Memory Lane Pubey's trip down memory lane

[Jedi Shrimper]

I was 11 years old when I went to my first Blues game. I know it was a league cup game, at Roots Hall, and for many years I was convinced it was arsenal we'd played. Thanks to the marvellous SUFC Database I've figured out it must have been the match against Crystal Palace on 9.10.1990.

The 1990 World Cup had just got me into football, so my uncle took me & my cousin (8 yrs old) along for our first taste of real football. Around that time I'd started wearing glasses, but not all the time and often forgot to take them with me. This was one such time, and as a consequence I couldn't see much of what was going on, just some blue blobs and red blobs running around after a white blob. Then to top it off my 7 year old cousin got pretty tired (it being an evening game), so my uncle took us home at half time, and to be honest I remember being relieved - the north bank was a pretty intimidating place when you hadn't been there before and you couldn't see anything. All in all my first experience of a football match had not been a good one.

But something in me got hooked, I followed Southend's progress on the results on tv for the rest of that season, religiously updating my league ladder that I'd got from Shoot! magazine. And the following season (1991-92) my uncle started taking us to Roots Hall for pretty much every game. I definately remember that season.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

. Just as an aside, those wonderful Blues badges I saw you sporting on your LJ at the Yeovil home game last April must be from around this era too. I used to love those boards of badges you'd see on the way to the games back then.

My son got those for me off the internet/e-bay at christmas, so they are still available if interested.

 

[DoDTS]

Great post PUBEY You could be showing your age I'm certainly showing mine. My first match was 1946 Walsall at the Greyhound Stadium Grainger Road. Cannot remember very much about the game But we did win 3-1 From then on i was a BLUES supporter

Just for you Mr. Blue here's a match report:

No.1 Div 3 (South)
Saturday 31st August 1946
Southend United 3-1 Walsall

To have started the season with a convincing win by 3-1 against a team which reached the final of the inter-section cup last term was a happy augury for the United and the delight on nearly 11,000 spectators. Walsall played practically the same team which took seven out of eight points off the Blues last season, but there was only one team in the contest and that was Southend. One of the most surprising features of the game was the form of Harry Lane who had first played for the Blues in 1932 at the old Kursaal ground and it was fitting that he scored two of the goals. The first came after twenty minutes, it was scored direct from a corner and actually cannoned into the net off a Walsall defender but all agreed that Lane deserved the credit for the goal. The excitement at the time was tense but ten minutes later an equalising goal by the midlanders, scored rather fortunately with the Southend defenders claiming offside proved to be an anti-climax. Ten minutes after the restart playing against a strong wind Lane put the United back in front after a Dudley shot had been parried by the goalkeeper but Lane was on hand to drive the ball into the net. The last goal came from Dudley who broke through on his own and shot past the goalkeeper. It was a fine win but without getting too carried away the forward line looked as good as any for the division but the defence had its frailties.
Team: Hankey; Jackson & Bell: Harris, Sheard & Walton; Smirk, Hamilton, Dudley, Thompson & Lane.

This was the first gane of the seson and the first Third Division (South) match played since the war, the previous seson had been played with regional competitions on the same lines as the war years.

Mr. Blue I salute you for supporting the club for 64 years!

DoDtS

 

[Rob Noxious]

My son got those for me off the internet/e-bay at christmas, so they are still available if interested.

Thanks, BBbl - I am. Will pm soon.

 

[GrumpyBlue]

My first game that I remember was against Workington on a Friday night in the spring of '68. I was 7 years old. My brother ('BarnaBlue') took me to watch it in The South Bank with my other brother (who doesn't post here). They were teenagers - 16 and 14 respectively - and they met up with some mates there. I distinctly remember one of them was called Peter Wall and we were by the wall behind the goal when we met him - that's why I think I remembered it. It was a lovely sunny evening and all I can remember about the game was that we won 7-0 and that Billy Best was my favourite player that night. A couple of Christmasses ago my step-daughter got me a black and white picture of Roots Hall with that very view from behind that South Bank goal and by some incredible coincidence - because I hadn't bored her with this story - it looks as though it must have been from about that time. It's a treasured picture and luckily I persuaded Mrs S how good it would look above the fireplace.

Yes a great match to watch not sure that I was with you and Barna (and Jag) that day - was probably with my Uncle Mike by the floodlights next to the west stand - a pity how the season fell away after that match though.

 

[MR BLUE]

Thanks Dad of Dave the Shrimper for the match report from 1946 Where did you dredge that up from? It all comes back to me now,well sort of
I remember most of the 11 players, no subs in those days

 

[Rob Noxious]

Yes a great match to watch not sure that I was with you and Barna (and Jag) that day - was probably with my Uncle Mike by the floodlights next to the west stand - a pity how the season fell away after that match though.

Yep - they shoulda taken me to the following games.

 

[Rob Noxious]

Just for you Mr. Blue here's a match report:

No.1 Div 3 (South)
Saturday 31st August 1946
Southend United 3-1 Walsall

To have started the season with a convincing win by 3-1 against a team which reached the final of the inter-section cup last term was a happy augury for the United and the delight on nearly 11,000 spectators. Walsall played practically the same team which took seven out of eight points off the Blues last season, but there was only one team in the contest and that was Southend. One of the most surprising features of the game was the form of Harry Lane who had first played for the Blues in 1932 at the old Kursaal ground and it was fitting that he scored two of the goals. The first came after twenty minutes, it was scored direct from a corner and actually cannoned into the net off a Walsall defender but all agreed that Lane deserved the credit for the goal. The excitement at the time was tense but ten minutes later an equalising goal by the midlanders, scored rather fortunately with the Southend defenders claiming offside proved to be an anti-climax. Ten minutes after the restart playing against a strong wind Lane put the United back in front after a Dudley shot had been parried by the goalkeeper but Lane was on hand to drive the ball into the net. The last goal came from Dudley who broke through on his own and shot past the goalkeeper. It was a fine win but without getting too carried away the forward line looked as good as any for the division but the defence had its frailties.
Team: Hankey; Jackson & Bell: Harris, Sheard & Walton; Smirk, Hamilton, Dudley, Thompson & Lane.

This was the first gane of the seson and the first Third Division (South) match played since the war, the previous seson had been played with regional competitions on the same lines as the war years.

Mr. Blue I salute you for supporting the club for 64 years!

DoDtS

Agreed! Just noticed the 'Dudley' emboldened above - any relation to right back Phil who played for us in the late '70s, I wonder? I used to see him having a kickaround with youngsters in Eastwood Park back then.

 

[DoDTS]

Thanks Dad of Dave the Shrimper for the match report from 1946 Where did you dredge that up from? It all comes back to me now,well sort of
I remember most of the 11 players, no subs in those days

Your welcome, all part of my ongoing research of the Southend Standards at the Library.

DoDtS