The day Everton played in front of smallest PL Crowd ever

Mistertonblue · January 26, 2017

I remember going to this too!

Memories from this are similar to Doug's where I remember Nev having to retrieve a ball from the stand behind his goal. Seem to remember Sam Hammam being stood alone in that stand at some stage of the match too.

I recall Snodin not being intimidated by Vinnie Jones but Preki being totally ineffective.

I'm fairly sure that this was also Keown's final game for us before he left for Arsenal.

A reflection of how terrible we were then is that I saw this match as one of the highlights of the season!

BTW I loved that kit and still have it to this day!!!

ToffeeDoug · January 26, 2017

bflefc said:
I honestly don't think we had 1k there.

As for 'outside', they were waiting for us after the previous season's escapades; a dozen or so wasn't what they were expecting! I remember it going as soon as we walked out the station but the bizzies were onto it in no time.

Is this the first game there (lost 2-1, Saturday) or the second game there (won 2-1, midweek). I was thinking of the Saturday game, very rough that day after the game, but yes, the midweek game crowd was low now I recall it. Pointon scored!

Naisy'sCharitableLeanings · January 26, 2017

Eggs said:
...the game was at Selhurst Park. I wasn't there. I went the cup game when they beat us at Plough Lane. That ground was an experience.

I sat in the directors' box to watch us there once, and met Bobby Robson - got his autograph too. The box was marginally more luxurious than the average non-league dugout - the seating was made up of unupholstered breeze blocks FFS!

LEONARD · January 26, 2017

I was at this game, and myself and a couple of mates completed the Guardian crossword before the final whistle.

Eggs · January 26, 2017

Naisy'sCharitableLeanings said:
I sat in the directors' box to watch us there once, and met Bobby Robson - got his autograph too. The box was marginally more luxurious than the average non-league dugout - the seating was made up of unupholstered breeze blocks FFS!

...brilliant. I was in the main stand and it was like somebody's living room. I went the loo and Peter Reid was in the same toilet in his kit. They physically mullered us that day, you could see how they went on to win it even if half the team were ex non-league.

bflefc · January 26, 2017

ToffeeDoug said:
Is this the first game there (lost 2-1, Saturday) or the second game there (won 2-1, midweek). I was thinking of the Saturday game, very rough that day after the game, but yes, the midweek game crowd was low now I recall it. Pointon scored!

Tj first one we took a massive amount by train, filled the away end it went off all over the shop, including running them out of the main stand across the seats.

The midweek one was the following season and we had hardly any.

terryefc · January 26, 2017

I was at the Wimbledon game. first season of PL.
Went with a Womble season ticket holder and a Fulham fan. Paid on the night to get in the AW stand.
Was freezing - and expected us to get humped so was pleased with the win.
Looking at the side we had some decent players though. Remember wondering what had happened to us that I had expected Wimbledon to beat us. Hated their team too - Fashanu was one of the dirtiest players I'd seen.

alanbuzz · January 27, 2017

LEONARD said:
I was at this game, and myself and a couple of mates completed the Guardian crossword before the final whistle.

magic mate

I went on an amberline or Barnes from county road and all I remember if the trip was the heavy metal dross the driver was playing

TMo1985 · January 27, 2017

What the article doesn't mention is that we played each other six times that season - twice in each cup and twice in the league. And from memory at least two of the games at Goodison finished 0-0!

James Patrick · January 27, 2017

Mikey_Fitzgerald said:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...er-league-lowest-attendance-wimbledon-everton

They used to say of the 1960s that if you could remember them, you weren’t there. The same principle also applies to Wimbledon’s home game against Everton on 26 January, 1993. The reason, however, is nothing to do with intoxication or spiritual awakening. It’s because there was barely anyone there to remember it in the first place. The match boasted a crowd of just 3,036, the smallest in Premier League history.

Anyone on here go to this?

Me.

James Patrick · January 27, 2017

bflefc said:
That 2nd league game at the old Den was perhaps only 500-600. There were only 13 of us who went down by train that night - 1 got nicked as soon as we got off the tube at New Cross Gate, so only 12 on the one back afterwards lol

Went to that on the coach (Amberline or Sunspan) broke down on way back think we got home about 4:30am !

Mistertonblue · January 27, 2017

TMo1985 said:
What the article doesn't mention is that we played each other six times that season - twice in each cup and twice in the league. And from memory at least two of the games at Goodison finished 0-0!

That's right and I remember going to the league cup replay when we won 1-0 through Beardsley and the attendance was equally low that night.

We were a strange team that season, winning at Old Trafford, the Derby and doing the double over Blackburn whilst getting spanked twice by QPR including the bizarre match where we were 3-0 down at Loftus Road after Nev and Rideout were sent off in the 1st half and we got it back to 3-2 with Barlow terrorizing their defence and Billy Kenny running the midfield before Sinton completed his hat-trick in the last minute.

brigadier · January 27, 2017

I did listen to that game on the radio, commentator was going on all game how cold and miserable the weather was, I'm sure he gave the motm to the travelling fans.
Congratulations to those who went, personally i gave you 6 .