of Bolton fans in the side terrace.
 
When Bolton conceded a first and then a second, feelings began to run high. Abuse was rained down on Phil Neal and the bench. The word frequently used by Dave in his commentary was that this was "degredation". Rochdale had been in the basement division for many years and would remain there for many years thereafter. 
 
The team finally awoke from its slumbers and it was John Thomas to the rescue - his second from the penalty spot after yet more frantic action in the Rochdale goalmouth. The away end seethes and it's almost too packed for celebration. 
 
Won 7 Drawn 3 Lost 4 - but still only the one away win to our name. The fans went home relieved at a point but renewed with doubts in their minds about our promotion credentials.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Paul , I really regret being too young to go to these games and too far away to travel on my own , especially as an adult and being amongst all the arms and legs regularly. 

 

Edited by dusan nikolic
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9 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

Thanks Paul , I really regret being too young to go to these games and too far away to travel on my own , especially as an adult and being amongst all the arms and legs regularly. 

 

Aye they were very different days to now. Our away following was incredible really, not least given how hopeless we'd been on the road for almost a decade.

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2 hours ago, jayjayoghani said:

Went this game, Ian Stevens turned it around when he came on.

He was looking promising around that time but he didn't get a fair chance IMO.  I heard from an ex-player years ago that Neal used to verbally bully him a bit as Stevens was an extremely quiet lad. 

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7 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Aye they were very different days to now. Our away following was incredible really, not least given how hopeless we'd been on the road for almost a decade.

Looking back on the season before , The Mansfield away game 2-2 , it was a great following considering it is around a 2 hour drive by car and we were inconsistent to be kind .

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2 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

Looking back on the season before , The Mansfield away game 2-2 , it was a great following considering it is around a 2 hour drive by car and we were inconsistent to be kind .

That's the thing. We were so consistently and reliably crap away from home in the 80s. It was surely the ale and the day out rather than the match!! 😂

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2 hours ago, paulhanley said:

That's the thing. We were so consistently and reliably crap away from home in the 80s. It was surely the ale and the day out rather than the match!! 😂

It was the same against Forest Away 85 , I'm not sure how many we took but it seemed loads. Other than Wrexham and Wembley , what would you say was the biggest following we took anywhere in the mid to late 80's.

Edited by dusan nikolic
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2 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

It was the same against Forest Away 85 , I'm not sure how many we took but it seemed loads. Other than Wrexham and Wembley , what would you say was the biggest following we took anywhere in the mid to late 80's.

IMHO, Wigan both Boxing Day games or Blackpool on that Boxing Day one.

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2 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

It was the same against Forest Away 85 , I'm not sure how many we took but it seemed loads. Other than Wrexham and Wembley , what would you say was the biggest following we took anywhere in the mid to late 80's.

Blackpool on Boxing Day in 85 and the Sherpa Van game there in 89., Burnley in the Fa Cup in 87. Barnsley later in the competition that year was quite big too.

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9 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

Blackpool on Boxing Day in 85 and the Sherpa Van game there in 89., Burnley in the Fa Cup in 87. Barnsley later in the competition that year was quite big too.

A couple of years later, but the cup match at Southampton was excellent, especially for an evening game.

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