It was twenty years ago today...

[Dostoyevsky]

Being exhiled in Shropshire meant that the Central coverage was a God send. I think we also played a cracker against Derby County at the Baseball Ground infront of the cameras. I think other ITV companies like Thames(?) and Tyne Tees(?) showed their own matches as well.

[Ardiles]

Great thread recalling the Halcyon days.

I was living in the Midlands that season and was treated to about 6/7 matches Live on Central ITV on Sundays. For some reason they included Swindon in their football catchment. One of those matches was against Peterborough at London Road, think we drew 3-3 in an absolute corker. Did you guys in Wiltshire at the time also get to see these games on telly as I always thought back then Swindon was served by HTV and not Central?

Swindon was (probably still is?) on the dividing line between the coverage areas of HTV West and Central.  I seem to remember that it made sense for certain parts of the town (Old Town, West Swindon mainly) to have their aerials pointed in one direction for HTV West coverage (ie Roger Malone/Bristol bias) while other parts of the town would usually train their aerials for Central coverage (ie Oxford bias).  Central were very good back then at screening our matches.

This was during the period I was living in Oxford and remember getting to watch us on TV quite regularly.  The Peterborough game that you mentioned was on my birthday; the 5-2 away win at West Brom a couple of seasons later (link here) was another belter covered by Central that I remember watching with friends.

[Bob's Orange]

I've always considered that to be the worst offside decision I've ever seen, Hazard was at least 4 metres onside.

Wasn't he also behind the ball when it was headed across goal?

[Dostoyevsky]

  Cheers for answering that Ardiles. I was 12 that season and I couldn't believe my luck to have the matches screened on such a regular basis and what a stroke of luck that it co-incided with such a purple patch in the club's history. I recorded every one of them on video cassette - they're stored away somewhere but I guess they may as well be chucked out now- since all the match coverage must be available on-line now anyway. I remember Jeff Farmer presenting, Jimmy Greaves being the studio pundit and John Sillett the commentator's side-kick.

[Dostoyevsky]

 Central TV's football coverage encompassed an area as far as Stoke in the north, Derby, Leicester and as far as Peterborough in the east and ourselves in the South, along with the clutch of teams (Brum, Wolves and Baggies) in the middle. With Central being so spoilt for choice it's a wonder HTV didn't lay claim to transmission of Swindon's games but maybe they couldn't muster the rescources. An afternoon of Agatha Christie's Murder She Wrote or Highway to Heaven was all the South West had to look forward to on a Sunday afternoon as I don't think they bothered showing Shitty or the Wurzzels either.

[LucienSanchez]

Wasn't he also behind the ball when it was headed across goal?

Robbed!

[Dostoyevsky]

What kind of away followings did we take that season?

[4D]

Some by cars, others by coaches and trains. Some wore scarves and shirts, others didn't.

Probably 10-20% more than now?

[RobertT]

We also popped up on Meridian.

[RedRag]

A game we had eventually dominated through adversity to lead 3-2 then thrown away with the shittest kick from a backpass I have ever seen - Hammond actually yanking the ball back from the right of the area to the shocked Posh forward centrally placed with an open goal.  The "ole's" for each Town pass were being bellowed out by the Town fans getting, just a little bit fainter, as each pass started going backwards, until Hoddle passed back to Hammond...

Shit ref, battling performance then a baffling mistake - typically STFC, really

[Bedford Red]

One day late on putting this video up, but 20 years ago yesterday we lost 3-1 at home to West Ham, in a match shown live on ITV.

Full match is below on youtube

[Ardiles]

One day late on putting this video up, but 20 years ago yesterday we lost 3-1 at home to West Ham, in a match shown live on ITV.

Full match is below on youtube

I think I must have been unable to get a ticket for that one.  (Attendance was 17,004, which suggests a sell out - as you would have expected with both teams pushing for promotion to the Prem.)  Reason I say that is that I can remember watching the game on TV (as I will be tomorrow, 20 years later almost to the day) while staying with friends in Swindon.

And then on the final whistle, I got on my bike and cycled back to Oxford that evening.  I definitely remember passing all the West Ham traffic backed up down the dual carriageway from Coate Water down to Commonhead as I left Swindon to head out towards Ashbury and Uffington.  Beautiful evening.  I remember it so well.

[tans]

I went to this one. That bald prick David Speedie was playing, he was as fast as a tractor

[Bedford Red]

Here's the full match from 20 years ago today, which Richard loaded up to his excellent site a few days ago.



He's also put up the full matches from the 87 and 90 play off final as well, links below

[Ardiles]

Happy Anniversary, everyone.

This time 20 years ago I was a bag of nerves.  If I'd known what was going to unfold a few hours later, I'd have been even worse.