SHA Small Heath Alliance

Blues vs WBA - 28th Dec 93

Trialist 13:43, Mon 1 Jun

Vincent Blackshadow   0
Replying to Trialist   15:05, Mon 1 Jun
I remember it well, I was 7, had the away strip that Christmas. Had been watching cartoons and being spoiled by Nan and Grandad at theirs before I went the game via the Hazlewell with my Grandad, 3 cousins and my old man. I remember standing at the front of the old Kop near the the Tilton.

Not sure if I’ve misremembered but I’m sure the Baggies were placed in the Tilton day. Was that a thing back then? Also was it Benno’s debut?
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Sheep2   0
Replying to Vincent Blackshadow   15:13, Mon 1 Jun
From the early 90s until the Kop and Tilton were rebuilt the away fans had either one or two blocks (about 1/3 of the stand each) in the Tilton.

I think it came in after we were promoted in 1980. That's when the fences were built.
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Tam   0
Replying to Rags   15:14, Mon 1 Jun
I think that's the first time I've seen highlights of that game - funnily enough, I've always remembered the date of that game, an that save from Benno, and it was exactly as I remember it. I was in the Kop that day, about level with the 18 yard box, and it was 'instant hero' time.

I remember the conditions, of course, but I don't remember the pitch being quite as bad as it looked there. There was some pretty good attacking play, and - watching the video - could almost feel the atmosphere of the game and of the era.

Ten years on, and my gran died on the 28th December 2003 - I think we played Everton away in the Prem, and for the first time for a long time, I had no interest in a Blues game.

I always remember 28th December 1993 though. Strange that that particular date and game stuck in the memory.
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Tam   0
Replying to Tam   15:15, Mon 1 Jun
Double post. Still haven't got used to where the edit button is. Moron.
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number8   0
Replying to Rags   15:46, Mon 1 Jun
Yeah I know but I always refer to it like that (soz, missed your post above as all I did was say the same thing!)
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number8   1
Replying to Sheep2   15:50, Mon 1 Jun
Away fans had that part of the Tilton in the 70's as well.
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Tam   0
Replying to number8   15:51, Mon 1 Jun
I did forget that Keith Hackett was the ref that day though. He was a customer of mine around that time, when he was Sales Director at Crosby Kitchens in Orgreave, just outside Sheffield. I think I first met him in 1987, because I think he'd been reffing in the World Cup the year before - or it could have been 1989 and it was the Euros the year before. Anyway, he wasn't shy about congratulating himself although, to be fair, he was always very decent to me and always had time for a coffee and a chat with me.
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johnthefence   0
Replying to Trialist   16:30, Mon 1 Jun
Remember it well. I was one of the 300 snow clearing volunteers. We all got given a tee shirt as a thank you from the cub shop. Mine didn’t fit though!!.
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1 CasperJarrett   0
Replying to Vincent Blackshadow   16:47, Mon 1 Jun
Vincent Blackshadow
Also was it Benno’s debut?

Yes, the Baggies match was Benno’s debut. He was signed a week before, Fry kept faith in Kevin Miller in the Boxing Day game away at Stoke 🤦🏻‍♂️ However in that match Miller was culpable for their winner. He failed to deal with a Stoke corner (ironically sent in by our ex-player Nigel Gleghorn), Miller half-arsed & partially fisted the ball which ricocheted off a few Stoke players and they then slammed in the winner for 2-1.

Pesch had put us back in the game with a nicely taken goal in front of the away-end. As I recall Barry Fry singled-out Kevin Miller after that match and mentioned although he’d only been manager for 5 mins he’d already seen plenty of videos of his recent goalkeeping mistakes and he wouldn’t be picking him again…I must say even after one match (that Baggies game) everyone could see Benno was a much better keeper, his shot-stopping was always top-drawer.
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JohnP   0
Replying to 1 CasperJarrett   17:59, Mon 1 Jun
I loved Benno, I think I saw his only ever howler, away at Bristol Rovers but played at Bath.
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Tam   0
Replying to JohnP   18:18, Mon 1 Jun
I think he let a couple of soft ones in up at Bolton which finished him under Bruce, I think. Vaesen assumed the No 1 position after that - I might be misremembering, of course. Not bad for 12 years at the club though.

Going back to that game, have a feeling that the Blues fans in the Kop were chanting 'boing boing, feck off' to the WBA fans in the Tilton. Could have been another year, I suppose, but I imagine by the next time we played them, the terraces had gone.
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Sheep2   0
Replying to Tam   18:38, Mon 1 Jun
[news.bbc.co.uk]

This game?
Cunningham scored a dopey own goal early on.
We were chasing the game at 3-2.
I think Bennett was at fault for goals 3 and 4.

But Vaesen was already no1 from the season before. I think he was injured for that Bolton game.

It was part of a run of 7 tough games. Bolton and Blackburn away were our easiest fixtures in that run.
Man Utd, Leeds, Arsenal, Blackburn, Bo!ton Man Utd (again), Chelsea.
1point from those 7. The Bolton game was the only 1 I was disappointed with because we were well in the game until late errors.
Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea were just better than us. Leeds away was tough.
We scrapped hard at Ewood and the Reebok, but came up short in the latter.

We dropped in to the bottom 3 after the 7th game and I was worried we were going down. Two brilliant performances v Liverpool and at VP moved us clear.
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1 CasperJarrett   0
Replying to JohnP   20:18, Mon 1 Jun
JohnP
I loved Benno, I think I saw his only ever howler, away at Bristol Rovers but played at Bath.

Yeah I was at that game at Twerton Park. It was a midweek match that got rescheduled. I recall the gas-heads kept chanting “dodgy keeper, dodgy keeper” at Benno for the rest of the game. It finished 1-1 so he only conceded that howler (we’ll let him off as he did play all 46 league games that season)…😉
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1 CasperJarrett   0
Replying to Tam   20:38, Mon 1 Jun
Tam
Going back to that game, have a feeling that the Blues fans in the Kop were chanting 'boing boing, feck off' to the WBA fans in the Tilton. Could have been another year, I suppose, but I imagine by the next time we played them, the terraces had gone.

Yes, we definitely chanted “Boing Boing F**k Off” to the Baggies at that game on 28th Dec 1993, especially after Pesch put us 2-0 up. I seem to recall another chant that day “Merry Christmas Albion” witty & sarcastic and to the tune of Bread of Heaven… 😁
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A_n_E   -1
Replying to Rags   20:46, Mon 1 Jun
Rags
That Xmas game in 1982 against Villa at St Andrews when we won 3-0 i defy anyone to tell me where you could have got a single extra person in. I couldn't even get my hands to my coat pockets it was such a case of sardines
Official attendance was 43,864 .... but it was definitely more like 52,000 or more ...

There was quite a bit of space right at the front. I spent the game hanging off the fencing but kept going back to my sister and her fella who were a bit further back
AnE - conspiracy theorist, ardent viler-hater, nutjob cyclist, Cubie-bater, go-to iconoclast
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