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Who remembers their very first game? The buzz of the crowd & ‘the thrill of the grass’

Who remembers their very first game? The buzz of the crowd & ‘the thrill of the grass’

9th April 2020 By Martin MacBlain 24 Comments

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‘The thrill of the grass’. Now if anyone can guess the literary reference; book and author – sans google – I’ll be mightily impressed.

In these dystopian days of social distancing and self-isolation, terms I had never heard until a few weeks ago, I’ve been trying to think of a few articles to pen that could help engage our MFW community. I’m very fortunate to live with my wife, toddler and newborn daughter, but many of you may be on your own or simply bored and need this website as an outlet. So I would like to hear all about the first Norwich match you attended, or if you were too young to remember it properly, the first game that you can really remember. 

So, here’s mine:

26th November 1994. A fixture that in all likelihood, will have little to no relevance for any of you. A game that saw a mid-table Norwich face off against a lowly, languishing Leicester City, a match specifically chosen to maximise the chances of seeing Norwich win on your debut. Well almost. 
And what a game.

The anticipation was electric. The five-hour drive from Glastonbury to North Walsham was agonising, ditto the waiting around that evening. What would it be like? Will we win? Who will score? Questions that kept this 14-year-old boy alive and kicking all night. And when Saturday came the anticipation became unbearable. 

We arrived at Carrow Road nice and early and headed straight to the club shop. I had already adorned my 1993/94 top, ‘egg ‘n cress’ and became the recipient of a cracking yellow and green scarf (later to be tied to the Shankly Gates), Mike Davage’s book Glorious Canaries and a variety of other memorabilia, a match programme, pens and the like, with a yellow club bag clutched tightly to my chest.

And then into the ground. Lower Barclay Block C right behind the goal at roughly crossbar height. A crisp winter’s chill in the air, strangers breaths rising on a clear afternoon.

The ground began to fill up slowly but surely and the chatter started to turn into songs. ‘Bryan Bryan Gunn – he’s got no hair but we don’t care’. John Deehan’s Green ‘n’ Yellow army. And of course On the Ball City. 

The sides were out… KICK OFF!

Cue a frenetic opening period with both sides going hammer and tongs. No real chances of any note apart from one Leicester chance blazed over.

Suddenly, through a crowd of players I could see a melee of bodies at the River End goal, the ball zipped in from the left and suddenly it was flying high above Gunn’s head and into the net. Cheers from the crowd to my left. 1-0 Leicester. A toe poke from Mark Draper. Groan. This was most definitely not in the script. 

The highlight from Norwich of that opening half was an electric Darren Eadie cutting in from the right and unleashing a shot that grazed the crossbar. Agony, anguish, groans, all emanating from the crowd. 
Half-time came and went.

Team talks given and half time snacks consumed, the players were back out. No subs made. ‘Come on Norwich’ we roared! The game ebbed and flowed.

56th minute, corner at the River End. In floated the cross and leaping like a salmon, right in my eye line, albeit from the length of the pitch, was super Jon Newsome – a bullet header through the palms of the Leicester goalie and Bam! 1-1 Game on. 

By this point, the floodlights were on and the sky was a deep shade of blue. Is there anywhere better to be than Carrow Road under the lights?

Deehan rolled the dice and introduced a spritely Jamie Cureton for the ineffectual Mike Sheron and the game appeared to be petering away into a 1-1 draw. 

Cometh the 90th minute, cometh the Sutch. He didn’t score many (surprisingly I saw two of them) but when he did, boy were they great.

Gliding in from the right he dribbled… crossed… the ball rebounded and Sutch smacked it! Rocketing into the far corner.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL. 

This 14-year-old lad waved his scarf, screamed with pure unadulterated delight and hugged complete strangers. The game was over. Done. Three points in the bag and off home. 

If you could choose an outcome of a debut game. An injury-time winner is surely the only choice. Shame it wasn’t into the Barclay, but to be honest – who cares! 

I’d love to hear if any of you were at the game and remember it. And also what your debut games were (or the one you most remember).

And if anyone’s interested then this link gives you the line ups that day.

And here is the game!

Incidentally, I’d only ever seen the clip of this game from the Norwich season review video (which isn’t on YouTube) but the Leicester video is actually far more extensive than the Norwich one, so for the first time since 1994, I’ve been able to watch Eadie glide in and hit the crossbar.

I shall send the clip to my dad who was with me so he can enjoy it at this most melancholy of times. 

54.34 minutes in. And don’t forget the literary reference guess. Enjoy! 


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Filed Under: Column, Martin MacBlain

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Comments

  1. Chris S says

    9th April 2020 at 10:15 am

    Nicely done Martin, everyone remembers their first time. Mine was also against Leicester City in the top division but a few years earlier on 20th September 1975. Norwich City won 2-0 with both goals by Ted MacDougall. NCFC’s team that day was Keelan, Machin, Butler, Morris, Forbes, Powell, McGuire, MacDougall, Boyer, Suggett, and Peters. Leicester featured much travelled legend Frank Worthington that day. Although he spent significant time at his first three clubs, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City, and Bolton Wanderers; at the age of 30 he went on a bit of a spree spending time at a further 21 clubs! Blimey, he barely had time to change shirts. And not just in his on-field activities. He retired at 42.

    Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      9th April 2020 at 6:04 pm

      It’s amazing how vividly it can stick in your mind. Some games I’ve attended I can hardly remember a thing. That could be due to the amber nectar though….
      Your era is well before my knowledge of NCFC but it’s a period i have enjoyed learning about.
      Thanks for reading

      Reply
  2. Ed C-L says

    9th April 2020 at 10:42 am

    Memories! Mine was a 2-0 win over Rotherham in January 1982, waited outside the River End beforehand as the players arrived, Keith Bertschin had a knackered Ford Granada. Chris Woods dropped my pen as he signed my programme, I said, “…you’d better not drop anything in the match”. Big bloke, blue eyes, gave me the daggers!!

    Reply
    • martin penney says

      9th April 2020 at 1:25 pm

      Ha!

      Do not mock the mighty Granada. I had a 3-litre GXL in Sweeney bronze back in the day.

      Borg Warner three-speed auto and oh boy did it shift when it got going.

      I traded it in for something else I can’t remember when the front wings declared their intention to leave the mainframe and the rear wheel arches joined in out of sympathy.

      1
      Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      9th April 2020 at 6:03 pm

      Thanks for reading, Ed. You were brave with that comment to Chris Woods haha. Sounds like he took note of your jest though!
      As an aside I’ve recently discovered your series of ‘decades’ books and have really enjoyed learning about two decades unfamiliar to me (70s and 80s) and some great nostalgia with the 90s.
      Keep writing!

      1
      Reply
      • Ed C-L says

        10th April 2020 at 10:09 am

        Thankyou Martin. NCFC 00’s due out by the end of the year. Great piece, thankyou.

        Reply
  3. martin penney says

    9th April 2020 at 1:17 pm

    Hi Martin – I was at the match in question but genuinely remember bugger all about it.

    It turned out to be a very bad season for us although that could explain why the memory has kind of erased itself from what passes as my mind.

    I remember Jon Newsome with considerable affection – a great centre back sold off with Ashley Ward in the Chase firesale of course.

    A very good read.

    Reply
    • martin penney says

      9th April 2020 at 3:32 pm

      I’ll have a go at the literary reference too. It’s either about American Football, Baseball or Golf and one of those three will be correct I reckon.

      I cannot remember the name of the author or if it was ever made into a film – could well have been. Now I’ve posted I WILL google it, albeit at the risk of looking like a right threepenny bit if I’m wrong:-)

      Reply
      • Martin MacBlain says

        9th April 2020 at 6:01 pm

        Haha. You are indeed correct with one of those three and it was indeed made into a film….
        have you googled yet? No one else has had a stab yet.
        Yes 94/95 was a season to forget, but if only we’d properly replaced Bryan Gunn I honestly believe we would have stayed up.
        I loved Ward and Newsome and was genuinely gutted to see them leave.

        Reply
  4. Don Harold says

    9th April 2020 at 1:31 pm

    I had been to other matches but the first I remember was on 24th April 1973, Norwich 2 Crystal Palace 1 attendance 36688. I was there with my brother and dad, My brother and I were perched on the River End scoreboard. I was 8 and didn’t really understand the enormity of the occasion, but can still remember the eruption of noise (Simeon against Derby came close) when Dave Stringer headed a late winner (Colin Suggett scored the other). The result ensured we stayed up and the promotion/relegation lifetime emotional roller coaster of being a Norwich fan had begun.
    Martin’s right, Carrow Road under the lights is special. I can’t wait to get there again.

    Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      9th April 2020 at 6:07 pm

      Don, if you remembered the attendance outright then I doth my cap to you, sir.
      The game sounds like a cracker and I can well see why it’s etched in your memory. What a place to be when the ground erupts….

      Reply
  5. Tim Ball says

    9th April 2020 at 2:21 pm

    27th August 1969 Norwich City V Portsmouth.

    It was 0-0 but I loved it and was completely hooked.

    And I hardly missed a home match ( quite a few away ) from then, on until I started playing in 1978. Catching the bus with my mates Harry & Terry from Poringland, brings back great memories. Then in 1971 my dad started going again (Glory Hunter !!!) and I went with him a lot.

    Then back every week at home games in the late eighties. And let’s be honest it has been one hell of a roller coaster ride supporting City from the day a certain Ron Saunders was appointer our manager.

    1
    Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      9th April 2020 at 6:09 pm

      Tim, you’ve had quite the rollercoaster! Looks like you’ve witnessed all the many highs we have enjoyed, first hand. And of course the lows…..
      thinking back to your first game really does evoke some lovely memories.
      Thanks for posting

      1
      Reply
  6. Andrew Gillie says

    9th April 2020 at 2:43 pm

    My first game was a 5-1 reverse at Newcastle United. 12 March 1977. They opened the scoring, and we levelled with a Kevin Reeves header. They scored again, so 2-1 at HT. Second half saw The Magpies go to town. Didn’t diminish the love for The Canaries.

    Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      9th April 2020 at 6:10 pm

      Hooked after a 5-1 loss especially at reserve level shows some great commitment!
      I have only ever watched our reserve side play once which was in the Cup Final in 2001 v Reading.
      We beat them on penalties.
      Thanks for posting

      Reply
      • Andrew Gillie says

        10th April 2020 at 4:48 pm

        Reverse, not reserve! LOL! Definitely a first team game. Very early trip for people that would later form part of Scottish Canaries.

        Reply
        • Martin MacBlain says

          11th April 2020 at 3:15 pm

          Haha. More fool me for reading too quickly! My apologies, sir!

          Reply
  7. David Bowers says

    9th April 2020 at 3:36 pm

    1996, stood in with the Oxford United supporters at the old Manor Ground. League cup game and we drew. We played Oxford 3x in two weeks due to two legs and a league game in between.

    A fantastic squad that year, I remember being excited to see Eadie and Keith O’Neil for the first time.

    I also remember seeing little of the game, as it was all standing and I was a wee lad, stood on a brick right at the front, next to a man missing a finger and smoking a huge cigar.

    Health and safety has come a long way.

    Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      9th April 2020 at 5:59 pm

      You’re not far off my era, David. O’Neill for me, was always one who I felt could and should have gone on to far greater things, until I read an article that said he had a chronic pain condition which ultimately led to his retirement. Such a shame.
      Do you remember his strike from near the half way line?! The opponent escapes me for now.

      Reply
    • Jim Davies says

      9th April 2020 at 10:14 pm

      Weren’t you a bit young to be smoking a huge cigar? Even if you were standing on a brick!

      Reply
      • David Bowers says

        10th April 2020 at 1:29 pm

        Ha. Whether first or second hand smoke, I can vividly remember the smell. It put me off smoking for life.

        Reply
  8. John Mitchell says

    9th April 2020 at 7:46 pm

    Tottenham away, 1972-73.. Lost 3-0.

    Reply
  9. Jon B says

    10th April 2020 at 2:49 pm

    Nice piece.

    Not my first game, but the first game which my Dad managed to get tickets for himself, plus myself and my two brothers, ages 15,13 and 11, Fashanu’s goal of the season. Boy, how chuffed I was back then and how important in my memory it remains now.

    1
    Reply
    • Martin MacBlain says

      10th April 2020 at 8:45 pm

      Wow what a game to have attended!!

      Reply

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