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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

The Swindon 6


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1 hour ago, Thorpey said:

I remember hanging out my arse for that semi-final in 1995, Sunday afternoon I think.

Night before we were in a club in Caversham near Reading and a few of the Bolton lads came in.  By closing Tommo and McAteer were a bit worse for wear and needed help getting over the bridge back to the hotel.  A few were a bit more sensible ....

How they played the following day, I've no idea.  Think Stubbs scored early on and there were a couple of hundred Bolton lads in the seats behind the goal who went up when it went in.  Went downhill after that.

Fuckinell 🤣

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2 hours ago, Thorpey said:

I remember hanging out my arse for that semi-final in 1995, Sunday afternoon I think.

Night before we were in a club in Caversham near Reading and a few of the Bolton lads came in.  By closing Tommo and McAteer were a bit worse for wear and needed help getting over the bridge back to the hotel.  A few were a bit more sensible ....

Heard stories about mcginlays pub, how the players would spend the evening getting bladdered, sleep on the floor of the pub, wake up and go straight to training

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3 hours ago, Duck Egg said:

Just found the highlights. My memory's holding up!

 

Thanks for posting that, never seen it in my life, fantastic.  Amazing following for a night match in Swindon when we were getting home crowds of 6 or 7k.  1st goal possibly Henshaw's best moment in a white shirt and Philliskirk with his wrong foot - what a player he was.  This was on the back of fully deserving to beat 2nd tier Watford in the previous round over 2 legs, I was behind the goal with 1k BW fans when Comstive scored the late winner.

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Went to both in 1995, don’t remember much about the first leg, but the second leg was and still is my favourite night as a Bolton fan, we were going to Wembley in a major cup final after years in the lower leagues.

Never have I wanted to punch a player more when Fjortoft celebrated in front of the Bolton fans doing his plane thing.  I felt sick, defeated and hopeless.

Celebrating the equaliser thinking it went in when it hit the post first and that bit of hope crept back in.

Mixu’s goal, though was good was much better in my recall, a 35 yard screamer in the top corner, more hope possibly expectation.

The winner and scenes, dragged yards down the terrace and we knew that was that.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so many different emotions in a 45 minute period. Couldn’t stop smiling for days after.

Edited by bolton in bedford
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6 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

For the 1989 game, I remember thinking it felt like the first "big game" atmosphere we'd had for many years, at least since relegation to the 3rd division in 83.  There were real proper queues outside, snaking around the Lever End, probably helped by everyone paying cash on the gate, nobody bought advance tickets in them days.

And standing on the Burnden Paddock and looking towards Lever End and Manny Road it looked packed.  Of course it wasn't, I think about 13k, but it was twice the usual crowd and it was buzzing.

Probably mirrored my feelings. It was an amazing occasion and we felt we could have won either of the 1st and 2nd replays. Not sure how they decided where the 3rd replay would be played, but obviously it went our way. Crowds of 11k and then 14k, certainly grabbed the attention of the town.

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6 minutes ago, Smiley said:

Probably mirrored my feelings. It was an amazing occasion and we felt we could have won either of the 1st and 2nd replays. Not sure how they decided where the 3rd replay would be played, but obviously it went our way. Crowds of 11k and then 14k, certainly grabbed the attention of the town.

Pretty sure they simply tossed a coin.

Also pretty sure the ref from that first game was Vic Callow. He of the overruling the linesman on penalty. Only a 34 year, and counting, grudge.

Also Phil Brown's goal, in my opinion underrated. I mean everyone can see it's a screamer into the top corner but the ball was coming across Brown at right angles. Very hard to hit those well. 

Edited by jayjayoghani
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You know what, I went to all of them....but I don't remember any postponement at all.

The first game, the 3:3, I remember us getting there early, in the back of an HB Electronics van (as I worked there at the time) -  I vaguely recall  Mark Came with a 90th minute equaliser - the rest of the game a complete blank.

I also recall, the home game and thinking, for years, that Cowdrill had thwacked from a fair distance out, and at far more of an angle than it actually was (similar to the Van Basten goal in the Euro Cup Final) - funny how the mind plays tricks

Edited by Sweep
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Did all the League Cup games in '89. On BWFC Travel club coaches for the ones at Swindon. Dave "ding dong do" Higson giving us all a rub off for both trips. No happy ending.

'95 I was the driver of the AHM mini bus for that one. We pulled in to a petrol station in Swindon to fill up for the trip home. The next thing remember was Meldrew legging it up the duel carriage way after a car full Swindon fans. The 2nd leg victory was the best feeling I had ever had following Bolton. Never looked like happening when that Norwegian of theirs scored first on the night

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That Wembley season, I really felt we were going all the way after beating West Ham.

I couldn’t remember the other 2 goals we scored until I saw them again but Mixu’s screamer from the half way line as I had it in my head was brilliant. 
 

At that moment in time, that’s as bonkers as I’d seen Burnden. It was like the Wrexham celebrations but with 15000 more folk

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1995, I did the Ipswich and West Ham away games, sadly was away with work for the Swindon first leg and missed it. Both of those games were monumental victories in their own right. But always classed as the lesser of our cup upsets I reckon. Amazing how good we were away from home against these so called bigger clubs under Rioch, its like we had no fear at all.

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Back to 1989, mad to think that we fielded the same XI for the first three games, but then had to travel to Swindon for the 4th with Philliskirk, Reeves and Henshaw missing. Plus I think we’d just let Chandler leave for Cardiff. So was a bit threadbare. Such a shame as we’d gone toe-to-toe with them in the longest ever League Cup tie and still managed to match them until the 116th minute!

Edited by Smiley
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2 minutes ago, Smiley said:

1995, I did the Ipswich and West Ham away games, sadly was away with work for the Swindon first leg and missed it. Both of those games were monumental victories in their own right. But always classed as the lesser of our cup upsets I reckon. Amazing how good we were away from home against these so called bigger clubs under Rioch, its like we had no fear at all.

Norwich were pretty decent at the time too. Theyd beaten Bayern and finished 3rd in recent history.

....answers on a post card, who broke his leg in that qaurter final at Burnden park?

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22 hours ago, Underpants said:

Did all the League Cup games in '89. On BWFC Travel club coaches for the ones at Swindon. Dave "ding dong do" Higson giving us all a rub off for both trips. No happy ending.

'95 I was the driver of the AHM mini bus for that one. We pulled in to a petrol station in Swindon to fill up for the trip home. The next thing remember was Meldrew legging it up the duel carriage way after a car full Swindon fans. The 2nd leg victory was the best feeling I had ever had following Bolton. Never looked like happening when that Norwegian of theirs scored first on the night

The minibus, didn't you 'acquire' a yellow flashing traffic warning light on the journey home that took pride of place on your mantelpiece for a good number of years?  Also did someone's shoe get chucked out of the window on the A4?

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3 minutes ago, Barnstoneworth White said:

The minibus, didn't you 'acquire' a yellow flashing traffic warning light on the journey home that took pride of place on your mantelpiece for a good number of years?  Also did someone's shoe get chucked out of the window on the A4?

Forgot about that 😁 It kept flashing for months afterwards. Minor pilfering at its finest. I can't remember the shoe incident 🤔

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