1981 Reds

Nicked this of twatter, I can't remember much of the game actual game as was only 7, remember wanting to go on the pitch though but dad said no and we went for the bus home.

 

I was also there somewhere lol, on the pitch, and by the way I was 9 then.
At one point I think Plymouth scored at Rotherham, and with us thrashing Newport, there were still hopes of us winning the Third Division title.

 

Oakwell was way better when we used the corners.

 

Seem to recall it was a celebration of going up. Nowt else!
Was stood on the Kop amongst many. Newport had about 25 on there... totally unscathed I hasten to add.

 

That's where we used to stand Wuz, in the Kop stand, which was near the away fans of course.
We were usually down near the pitch, and within talking distance of our keeper Gary Pearce.

 

We used to stand abart 30 steps back from goal Acid lad.... although I must admit wiv shifted abart on occasion.
North Terrace was ar ooerm though

 

I think I remember the Burnley and Enfield fans causing some real trouble that season Wuz.
Which was hilarious for me then as a kid, the coppers really struggled to keep it together!.
It was almost as exciting as watching Hunters '81 team.

 

Wasn’t it also “thank Givens day”? He missed a late penalty for the Blunts that would have kept them in the old Third Division.
For a good few years afterwards the Radio Sheffield commentary on the penalty miss was frequently repeated on request shows

 

The very same day I believe

 

Am on there somewhere.
15.

 

Remember this like it was yesterday. What a day, what a performance. It felt like we could beat anyone at that time.
The best Reds side in my lifetime and that includes the Prem promotion season. We were privileged to witness those years between 78 and 82.

 

Me too, 16 going on 17

 

One of my memories of that day, corner of Ponty & West, stood a very old man behind us with a beige raincoat & a Newport County bag.

Then I got to the front with my mate. Ran on pitch, got knocked over. Stood up, got knocked over. Tremendous.

Like you say, seems like yesterday.

 

"Here comes Givens....and he's saved it!"
Never forget that moment, we were finished and on the pitch but there were radios all over and at that moment a huge cheer went up all across the Well "the pigs are going down"
Happy days

 

I would definitely have been there but for the fact that I was on a business trip in Spain. The day after the Rotherham game, I was in the foyer of the hotel in Zaragoza when a bloke walked in with the Daily Mirror under his arm.So I asked him if it was that day's and then asked if I could see the football results.
He said "What team are you looking for?",
Barnsley I said,
"They won 1-0, are you from Barnsley?"
"I'm from a pit village half way between Barnsley and Doncaster"
"Go on"
"It's called Bolton on Dearne"
"Go on"
"The Ringway estate"
"I live in the Dunk houses"
(An estate of bungalows about a mile from our house).

Spooky or what?

 

Correct. Rotherham had to lose and the Reds win by four clear goals to clinch the title.

Plymouth did take the lead and we were 1-0 at half time, after a poorish first half.

After the break, we came out like a different team and in no time Ronnie had scored a magnificent hat trick. 4-0 game on.

Glyn Riley then hit the bar.

Unfortunately Rotherham went on to win 2-1 and we conceded a late goal, so it wasn’t to be.

But anyone who was around at the time will tell you who the better team was. And it wasn’t Rotherham.

 

We did the double over Rotherham too.

 

Me and my mate were first in the ground at 1 so we could stand by the home dug out in the West Stand

 

We did, Micky, but the following season including that brilliant match at Millmoor when we won 4-2 with a Banks hat trick. The fourth was from The King who ran the length of the field in the 90th minute.

This season in September we’d lost at their place 2-0 - think The King may have missed a penalty that day. No criticism whatsoever of the great man.

 

You’re right mate. I was thinking the 4-2 was the promotion season in Division 3 but it wasn’t, it was in Division 2. Great memories anyway.