40 years since that Oldham Cup game.

[scfc64]

I remember travelling up from London with the supporters club. How the match started I'll never know but it did and we were 2-0 up at H-T. Then the players came back out, waved at the fans and that was it,match postponed. I know there's a vid on you tube of the match (I think there was only 2 or 3 cup games which went ahead that day.) so most would have seen it. There will be a few on here at the game that day.

I also remember the Sunderland game that season too, we traveled up again from London, match was defo on but Sunderland couldn't get down to the game as they were snowed in. The frightening thing is though,for me anyway,is that it was 40 years ago but it only seems like yesterday.

[durbanscircus]

Typical  Stoke we lost the replay

[BuzzB]

snow, 2-0 up, Sammy Irvine.
I was there too, where has my life gone!

[benjaminbiscuit]

Me too that’ was a good example do what was to come in the roller coaster takes stoke city when we lost the replay

[NassauDave]

I was there too.

[mickstupp]

Jan 4, 2020 0:13:23 GMT benjaminbiscuit said:

Me too that’ was a good example do what was to come in the roller coaster takes stoke city when we lost the replay

Who was the chief executive at the time? It seems like an extremely shoddy example of a poor organisational process for a match to get abandoned after 45 mins.

[pb1863]

I remember being in the paddock for this game near the dig out. Sammy Irvine 2 goals first half with an Orange ball I think. I temper the ref coming out at half time with the groundsman I think and possibly managers and then abandoning the game. Probably the right thing to do although I don’t think the conditions got any worse. I went to the replay and the pitch was very heavy and if my memory serves me correctly Roger Jones let a soft goal in and we lost. Typical as we were all over them in the first game. Where does 40 years go?
Was that also the year we did well in the league cup losing to Watford in the QF. We drew at home from memory 0-0 after again being all over them.

[pb1863]

That should be dug out and remember...it’s close to 40 degrees in sydney so that’s my excuse

[Caerwrangonpotter]

My first ever Stoke game & spent most of the half just in bewilderment at it all!



As for the game....nip past Sheff Weds v Arsenal, and Brian Moore to around 29.40 for a bitterly cold Vic!

[Deleted]

I was there for the abandoned game, and also for the replayed game, which we were confident we'd win easily............

[lordherefordsknob]

You could see the lines so no problem about playing.

Bloody 1970s snowflakes.

[lancashirelad]

I remember getting a bus then 3 trains and ringing the club up at each changeover to see if it was still on, started off around 9 am.

Stoke had no problems on that pitch but Oldham seem to make the most of it trying to show it was unplayable. Thankfully could not get down to the re arranged game.

[stokecitytalke]

Yes, I was there for both games. Where does the time go to?!!

[doitforfrank]

I was only 8 and it was the first time I'd seen an orange ball at a match. Within weeks I'd got an orange lace up Mitre ball. Hardly ever played with it, as for an 8 year old boy, it was way to heavy to play with and especially to head the damn thing.

Great footage, life and football was much simpler back then.

[benjaminbiscuit]

Jan 4, 2020 1:33:43 GMT mickstupp said:

Jan 4, 2020 0:13:23 GMT benjaminbiscuit said:

Me too that’ was a good example do what was to come in the roller coaster takes stoke city when we lost the replay

Who was the chief executive at the time? It seems like an extremely shoddy example of a poor organisational process for a match to get abandoned after 45 mins.

Don’t joke it will be in the scholetinel Monday , Chief executive receives 200k pay rise after incredible achievement of no abandoned games , 
stoke also announce departure of best three midfielders in fire sale , the chief executive commented this is another  sign of our ambition and highlights just how well run a business we are .

[mickstupp]

Jan 4, 2020 9:49:56 GMT benjaminbiscuit said:

Jan 4, 2020 1:33:43 GMT mickstupp said:

Who was the chief executive at the time? It seems like an extremely shoddy example of a poor organisational process for a match to get abandoned after 45 mins.

Don’t joke it will be in the scholetinel Monday , Chief executive receives 200k pay rise after incredible achievement of no abandoned games , 
stoke also announce departure of best three midfielders in fire sale , the chief executive commented this is another  sign of our ambition and highlights just how well run a business we are .

Yes it’s shocking. We never used to sell our best players 40 years ago did we?

[madmickthe3rd]

I was there for both games. Losing the replay was like a double kick in the nuts.

I also remember the rather sinister connotations of the timing of the abandonment as well! I don't know what the rules are these days but back then if a game was abandoned at half time or beyond there was no refund of the entry fee to the fans so we all had to pay again for the replay. It was clearly unplayable from the kick off but spookily, they persevered until half time before calling it off!!

Did Sammy irvine keep the 2 goals in his overall career stats does anyone know or would they have been chalked off? I bet he would have been be a bit pissed off if it was the latter which I suspect it was!

[milky]

There for both.

Tbh it probably should never have started but Oldham players as I recall started whinging about the conditions as soon as we scored which probably had a lot to do with the game being abandoned.

I seem to remember the rematch was played after the thaw in the pouring rain on a quagmire of a pitch.

[Deleted]

I remember being in the Boothen for that game. Seemed to me both sides were happy to play but oddly the Oldham players complained to ref once we were 2 up !

Wasn’t the replay a really foggy night or is it my memory that’s foggy ? 😁

[Paul Spencer]

I was there for both games.

Funnily enough, this thread has just made me realise, that from this year onwards, I'll have been watching Stoke City longer at the Brit/bet365, than I watched them at the Victoria Ground, 22 v 23 years ... that feels very, very odd, as where we are now, still seems like a new place to me.

[madmickthe3rd]

Jan 4, 2020 12:05:24 GMT Paul Spencer said:

I was there for both games.

Funnily enough, this thread has just made me realise, that from this year onwards, I'll have been watching Stoke City longer at the Brit/bet365, than I watched them at the Victoria Ground, 22 v 23 years ... that feels very, very odd, as where we are now, still seems like a new place to me.

Blimey yes thats the same for me! Started going regular in the promotion year of 79/80 although I had been to the sum total of 4 games between 74 & 79. The Bet 365 still feels like a new stadium 23 yrs on.

I guess that probably now applies to about 70% of our supporters and growing as the years go by and nature takes its course!

[marcofstoke]

Jan 4, 2020 2:23:28 GMT pb1863 said:

I remember being in the paddock for this game near the dig out. Sammy Irvine 2 goals first half with an Orange ball I think. I temper the ref coming out at half time with the groundsman I think and possibly managers and then abandoning the game. Probably the right thing to do although I don’t think the conditions got any worse. I went to the replay and the pitch was very heavy and if my memory serves me correctly Roger Jones let a soft goal in and we lost. Typical as we were all over them in the first game. Where does 40 years go?
Was that also the year we did well in the league cup losing to Watford in the QF. We drew at home from memory 0-0 after again being all over them.

You would have been near to me (always behind the visitors dug out next to the tunnel)
I know people like Denis Smith complained about the abandonment but it was absolutely bitter, I had no gloves and my hands were blue!

[benjaminbiscuit]

Jan 4, 2020 9:52:37 GMT mickstupp said:

Jan 4, 2020 9:49:56 GMT benjaminbiscuit said:

Don’t joke it will be in the scholetinel Monday , Chief executive receives 200k pay rise after incredible achievement of no abandoned games , 
stoke also announce departure of best three midfielders in fire sale , the chief executive commented this is another  sign of our ambition and highlights just how well run a business we are .

Yes it’s shocking. We never used to sell our best players 40 years ago did we?

We didn’t have billionaire owners 40 years ago whose more than generous investment has been totally squandered 

[robinredcoat]

Yes I was there, sat as usual at that time in the Butler Street stand. I was also there for the rescheduled game when we never got going

I seem to remember everyone cheering when the team came out after half time thinking they were coming out to play again, only to realise some of the team had their track suit tops on so clearly it wasn’t to play.

The Sunderland game a few weeks later was more annoying. Sunderland had injuries and suspensions that day and thus were having to field a weakened side, in a game which was important as both sides were going for promotion. They choose to come to the ground over the Peak District instead of taking the motorway and got stuck near Bakewell if my memory serves me right.it was clearly a deliberate tactic to avoid playing the game.

Again when the game was rescheduled they had a stronger team and won. Which made the fact that we beat them to promotion in the last minute of the last game even more enjoyable.

[thfc67]

Jan 4, 2020 9:58:47 GMT madmickthe3rd said:

I was there for both games. Losing the replay was like a double kick in the nuts.

I also remember the rather sinister connotations of the timing of the abandonment as well! I don't know what the rules are these days but back then if a game was abandoned at half time or beyond there was no refund of the entry fee to the fans so we all had to pay again for the replay. It was clearly unplayable from the kick off but spookily, they persevered until half time before calling it off!!

Did Sammy irvine keep the 2 goals in his overall career stats does anyone know or would they have been chalked off? I bet he would have been be a bit pissed off if it was the latter which I suspect it was!

In 1961 Law [Dennis] scored an incredible six goals in an FA Cup tie against Luton Town. Unfortunately for him, the match was abandoned with twenty minutes to go, so his six goals didn't count. To make matters worse for him, Luton won the replay 3–1, and City were knocked out of the Cup. From Wikipedia.

[johnnypotter]

I remember both games vividly. As soon as Sammy Irvine scored our 2nd goal in the snow, the Oldham players were crying to the referee at every opportunity.

[somersetstokie]

Jan 3, 2020 23:34:26 GMT scfc64 said:

I remember travelling up from London with the supporters club. How the match started I'll never know but it did and we were 2-0 up at H-T. Then the players came back out, waved at the fans and that was it,match postponed. I know there's a vid on you tube of the match (I think there was only 2 or 3 cup games which went ahead that day.) so most would have seen it. There will be a few on here at the game that day.

I also remember the Sunderland game that season too, we traveled up again from London, match was defo on but Sunderland couldn't get down to the game as they were snowed in. The frightening thing is though,for me anyway,is that it was 40 years ago but it only seems like yesterday.

If I recall that Sunderland match postponement was extremely controversial. The move of the match to a later date was thought to be beneficial to Sunderland. Many Stoke fans reportedly were able to travel past the Hotel where the Sunderland team were "snowed in".

[kickbolukanbite]

Jan 3, 2020 23:34:26 GMT scfc64 said:

I remember travelling up from London with the supporters club. How the match started I'll never know but it did and we were 2-0 up at H-T. Then the players came back out, waved at the fans and that was it,match postponed. I know there's a vid on you tube of the match (I think there was only 2 or 3 cup games which went ahead that day.) so most would have seen it. There will be a few on here at the game that day.

I also remember the Sunderland game that season too, we traveled up again from London, match was defo on but Sunderland couldn't get down to the game as they were snowed in. The frightening thing is though,for me anyway,is that it was 40 years ago but it only seems like yesterday.

I would have been with you on that train, (southern supporters club?) Crikey we're a couple of oldens then!!

[scfc64]

Jan 5, 2020 19:22:25 GMT kickbolukanbite said:

Jan 3, 2020 23:34:26 GMT scfc64 said:

I remember travelling up from London with the supporters club. How the match started I'll never know but it did and we were 2-0 up at H-T. Then the players came back out, waved at the fans and that was it,match postponed. I know there's a vid on you tube of the match (I think there was only 2 or 3 cup games which went ahead that day.) so most would have seen it. There will be a few on here at the game that day.

I also remember the Sunderland game that season too, we traveled up again from London, match was defo on but Sunderland couldn't get down to the game as they were snowed in. The frightening thing is though,for me anyway,is that it was 40 years ago but it only seems like yesterday.

I would have been with you on that train, (southern supporters club?) Crikey we're a couple of oldens then!!

Yes, defo. We use to meet under the clock at Euston for home games, think Steve did all the travelling stuff, Nigel was all the sports stuff, footy darts ect, Monica of course, Gordon Morse and many others who I've lost touch with, lovely lovely people. I see Monica from time to time though. Great days and happy memories.

[thestatusquo]

Had to book a day off work for the original game so wasn’t very happy!!