003 anfield liverpool

GROUND NUMBER 3

Date of First Visit: 26th OCTOBER 1968

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL

LIVERPOOL 2 

NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 (Tommy Gibb)

(OLD) DIVISION ONE

ATTENDANCE 45,323 (3,000 Toon fans)

"SHE LOVES YOU!, YEAH! YEAH!YEAH!"                                   

Anfield!, The Kop!, The Beatles!. This was mee forst ‘lang distance away game’ followin’ ‘The Toon’ as a young schoolboy (at least aa! thought it was a lang way!) and aa caught the supporters club coach from Morden Street in The Haymarket at ‘six bells’ (there were ne motorways up here in them days, so yi had to leave orly!) for the princely sum of 12 shillings and sixpence!. (60 odd pence in todays money!)

(The anly other groonds a’d been te at the time were St James’ Park of course and the away derby at ‘yee naa where’!)

The Beatles were in their heyday and the Scousers used tih sing their songs on The Kop, while everyone of them seemed tih be wearin' a suit 'n' tie---and not a futbaall top in sight!?.

However!---there WERE hundreds of home made flags and banners nailed ontih sticks, wavin’ in The Kop. (one of which looked liked a bed sheet which waz probably ‘half inched’ from some poor mutha’s bed?) (OR!---from some poor wifey’s washin’ line!) 

Add that tih the thoosands of scarf wavers and the whole end looked like a ‘sea of red’ az they swayed from side tih side singin’: ‘She loves you yeah! yeah! yeah!’, amongst other classics (Quite a sight!)

There were a canny few Toon fans in the Anfield Road end wavin’ THEIR scarves iz well, singin’ ‘The Blaydon Races’ in reply (although!, ah did’nt spot any ‘bed sheet nickers’ from wor lot!) and they mixed freely with the Liverpool fans.

(Ne crowd segregation in them days!)

A’v got to say that aa was very impressed with Anfield at the time as it had cover on aall fower sides. (a rarity in the 60’s) To wor left was the Kemlyn Road Stand which had a roof that sloped doonwards so as not to block the light from the terraced hooses in the street behind.  The main stand to wor right had a barrel shaped roof not unlike the West Stand at the Toon and it had a gable at the front with the clubs name on it painted in bright red.  The Kop opposite was huge and held more than half the groonds capacity and in keepin’ had a huge roof to cover it. Wor end was aboot a thord of the Kops size and the roof covered three qwaatas  of the terraces.

If ah remember rightly, it cost the princely sum of two bob tih get in (ten pence!) and the match programme (which ah still have today gatherin’ dust somewhere in mee loft!) cost 9d, which in todays money is aboot three and a half pence!

(Aye!---it meks iz feel quite ancient!---pass mee zimmer frame!)

The Toon went ahead after 21 minutes, when Alan Foggon centred the baall tih Tommy Gibb, who's spectacular shot hit the back of the net, givin' Liverpool keeper Tommy Lawrence ne chance.

(This was the Toons forst---and last!---shot of the game!)

Wor lead was short lived however, when the 'Scousers' levelled the score two minutes later, when teenage sensation Alun Evens vollyed home.

The noise of the crowd waz unbelievable and ah can remember coverin’ mee lugs with mee hands az a loud shrill like sound enveloped the whole groond!

(Not unlike the reception The Beatles used tih get when they appeared on stage!)

We held oot until the 85th minute under a barrage from the Liverpool forwards, but then Willie McFaul, (who'd had a blinder up 'til then) made a terrible blunder, when he failed to hold a weak shot from Peter Thompson, and the baall slipped through his hands and open legs---and into the net!

The sight of the Toon goalie stampin' the groond in frustration, just aboot summed up how AH felt!, and wih went doon 2-1.

A'd had a brilliant day (apart from the score!) and mee forst proper away game was under mee belt---ah was hooked! and after the game wih heeded for Blackpool Illuminations (yi could say, a’d ‘seen the light’!)

“Arsenal---Arsenal---here we come!"  (Wor next away game!)