Tales from Olden Times
A trip down memory lane as John Snellgrove shares memories from his first County game in 1960-61
Friday 3 May 2024
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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Friday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
CHAMPIONS FORTNIGHT has technically come to an end, but I do still have a handful of articles to share with you over the next week or so. (Might as well milk our title success as much as we can, eh?!)
For your reading pleasure today, however, my former primary school teacher John Snellgrove has been reminiscing about his first County game back in December 1960. I was tempted to print his email, dig out my red biro, and post it back to him with a “must try harder” note. But Mr Snellgrove was my favourite teacher at Norris Bank, and it’s a wonderful nostalgic piece, so all I’ve had to do is simply copy and paste it. We’ve got more stuff from John over the summer as well, which will give us something to enjoy while we’re sat at home bored waiting for the new season to start.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Malbern Solar. My thanks to Wayne and Vicki. If you’d like to save money on your energy bills, make sure you book your FREE survey, worth £150. Full details below.
Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.
Total distance so far: 136.36 miles
Total steps so far: 217,174
Total raised so far: £1,666
Total completed streets so far: 271 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)
Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.
Des Junior
Apologies for anyone who is moved to read this article for any factual or any other sort of inaccuracies. I am now in my mid seventies and my memory isn’t what it was. Far too many blanks which will probably never be filled in.
December 31st 1960. County v Mansfield. My first ever County match. Why then? Looking back I have no idea. Why do people choose a football club to support?
Success, family tradition or just plain local. Maybe the last one may apply as it certainly wasn’t the first. As an 11-year-old just starting grammar school I wonder how I knew there was even a game on.
In these possibly enlightened times it is hard not to know what is happening but in 1960 things were very different. I suspect to our younger readers it would seem like the Dark Ages. It probably was. 64 years ago the comparable person of my age would have been watching County playing in the Lancashire League behind The Nursery pub on Green Lane.
Anyway I digress. How did we know there was a game on. Only two TV channels, the local papers, Express or Advertiser, or maybe we spotted a poster advertising the game. Different times. The first thing which may be hard to comprehend is that we went to the game unaccompanied by our parents. I walked down to Councillor Lane in Cheadle to catch the Stockport Corporation bus to the game.
And so we arrived at the ground. In some respects very little from the outside has changed apart from a little something called the Cheadle End. There was a Cheadle End back then but somewhat different. I believe it cost sixpence as a child to enter the hallowed ground. That plus five pence return on the bus.
Inside, well major differences to put it mildly. Recently an esteemed writer described their experience at the Railway End as “shit”. I suspect they would not have enough words in their vocabulary to describe the 1960s version.
One thing hasn’t changed – no roof. But there the similarity ends. Back then it was terracing comprised of wooden railway sleepers supplemented by ash. Barriers to hold back the non existent hordes. A scoreboard with letters to indicate the games that afternoon. One of the highlights of the day was seeing an intrepid person climb up the rickety ladder to put the numbers up for the half-time scores.
But without doubt the pièce de résistance was the mens toilets to the right of the scoreboard. After you had taken your life into your hands negotiating the slope down, you entered the hovel. A trough against the metal back and you forced your way in to relieve yourself. My abiding memory is of cold winter days when the steam arising from the trough could have provided a match for the steam engines in the shed the other side of the toilet. Then began the climb back. As for ladies toilets, I fear there were none.
What of the rest of the ground? To our left, the Pop Side, which went much further back before part of it was taken down, no doubt before it collapsed. The Cheadle End did have a roof and wooden terracing but not many rows back. Fans could make a lot of noise stamping their feet.
Finally the Main Stand. Then you could stand in a well in front and behind the dugouts. Two highlights: a personal one was when an opposition player hit the ball towards me and I headed it back to applause from the opposite side of the ground, and secondly seeing a Tranmere player barge Len White over the little fence in front and onto the concrete floor. The player wasn’t booked and Len White picked himself up and carried on. They made them tough in those days.
Finally the game. Hardly a surprise that I remember nothing about it except County won 1-0 with a goal from Tommy Anderson. A crowd of nearly 5,000. Certainly not bad. We were happy and made our way back to Alexandra Park where football special buses were lined up to take the fans home.
We must have enjoyed the experience because 60+ years later I am still making the same journey. By car and to a different looking ground with different players but they are still my team.
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Photo of the day
Somewhere in Stockport
A Blossoms / Stockport Gin mash-up!
Today in SK
🎬 Cinema
Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Seize Them! (15) at 6pm, followed by Drive-Away Dolls (15) at 8.30pm. Click here for tickets.
💿 DJs
Stockport’s biggest party at the weekend is at Bask (SK1), with DJ Gareth Brooks playing till 3am. Last entry 1.30am.
The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have their resident DJ playing on a Friday night, with Dicko (Ian Dickinson) on from 8pm till 1am.
🍺 Food and drink
If you find yourself in Stockport today, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a pint or two.
Fish Meal Deal at The Friary (SK3). Lite bite fish and chips with peas, curry or gravy. Plus tea or coffee. £9.75.
🎤 Karaoke
The Alexandra (SK3) with DJ Big Ace. 8pm.
🎸 Live music
The Baltimore Switch at The Crown (SK6). 9pm.
Wilson at The Rectory (SK8). 8.30pm.
100 random grounds that County have played at
#7 – Gigg Lane, Bury
Last visit: Bury were a Football League club the last time we visited Gigg Lane, back in 2010-11. That was the season we crashed out of the Football League, but we did win this one, thanks to Wes Fletcher’s one and only goal for the club, on loan from Burnley. Bury’s problems have been well documented in recent years, with the Shakers now in the North West Counties League (the ninth tier), but they’re just one game away from promotion to the next level. They take on Wythenshawe Town in the play-off final tomorrow.
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Unlike Stockport in their non league days Bury aren’t exactly making friends in the ninth tier with many threatening to turn up tomorrow without tickets we all know how that can end up .After watching United for many years until total lack of interest forced me away from football in 2005 eventually I started watching football in the national league at Edgeley Park I have never seen fans as happy and proud of their side as at the recent Accrington match I am delighted for all of you I will almost certainly never become a supporter as I don’t think it is possible to change clubs but with trips this season to Grimsby and Gillingham on a Tuesday behind me I look forward to league one in august I may even buy a scarf (it gets cold in the winter) .
Great memories!