The significance of 4 October for me is that it was my first day as a university student 39 years ago.
I did a three-year course in philosophy at Liverpool.
That day, grey and a bit drizzly, was also a Saturday and I travelled up with one bag by train from London Euston, stopping off at Runcorn on the way to watch their FA Cup match with Rhyl. They won 4-1 at the old Canal Street ground.
I was excited about being at university, especially at a football hotbed like Liverpool, but in my first couple of weeks I did not know anyone and had no idea where anything was. I’m sure it was the same for most of the new undergraduates.
Whyteleafe (all white) v Redhill (red & white stripes/black) contest a set piece
But the wonderful Liverpool Echo informed me about two Wednesday afternoon replays at Marine FC in those first weeks when, happily, I didn’t have any lectures.
The Mariners, who then played in the Cheshire County League, didn’t have floodlights and I had the thrill of seeing an FA Cup replay against Worksop and an FA Trophy replay against Winsford. I stood along the covered side for both.
Then, during my three years on Merseyside, I saw everything from European Cup ties on the Anfield Kop to park football in Bootle.
Back to the present and Saturday’s match was a local derby between Whyteleafe and Redhill in the Isthmian League’s Division One South, played on a 3G pitch before an above-average crowd of 180.
There was heavy rain in the first half and blinding sunshine in the second. After half a century Church Road is still one of my favourite places to watch football. I remember one season in the ‘60s when they had orange goalposts.
Redhill can particularly thank their ‘keeper and two centre-backs for escaping with a point in an entertaining 1-1 draw.
A fan looks on in the October sunshine
There was an awkward moment a few minutes before half-time when two ‘Leafe defenders clashed heads as they tried to deal with a corner from the right. No.4, who came off worse, had to be stretchered off and was subsequently taken to hospital.
I heard one of the ambulance guys say: “He’s okay. It’s just a little concussion.” So, hopefully, he’ll be back in action soon. ‘Leafe have a good team this season.
They keep saying that summer is over. When I saw an estimated mid-morning temperature of nine degrees Celsius for Sunday morning, I travelled out to Regent’s Park – via an English breakfast in Baker Street – wearing an anorak with a fleece underneath.
I was watching the match on Pitch 8 with steam coming out of my ears. It was boiling.
One of the teams was ‘The Baring’, which I took to be a pub, but I asked three players from the other team what their name was and no-one could tell me.
The best guess seemed to be ‘Mels’ or ‘Mel’s’, so I’m going with that. The Baring won 4-2. The ref carried a water bottle throughout the match.
David Barber, aka ‘The Barber’, joined The FA as Sir Alf Ramsey’s assistant after the Mexico World Cup in 1970 and has been its historian for the past 35 years.
He has attended 6,713 football matches at all levels but has lost none of his enthusiasm!
