[Albion] 26 years ago today - Albion 4, Leyton Orient 4

[Skaville]

I believe we drew on Boxing Day that season, too. Maybe colchester??

That was pre Gritt. I remember that game. Stuart Tuck nearly scored an absolute worldly

 

[Robert Codners Nostrils]

That was pre Gritt. I remember that game. Stuart Tuck nearly scored an absolute worldly

Gritt’s first game in charge was against Hull, mid December. 3-0 Vs Hull which was the start of the epic home form!

 

[kevo]

Gritt’s first game in charge was against Hull, mid December. 3-0 Vs Hull which was the start of the epic home form!

Yes, undefeated at home under Gritt. We'd lost six home games that season before his arrival.

 

[portlock seagull]

Couldn’t agree more. The sheer emotional investment of that season will never ever be repeated. Yes we can adore and marvel at the quality and status we now possess, but that season you would literally be a wreck at the end of a game.

Totally this. As a fit and healthy twenty something I was knackered sat evenings! Should be out clubbing etc but remember just collapsing at home on sofa or bed for many Saturdays. Really did knock the stuffing out of you, the atmospheres were poisonous, electric etc as we gave our all to try and help the lads claw back the points deficit on that amazing home run. Clubs very existent hung by a thread. My god it was a close run thing. Unless you were there and living those days weekend by weekend you have literally no idea just how close we came to liquidation. What a time it was.

 

[elwheelio]

Blimey, 26 years!? I was a spotty little oik in the North stand. Epic stuff.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Great thread Kevo. Great footage.
I seem to remember someone painted Gritt Out or similar on one of the walls after he was first appointed. That decision soon looked rather stupid. As difficult as those days were I can honestly say I had more fun supporting the albion than currently.

 

[zefarelly]

AN emotional rollercoaster pissed dancing on ice

i thin k ive said before, for some reason we went in WSL, it was a fully charged game.

 

[Skaville]

Gritt’s first game in charge was against Hull, mid December. 3-0 Vs Hull which was the start of the epic home form!

You’re right. Could have sworn that was Feb. Probably thinking about Fans United
.

 

[kevo]

Great thread Kevo. Great footage.
I seem to remember someone painted Gritt Out or similar on one of the walls after he was first appointed. That decision soon looked rather stupid. As difficult as those days were I can honestly say I had more fun supporting the albion than currently.

It was actually 'Gritt believes Bellotti bullsh*t' I believe!

 

[Bodian]

One of my all time favourite games. What more could you ask for(apart from maybe an injury time Albion winner)?

2 up, then 3-2 down, equalise to make it 3-3 and then concede straight form the kick off to go 4-3 down leading to a couple of fans attacking the orient players(including Ray Wilkins being tipped on his arse), a red card and a late, late penalty to make it 4-4. A full(or as full as it was allowed to get) house, electric atmosphere and a post match protest.

They don't make football games like that anymore.

A genuine classic.

Whenever someone says a game "had everything" this is the benchmark.

Indeed. And my last game at the Goldstone before moving up north a few weeks later.

 

[Invicta]

Listened on radio and watching Ceefax, remember it well.

 

[Invicta]

Pitches were crap, a rain swept Chicken Run, violent players ending the careers of others, open air urinals and boiled burgers sold from open air stalls. Seems primeval now.

Loved the boiled burgers ! 70s child !!

 

[Lenny Rider]

It was actually 'Gritt believes Bellotti bullsh*t' I believe!

And they spelt Gritt wrong ‘Grit’.

That was the day we gave out 2,000 whistles just to try and f*** them ( Archer and Co) over in yet another form, Ref apparently instructed his assistants that he would try and do much of their collective work with hand signals

 

[Weststander]

Loved the boiled burgers ! 70s child !!

So did I, lovely with onions at a bitterly cold Amex match.

Us Brits weren’t accustomed to good catering, 70’s pub food was bags of nuts or stale lukewarm pies kept in a Salmonella cabinet on the bar.

 

[Invicta]

Great video, Maskell would score a few in current team.

 

[Bozza]

Great thread Kevo. Great footage.
I seem to remember someone painted Gritt Out or similar on one of the walls after he was first appointed. That decision soon looked rather stupid. As difficult as those days were I can honestly say I had more fun supporting the albion than currently.

The "someone" was my father-in-law to be.

Whilst his eldest daughter, my wife-to-be, was driving up to Heathrow to meet me, as I was returning from three months working in Australia, his youngest daughter was keeping watch on Old Shoreham Road whilst he did his little bit of decorating outside the West Stand.

Albion beat Scarborough 3-2 at the Goldstone on September 7th, the day I left for Australia. The next home win was the game against Hull, on the 14th December. That was Gritt's first game in charge, and my first game back in the UK. Our home record from my arrival back was P12 W10 D2 L0.

 

[Sirnormangall]

Was it the Orient game when our ball boy headed the ball into the crowd to waste time at the end?

 

[Bozza]

Was it the Orient game when our ball boy headed the ball into the crowd to waste time at the end?

Yes - Keith Cuss the world's oldest ballboy.

Gets a mention here...

Funniest infield incident when watching Albion

I've been watching the Albion on and off for nearly 40 years and have been trying to remember the funniest on-field incidents For me the best was a recent one. Last away game at Leeds the season before last. El Hadji Diouf was acting up all game. Our away fans started to wind him up singing...

www.northstandchat.com

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

The "someone" was my father-in-law to be.

Whilst his eldest daughter, my wife-to-be, was driving up to Heathrow to meet me, as I was returning from three months working in Australia, his youngest daughter was keeping watch on Old Shoreham Road whilst he did his little bit of decorating outside the West Stand.

Albion beat Scarborough 3-2 at the Goldstone on September 7th, the day I left for Australia. The next home win was the game against Hull, on the 14th December. That was Gritt's first game in charge, and my first game back in the UK. Our home record from my arrival back was P12 W10 D2 L0.

Awww…

you married well then, sound like a cracking family

 

[Bozza]

Awww…

you married well then, sound like a cracking family

Epilogue: we're long since divorced.

But, yes, the blue and white blood is in everyone.