A topic done to death already but...

First football matches. I was too young to remember my first match, and my dad doesn't remember it either. So I will never know who it was against. The earliest I remember being at was a home defeat to Watford in late 92. It could have been my first match, but I'll never know for certain.

But, my girlfriend recently told me about her first (and to date, only) football match.

She despises football. She goes upstairs to watch something else, or talk on the phone to her mum whilst I'm watching Barnsley games.

Once, she told me that she doesn't ever want to come to a match with me. That's absolutely fine, I wouldn't want her to go somewhere that she didn't want to. She then told me that she'd been to one football match before. With her being from near Manchester, I presumed she'd been dragged along to a game involving one of the Manchester clubs by an ex. She said the name of the stadium, which I didn't recognise, but didn't remember who the teams were, but it was in Budapest.

After doing a bit of digging, she'd been to the Budapest Derby between Ferencvaros and Ujpest. Based on when she went, I think Peter Rajczi might have been playing for Ujpest. She said the atmosphere was a bit intimidating, and she didn't watch much of the football, but it was a good experience.

I couldn't believe it. I explained that many football fans would love the opportunity to go to such a game, and it just happened to be the one football match she'd ever been to.

So yeah, my non football supporting girlfriend's first football match, was definitely better than mine.

 

Mine was Barnsley v Everton and we drew 2-2. I went with primary school because they'd got free tickets and we paid £1 towards the coach. My brother had left the school ages ago (he was 16) but really wanted to go so he volunteered to come along when my mam and dad dropped me off at school and then asked if there were any spare tickets and space on the coach so that he could go too, there were so he got to come along. Stand out memories were:
* Barnard scoring and we all stood up and cheered and then my teacher on the row behind went to sit down but of course the seat had folded up and she felt straight on her backside with her legs either side of my mate (who was sat next to me)'s head
* There were people randomly giving out Rice Krispie Squares for free before the match so we kept going back up and getting loads. I had pockets full of them and someone in my class was sick from eating too many
* The coach was about 45mins late to pick us back up and we were stood freezing to death by Jet garage waiting for it to turn up

 

I remember the Rice Krispie squares been given out. I had quite a few given to me. Oh to be a Premier league club when a new product launches.

 

It gave me unrealistic expectations of what going to a match was like

 

It does prove though that kids need to be looked after and given free tickets whilst young (preferably via school with their mates), as they'll get into it and come back for years to come.

 

The first match I took my now wife to was a pre season friendly at home to Leicester City in 1983. "Have you been to a football ground before" I asked. " Only one" replied Crystal, "One Summer on a school trip to Spain, we visited the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Is Oakwell like the Nou Camp?"
"Errrr"

 

I hope the reply was no ,it's much much better.

 

My reply was "The main similarity is that it has two sets of goalposts and a green pitch!"

 

I've been to both, can't say I noticed a difference

 

Was it the Swindon match where they gave out free tickets to all the schools for the new North stand and I took my daughters That was good as its somewhere ill probably never sit in again.

 

You treated her to a pre-season friendly! You extravagant person you and she still married you lol

 

I’m sure I went to some previously but my earliest memory at Oakwell is a 6-0 victory over Portsmouth in the 1999/00 season.

Pretty sure I remember two away victories(?) at Huddersfield and Grimsby around a similar time.

 

2-1 vs Portsmouth, late 1998. Remember the away end being very blue and I'm sure that git with the bell was there banging away. No idea who the scorers were but remember my dad lifting me up onto the overhanging edge of the upper East stand when we scored

 

I seem to remember soldiers in full busby march across the pitch in my first ever match at some point in the 80s. Can't have been great as I remember going to sleep. I didn't go again until the 90s.

 

Grimsby Town at home.
Promotion game 1978/79

Won 2-1

 

On the way to the ground, I was waxing lyrical about two players in particular, Ronnie Glavin (obviously!) & a young lad from Leicester called Gary Lineker! Lineker took a whack from Mick McCarthy and limped off before we'd even played 15 minutes.
I certainly knew how to romance a lady!

 

A young Gary Lineker would have swayed me!!

 

Yes mate, you are very romantic lol

I won't tell you about where we went the day after we were married..... Oh, go on then.... I took her to Headingley to watch Yorkshire in a One day game....

I'm as romantic as you aren't I lol

 

Oh, come on. A green pitch??

 

29 th april 1961 , Barnsley 2 v 2 Walsall , my uncle took me with my cousin , my cousin ended up being a Blade , as for me I was hooked & the rest is history