Sunday Dec 14th 1986. Liverpool won 3-0. I had just turned 7.

2005.

A present for my (8th) birthday, which was some going as my Dad's a Wednesday fan. We went in the Churchman's end, Glenn Keeley made his debut and I carried my own milk crate to stand on so that I could see.

Coventry City vs Liverpool, 4th Feb 1978, 1-0 to the Sky Blues. I remember very little about it except the excitement of seeing actual footballers - previously only glimpsed in the pages of Shoot or on MOTD.

Jun 11 1978, Basin Reserve, Wellington.

New Zealand:
Praven Jeram (Sandy Davie), Glenn Dods, Tony Sibley, Bobby Almond, Ian Park, Duncan Cole, Steve Sumner, Adrian Elrick [c], Keith Nelson, Earle Thomas (Alf Stamp), Brian Turner (David Taylor).
Coach: Billy Hughes.

England B:
Joe Corrigan, Viv Anderson, David Needham, Glenn Roeder, Alan Kennedy, Steve Daley (Tom Langley), Brian Talbot (Mick Speight), Gary Owen, John Hollins, Paul Mariner, Gordon Hill (Mel Eves).
Coach: Bobby Robson.

...and little else, I was only 5!

April 23rd 1968, Barnsley 2 Chester 1

Apparently I did watch the 1966 World Cup Final on TV but the first televised match I know that I actually watched was the 1968 European Cup Final (Man Utd V Benfica) just 4 weeks after the Barnsley match. This begs the question why did I subject myself to a life of dull drudgery and misery as a Barnsley fan when I could have gone to the dark side during my formative years and become a Manure fan?

during the season when Arsenal won the double.

What was the score, I hear you ask.
Why - One-Nil to the Arsenal, of course. A goal poached by John Radford. One of many that season.

I just googled the match, and found to my astonishment this YouTube footage. This is the first time I have ever seen any images from the game since that grey Saturday in North London 40 years ago.

I was extremely excited to go to my first game. Went with my dad. Bought a rosette. Read the programme from cover to cover.

I particularly liked the "scoreboard" thing along the side of the pitch which had the letters of the alphabet on it. Each letter corresponded to one of the other games taking place that day (listed in the match programme), and at half time some bloke would come along with a lot of numbers and stick them up under the letters, so that you could see, for instance, that Everton were leading ASton Villa 1-0. Marvellous.

I was four.
Started going to Brentford when I was ten (can't remember 1st match).
First top flight - Fulham vs Man Utd ...2-2. Denis Law produced what, even to this day, is the most outrageous piece of skill I have ever seen.I was twelve. Around about then I made my first trip to Wembley - a schoolboy international - England 0 West Germany 1 (Bugger!)

Has the distinction of being the last football game I went to too.

I was probably too young to remember distinctly the first of these. But I very vividly recall my first live tv game: Newcastle v Liverpool FA Cup final 1974. In colour!
A few months later I saw my second live tv game the World Cup Final between Holland and West Germany. Despite not being allowed to stay up for any of the tournament games I remember being underwhelmed when I was, at last, allowed to watch the final. I saw the same game recently on ESPN Classic and it's one of the best I've ever seen. I'm not sure there have ever been so many great players on the same pitch at the same time. Kids,eh?

Arsenal won 2-1, Lee Dixon made his debut.

at Burnden Park.

Featuring Frankie, Frankie, Frankie, Frankie Worthington.

Isthmian League. I think it was a 1 - 1 draw. I'm from Mitcham originally but was a schoolboy living in St. Albans and wondering what all this footie stuff was about. I soon went on to play rugby most Saturday afternoons.

Ninian Park FA Cup 1972, Johnny Giles scored both goals in a 2-0 victory IIRC. The crowd was an astonishing 50,000, and there was considerable crowd violence, such that my dad never took me again.

(edit) my memory was good :

http://www.ozwhitelufc.net.au/26-02-1972%20Cardiff%20City%20v%20LUFC.htm

Alan Woodward scored the winner, breaking my little Evertonian heart.

A precursor of a life of pain.......

Goldstone ground, 1976. 30 years later I bought a sofa from almost exactly the spot Blackburn's third goal was scored from. Not during a match, obviously, that would be stupid. It was a DFS by then.

My old man took me and my siblings to see the famed Georgie Best turn out for Cork Celtic in 1975/76 , although , I can`t remember much about it , to be honest.

My first professional game was , bizarrely, TSV 1860 Munich Vs some other German second tier side in 1987. My second was the European Cup Final twixt FC Porto and Bayern Munich in Vienna in 1987

Saturday 19th August 1967. First professional match and we lost.Vale finished 18th that season.

First "first Division" game was
01.02.1969 Wolves 1-1 Burnley.

First Time at Wembley, international
England 3-0 Czechoslovakia, 30 October 1974. To see the old country get hammered. went on to win the final though.

First Time at Wembley,Domestic
May 1972 Stafford Rangers 3 Barnet 0,FA trophy final

May 1968. A glorious win in front of a full house to clinch promotion to the old Second Division. England were world champions, God was in his heaven. There was no way of knowing what the future held. A cruel mistress, football.

Not European Football I agree but in the world of Scottish Junior football this was the Clash of The Titans in it's day. The Burgh were sweeping all before them that season culminating in winning the Scottish Cup. The Renfrew game was the local rivals meeting and the boots were flying. It didn't help half the Burgh team had played for Renfrew the previous season so scores were being settled both on and off the pitch. There was one copper that walked round the pitch (remember when they used to do that?) and his interest was more the half time pie and Bovril and not the punch ups on the terracing. Happy Days

Worryingly the first game I went on my own was The Rangers v Celtic game 2nd January 1971 when 66 lost their lives at the end of the game.
I was in a different part of the stadium and left not knowing what had happened. My mother heard it on the radio and was going frantic because I was late home.The reason was the buses had been stopped to let the ambulances in so I had to walk most the way.

April 11th 1977.

2 goals from my first footy hero, Brian Joicey, and one apiece from John Peachey and Kenny Brown. Neil Warnock on one wing and the great Ally Millar on the other.

A year later Allan Clarke took over and we got promoted to the third. When he left for Leeds Norman Hunter took over and we went up to the second. And then a year later we missed out on promotion to the first due to a 1-0 home defeat by Norwich City (that game took place in February, but had we won it we would have been promoted).

A great first 5 years, followed by about 3 good years over the next 30!

At Anfield, some time in the early 1970s in the days when Liverpool Reserves won the Central League as a matter of routine.

At Upton Park in March 1992. Charlton were groundsharing there after they'd been at Selhurst while waiting for the Valley to be rebuilt. I went with my now Season Ticket holding chum and his Mum, cos I was only 14, and I think my parents were a bit concerned it could get nasty (no, they'd never been to Charlton either).

I can remember the day in quite miniscule detail, such was my excitement at going. For example on Going Live that morning, Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene visited the Isle of Wight and got a bit seasick on a small boat (why this sticks, I do not know). Also, at the ground, Gabriel Clark(e) was doing some voxpops that would appear on "The London Match" the next day. We managed to get into the background somehow.

The thing I remember most was the smell, a masculine fug of burgers and stale cigarette smoke that I've associated with football stands ever since. And it was only £3.50 to get in. Best of all it was on a good old fashioned terrace - I still prefer standing now when ever possible, even if it can get a bit hairy when the goals go in.

1979 I think. Graham Knight's testimonial. I was 8, it was both brilliant and less than a pound to get in.

A thrilling 0-0. I went on a school trip with the school from the Isle of Man. £2 to get in. We all stood on the terraces, I think a few of my classmates are still wandering around there. I thought Kevin Keegan was really slow I remember.

First professional league game was 4 years later, Arsenal v Southampton and another 0-0! Liam Brady was watching from the East Stand and I hoped he was coming back from Italy, he never did (sigh).£1 to get in.

Saw plenty of the mighty Rushen United on the Isle of Man though. Very strong team back then. Neil Shimmin, Gareth Jones, Eric Nelson... happy days

... famous for the Norman Hunter v. Frannie Lee fight - was on Match of the Day as well.

Arsenal 1, Stoke Nil. 1968. Terry Neil missed a penalty, John Radford was taken off with blood streaming from his face after trying to dive through a wall. My overiding memory is of my Dad saying to me, "Here you are! Your first view of Highbury". And the smell of linament - we were standing to the left of the benches.

Isthmian League - not sure of the division. I was probably about 6 so it would have been about 1973. It was a one nil away win. I remember being able to pick out my silhouette from a photo in the local paper.

A dull first half-Manchester City v Newcastle United-not that I remember that bit. What I do recall is the unbelievable noise when Colin Bell came off the bench after 2 years injured to inspire, along with Dennis Tueart, a 4-0 shoeing in the second half.
This led to several hapless decades following the Blues until about a couple of years ago. Don't give us a shoeing if we win the league for the first time in my lifetime of 40 years. It wasn't the supporters who called in the Oil Barons.

At home to Middlesborough. We were in the running for the league (Those were indeed the days), hadn`t lost at home all season and Boro were at the time down near the bottom.

We lost of course, 1-0 and it was a terrible game. That much I remember.

Still, its made me the man I am today.

Spurs 3-0 Sunderland. Greavsie got 2, 3rd was an OG.
Jennings, Kinnear, Knowles, Mullery, England, Beal, Robertson,Greaves, Gilzean, Venables, Saul

Never been the same since!

Freight Rover Trophy final, Wembley, 1986.

A family day out as my uncle was in the City starting line-up with Keith Curle, David Moyes, and Kelsey Grammer's father-in-law Alan Walsh.

As a Bury fan brought up to shake my fist down the A58 towards the Winkies, I always find it odd that my first game involved them.

First Bury game was Bury 3-1 Wolves on 28/8/88. On the first day of the league season, the game kicked off at 11.15 (as Wolves fans had kicked off at Scarborough the season before) and Jamie Hoyland scored the first goal in the country that season. There was to be no looking back.

...3rd Round.

Manchester United vs Oxford 3-1-76 - we won 2-1. I was 5.5 yrs old (half years are important when you are 5!)

I started going regularly the year after - very lucky lad to have an accomodating uncle who didn't mind me tagging along.

It was another umpteen years of frustration before I got to see a half decent team and then have the next decade or so being hated for being sucessful.

15th January 1966. Northampton's only season in the top division, I think. They took the lead in the first half and we equalised in the second through a Geoff Hurst penalty. Both goals were scored at the old South Bank end (now the Bobby Moore stand, who was playing that day). I was nine years old and went with my friend Keith and his mum. We stood on the North Bank.

29/11/86, Man City -v- Everton at Maine Road. Went out for a walk with my mate Justin and we thought "Sod it.. Let's watch the footy.."

Everton won 3-1.

28 November 1970. Arsenal won 2-0 with goals from Graham and Radford.

Malcolm Macdonald played .Smoke bomb on the pitch .Exceedingly glamorous .

Never went to Wembley until Luton got there .Lost 4-1 to Reading in the Simod Cup 1988 but went back a few months later to beat Arsenal
3-2 in the League Cup Final ( unarguably the greatest game ever played under the old twin towers) .

27th March 1965, my Granddad took me, I was 4. Don't remember loads about the game other than there was a lot of cheering and I couldn't see much unless my Grandad picked me up. After that, I was hooked.

my 6 year old nephew to his first match - Hearts v Celtic. He was extremely excited on the way there and predicted a 10-nil win for ra Jambos. I tried gently letting him down, explaining that professional football was a much tighter affair than the goalfests he enjoyed with his mates.
Bugger me, if Hearts didn't score after 2 minutes. He gave me a withering look. He wasn't to know that was to be the one and only goal.

I must have been 10, so would have been 1985...it was at the very unglamorous Recreation Park (fittingly shortened to The Rec)...I vaguely remember the mighty Wasps (Alloa) beating their local rivals, Albion 3-0, but I may be wrong. I do remember the local Boys Brigade Captain was a big Alloa fan, as his use of "industrial language" was heard easily by me and my brother, and my dad. I think he had an issue with the overweight midfielder who was referred to as "You lazy fat c**t", for most of the game. I think if I said the attendance was 300, I would be very generous.
We had a greasy pie and a flat coke at halftime...Good times.

Manchester United vs West Brom Oct 1983

I can barely remember the game/line-up but for some daft reason I know the attendance

Sometime in 70/1.

My primary school teacher, who I idolised, was also Cliftonville's ace centre forward. Despite my Dad being an ardent Linfield supporter (the Glens bitter rivals) Mum persuaded him to take me as I wanted to see Mr. Cairns in action. Although he was listed in the programme he never appeared on the pitch. No idea of the result.

First "big" game was Northern Ireland v England at Windsor Park in 1971 where an Allan Clarke goal separated the teams. All I can remember was it was a very hot day and a drunk lay absolutely poleaxed next to us for the entire game.Oh and my Grandad spent the entire game berating a callow youth called Martin O'Neil for being useless.

Stamford Bridge - 13 April 1974. I was 6 and Arsenal won 3-1 with two goals for Ray Kennedy and one for John Radford. Kenny Swain scored for Chelsea.
I didn't make my home debut until 11 April 1977. A 1-0 win over Spurs thanks to Malcom MacDonald.

Last game of the 1993/94 season. We lost 2-1, with Fowler scoring our only goal.

I remember little else of the game.

Famous for being Peter Knowles last match before turning his back on the game to become a Jehovah's Witness. Wolves lead 3-0 before getting pegged back to a 3-3 draw, thus preparing me for a further 42 years of underachievement.

First English top flight game was Burnley 5 Leeds United 1. About 1970, I think. A hat-trick from centre-forward Frank Casper, and Ralph Coates was playing for Burnley too. That's when Leeds were one of the best teams in England so it was a very unexpected result. My football team had travelled over to play a team from Burnley on the Saturday morning - the game was an afternoon treat - and what a treat!

First actual game was watching Linfield in Belfast. I was about 4 so I don't remember who they were playing. However, I do remember the great Jackie Milburn played for Linfield then when he was still at the height of his powers. This was when there was a maximum wage in English football so Irish league clubs could afford to pay someone of his stature.

8 (EIGHT) - 0 to the home side. I didn't realise at the time that Ireland didn't score a hatful against every team.

Don't remember much about the game, but I do remember being shocked, and delighted, that grown men would speak like this.

This was in 1978, when Spurs were briefly down in the second division. The match finished 1-1 with the Spurs goal scored by Colin Lee, who'd scored four on his debut in the 9-0 tonking of Bristol Rovers earlier that season. This however was a match more memorable for Orient keeper John Jackson slicing a goal kick so spectacularly that it went for a corner.

... in 1971. The only reason I remember it, apart from being a school night and the ground looking amazing under the floodlights, was because Colchester had just recently (the weekend before, I think) beaten Leeds in a 5th round FA Cup game.

I think Brentford lost.

Radio 1 DJs vs. Radio Leeds DJs at Elland Road sometime around 1979. I remember nothing of it other than being excited at the occasion then rapidly bored stiff.

but first game I remember going to is standing on the Bridgford End (on a co-op milk crate, natch) for the first game of the 78/79 season v Spurs. I'm pretty sure it was Villa and Ardiles' first league match. In my memory the result was 1-1, Villa scored for Spurs and David Needham for Forest - down our end. But could be wrong.

April 24th 1965. In the old Division 4 (Div 2 these days for the young 'uns round here). Chester won 3-0 in the season when they scored 119 goals. They finished 8th in the league.

My first Everton game was against Southampton, September 29th 1969. A 4 - 1 win, with Joe Royle scoring a hat trick and a real rarity for Evertonians, a John Hurst goal.

Probably around '68 or '69. My daddy drove us through Golden Gate Park so we could 'look at the hippies'.

Niner's lost. Packers were on fire then.

if I ever go to one.

Ipswich beat Southampton 1-0, though I can't remember who scored.

It was Ipswich's first home game of the season and, having beaten Oldham 3-0 in their previous match, it meant they went top of the Premiership after 2 games. I'm almost certain they haven't been there at any point since.

Berks & Bucks Senior Cup - August 1985

This was the season when Reading finally got some ambition and went on to win their first 13 games.

I went to the first game of the season against Blackpool (1:0 (Jerry Williams)) but didn't go to another game until the 2:2 draw against Wolves (Kevin Bremner, Trevor Senior) which would have been the record breaking 14th Win on the bounce.

Manager Ian Branfoot's tactics that season were basically "Kick it to Trev!", resulting in Trevor Senior scoring 31 goals that season (the next highest scorer was Dean Horrix with 8)

Division 2 1964 - what is now , laughably, called the "Championship". I went with my Dad and my uncle and cousin. Bury lost, inevitably, 1-2. My uncle emigrated to Canada soon after and has never set foot in Bury since. I'm not sure if the two events are linked.

I was hooked.

April 1967. QPR had just won the League Cup and my brother had started to go and offered to take me to this game. My memory is that I was eight at the time but my birthday was still three months away, so I must have been seven. Rangers won 2-0 thanks to two goals by Rodney Marsh. I stood at the front of the South Africa Road terrace which was built on the famous mud bank behind it. Can't remember anything about the game but one of those moments in a man's life where he makes a choice that he will live with forever.

You RRRRRRRRRRssssss!

But it was in 1968. Coventry v Manchester United at Highfield Road. United had not long won the European Cup so the place was packed. It was so full that the children, including me, were passed to the front and sat on the edge of the pitch. I was this far (*extends arms only a short distance*) from George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law.

It's the noise I remember more than anything. There was only a (I would say) about 10,000 people there but the men on the terraces - where me and my dad were - shouted, swore freely and sang at the top of their voices.

I was a bit scared (being about 10) but I was also thrilled at the same time. There was a bit of shoving and I lost my footing a couple of times. Each time though, someone had a go at the people around to be more careful around kids. That was quite a nice feeling.

I think Toshack was in the Swansea side and I remember saying to my dad on the way home that the game would have been boring on the telly - but exciting when you're actually there. We also laughed about the fat man in front of us that kept shouting rude names directly at the linesman (who was sometimes only a few feet away) for absolutely no reason.

At Pride Park Derby. Was about 1998. As I remember it people like Lampard and Joe cole played. Best player by far though was Wes Brown so a case of injuries holding back potential since I think. We won 2:1 and I had a hoarse voice the next day.

18th September 1976 2nd Division, Wolves won 5-0. Went up as champions that season with Chelsea in second place.

The sheer size of the old South Bank as I entered from the very back totally blew me away as an eight year old. The smell of tobacco and beer breaths coupled with loud obscene chanting was a nervy but exciting experience.

Good Friday evening, 1976. A very forgettable 0-0 draw apparently - well, I've forgotten everything about it apart from that I was there with my Dad.

But whatever that game was like, I haven't stopped going to Vicarage Road since - and now both me and my 8-year old daughter have season tickets & I suspect that I couldn't give up going even if I wanted to.

First was Southampton at home I was a United supporter, we lost 0 - 4 Ron Davies scored all 4, next was Spurs at home, we lost 0 - 4 Martin Peters scored all 4. First season I went on a regular basis, we were relegated. Despite that still have a season ticket, but not for much longer due to the ever increasing prices, 2 tickets for Benfica in mid-week cost me £100. Heavy defeats I can accept, stupid prices I cannot.

Scottish League Cup, Aug 1970, Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen ... I was seven years old.

(Robb, Harper)

still have the programme from September12th 1969, but cannot recall the result.
the programme content was unbelievably bad with hardly any team information or stats to pour over.
interesting advert on page2 though - the local Ford dealer was selling the Capri for DM 6,993 and states..
er fährt sich wie ein sportwagen, which google translate comes up with 'he drives like a sports car'
ummm...

in August 1971. My school mate's dad brought us to Highbury, we were both Leeds fans and were near suicidal by the time it ended. He bought us both large rosettes at the end to make up for the disappointment.

Firhill for Thrills...

A more innocent time. My head was turned the first time I saw Thistle play Rangers at Firhill. Can still remember the vividness of the blue jerseys. From then on, the Jags became a fond memory...

West Ham v Man Utd 1968 or 1969. All I remember was being too small to see much, and George Best was playing.
It was also my last proper game, although I did see Margate v Spurs in 1973. I forget who won.

Cambridge United host Cardiff.
My mate Noel and I are stuck safely in the home end, for we lived in Cambridge at the time.

Robbie Turner got a red card.

One half of the home crowd believe that Robbie should be, and I quote, "England's number nine"
The other half that he's shite.

Never mind being worried about the traveling support from Cardiff - we almost got involved in an intra home crowd riot.

First rugby match was England/Scotland in 1981 when Phil Blakeway went off with a pinched nerve.

and never will.

There, that was easy to remember.

In my mind it was about sixty thousand people, but it probably wasn't half of that - I was quite overwhelmed by the experience.

I do remember my father decided to leave ten minutes into the last quarter, which was a significant downer. Not a habit I have inherited.

is that it would have been late 60s and a Millwall match. The only clear memory I have is the really scary crush getting out of the ground.

I can’t remember much about my first match, but I do recall the shock (and that’s the only word for it) of walking up the steep concrete steps in semi-darkness, before emerging onto the terraces into blinding sunlight and seeing the vivid green rectangle of the pitch and being enveloped by the animalistic roar of the crowd.

This happened at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane ground and although I’m a Wednesday follower by birth (just like my dad – isn’t that the rule?) my first real taste of football came courtesy of an uncle who was a lifelong Blades fan and didn't mind a 10 year-old tagging along.

The first game I can actually remember took place a while later and pitted Sheffield United against Liverpool. It was April Fool’s day 1961 (yes, I looked it up) when both teams were in the old second division and the result was a 1-1 draw. That was enough to clinch promotion for United, however, and while few details of the match have stayed with me, I do remember the Blades coming out on the balcony at the end to celebrate their elevation to the top division.

Those were the far-off days of flat caps, scarves, Woodbines and heavy wooden rattles. These lethal-looking devices made the most unearthly din and were swung with such gusto they seemed quite capable of braining anyone standing alongside. No wonder they were eventually outlawed. It was pies and Bovril at half-time and, unless you got in early, toilets ankle-deep in urine for the brave, foolhardy and/or desperate.

(Fact fans: while Sheffield United have ricocheted almost constantly between the various divisions since 1961, Liverpool were promoted the following season and have remained in the top flight ever since).

...was Shrewsbury Town vs Southport in Division 3 on 13th September, 1969, when I was 7 years old, at Gay Meadow.

We (Shrewsbury) lost 2-1, and I remember a policeman telling me to sit on the perimeter wall with my feet facing into the terraces rather than towards the pitch. My dad took me again about three months later and we lost again, 2-1 to Mansfield in the F.A.Cup Second Round.

Not a good start to my time as a Town fan!

for Gay Meadow (snigger)

Wolverhampton Wanderers about 1985. Does that count?

Norwegian First Division July 1979.

Biggest match

FC Köln v Borussia Mönchengladbach (Gimme a B,...) 4-1
Bundesliga October 1987.

A quick google tells me it was 1968/69 and I was taken with my mate by his dad> Somewhat overawed by the whole size and noise (I was only 10) and somewhat disappointed that a Stoke side with Gordon Banks in goal should get hammered.

My true lifelong affliction/affection began on Saturday 21st November 1970 at Gresty Road with a 0-0 FA Cup first round game against Doncaster Rovers. It's been 40 odd years of general underachievement ever since, with the glorious exception of the peak of the Gradi years and a flirtation with the upper half of the Championship. I directly trace our current position to the sale of Dean Ashton immediately after a 2 - 0 win at Elland Road.

My yardstick of football misery is a wet, dreary January Saturday afternoon, at home to Workington, with around 1,000 other poor souls and a 0-0 result. After that, anything else is upside. And thats even before I mention the 11 game run where we failed to score a single goal.

Can't remember the score and can only recall it was about 1964 or slightly earlier. Went with a mate of mine who is 5 years older than me (I was 8/9) and got in free at halftime.

It was an 0-0 draw.

One of the reasons why Scotland punched above its weight in terms of players produced per head of population for a 100 years, was the almost total obsession with football in all its forms amongst its male, working class members.

I was 10 and the game was my life. I was the most obsessive in a country of obsessives. I'd spend hours reading anything about the game, absorbing information, drawing little diagrams of team colours and kits. Memorising team nicknames and grounds.

So, when a local confirmed batchelor decided to take pity on a widow womans young son by taking him to the game, I couldn't believe my luck. The fact that it was the Scottish cup semi final, with 2 big teams was an added bonus. To be honest I'd have been equally delighted if it was Pollok v Arthurlie (2 local Junior teams)

I can remember the excitement. Not being able to sleep the night before, not wanting to annnoy my mother in any way (no easy task..) in case the gift was cruelly taken away.

On the night (a Wednesday) it seemed to take for ever to get from Shawlands to Hampden - a road I'd never taken before. When we got to the groundd I'd never seen so many people in my life(60k crowd).

I remember the ground surprised me: from the outside you couldn't actually see any part of the pitch. Hampden is a sunken bowl and the terraces are reached by climbing a staircase on a hill before decscending to your spot.

When I got to the top of the staircase I saw it for the first time. The crowd, compressed and swaying, the singing, the smells - of tobacco,beer, sweat and pish (it was the 70's) but above all the bright green pitch, illuminated by the floodlights. It was probably the first human spectacle of any kind I'd seen first hand - not even been to a family wedding by that age - and it totally captivated me. I was enslaved to football for the next 10 years.

Being about 4 foot tall that was as good as it got. I couldn't really see anything of the game, and being behind the goal I didn't get the perspective on what was happening.

The one thing I do remember is seeing Colin Stein (Rangers centre forward) rising to head on goal. From were I was he was directly in line with me. I remember him going up, connecting with the ball, the crowd surging forward towards the pitch, the Hibs goalie getting to the ball and tipping it wide, the crowd rushing back like a wave, and the sound of 20,000 people groaning. It was magic!

Ah. Happy days..

Jun 25, 1966 Scotland 1 (1) v Brazil 1 (1)
Friendly
Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow
Attendance: 74,933
Referee: Jim Finney (England)

SCOTLAND: Ferguson R(Kilmarnock), Greig(Rangers), Bell W(Leeds United), Bremner W(Leeds United), McKinnon(Rangers), Clark J(Celtic), Scott A(Everton), Cooke(Chelsea), Chalmers S(Celtic), Baxter J(Sunderland), Cormack(Hibernian).

Scorer: Chalmers(1)

BRAZIL: Gilmar(Santos), Fidelis (Bangu), Bellini (Sao Paulo), Orlando Pecanha (Santos), Paulo Henrique (Flamengo), Zito (Santos), Gerson (Botafogo), Jairzinho (Botafogo), Servilio (Palmeiras), Pele (Santos), Amarildo (Milan).

Subs: Silva(Flamengo) for Servilio[], Lima(Santos) for Zito[].

Scorer: Servilio(15)

England 3 (Lineker 2, Waddle) - Northern Ireland 0

Euro 88 Qualifiers - 15 Oct 1986 19:45 - Wembley

England:
Vivian Anderson [Arsenal]
Peter Beardsley [Newcastle United]
Terence Butcher [Glasgow Rangers]
Glenn Hoddle [Tottenham Hotspur]
Stephen Hodge [Aston Villa]
Gary Lineker [Barcelona]
Bryan Robson [Manchester United]
Kenneth Sansom [Arsenal]
Peter Shilton [Southampton]
Christopher Waddle [Tottenham Hotspur]
David Watson [Everton]
Anthony Cottee [West Ham United] [sub]

N Ireland:
Philip Hughes,
Gary Fleming,
Mal Donaghy,
Alan McDonald,
John McClelland,
Nigel Worthington,
Steve Penney,
David Campbell,
Colin Clarke,
Ian Stewart,
Norman Whiteside,
Subs: James Quinn for Steve Penney (74 mins),
and Sammy McIlroy for Norman Whiteside (84 mins).

I was 9. Chris Waddle was in his full mulleted glory. It was one of the best days of my life actually.

Never have.

Suspect Never Will.

My old man took me to see Villa play Leicester City 1966 - 0-0 bore draw, Gordon Banks in goal for Leicester. Valiant attempt by my dad to bring me up a Villa fan, failed miserably.

Second game was more interesting - Highgate United a non league team from Solihull area played a FA Cup tie in January 1967 against Enfield. Their ground was full to its 2000 seat capacity when half an hour into the game their centre half was struck and killed by lightning. 7 other players and officials were also injured. The game was abandoned and re-scheduled. Due to media coverage and a local outpouring of emotion meant the re-arranged game was played at Villa park. Attendance 31,000 of which I was one. They lost 6-0.

Thereafter my only love was and continues to be Birmingham City,

I can't remember the first Spurs game I went to at all, but the first "proper" game I went to was at Portman Rd.

It was against West Brom and it was Xmas/New Year (possibly New Years Day match) 1980, and, like others have said, we went down the front with the other kids and our milk crates.

Circa 1980 - Old division 4, a lifetime of disappointment follows.

What I can remember about the game:

It was a lovely sunny evening
Saw Kevin Hector signing an autograph outside the ground
Charlie George was playing for Derby
Arsenal had just lost in the FA Cup final
Derby won (3-0, according to Statto.com)
A solitary but vocal Arsenal fan was sitting in the stand behind us

It was the only time I went to see Derby with my dad (I've only ever seen them four times anyway), though hopefully there's still time to rectify that.

Went to Elland Road to see Leeds beat Plymouth Argyle 4-0.
Ian Baird scored a hat-trick!

Chester 2 Millwall 0 in the FA Cup 4th round. Bryn Jones and Ian Rush scored the goals for the Seals, and this 8 year old was absolutely hooked.

It was like World War III there though...

Not the first game I went to, but among the first, was a friendly between Feyenoord and Arsenal, in Rotterdam. The family was on a rare, nay unique, foreign holiday, visiting friends in the Netherlands and those friends were big Feyenoord fans, so on the appropriate evening we all trooped into Rotterdam to see the game. I was eight years old maybe? The 'maybe' is because I can't recall the year and asking my elderly folks would produce half an hour of fuss followed by "don't know".
It was around the time of the Arsenal double (1970-71) and also around the time that Feyenoord won the European Cup (1970). It was surely a pre-season friendly so it might have happened in July-August 1970 or 1971? I've had a Google but can't find anything...
Any Arsenal fans have long memories? (Thanks)

Recollections are vague - Dad tells me it was one of Rodney's last games for Rangers (so '72/73 ish) but I don't remember him playing. Bob Latchford scored a couple for Birmingham and they wore that awful shirt that had three different colour stripes. It was the smell and sounds I remember most of all. Cut grass, fags, booze, monkey nuts!

...the first footie match I went to on my own (as in with mates, but without an adult) was a charity match: Harlow Town vs a celebrity XI.

The celebrity side included the following:

John, E
Stewart, R
Parkinson, M

I can't remember the result, the names of any of the other players or really very much at all about the match except that at one point in the second half Elton went for a header and broke his glasses...

It would have been Dagenham United (before they became Dagenham and Redbridge) in the mid 80s, no idea who it was against.

Looking like the double dip this season :-(

the opening day of the 83/84 season.

Romeo Zondervan scored for The Baggies after about 5 minutes, I thought it was all over then, but Villa went on to take the lead twice in a barmy first half that ended 3-3.

Alan Evans scored my first Villa goal with a diving header that was almost, from at least, the halfway line. I've seen it since and it turns out he was about 15 yards out, but at the time he was absolutely miles away, MILES AWAY!!

Even more thrillingly, I saw Gary Shaw score, which was nice.

Just the only one goal in the second half but it was ours, thank you Brendan Ormsby.

The last game I went to was also at home to The Baggies in October this year. However, that wasn't nearly so much fun. Stupid linesman.

What a load of "Johnny come latelies" you are, although I admit I've skipped the last three feet of responses. My first game was at Goodison Park, Everton 8 Cardiff City 3, 1956 comes to mind but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a couple of years later. Memorable because I got toffee's off the toffee lady who was club mascot and got to ride back to Gran's on the front of a tram cos my Grandad was a tram driver. And to this day I've never supported either of them, come on you Horns!!!

What a load of tosh Ozpromoman! Sorry, I just checked, how easy was that, Everton 8 Cardiff City 3
28 April 1962!!! Six years out, good to know though. Did Liverpool still have trams then or is that another made up reminisence!

It is, "Liverpool's last tram (No 293) ran from Liverpool's Pier Head to Bowring Park on September 14, 1957."
My whole life is a sham. I may never have slept with Gracie Fields after all.....

In April 1979, I remember It well, and can still picture John Richards' winning goal even though I don't think I can have ever seen it since on TV etc. I was 8 years old. Next match, Wolves v Stoke, today, aged 41.

http://londonhearts.com/scores/games/197204011.html