Less obvious but memorable games

These are boring times once again, and as I found myself doing at the beginning of lockdown one, I've spent the last half an hour or so trawling old footage of Town games on YouTube. It's amazing how many games you come across where you think "oh f*cking hell, yeah, I remember that". There are the obvious games that we all remember - big cup wins against Liverpool, Spurs et al, all the Wembley games but there are plenty of brilliant days that are easier to forget.

I have to admit, this one got me a bit. September 2001, a 1-0 win away at Coventry. Top of the second tier, 3 days away from the tragedy of 9/11, a few weeks away from that game at Anfield, and a full 18 years away from the sh*t show that is Covid-19 - it just felt like a day of incredible if premature optimism. I was only a kid really, but I remember going absolutely mental when that Jevons goal went in.

From that moment you can just hear it in the voices of the Town faithful in the stand. "We are top o' the league" - what I'd give for that now. Maybe I'm just feeling a little sombre this evening, but it kind of feels like the day that life as a Town fan, and life in general, peaked.

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Brilliant times those, I feel for the younger fans who never got to experience that

Was a great day out. A mate (Crystal palace supporter) drove me from Chiswick to the game. It took us about an hour each way......not the most careful of drivers

i was there. Ended up getting wrecked in the Red Lion at Bierton afterwards, staggering home still singing 'We are top of the league'

wasn't it the same day we spanked the Germans?

3 other  nerve jangling, nails bitten to the quick, backs against the wall 1-0 victories live long in the memory; at Swindon (Jolley's relegation escape), at WBA 1 Easter when we were battling relegation and Luke Cornwall scored with our only chance and a Stacey Coldicott inspired victory at Ipshit

Quoted from forza ivano

i was there. Ended up getting wrecked in the Red Lion at Bierton afterwards, staggering home still singing 'We are top of the league'

wasn't it the same day we spanked the Germans?

3 other  nerve jangling, nails bitten to the quick, backs against the wall 1-0 victories live long in the memory; at Swindon (Jolley's relegation escape), at WBA 1 Easter when we were battling relegation and Luke Cornwall scored with our only chance and a Stacey Coldicott inspired victory at Ipshit

The 5-1 Germany game was the previous week, the day we beat Barnsley to go top for the first time.

I was at that WBA game - we beat them 1-0 again a few weeks later the following season despite getting absolutely battered.

I wasn’t at the Ipswich game but it’s one of those weird moments that I remember where I was when Handyside volleyed home (in my old man’s car, just the wrong side of the Humber Bridge). Anyway, by the power of YouTube:

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I'm not sure why but I've always remembered this game. Could have been for a number of reasons, a few weeks after my favourite away day beating Newcastle with Jim Dobbins thunderbolt, Dave Beasants last game for us, Andy Cole playing for them whilst he was a young prospect on loan from Arsenal or Tommy Watson's bullet header (I always remembered it being a bullet header but I think my memories might have sugar coated it having seen it now nearly 30 years later).

I would've been 14 at the time and I think it was one of them games were I was just awe struck by the realisation that I was being spoiled rotten by my football club. Sir Alan attested to it in the interview 'we play very good football and it's just what has become expected of us.' Week in, week out we were just an established second division club.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5XHEypWWg

I was at that Cov game (and everything else within 2 hours of London) and remember us getting battered all game apart from when we scored. How we won god only knows.
Can’t remember any of the details because by the time I got to Cov I’d enjoyed the best liquid refreshment BR or its successors had to offer, then taxi to some pub outside Coventry (Forza might have been there) then completely bladdered by the time I got back to London. I must have trapped my fingers in the train door because the nails were black and blue the next day.

Didn't Lee Hughes hit the post for Coventry late on in that game?

Anyway, one that will always stand out for me is a 3-1 win against QPR. David Nielsen's first full game, scoring his first town goal and doing his little flip

There’s a few random games that stick out for me;

The WBA game, vitally important win and I fell forward multiple rows yet it didn’t hurt, or so I remember.

Beating Wolves 1-0, another game that helped us stay up and impacted their promotion chances greatly.

Super Clives return to BP, he scored what feels like 10 goals. Everyone greeted with a cheer from town and Charlton fans.

Arsenal away in the league cup sticks out for me. Result was bobbins but enjoyed the whole experience. I remember some Christian chap with his stand outside the ground handing out leaflets and shouting ‘Jesus saves’ and other random phrases. A town fan wandered over and asked if this Jesus fella could head a ball and did he fancy a game...

The Darlington away game the year we went down, random win, kinda gave us the false hope but at least gave us half a chance...