Memory Lane 30 years ago today the Premier League began, but meanwhile at St James' Park, NE1...

[sufc_statto]

My memories of the day are

• Big queue to get into the ground - Keegan fever sold out the home end and the stewards were checking that locals weren't trying to "pretend" to come from Essex!
• Getting in after kick-off and almost immediately going a goal down
• The great performance from Murphy's boys. Little did we know...
• The rain in the second half over the open terrace. We were all soaked through at the end and had to decamp to a local pub to use their hand-dryers to dry ourselves off.

Here's the match report from a local newspaper.


And from a national newspaper



Report from Match Weekly


Division One Results



And finally, what we were listening to at the time...

 

[* ORM *]

An in ex-Shrimper news Nelson scored for Charlton

 

[Wingnut]

Was that really 30 years ago ,I remember being absolutely soaked

 

[Cricko]

The attendance for our game that day was also the highest in all 4 divisons.

 

[Whispering Bob]

Excellent (but what a poor top twenty!).

 

[HUMBLEPIE]

And at least six of those teams in Div 1 have spent time in non league since then Southend the only one still there so there is hope for us yet.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I remember when Newcastle scored their first, one fan in the away end cheered madly. Gave himself away very quickly and was escorted out into the home end

 

[Barling Magna]

And at least six of those teams in Div 1 have spent time in non league since then Southend the only one still there so there is hope for us yet.

I make it 7 including us. Grimsby, Tranmere, Luton, Oxford, Bristol Rovers, Southend and Cambridge. Which I am very surprised at to be honest. And in fact the full number is 8 teams because Notts County were also in Div 1 that season. And even further.......Oldham were in the Premier League then.

Much more movement through all the divisions to non league in three decades than I would have thought.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Excellent (but what a poor top twenty!).

Excluding Jimmy Nail.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

An in ex-Shrimper news Nelson scored for Charlton

Other ex-Shrimpers on the scoresheet: Ken Charlery, Dave Penney and Lee Nogan.

 

[Whispering Bob]

Excluding Jimmy Nail.

Only the Smiths new entry saved that list.

 

[LBBlue]

Other ex-Shrimpers on the scoresheet: Ken Charlery, Dave Penney and Lee Nogan.

And Shaun Goater, Roy McDonagh and Lee Chapman

 

[Strykr]

Excellent (but what a poor top twenty!).

Barcelona is a classic!

 

[Napster]

I'm as serious as cancer, when I say rhythm is a dancer.

 

[Welly7]

Got to St. James Park at half time due to traffic. We knew we were 2 down as there was several Newcastle fans also stuck in traffic taking great pleasure in letting us know the score!
Got soaked in the second half standing on the terrace, but I suppose at least we saw our two goals. I think we were only out of the car for just over an hour before making our way home. Happy days!

 

[Wingnut]

I remember it stopping as soon as the final whistle went

 

[greyerfox]

What struck me forcibly was the blunt assessment in the press by Bob Houghton of his defence.....

"The one thing we didn't budget for was some of our defence playing as badly as that"

I can just imagine the furore if a manager came out with that sort of thing today. Managers have to be much more diplomatic these days.