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Started getting all nostalgic again in my dotage and got to thinking about my first football memories. Dad was an amateur goalkeeper and took me to watch his games. I would stand by the side of the goal and watch the ball flying in from corners like a ballistic missile before attackers and defenders, giants in my eyes, all leaped together into the air with Dad somehow rising above the lot of them to punch it clear.
He started bringing home Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly from work, which I devoured. I still have them (many with pictures cut out which I stuck with Cow Gum on various pieces of paper, complete with entire pages of the Ladybird Book of Football copied out, for my junior school ‘Football’ project).
This would have been around 1966/7 though. Thinking back, the very first ‘football’ memory I have was Dad telling me that a Spurs player, John White, had been struck by lightning and killed, a terrible tragedy and something that has stayed with me all these years. This would have been in 1964 when I was six. I can’t really recall anything before that.
I’d love to hear about other people’s first football memories (could be QPR-related but not necessarily so. Might be a news story, event or just some random ‘jumpers for goalposts’ type memory too!)
[Post edited 27 Aug 15:03]
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First Football Memories on 14:29 - Aug 27 with 3414 views
While I had been to a fair few QPR games before this my first really solid memory of QPR was the wonder strike by Les Ferdinand in December 1994 as it was right in front of where we were in the Ellerslie. Just watched it back again, what a strike. Our pitch has come a long way since then mind (even last years.)
The first game I was taken to was a Spurs home loss to Sheff Wed a couple of years ago, where a very angry man sat behind us didn't stop swearing all game. Apparently my 5 year old self simply refused to countenance supporting them.
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First Football Memories on 14:41 - Aug 27 with 3369 views
First Football Memories on 14:29 - Aug 27 by Hoopstar
While I had been to a fair few QPR games before this my first really solid memory of QPR was the wonder strike by Les Ferdinand in December 1994 as it was right in front of where we were in the Ellerslie. Just watched it back again, what a strike. Our pitch has come a long way since then mind (even last years.)
The first game I was taken to was a Spurs home loss to Sheff Wed a couple of years ago, where a very angry man sat behind us didn't stop swearing all game. Apparently my 5 year old self simply refused to countenance supporting them.
A Les Ferdinand wonder strike isn’t a bad first memory. As for your ‘very angry man’, I’ve got a feeling he was sitting behind me during the recent Millwall game!
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First Football Memories on 14:44 - Aug 27 with 3348 views
I know I got taken to Wimbledon as my best mate's dad worked there as a steward. Although my first QPR match might have been QPR 4 - Shrewsbury 0 possibly. And I've got memories of being taken to see Charlton by my dad who adopted them as a second team (first team was Man City but he was far from home).
Couldn't accurately say.
I can say this. I didn't 'get' football at all as a kid. Like if someone had explained it in a more analytical way I would have got it. But just standing in that stand at Charlton's old ground waiting for something to happen, that was eating into valuable cartoon/toy time.
I had a second start though. There was a film called ID about a copper who goes undercover to investigate a hooligan firm. It had an advert on the radio and it sounded hilariously bad. So me and my mate went to see it sort of ironically and actually kind of enjoyed it.
It also turned out we both identified as QPR from childhood. So we decided we wanted to go and see a match. That match was QPR beating Man City 1-0 in 1996. I think that was the score. Anyway, that was me fully in.
Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore.
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First Football Memories on 15:02 - Aug 27 with 3282 views
As mentioned many times, dunno, dunno, dunno. But the crowd outside before, and especially after the match when someone turned on a radio for the football scores. Walking on peanut shells, best bag of chips at a local chippy ever, the clinking of the turnstile, swinging on a crush barrier, noticing the small groups of ‘boot boys’ following the away team, picking up discarded match programmes on the tube, teenagers who’d been slung out peering through the gates, smell of burgers…
First Football Memories on 15:14 - Aug 27 by Boston
As mentioned many times, dunno, dunno, dunno. But the crowd outside before, and especially after the match when someone turned on a radio for the football scores. Walking on peanut shells, best bag of chips at a local chippy ever, the clinking of the turnstile, swinging on a crush barrier, noticing the small groups of ‘boot boys’ following the away team, picking up discarded match programmes on the tube, teenagers who’d been slung out peering through the gates, smell of burgers…
[Post edited 27 Aug 16:23]
That’s entertainment, that’s entertainm-eeeent …
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First Football Memories on 15:26 - Aug 27 with 3151 views
First Football Memories on 15:02 - Aug 27 by Boston
We used to go and watch TwoHalves dad play. I clearly remember standing behind the goal shouting “amateur, amateur”.
Funnily enough, and you’ve just reminded me, he did tell me once that he’d been invited down with a mate for some sort of trial at Craven Cottage. He said the vision of Ronnie Rooke, Fulham’s lantern-jawed centre forward, bearing down on him on a frozen pitch cured him of any ideas about trying to become a professional!
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First Football Memories on 15:36 - Aug 27 with 3083 views
My Grandad took me to my first games, Willesden FC playing at the old stadium in King Eddies park early/mid 50s. Me and a couple of mates who went to some catholic college in Tottenham discovered London Transport ran a football special from Willesden bus garage to Whitehart Lane. If memory serves it was only a tanner and a tanner to get in to see the Spuds team under Nicholson. Went there a few times until the special was stopped in 60/61ish.
Looking around for more we tried Fulham, yawn. Then went to see the Rs at White City, was not impressed to be honest a couple of thousand fans in a 100,000 seater stadium, you could cut the atmosphere with a tennis racket. It was not until the return to HQ and the beginnings of that great team under Stock with Marsh mesmerising defences that I became hooked.
I'll never forget the League Cup semis against Birmingham and of course the final at Wembley. The only fly in the ointment was my mate buying the tickets to find ourselves up in the West Brom end. Lots of sympathy at half time but not happy at us jumping up and down when the third goal went in. Gawd knows where he got them from.
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First Football Memories on 16:21 - Aug 27 with 2918 views
My first ever football match was in the autumn of 1995 when I would have been 6. I remember I used to play football every playtime at school and was playing in the garden one night after school when my Dad came in and asked if I wanted to go and see a real football game.
Excitedly yes was the answer, and as we lived in Wellingborough he took me on the short trip down the A45 to watch Rushden & Diamonds in a FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round replay against Purfleet. It was peak-Griggs/Dr Martens era at Rushden when they outspent everyone by miles but you don't really understand that as a 6 year old, all you know is there's this team down the road that seems to thrash everyone else every week. They won 3-1 that night with ex-QPR trainee Graham Benstead in goal (not that I had a clue he was ex-QPR then).
Things I remember being confused by:- - No names on back of shirts like the footballers I'd see on Match of the Day - No match commentary - I thought a matchday programme would take the form a video
I obviously loved it enough that my Dad started to take me to Rushden & Diamonds more regularly before taking me to my first QPR game in the April of that year when we beat Southampton 3-0. He only used to take me to one QPR game a year at that age as apparently I was a bit overwhelmed by the crowds.
We were at Wolves the following season when Dichio scored from miles out (have no memory of this whatsoever), that was my first ever QPR away game.
I used to cry when QPR lost but I soon got used to that, sadly.
She's only 16 months at the minute so far too young but am hoping I'll get times and moments like these with my own daughter when she's a bit older. Perhaps following in my footsteps I'll start her off with Harborough Town before making the leap to Loftus Road!
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First Football Memories on 16:36 - Aug 27 with 2840 views
My first game I attended was at the Old Den. Millwall v Wolves Went with my grandad and cousin. He was a docker, lived in Bermondsey, Millwall die hard. Perched on my grandads shoulders on the half-way line, towards the back near the tea hut. Smell of bovril, fags and piss flowing out the the toilets is the main memory along with flat caps and the unbelievable noise from the crowd and the industrial language not meant for a four year old to hear. Not much has changed down there since!!
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First Football Memories on 16:40 - Aug 27 with 2824 views
Where I first lived in Bracknell it was a terraced house with a small green immediately out front, my brother who is 8 years older would be on there playing 3 and in, I used to try and join in, probably about 1970 aged 3
First Football Memories on 15:39 - Aug 27 by TwoHalves
Are you saying that’s your first football memory, Colin?!
It's strange but I think my earliest was of Mike Tomkys who was the first boo-boy target I can remember. I used to be leaning on the wall at the front and Mike played an awful pass that had the crowd booing. Arthur Longbottom came over, put his arms around him and said “that's alright Mike” Funny, I remember that more than the football. I think the next booboy target was Mike Keen. Our crowds don't seem to like Mikes.
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First Football Memories on 16:47 - Aug 27 with 2797 views
First football memories are from my dad taking me to Oxford United, even made me a wooden box with a handle so I could see over the wall on the terraces at the old manor. I was of an age (6 or 7ish I guess) when I wasn't overly interested and it seemed like a long time standing up, I remember the people, the smells of burgers, cigarettes, lots of standing, but ended up not really caring about going, so my dad would go with my older brother.. then Oxford got relegated (1988) and my dad didn't fancy watching second division football, and he had a mate who lived close to QPR, so they decided they'd start going to watch QPR, I would have been about 9 at that time, 88/89 season, and it clicked, fell in love with the Hoops.. Took my lad to his first live game last weekend, Palmeiras v Vasco de Gama, which is a bit like taking him to watch Chelsea... as we are Corinthians fans over here, but got handed some free tickets, and wasn't sure if he'd have the patience to sit and watch for 90 mins, but he enjoyed it, so now need to get him to Corinthians, and hopefully to Loftus Road at some point.
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First Football Memories on 16:59 - Aug 27 with 2770 views
My earliest memories are my dad taking us to Barnet to watch Jimmy Greaves, who had been one of his idols, but was in all sorts of bother with his drinking by then. Went to a fair few games there around 5 years old, and then got taken to the Lane aged about 6, standing on the Shelf unable to see anything – I think it was against Cov - and then smashing my teeth into the barrier when Tottenham scored, with a lot of blood everywhere. A few memories around the same time of fighting on the Seven Sisters Rd, seemingly before and after every game, and thinking that the police horses were fu cking massive, and that I would rather be at home with my mum. I really didn’t like going to football back when I was 6-9 – everyone seemed so fu cking angry and it would kick-off everywhere. I stopped going for a couple of years. Sitting on the ground in the home end at Watford v Grimsby aged about 7, staring at the floor for most of the game, bored out of my nut (no idea why my dad decided to take us to that random game). Watching my dad play for his team over in Edmonton and then being driven back across North London by his teammate, who was clearly pi ssed. Eating meat paste sarnies at Norwich (we were on holiday in Yarmouth). If my dad drove to any game anywhere, he would basically park up as soon as you spotted the floodlights and it would always involve legging it 2 miles back to the car in time for the results to be read out. No idea how he used to remember where he'd left the car - I need to ask him. Good times!
Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts
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First Football Memories on 17:08 - Aug 27 with 2736 views
Tony Towers striking a penalty straight at Chic Brodie and the power carrying ball and keeper over the line. A 4-3 home defeat to Palace, the year they went up with Coventry from Third Division. 0-0 @ HT, 2-2 after 50 minutes.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky
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First Football Memories on 17:19 - Aug 27 with 2706 views
Apparently “White was killed by a lightning strike at the age of 27 while sheltering under a tree during a thunderstorm at Crews Hill golf course, Enfield on 21 July 1964.”
First memory of attending would have been the Simon Cup quarter final away at Watford on 14th Feb 1989 watching David Seaman save at least one penalty to see us through to a semi final v Everton which we lost..
My first football memories as an 8 year old watching the 1982 FA cup final and replay on the tv then the World Cup later that year. Paulo Rossi, Tardelli and Altobelli scoring in the final. Dino Zoff lifting the trophy. Not forgetting Schumacher nearly killing Battisto in the semis!
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