Ewell CFC

Do linesman check the studs of incoming subs anymore? Haven’t noticed it in a good while so guess it’s now done in the changing rooms.
I remember nylon screw ins used to get sharp round the edges when you walked on concrete. Every once in a while you’d change your studs and the nylon would get separated and you’d just have the metal thread- used to play with a nutter who loved a tackle who was known as the flying mallet.
The joke was he used to sharpen his studs before a game.
I used to sometimes pick him up for a Sunday Football. Used to have to ring the doorbell and stand in the front garden so he could tell who it was- he had a few enemy’s....

Absolutely love the guy. Without question my all time sporting hero. First thing I’d did when I came home from school was stick on ceefax to see how he’d done.
Was lucky enough to not be working the day of his ODI 189 not out at Old Trafford in 84. The best innings I’ve ever seen ( on telly)
Used to love the way he would effortlessly launch good length and wicket line balls over long leg- playing across the line. Completely unique.
On a sour note he cost me my first brush with the law. I got stopped on me fizzy going down a one way street by OB. Had on me a copy of his first biography written with Paul Foot I’d just chored from Sutton Library. They realised it hadn’t been checked out so received a £20 fine for theft of a library book. It was a paper back and only cost about £2.50 new. Made the local paper; also in the paper that week was an old school mate who only got a £25.00 fine for smashing up a police car.
I saw him doing a questions and answers session at Fairfield Halls about 15 years back. Went with a Glamorgan old Welsh work mate and his old man; their surname was also Richards.
Viv signed their book at the end, and realised they had the same name.
Viv to grisselled ex Welsh MIner “ I might be your son”
Welsh ex Miner “ I doubt that very much””

Absolutely love the guy. Without question my all time sporting hero. First thing I’d did when I came home from school was stick on ceefax to see how he’d done.
Was lucky enough to not be working the day of his ODI 189 not out at Old Trafford in 84. The best innings I’ve ever seen ( on telly)
Used to love the way he would effortlessly launch good length and wicket line balls over long leg- playing across the line. Completely unique.
On a sour note he cost me my first brush with the law. I got stopped on me fizzy going down a one way street by OB. Had on me a copy of his first biography written with Paul Foot I’d just chored from Sutton Library. They realised it hadn’t been checked out so received a £20 fine for theft of a library book. It was a paper back and only cost about £2.50 new. Made the local paper; also in the paper that week was an old school mate who only got a £25.00 fine for smashing up a police car.
I saw him doing a questions and answers session at Fairfield Halls about 15 years back. Went with a Glamorgan old Welsh work mate and his old man; their surname was also Richards.
Viv signed their book at the end, and realised they had the same name.
Viv to grisselled ex Welsh MIner “ I might be your son”
Welsh ex Miner “ I doubt that very much””

It didn’t cover much of the terrace the Shed roof, but better I suppose than the Holmesdale, the Hillsborough Kop, the Gallogate and others which offered no protection from the elements to home fans.
It must have been a bit of a slap in the face to supporters of these teams- the clubs thought that much of them that it was OK for them to get pissy wet.
It couldn’t have cost that much to put on rudimentary roofs?
Been mentioned before, but I think the wettest I’ve been at foootball was in the Holmesdsle for the league cup game early/ mid 90s.
Absolute farce of a game

I think that’s Alfie Conn next to Cooke

So the old bill booked you sorry couldn't resist. That West Indian team I can't remember the exact year lost to Ireland because they all had hangovers after going on the piss with the locals. Most natural batsman I've ever seen Viv Richards I suppose only Gower comes close to making batting effortless. You can only imagine how a middle aged used to medium pace Brian Close felt with this steaming towards you.
 

Absolutely love the guy. Without question my all time sporting hero. First thing I’d did when I came home from school was stick on ceefax to see how he’d done.
Was lucky enough to not be working the day of his ODI 189 not out at Old Trafford in 84. The best innings I’ve ever seen ( on telly)
Used to love the way he would effortlessly launch good length and wicket line balls over long leg- playing across the line. Completely unique.
On a sour note he cost me my first brush with the law. I got stopped on me fizzy going down a one way street by OB. Had on me a copy of his first biography written with Paul Foot I’d just chored from Sutton Library. They realised it hadn’t been checked out so received a £20 fine for theft of a library book. It was a paper back and only cost about £2.50 new. Made the local paper; also in the paper that week was an old school mate who only got a £25.00 fine for smashing up a police car.
I saw him doing a questions and answers session at Fairfield Halls about 15 years back. Went with a Glamorgan old Welsh work mate and his old man; their surname was also Richards.
Viv signed their book at the end, and realised they had the same name.
Viv to grisselled ex Welsh MIner “ I might be your son”
Welsh ex Miner “ I doubt that very much””

A bit off subject but had the privilege of seeing Viv Richards play his last first class game. It was when Kent played Glamorgan in Canterbury. It was a Sunday league game and whoever won the match won the title. It was a full house in the ground and when the great man walked out to the crease he got a standing ovation. A brilliant cricketer. 

It is. Spuds signed him from Rangers. Didn't stay at Spuds long before going back north and signed for Celtic. Caused a bit of anger amongst Rangers fans at the time. Not many have played for both clubs. Mo Johnston was probably the most controversial. He had played at Celtic, moved away and was due to return to Parkhead and Souness stepped in andsigned him for Rangers.

Semi final v Sheffield Wednesday

'Group photograph in 1914, It is showing the Sports Committee of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners on the pitch at Chelsea's ground.#
Trade unions operated a variety of sporting and social clubs for their members.'
Original caption.

Just cleaning up my laptop some of these may have been posted before.
 

I remember the Speedy outfit sponsoring David Speedie. Memory playing tricks but I always thought it was Wasn’t it Speedy Skip Hire for a while?
Theyre a very big outfit now Speedy if it’s part of the same group

Frido used to make the plastic black and white balls with players autographs on the panels.
They used to swerve in the opposite direction to leather balls.
Sondico made cheap leather footballs- they still do now 45 odd years later.
No protective coating so used used to apply Chelsea Dubbin( Can you still get Chelsea Dubbin)?
Dont remember any other clubs being immortalised with their own waterproof wax
Tranmere Rovers Dubbin?.......Naaaaah

Never got into subbuteo. Striker was good until the players heads fell off when you bashed them too hard.
Used to get the old man to glue them back on, but that was only a temporary fix.
Edit: Just looked online. The second generation was Super Striker which featured diving goalkeepers. Completely forgotten about that.
Bit off topic but used to love having indoor Kick about’s with me brothers using semi deflated balloons. The front door was the goal

I had Striker when I was a kid. I remember you could put the ball in the goalie's arm and then turn his body so that the ball could be thrown.
I also remember playing football dice as well. @bluehaze like you, I didn't have subbuteo but a mate of mine so would go round to his house to play it. 
Found this website about old football games.
https://www.oldfootballgames.co.uk/index.asp

Never got into subbuteo. Striker was good until the players heads fell off when you bashed them too hard.
Used to get the old man to glue them back on, but that was only a temporary fix.
Edit: Just looked online. The second generation was Super Striker which featured diving goalkeepers. Completely forgotten about that.
Bit off topic but used to love having indoor Kick about’s with me brothers using semi deflated balloons. The front door was the goal

Millwall played a pre season friendly against Tunbridge Wells in the early 80s which made the papers due to fighting with local Chelsea fans ( SH and Co)
People talk about the Sunderland and Boro disorder at home, but the most fighting I’ve seen around the ground was definately Millwall in 95, which carried on all the way to Whitechapel High St at 11.30 at night
 

Suffered bomb damage during the war and never reopened.
 I remember in the 70s and 80s before passenger trains were put back on the line, you'd see a rattler going past the back of the East Stand hauling carriage after carriage of aggregate; massive long thing that would take ages to go past.
It was more interesting to watch than some of the dross football being served up. 

Suffered bomb damage during the war and never reopened.
 I remember in the 70s and 80s before passenger trains were put back on the line, you'd see a rattler going past the back of the East Stand hauling carriage after carriage of aggregate; massive long thing that would take ages to go past.
It was more interesting to watch than some of the dross football being served up. 

Suffered bomb damage during the war and never reopened.
 I remember in the 70s and 80s before passenger trains were put back on the line, you'd see a rattler going past the back of the East Stand hauling carriage after carriage of aggregate; massive long thing that would take ages to go past.
It was more interesting to watch than some of the dross football being served up. 

The old train station near the stadium .

Caption said 1939 !...Lot later, obviously

Many years back I watched Sutton Utd play at Gander Green Lane. They had a pitch side advertising hoarding which read TODAYS MATCH IS SPONSORED BY SPAGHETTI HOUSE RESTAURANTS. 
The sign must have been sh*ttily made in two pieces; a player collided with it and it split in half, leaving TODAYS MATCH IS SPONSORED BY SPAGHETTI for most of the game