I could have been a Stockport County fan. Aged nine, a classmate had given me a ticket for a charity game, County versus ‘The Rest of the World XI’. I must have been naughty because my dad tore up my ticket. In the event County won 7-3, just imagine what effect that would have had on a nine year-old kid!
Fast forward to a few years later, 1954. My cricket match is cancelled and the old man asks me if I’d like to accompany him to Maine Road. It was the home debut of ‘The Revie Plan’. City, with Revie, Joe Hayes, Ken Barnes and Bert Trautmann thrash Sheffield United 5-2. I was hooked.
We stormed up the table, heading it in September. We beat United 3-2 in the League and 2-0 in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Next May,I was at Wembley with my parents. I was in tears after the game; then three nice Geordies came up to me and said “We’ll swap ye onny three o’ oor players for yer keepah” and it helped me recover. No matter, because we were back there again next year and we won, beating Birmingham 3-1.
Don Revie had a lookalike – the mananager of the Mac supermarket on Oxford Road where my mum used to shop. I used to tell all my friends that ‘The Don’ said “Hello” to my every morning on my way to school. It was ages before I twigged it wasn’t him.
Since then the memories – triumphs and disasters, mostly the latter, have come thick and fast but my support has never wavered. Now Alex, my grandson, is a Blue too.