Doncaster: Shooting their loads after being promoted in 2008.Newcastle United’s opponents the ‘morra, the ‘Vikings’, or ‘Rovers’ as Doncaster are better known, have had a fairly similar history to Scunthorpe, their closest neighbour. They have yo-yoed through the lower divisions before dropping out of the football league altogether for a time about 10 years ago.
Fair play to them, they bounced back to such a degree, that they just missed out on automatic promotion to the Champonship in the 2007-8 season. Progress in the playoffs the same year saw them reach the final at the new Wembley stadium where they beat off Leeds United, taking Rovers to the second tier of English football for the first time in 50 years.
Rovers play at the Keepmoat stadium which with it’s 15,000 capacity is also home to the Dons Rugby League side, the athletic club and the Belles Football Club. They will have one fifth of their stadium capacity travelling with them having sold out their entire 3,000 ticket allocation. They will be loudly supported by their own official ‘Donny Drummer,’ a 17 year old who bashes a tune on a huge drum to get the fans going both home and away (if our stewards let him in with it, that is!). (more…)
Making a fist of it in The Championship?‘The Iron’ awaits Newcastle United this evening, and no, not the dreaded domestic variety which partners an ironing board, but The Iron of sunny Scunny fame. Scunthorpe, built on one of the largest iron-ore fields in Europe, is home to one of the country’s major steelworks, and the link with iron provides Scunthorpe United with their nickname.
Scunthorpe have been up and down (the various divisions over the years) more than a tart’s knickers, from successful promotion to subsequent relegation the next season, and have yo-yo’d around between divisions one and three.
Moving from their previous home, the Old Showground, to the new purpose built Glanford Park in 1988 was a big step forward for the club. Currently one of the smallest grounds in the Championship with a capacity of 9088, away fans who normally have an allocation of 1678 tickets, are housed in the South stand. Previous high profile players Kevin Keegan and Ray Clemence, both played for Scunthorpe in the late 60’s before leaving for Liverpool.
The 90’s saw two Wembley play off visits for The Iron, and they must have enjoyed their trips to Wembley, which continued on into the last decade. Scunthorpe were League one champions 2006-07, before seeing a break in 2007 from Brian Laws wo had been with them for 10 years. (more…)
Ticketless Toon fans, 1974 - great hat!The Forest fixture against Newcastle United on Saturday brings to mind a bizarre group of matches between our two teams in 1974.
Following success in the earlier rounds, Newcastle United found themselves at home in the quarter finals of the FA cup in front of a crowd of 54,500 facing second division Nottingham Forest.
Excitement was at fever pitch as we were only a couple of games away from the final. The great unwashed of Sunderland had won the cup the previous year, so surely it was our turn to get out the daft hats, practise Abide with Me and take a trip down Wembley Way?
Our form leading up to that game had been poor, especially at home, so the writing seemed to be on the wall when we went behind in under 2 minutes. It didn’t get much better and we started the second half 2-1 down. Coming up to the hour mark, disaster struck when our big centre half Pat Howard was sent off for pushing the referee in the chest when disputing a penalty award. Forest scored and we found ourselves trailing 3-1. (more…)
Saturday afternoon was traditionally an escape for most male football fans. A chance to meet up with the lads, have a few drinks, and let off steam by vociferously informing the manager or referee exactly how to do his job. This was male territory away from wives and girlfriends, a chance to have a good shout, swear as much as you wanted and get it all off your chest. Well those times have changed but have they changed for the better? Football seems to be rarely played at 3pm on a Saturday due to the power of the media, and the very make up of the crowd has also changed. Where previously the crowd was 95% male, the increasing presence of female football supporters is changing the ‘face’ of football (excuse the pun). My question, is this a good thing or not for the average male fan? (more…)
Waddle hattrick.As we look forward to the Newcastle United v QPR game tomorrow evening, it has made me reminisce about an unbelievable match I witnessed between the two teams 25 years ago this month.
I was a homesick student nurse living in London and in fact QPR was probably the nearest big ground to where I lived.
One of the best bits about following the Toon away from home for an exiled geordie was being surrounded by your own people. Hearing the geordie voices, the usual banter, talk of familiar places was like being wrapped in a cloak of familiarity that you didn’t want to take off. A couple of hours later it all came to an end. Watching the Toon fans get back on the coaches – knowing their next stop later that evening would be Newcastle – I would fight the urge to jump on the coach as well to go back home. Anyway on to the game …
Our manager at the time was big Jack Charlton (I know), and our first 3 wins of the season had been swiftly followed by 3 defeats when we started what was our seventh game of the season at Loftus Road on Saturday September 22nd 1984. Looking back at the attendance figures a crowd of only 14,234 were present but I remember quite a lot of mags being in the crowd. Loftus Road had recently installed their plastic pitch, remember them? (more…)
Saturday afternoon was traditionally an escape for most male football fans. A chance to meet up with the lads, have a few drinks, and let off steam by vociferously informing the manager or referee exactly how to do his job. This was male territory away from wives and girlfriends, a chance to have a good shout, swear as much as you wanted and get it all off your chest. Well those times have changed but have they changed for the better? Football seems to be rarely played at 3pm on a Saturday due to the power of the media, and the very make up of the crowd has also changed. Where previously the crowd was 95% male, the increasing presence of female football supporters is changing the ‘face’ of football (excuse the pun). My question, is this a good thing or not for the average male fan? 