Drifting into our lives, almost un-noticed, gossamer-like, steals May 5th, a Saturday full of sun, beer, and footie-talk. Where was I discussing at least two of those three on this date in the past? 1997 - Div 3 (4th tier) - Wigan Athletic 2 v 0 Mansfield Town - A spur of the moment decision because Liverpools game against Tottenham, at Anfield, didnt kick off until 6.30pm. So I thought I would take a trip to Springfield Park to watch as Wigan Athletic, and their supporters, celebrate promotion to Division 2. A crowd of 7,106, including myself, were wedged into the old ground and we were treated to a comfortable victory for the Champions with goals from Lancashire (how appropriate) and Lowe. After the match, the crowd was kept in the stadium in order that proper control could be kept during the presentations. This led to me breaking speed limits on the M58 and struggling to find a parking space for the next match........ 1997 - Prem - Liverpool 2 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur - ........ which I just made in time for kick off. Another Liverpool v Spurs game and this one, whilst not up there with the best of games at Anfield between these two old adversaries, was still enjoyable; especially so for me as Liverpool won! Stanley Collymore and Paddy Berger scored for the Reds whilst Darren Anderton hit Spurs lone reposte. A thoroughly enjoyable, albeit hectic, day out at two matches with lots of incident, a few goals and much rubber burned! 1998 - Div 1 (2nd tier) - Tranmere Rovers 2 v 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers - The day after the Jamie Carragher beer incident and myself and Alan are on our way over to Prenton park to watch John Aldridge play his final game of football. As Liverpool fans (Aldo, himself, is a big fan), we were not alone in making this pilgrimage, red shirts were in abundance that day in a crowd of 11,144. Aldo did not disappoint, he scored two goals , one from the spot, and should have had a hat-trick as another penalty was saved. The Wolves scorer was Don Goodman, a powerful centre-forward whose tireless channel-running endeared him to the fans of all the clubs for whom he played. I believe this may have been his final game for Wolves (someone out there may want to clarify this point) but, irrespective of that, it was a pleasure to watch two seasoned strikers, still at the top of their game, in a match of great entertainment. It was a privilege to have seen John Aldridge play football, both for Liverpool and for Tranmere. The previous day, Liverpool had thumped West Ham 5-0 but it is for the Tranmere v Wolves match that I and Alan remember the weekend. Oh, that and the JC beer incident at Mere Lane!
Posted on: Sat, 03 May 2014 05:03:22 +0000
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