50 Years a Claret

My journey from no colours to Claret n Blue, from Rammy Clarets to Melbourne Clarets, and every emotion in-between following the Clarets.

Saturday 12th September 1970.

The first time I set foot inside Turf Moor, 50 years ago today. Just a starry-eyed 9 year old football fan. Ever since England won the World Cup I’d been interested in soccer, yes that’s what everyone called it back in the 60’s & 70’s.
I didn’t support a team, I had relatives in Stockport who were big Manchester United fans. They tried to hard to get me to be a Red Devil, that it had had the opposite effect. I was favouring Manchester City. Boxing Day 1969 was my football baptism. Our Stockport family had got Christmas present tickets for Old Trafford, Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers. Spent the game at the very front of the United Road Paddock. A 0-0 score line, but the crowd grabbed my attention more. I loved live football. I was still leaning towards City, Colin Bell my favourite player having met him in Ramsbottom one Sunday morning. January 70 was my next live game, it was a little less star studded than Best, Law & Charlton. It was my first visit to Gigg Lane. Bury v Tranmere Rovers. Really enjoyed this game, saw my first live goal, and my eighth. Bury winning 8-0, George Jones scoring 6 or 7 goals. My third game was also at Gigg Lane. Bury losing to Orient 1-0.
The 70/71 season started with me playing Saturday morning football. One of the blokes running the team I played for, Ramsbottom Crusaders, offered to take anyone interested to a game the following Saturday. Burnley v Arsenal. I was in, most of the other boys in the team supported Man U, so only two of us took up the offer. My best friend Phil & myself. To be honest I was more excited about seeing Arsenal. In fact, I’m not sure I’d ever been to the town of Burnley before in my life.
The day arrived and we set off in Geoffs sky blue mini. We parked off Todmorden Rd and walked through the ginnel near Tod rd school. My first sight of Turf Moor was when we walked past the Park view chippy. The massive floodlights and the Bee Hole Terrace towering high in front us. Entering the ground via the street facing turnstiles, we took up position on the green fence at the front of the Bee Hole, near the edge of the penalty area towards the Longside. I was enthralled by the size and noise of the Longside. Ok, so the game finished in a 2-1 win for Arsenal, but I was hooked on Burnley FC. The Claret shirts, Claret & Blue scarves. The Longside, I was even intrigued by the Turf only having 3 sides. I was a Claret.
50 years ago today. What a ride it’s been, relegations, more than our fair share. Promotions, just enough to be where we are now. 3 visits to Wembley, European football. 4th division football for far to long. For me, from travelling on the bus from Rammy, to now running Melbourne Clarets 12,000 miles away. 10 years I’ve been away, I miss matchday so much. The group we have here are a great set of clarets. Even our ******* supporting friend behind the bar at the Sherlock. Also to be able to get coffee with Mike Conroy, meeting a hero.
Yes, Burnley Football Club has been and still is a massive part of my life. UTC

Great story Rammy, very similar to mine.. Mine started 71-72 a 9 year old walking through the Longside the noise, the claret & blue scarfs the smell of pipe smoke. We ended at opposite sides of the world, but same experience of Turf Moor. Long live the Clarets!

Needed a longer bench so all the bottom row could have been seated.

A bad season to start your career as a Claret.

The photo can't have been taken 50 years ago as Paul Fletcher didn't sign until 1971, I think. His first goal was in the home game against Blackpool which was a real relegation battle late on in the season. After he scored, the Longside surged towards the Blackpool fans chanting, 'Power to the Clarets', to the tune of 'Power to the People'. All to no avail. We both went down.

Rammy

I think I’ve said this before... that was my first match too. I can’t remember too much about the match. I was just 6. Couldn’t see much. We stood high up on the corner where the long side met the bee hole end. I remember the crush of people and the smell of the toilets. Although we lost I was buzzing for a week that I’d seen us play.

Interesting baptism Rammy, mine was August 19th 1950, and another loss to Arsenal 0-1. Vague memory of the game except a late Arsenal goal in off the crossbar. I still recall in those early days the butterflies in my stomach before a game waiting to see the colours of the opposition when they ran onto the field and learning why we never played against a team in red shirts due to the clash of colours and in those days I think a white shirt was a universal second strip-none of those home and away kits with changes every one or two seasons.

Excellent Rammy, those memories can't be taken away.

My 60th anniversary is coming up next month.

Great story and I'm sure that reading it makes a few of us miss going on the Turf even more

Quicknick wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 5:50 am

A bad season to start your career as a Claret.

I can never be accused of jumping on bandwagons!!!

You just beat me to the 50 years, first game was Wolves on 26th September 1970. We missed a pen.

Conroysleftfoot wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:45 am

You just beat me to the 50 years, first game was Wolves on 26th September 1970. We missed a pen.

Was that Dave Thomas?

Conroysleftfoot wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:45 am

You just beat me to the 50 years, first game was Wolves on 26th September 1970. We missed a pen.

Thanks for that, cleared up something that I’ve been wondering for years. I always remember a missed penalty, thought it was in the Arsenal game, but could never find out anything about it. Makes sense it was in my second game v Wolves.

Congrats!!! A proper foootball fans journey..........not sure of my exact match but would have been Around that time as all I can recall was it was v Spurs under the floodlights.....at the front of the long side with my dad when I was 7 or 8....I can still remember “the atmosphere” and was hooked ever since........

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:52 am

Was that Dave Thomas?

I thought it might have been Colin Waldron but it's a long time ago.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:52 am

Was that Dave Thomas?

Whoops got it wrong. Just looked it up. You were right Tony to mention Dave Thomas
He actually scored a penalty. I think we did miss quite a few in that season as we got relegated.

Conroysleftfoot wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:06 am

I thought it might have been Colin Waldron but it's a long time ago.

My thoughts were it was Colin Waldron who missed the penalty I’m thinking of.

Conroysleftfoot wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:10 am

Whoops got it wrong. Just looked it up. You were right Tony to mention Dave Thomas
He actually scored a penalty. I think we did miss quite a few in that season as we got relegated.

Could have been Waldo. I could ask him but he'd deny it if he'd not scored.

If my memory serves me correctly, I think the penalty came very late in the game.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:17 am

Could have been Waldo. I could ask him but he'd deny it if he'd not scored.

If my memory serves me correctly, I think the penalty came very late in the game.

Dave Thomas scored a pen on 49mins and Colin Waldron scored on 65mins, not from a pen. The Claret Chronicles certainly comes in handy, especially as you get older.

Great story RammyClaret61. The game you refer to was my last home game before embarking on three years as a full time student in London. It was a season with little to shout about and without checking the records probably one of our lowest ever scoring ones, certainly in the top flight. I think we didn't get a win until well into October.

I have a fond memory of that game. Burnley were very poor with Radford and Kennedy running riot. I was on the Bee Hole and near the end an old man came upto me and stated that the problem was that Burnley hadn't had any decent half back since Halley Watson and Boyle retired......couldn't really argue I suppose I was only 16 at the time!

Where is Jim Thomson on that picture?

That photo was taken towards the end of the 70-71 season, Paul Fletcher didn't arrive until February or March.