Newport County 1912-1989

My First Game At Somerton

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This superb thread was taken from the County Message Board http://www.theexiles.co.uk/

Not all dates or scores or even scorers totally accurate, but thats not the point is it?.......

I was looking through some archive football results from the 60s recently, and I realised that I have been supporting the County for over 45 years. My first match was on 8th Sept 1962, when the County drew 2-2 with Aldershot at Somerton Park. Can't remember who scored but I remember the County going 1 up, then 2-1 down before equalising. My 2nd match was a 4-0 win against Exeter on 17th November. Players in those days included the legendary Ralph Hunt and Len Weare, as well as Jo Bonson, Laurie Sheffield, Granville Smith, John 'Polly' Rowland, Graham Rathbone, David Williams, John Bird etc. Hunt was the top scorer before being transferred to Chesterfield and then being killed in a car crash.

The reason I started watching the County was because my uncle asked me to go with him. I was 9 at the time. My uncle will be 90 in a couple of weeks, and he still supports the County, although he isn't well enough to go to matches any more.

It would be interesting to know when and why others went to their first County game.

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I was also at that game which was either my first or second game, as Darlington was the either or (1st/2nd can't remember off the top of my head) which we also drew 2-2, Manchester City in the league cup was my first midweek game when the "legendary" Bert Trautman was supposed to be in goal but was alas out injured albeit we went down 1-2 whereby I think our scorer was Billy Herrity. My father thought it was a good idea to take me as a 7 year old that particular season so you could say old habits die hard.

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mine was swansea city can not remember the date but county won 1-0 howard goddard got the winner

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I'm gonna commit a cardinal sin here and state that I cannot remember who we played against or the result!! All I know was it was the mid-80's. I want to say Wolves but I could be wrong!!. I went because my old man wanted to show me the difference between County and his boyhood heroes, Norwich City.

I lost touch with County as rugby took a foothold and living in Blackwood never had a any real chance to go as no-one would come with me!!!

I started going again when the AFC returned to Somerton and then women kicked in and that was that. It's only now I'm seperated that County are well and truly back in the blood!!!

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Not sure if it was my first game but the first game i can remember was a 4-2 home win against Hartlepool on 3rd December 1977.Was only five years old so was too young to really appreciate the great years we had in the late seventies and early eighties.

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County v Preston North End. I was 9! 23 Years ago! Went with Dad but they were short on ball boys so they drafted me. Had to wear these horrible tracksuits. It was freezing so i sat in the corner by that 3 wheeled car! Kendall was playing in goal! 2 old blokes having a go at me as i made Mark Kendall get the ball as i was too cold! County won 1-0! Great Days!

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Home to Swindon in 1955. Greatest games in my early years were drawing 3-3 at home to Southampton, winning 1-0 away (couldn't see it as I was in school) and then playing Arsenal at home. Remember also seeing and getting Tommy Lawton's autograph when he
came to Lovells Athletic as Kettering Player Manager.
Reason I went was because my mother was a very keen County fan.

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Southampton at home in FA Cup for me 1968. Taken by my dad. We lost 3-2. Had a season ticket every year since. Even when I lived away I bought a season ticket although work meant I could only get to half the home games. Only team I've ever supported, don't even have a second team I follow.
County to the bone.

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Barnsley away, 1972-73. Lost 2-1 and Willie Brown scored from more or less inside the centre circle.

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First game I watched was home against Rochdale on 23.4.65 which, although I can't remember, the stats say we lost 2-3. Went with my late Dad who I know started watching County in the early 1930's.

My Dad used to work in the social club at Somerton and one of my first memories was playing in a pile of sand at the ground when the team was training. Don't know exactly how old I was but as we moved from Newport when I was six, I guess it would have been in the the late 50's.

My first idols were Len Weare (like most of us), Granville Smith, Graham Rathbone, Ken Morgan.

Good memories...........

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December 1969, lost 4-3 to Aldershot after being 3-0 up. Used to go to Newport rugby before that but their game was frozen off.

Team must have been, some I think I can remember for certain:
Len Weare
Dai Williams (?Martin Sprague)
Alan Smith (? two from Allen Wood, Mike McLaughlin and Mike Deacy)
(?Jeff Thomas), Len Hill, Ray Mabbutt, Bobby Ferguson, Andy White.

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Like most, Was taken by my Dad to Somerton Park. First game was a cold Wednesday night in 1974 at home to Stockport County. It was a non memorable 0-0 draw as I recall. It was my first footballing encounter at the age of 11. A few days later he took me down to Ninny Park to watch C****** C*** play Sunderland then FA Cup Holders, Good game, Sunderland won. A couple of weeks later he asked me where I'd prefer to watch our next game together, I said "take me down to the County again!! That was the day that consigned me to anguish and agony for the rest of my life, but you know what, I wouldn't change a damn minute of it!

Like all County fans, you can live with the disapointments, its the HOPE!!!!

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Barnsley away, 1972-73. Lost 2-1 and Willie Brown scored from more or less inside the centre circle.

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1983 - Newport 1 Cardiff 0 (+2 disallowed goals). 16,000 odd in attendance. It doesn't get any better than that. My dad took me to the game. He is more of a rugby fan but thought the game was soo big we had to be there. I was hooked!

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1973 - home to Bury, last match of the season. Won 4-3 but missed out on promotion by a gnat's . My grandad took me over for that match and i've been hooked ever since.

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It's difficult to remember but I think that my first game was Newport County reserves v's Cardiff City reserves in the Welsh League in the 1950's. My elder brother took me to the game. I can also remember handing the ball over the fence to a bald County player who I think was probably Alf Sherwood. But I can't remember what match that was.

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One so long ago that i cant remember who we were playing,i think it was the glory year..........the first one i remember properly is Bangor in the semi final of the welsh cup at home, score was 0-0, back in about 1983-84.

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Can't remember who my first game was against but I seem to remember going to watch against a South American team and I think either Aberdeen or Everton about a year after I first went. I would imagine it was around 84/85 or something. My Grandad used to take me as he had a season ticket and would lift me over the wall from the terrace to the seated bit to sit on his knee.

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I can remember taking an afternoon off from St. Julian's School for one of their fisrt games the season of their re-formation after the war.

Their opponents that Thursday afternoon (no floodlights then) were Fulham and we lost I thik the score was 5-1.

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1975 Hereford at home
Decision either a bus trip to Cardiff mity or Somerton. Both were about the same from Oakdale.
Went with the place of my birth (which is now the Celtic Manor)
Result of that game? Can't remember but I do remember being bashed about a bit by the Hereford lot when I went into their part of the Cromwell for a cuppa. I know not very clever but when it's your first game and all that.

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Sometime in the mid 70s, when County were drawn in the League Cup against Chelsea (my other team-sorry!) and came to Stamford Bridge.

I'd started taking an interest in football in the mid 50s at the age of 7. My father was from Newport, and very much a rugby man, but he'd been at school with Raymond Glendenning,the legendary radio football commentator, and this caught my imagination as he was on every Saturday at 3.45pm commentating on the second half of a football league or cup game (before the telly took over).

The game at Chelsea was a good one and Newport were well in it at half time, but in the second half Charlie Cooke turned on his magic and Chelsea ran out 4-2 winners.

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I was at Stamford Bridge for that one. I travelled down on my own and sat like a nice quiet boy in one of the stands politely applauding the efforts of both sides and without making an excessive amount of noise when County had the ball.

Until we scored, that is, and about a quarter of the ground erupted. There was no keeping us quiet after that.

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A crisp, cold friday night at Somerton Park around 1978/9. The visitors were newly elected to the league. I wonder what happened to them...?

Newport County 2 Wigan Athletic 1

Newport's goals were a Howard Goddard header at the Railway End and, if memory serves me correctly, though it probably doesn't, a 2nd half Trevor Thompson screamer.

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First game I can definitely remember (although I know I'd been before) was a 1-2 loss to the Jacks in '69/70.They went up that year while we applied for re-election.I think that is why I've always disliked them a bit more than Cardiff!

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First game I ever saw the County play was in September 1977 and it was against York City and we won 2-1.At the game my dad introduced me to a guy with a broken leg and he told me that he was a goalkeeper from Newport but was on Wolves books, I think his name was Pearce and was related to Dave Pearce the boxer who sadly died a few years ago. I remember going over to Somerton Park before that to watch school boy internationals

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That would have been Chris Pearce who played against County in the 83/4 season for Port Vale - he was Newport born.

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One of my best early memories was the FA Cup 3rd round tie at home to Sheffield Wednesday in January 1964, who were then one of the best clubs in the country. The County were 1 down at HT, then equalised before going 2-1 down. In the last 5 or 10 minutes, Granville Smith produced 2 great crosses from the left wing. I think it was Bonson and Hunt who scored from these crosses, resulting in a 3-2 win. This must still be one of the County's greatest victories

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My earliest memories date from about 1963 when my Dad took me down to watch the likes of Sheffield, Bonson, Hill, Rowland, Rathbone, Weare and Smith. I can't remember the exact match but I do remember the colour, the noise and the excitement. I remember especially the hob-nail boots of working men stamping on the old wooden terraces when County scored and the smell of beer and fags coming from the old Social Club. Intoxicating stuff!

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I first saw the County in April 1953. cant remember a lot about game cos
I had just got demobbed from the army, and I had more than 1 over the 8
in the King of Prussia (the king pub, in lliswerry ) I used to live opposite
the pub. in Frobisher Road. I followed the County religiously until they
finished in 1988.

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Against West Ham in the 3rd round of the FA Cup in 1979.

What a game. I was at the railway end behind the goal. I can still see Eddie Woods heading in the winner. It still gives me goosebumps.

Been supporting West Ham as well every since.

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I was at the other end, so didn't see too much of that goal. What I do remember well was Plumley's save from Robson(?) at the Cromwell end. I asked him later how he had held onto it and he said "I don't know, it just stuck, mate".

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As a kid, I always went to watch Newport RFC over at Rodney Parade - the reason was that my old man was from Ebbw Vale and brought me up on rugby. When I was about 14, my school mate (Chris Harrison) used to nag me almost every week to go over the County and I eventually secumbed in about October 1980 (?) when I went to watch County v Plymouth Argyle. I think the crowd was about 6,000+ and Plymouth virtually filled the away end at the Cromwell and I remember the chanting, jeering etc which made for such a different atmosphere from the rugby - I was hooked, even though we lost 2-0 and me & Chris got chased by a sea of green & white from Corpa Road over George St Bridge. Happy days.

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Rochdale and I'm guessing it was 1966. Shit game as I remember. A 1-1 draw. In fact I hardly saw County win in my first couple of seasons!! The team included Len Weare, Dave Williams, Alan Wood, Alan Smith, David Pugh.

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can't remember my first game (dad you'll be reading this, help me out) but grew up in bristol so had to duke it out with the scummer rovers and city fans at school. did look a bit different with my county scarf on during the winter compared to the red and blue/white numbers everyone else had.

i remember taking a pee in those open top toilets at the back of somerton. don't know what year it was. just remember the smell. and the making of a mental note not to have on my best trainers next time!!

lowlights; too many. i remember us going bust though

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Mention of those open top toilets at SP brings back some memories, and stamping on the wooden terracing to make noise in time with the records of the day, eg Glad All Over by The Dave Clark Five.

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My first memorable match was 1951-52 i think a cup game against Norwich county winning 5-1 about 10 mins to go a foggy day ref abandoned the the game the fans surrounding the dressing room about 2000 and he eventually got away several hours later under police escort.
the team members i can remember were Pope in goal Staples,Wilcox, Birch, Beattie,Parker , Newall ,Stroud,Hayward,Shergold and Moore

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Thanks for reminding me of the Norwich match. I can also recall that the ref was smuggled out of the ground disguised in a borrowed St. Johns Ambulance uniform. Incidentally Norwich's manager at the time was Norman Low, County's former centre-half.

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I've no idea where my love of County comes from - unlike most, my old man hated sport - nobody ever took me to County as a kid.

Being a Chepstow boy at the time, I was finally "trusted" to go to games on my own when I turned twelve, after years of badgering - around 1980 - I was ever-present from there-on - trusted to go to away games too from 1982 onwards.

Everybody in my school at the time (if they didn't support a giant), tended to follow Cardiff or one of the Bristol's. I'm sure I supported County out of spite because of this (around 1976)!!!!

What the hell was I thinking???

If only I known back then that my choice would become a "life choice" - impossible to shake off!!!!

Mind you....the guy that delivered our paraffin on a Friday night when I was a kid in the early 70s was the great Fred Leamon (County centre-forward immediately post-war).

I'd lie in wait for him and pester Mr Leamon for stories about his time at County.

"I also played for Bristol Rovers and Brighton" he'd tell me - "yeah, whatever" I'd reply, "tell me about Newport County"...!!!!

I'm guessing I was cursed with County from there on.

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Can anyone remember the first game of the 1959/60 season? I think it was versus Reading. In any case it was the first game I attended. Newport went 2-0 down in the first 20 minutes but came back to win 5-2.
The team was: Weare, Bird, Sherwood, Riggs, Peake, Rowland, Dixon, Mcseveney, Macpherson, Singer, Smith; Granville Smith's first game for the club. I was hooked. The best game I ever attended was in about 1961 when County played what was described in the Argus as 'Champagne Football' and won 5-1. The great, recently deceased Tommy Harmer was playing for Watford and Sammy Chung scored a Watford penalty. One more thing: does anybody remember the absolutely incredible flying save that the great Len Weare made from a Halliday chip in the last minute of County's 3-2 triumph against Sheffield Wednesday in the 3rd round of the FA cup? I recall a sudden silence as everyone took in Weare's brilliance, followed by the people in the grandstand bursting into a rendering of Bread of Heaven.

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My first game was against Pompey in the 79/80 promotion season. What a topsy turvey game that was we eventually won 4-3. followed the County ever since

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you jammy beggar having that as your first game.

I had an O level resit the following day so missed the game to stay in and revise. When the 9 o'clock news came on I (being a geek), sat down right by the tv screen and put my hand over where the home team scores would appear so I'd know what we had to beat. Sounds stupid, I know.

Imagine my initial horror at seeing Newport *** Portsmouth 3!

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My first game as I said earier in the thread was Southampton at home in the FA Cup replay of 1968. My dad took me and we stood on the terrace to the left of the main grandstand. I was one of the small boys the match report refers to who invaded the pitch after one of the County goals. From then on I had a season ticket and had a seat in the stand, third row back right next to the home side of the directors box. Great memories, I know the ground was rubbish but I loved it, it had real character. The toilets in the entrance to the grandstand were horific and rather than character, probably had cholera!

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First game ever took to was the Carl Zeis Jena game when I think I was 2 or 3 and the first one I remember was the opening day of 1986 when we played Gillingham at home and lost 2-1.

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I was 7 in 1953, i was so little some friendly fan lifted me over the railings to sit on the greyhound track to watch the game.alf sherwood was playing at leftback i think,cant remember who we were playing though

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First match was against Halifax Town. All I remember was that it was a Tuesday night fixture and may have been the first season they changed from the Div 3N and 3S to Div 3 & 4. Went with my dad and some of his mates. Iwas 10 at the time.

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My first match was at Somerton Park also against Fulham I think it was 1984-85. Friend in my class (Dopey) was mascot and we all went down to watch. Manager told him if they won he could come back as mascot for the following match, which he did. Great kit at that time aswell ,the old Patrick kit. We had a great player at the time I think his name was Neville chamblin????? They had some guy with long blonde hair looked a bit like an eighties Robbie Savage. Not long after this they played everton in the FA cup. That was a top night. Somerton was rammed.

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Dopey was mascot! - may have to remind him next time I see him!

Mr G - if it was Fulham then it was the 1986-87 season -as they were not in the same division (the old Div 3) until this season - they played them at home on New Years Day and drew 0-0.

Everton was in the League Cup - I still have the ticket stub - Steve Mardenborough was my favourite player back then.

My first match was Newport vs Darlington - last league game of 1985-86 season - 26 April - I had free tickets through my primary school and checking the records Newport won 3-0 with Mardenborough, Bob Latchford and Staniforth scoring. It was a hot day and there seems like thousands there - the records say the attandance only 2848. Ah...memories!

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Can't remember my first game but I went to several in the first season after WW2. I remember Newcastle (not the one where we let in 13 goals, which was away), Manchester City with the famous Frank Swift in goal and I also saw Tommy Lawton playing for Notts County but that might have been another season. I was 9 and went with my Dad and brother who had both been in the war. I also saw the home games in the famous cup run (1948?). I remember a half back line ( as they called them in those days) sometime around then of Roffi, Wilcox and Newall. After that I went to a rugby playing school (in Cardiff!) and went to Rodney Parade usually. But I've never lost interest in the County and on my occasional visits to Newport I have been to several games with my brother - now in his mid eighties but still interest.

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BEST ATMOSPHERE AT A COUNTY GAME?

Again this was a topic on http://www.theexiles.co.uk/

Darlington away 1988 (last away game in the league)

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West Ham home, FA cup Jan 1979 and Walsall away the day we were promoted from the old 4th.

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Carl Zeiss Jenna without a doubt.

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Sheffield Wednesday at home 4/1/64

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Walsall was excellent as we crammed there away end and probably had at least half of the 7000+ attendance. Shrewsbury in the Welsh Cup final in the same season was also excellent with twenty three coachloads turning up, plus cars and those travelling by rail. Mind you, the Rochdale game on the Tuesday (Ithink) before the Walsall game wasn't too clever.

Both CZJ games had brilliant atmospheres, even though there were only two hundred of us in Jena that night. Although, West Brom had played there a few years earlier and took nowhere near as many.

Another exceptionally good one was against Workington in their last ever (to date) football league game. The attendances had increase fro around 1500 in February to 8313 on that last day. Chelsea away wasn't too bad either. I was sitting in the stand and when we scored, almost everyone around me leapt into the air. Up until that point, most people had been keeping quiet assuming that they were surrounded by Chelsea fans.

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CZJ my dad says! i was there but just a wee youngster dressed up in amber and black with tangerine tommy rosette i think he said!

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January 1960 v Tottenham in rhe 3rd round of the FA cup. It was played on about 25 tons of sand, it looked like the beach at Barry Island. Somerton was packed and as my dad was a steward I got to watch the match from the dog track. Spurs won the double the following year.

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Darlington game was mad we lost about 12 on the trot and then went up there with a team full of YTS kids and won! Remember taking over there stand as it was pissing down.

I do remember stewards and police begging county fans to stop jumping up and down in the stand, the stand was begining to move quite alarmingly. :lol:

One of the best parts of that game was when the county players ran out on the opposite side of the ground to a massive roar, i dont think they could believe what they were seeing or hearing.

Well worth 12 hour return trip.

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For some obscure reason I remember a trip to Bournemouth when George Best played against us as being a good 'un.

Also remember a League Cup night game at Torquay. Went on the Cwmbran coach so lots of 'terrace capers'.

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Match against Workington when we beat them to stay in the old 4th Division and they went out. The Great Escape the SWA reported.

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Darlington away best away ....

One home that sticks in my mind and its a bit obscure (ie. not WHU or CZJ), but Wigan home mid 80s when we came back to win 5-3 and Neville Chamberlain ran amok ...... great atmosphere in the Cromwell that day !!!

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v Cardiff City, Easter Monday 1983, the year we nearly went up to Division 2.
1-0 to us, they had two goals disallowed for offside - wonderful day!

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As already has been said, Sheffield Weds in '64, Walsall away to clinch promotion and CSZ in Europe. Another match that stcks in mind was the Welsh Cup semi-final in 1967 at Somerton Park. It was such a large crowd that I was nearly crushed on the way out, ending up in hospital with appendicitis. Can't remember the score or the exact attendence. Anyone else remember this match?

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Burnley away 1964. The sight of then County Chairman Syd Jenkins jumping up and down in the main stand at Turf Moor, whilst the P.A.System were playing the Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over" is my favourite County memory.

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I was at that one. Two train loads went up from Newport. Steam trains in those days. Syd was a bit pissed on the way back but I remember him walking the length of the train to speak with supporters. He said that a draw would have been fairer and that was right. Lovely trip. Burnley people were very welcoming. No crowd segregation. We were lined up outside the tiny railway station at Burnley and a police officer counted us off as we went on the station and when he got to a train load he cut us off and said we had to wait for he next train otherwise we would be standing all the way to Newport. He was a good bloke. I just got through onto the first train.The County team arrived in a coach and were given a round of applause and quite rightly went straight onto the station without queuing.

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saw a great county game 2-0 down half time against oxford we won 3-2 12/9/81. County scorers Waddle (2) and Aldridge.

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Newport County 1912-1989

Tangerine Tommy

My First Game At Somerton