Question Do you remember the first time?

[Derbyshire Blue]

My 7yr old lad asked me if he could come with me to the game yesterday, so why not I thought. Although not at the Hall, he is now christened a blue/yellow and he thoroughly enjoyed it. In his words he gave it a “nine out of a ten, because it could only have been better if Southend had won”!

I never got a ‘first match’ with my dad (no violins thank you!), but wondered if you all remember your first pilgrimage, most at home I’m guessing?

 

[SUBBlue]

Friday 8th May 1981.
Friendly versus Wolves, we’d just been crowned Div 4 champions, dear old Dave Smith was manager & we had the likes of Poutney & my hero, Derek Spence!

My Dad took me with my brother & we sat in the black seats in the South side of the East End.

What stands out the most isn’t the football but that you used to sit on this little leather cushion that, if I remember rightly, got lobbed onto the pitch at the end of the game by seemingly hundreds of us.

It’s makes me nostalgic & a little sad to think of that wide eyed little boy sitting on his Dads lap taking it all in drinking hot chocolate & eating a United Extra time bar.

 

[Shrimpa23]

My Dad took me to my first ever football match when I was 9. Col U v Orient in 89 (my dad is an Orient supporter and we were living just outside Ipswich at the time).
I'll be honest I did have a bit of an affiliation to Ipswich at the time as all the kids at school did.
We moved to Southend in 1990.
My first Southend game, a mate from school's uncle took a bunch of us kids down to the Hall in 1992. The opposition? Ipswich! We lost 2-1 (I think Spinner got our goal) but from that moment, Southend were my team.
Me and my Dad still have a lot of banter with the Southend/Orient rivalry and I did give him ALOT of crap when Orient were in the NL. Regretting that a bit now....

 

[ColinMorrisWalksOnWater]

Southend 3 - 0 Newport Co. FA CUP 2nd rnd at the Hall in December 76 season. Went with a group of school mates. Never realised seeing Southend in the 2nd round of the cup, let alone winning, would be so rare!!!

1st Away, 11th March 1977, COL U away, Colin Morris got the late winner in the 87th minute. Been my favourite Blues player ever since......Sorry Stan.

 

[Tribal Chief]

Halloween, 1980. 2-0 win over Stockport on a Friday night under the floodlights. Stood in the north bank with my Dad, got a bit bored and was very cold (I was 8 years old), but I kept coming back. Only game I saw that year that we didn't win was a home draw with Lincoln, who I think finished second that year to the Mighty Blues.

 

[jarvisyeh]

My first match was Southend United vs Luton Town May 8th 1993.

I was only 3 at the time but remember a certain someone’s name being sung quite a lot and it being very loud. Now who’s name was that?

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

My 7yr old lad asked me if he could come with me to the game yesterday, so why not I thought. Although not at the Hall, he is now christened a blue/yellow and he thoroughly enjoyed it. In his words he gave it a “nine out of a ten, because it could only have been better if Southend had won”!

I never got a ‘first match’ with my dad (no violins thank you!), but wondered if you all remember your first pilgrimage, most at home I’m guessing?

The first question is why the hell did it take seven years! You need a good talking to

If I had my way there would be a pop up maternity unit on the centre circle at Roots Hall to make sure every sprog knows where it’s’ footballing future lay from day one!

 

[GBJ]

Southend Vs Port Vale on a cold Tuesday night at Roots Hall, 1995.

Sat in the East Blacks. A Mike Marsh double saw Blues earn a 2-1 victory. Richard Naylor scored for them.

The old man even bought me a woolly hat and scarf. The hat has gone walkabout since, but I’ve still got the scarf.

Hooked from that moment onwards.

 

[sadsy]

9th October 1970
Southend 0 Crewe Alexandra 2

A certain Stan Bowles playing for Crewe

 

[Derbyshire Blue]

The first question is why the hell did it take seven years! You need a good talking to

If I had my way there would be a pop up maternity unit on the centre circle at Roots Hall to make sure every sprog knows where it’s’ footballing future lay from day one!

I guess I’ve not wanted them to feel like they’re being dragged along, I’ve always wanted both my lads to want to go, one doesn’t and one now does. One out of two isn’t bad!

 

[the_1978]

Southend v Doncaster Rovers. Fri 11th December 1987. 4-1 win

My dad took me as I’d been left out of my school team and to make me feel better took me to my first game. I was 9. Dad bought me a hat and scarf which I can still see but sadly no longer have. My new favourite player was Martin Ling in that number 4 shirt. The smell of old tobacco, the view of the floodlights coming up Victoria avenue, the north bank where all the noise came from, sat in the blue seats. And I remember my dad saying,” just remember mate, this won’t be the score every time we come!” How right he was!!

 

[CanveyCastle]

"Do you remember the first time?"---- a bit like sex --- I can't even remember the last time !!!!!!

 

[Tommy2holes]

I sure do.

It was the 8th of May 1993 v Luton Town at roots hall. So many good memories of that day, albeit a little faded.

I remember we needed a win to avoid relegation from the now championship.

A screamer from Andy Sussex and it was Stan collymores last game for the club. I only got to see him play once and I'm sure he scored but it was ruled out.

Pitch invasion at the end. Collymore stripped to his pants and jumping on Spencer priors back as he ran around.

It was the day a love affair with this club began.

I'm in the northbank somewhere as a skinny 15 year old.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Oct 67 v Aldershot, 1-1. ( Firestorm's 1st game as well! ).

 

[Chrisb]

A 1-1 draw with Port Vale with Gary Moore the goal scorer - I think either 1968 or 1969. As a youngster always asked to go to football with my Dad who had supported all his life - my parents thought if I went once I would be bored and stop asking to go again - obviously that didn't happen !

 

[Nestudas]

I can't remember a worse time.

Lost 4-0 at home under the floodlights to Newport.

 

[Butler]

I can't remember a worse time.

Lost 4-0 at home under the floodlights to Newport.

Was that September 4, 1981? If so, that was my first game too. I remember a young John Aldridge scored Newport's first goal.

 

[Plumstix]

Pre season against Spurs after Euro 96.

 

[Fairport]

My first game was 16 March 1957, Southend 1 Shrewsbury 2. My uncle took me and I remember him parking his bike along the wall by the walkway which runs from the little row of shops in Victoria Avenue into the Roots Hall car park. It wasn't locked or chained. If you did that these days it would be nicked while the match was on.

 

[weststander]

3rd February 1978, Southend 2 Scunthorpe 0. Dad took me in the East stand bench seats (now the Blacks). First away game was 16th December 1978, away to Watford in the FA Cup a 1-1 draw and standing outside the players entrance collecting autographs and hearing we'd play Liverpool if we won the replay. Happy days.