Thetownend.com

03/04 for me.

Mooney, Parkin, Eyeglue and good old Bart Griemink.  Something about that side that despite not being the best was full of characters.  Shit result but cracking game and the scoreline summed up that side and that season.

Wasn't it about 150 degrees?

Barnsley for Parkins hat trick

03/04 the loss to Sheffield Wednesday was such an odd game, they battered us for 20 minutes - season tickets throw on the pitch, then we woke up and dominated the rest of the game but only got to.

I left 3 stone lighter and looking like i'd just got out of a swimming pool but new despite defeat we'd do well that year. Stopped for a McFlurry from McDonalds at greenbridge on the way home to lots of abuse from the Wednesday fans, calling me a scrubber! and asking what is was like to see a real team. I just smiled I said we'll finish above you. They already thought they were champions!!

04/05 away at Barnsley - Cureton and Thorpe upfront, Pook on the left wing - 11 minutes onto that game I told my mate we'd be relegated

Hartlepool was also memorable for the whole Brezovan playing like, well like the best goal keeper in the world on speed having the game of his life. It was one of the most one sided games I've ever seen and we ran out totally undeserved 1-0 winners.

After that, blah

Great poll....although I'd like a historic extension. In the time frame, I'd agree with the Wendies game, lots of reasons. Running a close second, I'd go for Cobblers away....TEF clique love in.....missed the Parkin hat trick, but remember being reclined on some hotel bed in France, getting the result on the radio and thinking who is this Parkin fellow.

Outside the time frame, Port Vale home 82 springs to mind, on the west coast of Ireland and deciding to pedal across the Erin Isle and get an overnight ferry in order to join 3000 others to see Paul Rideout nod one in to win our first ever game in Div 4. Back then you'd go on the Bank early season as it was sunny...once the weather turned a bit it was back to the TE.

Call yourself a fan dv, the barnsley game was 05/06.

Tut tut

I didn't see the Parkin hatrick so ruled that out.

So for me it was 2003-04. The game itself was indeed a bit jackyl and hyde, 3-0 inside 25 minutes and bottles entering the field of play from the Town End after Kuqi (I think) celebrated the third in front of us. We did make a decent fist of some sort of comeback but not enough.

However the football was completely irrelevant that day as the black cloud descended on the County Ground when it was confirmed the Jimmy Davis had died in a car crash. The Town End sang his name with heavy heart, god knows how the  players that actually knew him got through the game.

And people that sing "that" Oxford song should remember this day and think.

I have gone for 08/09 home to Tranmere, because I still feel hurt that it was such a false dawn.

I was so full of hope at the beginning of that season, and not being a football oracle I thought at the time Malpas was a good appointment, how wrong I was.

Thinking about it, I don't feel hurt over a false dawn, more embarrassment that I backed Malpas for so long into that season.

My most memorable opening day game was the 3-1 defeat to Sheff Utd away in our first ever Premiership game,about three thousand Town fans packed in the away end and i can vividly remember Moncur's cheeky equaliser.
In recent years yesterdays win was up there,played really well second half and a great atmosphere.

The Barnsley game if only for my prediction to my brother-in-law that Parkin would get a hat-trick. One of the very few times any of my predictions has become reality.

Parkin's hat-trick against Barnsley for me.

This was my first ever game. Sat in the NS half way between the Bank and the halfway line. I can still smell the cigar smoke every time I go into the NS. At five years old, I had never seen so many people or heard so much noise.

I became addicted on that day.

Hartlepool away, Brezovan two pen saves.

 
To Cigars? ;D

Can anyone remember Rideout having a perfectly good goal wiped out at Luton in a snowy cup match...or is it a distant dream.
Think we lost 2-1.

No not cigars dude, the Town! 

Wish I could have been there yesterday but hopefully I'll get back in September and take in a couple of games.

Best was Hartlepool away, most memorable was definitely the Wednesday game. A real spectacle.

Definitely the Wendies game for me as well. It was such a good game I really didn't feel like we'd lost. And the heat was unbelieveable...35 fucking degrees..insane. Also, Igoe's debut for me in that game has to be Town debut I've ever seen. Shame he never really reached those heights again after that.

Barnsley and the Parkin hat-trick.

Re. the Sheff Wed game, the game was reffed by Barry Knight, who conveniently didn't add any extra time despite all the water time outs. I think we would've levelled with another 5 mins.

I'm going to go for the Northampton game just due to my sheer level of intoxication being taken to new heights.....good times indeed.

Yesterday was my best opening game memory since '95, Steve Finney scoring a corker on his debut...