Most Obscure Football Match you have Attended

[Stanley_]

Malta v Bulgaria in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

 

Glasgow Uni v Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup 

 

Dunfermline in the 2007 Scottish Cup semi against a very obscure team. I didn't go to the semi final replay which attracted just 8.5k fans.

 

Various Slough Town non-league matches. Also a Kingstonian match but can't even remember who they were playing (my uncle used to live close to their old ground).

Edited February 11, 2021 by Stanley_

[Jamboross]

Not all that obscure but Deportivo de la Coruna vs Leganes a few years ago. The Riazor is a cracking stadium right on the beach but was barely half full and there was zero atmosphere, both teams were terrible and it finished 2-1 to Leganes. The Depor fans around me were more interested in eating their huge bags of sunflower seeds than watching the match. 

[Costanza]

Telford United v Hibs in a pre season friendly in 1998.

Was with a group of mates on holiday somewhere in England. Can't remember where but must have been crap as we drove about 2 hours to watch this game (couple of mates are Hibs fans) for something to do.

Remember nothing from the game other than some Hibs casuals getting chased out of the ground and having to vault over a wall to escape.

[tedarmy]

selkirk victoria v gala fairydean rovers amateurs

[Kalamazoo Jambo]

Dundalk v Hearts pre-season friendly c.1996 (no offence to Dundalk).

[millerjames398]

I used to go to a lot of stirling Albion games with my mate and his dad in my youth, who are binos daft, so been to a few different places for games, watching them v livi at meadowbank on a freezing Tuesday night, and im sure it was some kind of record for the lowest paying crowd at a Scottish game, something like 128 folk there, and 80 odd actual payin customers, the other punters must have been comped..we payed though😂, Jason young was playin for livi that night as well, wee hearts connection.

Hearts v dynamo tblisi in the late 80s was one i enjoyed, they were shit hot, seemed kinda mysterious, doin mad 2 v 2 drill before the game, while our forward just hit shots at Henry😂

[Doctor FinnBarr]

30 minutes ago, Bluesy1874 said:

Myself and a few mates ended up going on a wee trip to Carlisle vs Cambridge on one of the international weekend.

 

Uche played and it was an awful game. The game finished 0-0 we ended up in the pub across from the ground after and it was just full of Hearts Hibs Rangers and celtic fans the same idea as us. 

 

All four groups pretty much had a friendly  sing off and we were all politely asked to leave 😂

 4 of us left Blackburn early doors in the early 80s to watch Carlisle v Leeds (Scottish cup weekend when we were already out). Car broke down in Breich, we knew the problem but had no tools. Knocked the nearest door and Arthur Duncan came out in his stripey dressing gown to lend us them.

[Locky]

9 hours ago, FinnBarr Saunders said:

 4 of us left Blackburn early doors in the early 80s to watch Carlisle v Leeds (Scottish cup weekend when we were already out). Car broke down in Breich, we knew the problem but had no tools. Knocked the nearest door and Arthur Duncan came out in his stripey dressing gown to lend us them.

I was in Carlisle one day with my Mum and her then felly, and he suggested we go to the football while she went and done her shopping. They were playing Leeds that day too. Would've been around 2007/08 as Leeds were in League One. Didn't end up going as the place was like a warzone with Leeds casuals and police fighting everywhere. And this was just in the town!

[cheetah]

15 hours ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

I used to work at sea with a former Lechia Gdansk hooligan. Proper power-lifting, highly trained gladiator type. Lovely bloke but just loved scrapping. He sadly passed away just a couple of days ago. RIP Jerzy.

 

 

Sorry to hear that Gov, pretty sure my mates would know him. 

 

The guys we were visiting in Gdansk had a couple of proper hooligans in their gang, trying to get one of my mates to go up the forest and join the arranged pre-match shenanigans, he is a tough ******* but even he said no thanks   

 

 

[Beave1874]

Down south for a 40th birthday get together. Ended up at Burnley V Parma friendly. Decent stadium. 

[the general]

Loads really if I'm away somewhere and here there is a game then I will try to go but a couple kinda Hearts related.

Pre season tournament in Bucharest just after the revolution there

 

Hearts Brighton Leige and a Dinamo

 

A German tourney in a Saughton Park style venue

 

Hearts Cologne Dusseldorf Rot Weiss Essen 

 

Ghana v South Korea pre World Cup warm up at Easter Road

Edited February 12, 2021 by the general

[Alan_R]

I love taking in football when I travel but nothing really obscure now I think about it. The lads were too hungover to attend a lower league czech game on last trip.

 

York city v Mansfield (only obscure because this was on my honeymoon 😅)

 

Cracovia v jagiellonia 

[Sydney]

17 hours ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

I used to follow Northern Spirit when I lived in Sydney back in the early 2000's. They played their home games at North Sydney Oval on Friday evenings. There was a bar on the terracing which was largely full of ex pats who'd adopted Spirit as their team. The football was shite but the carry on was magic. The casual racism when a Greek or Croat team were in town was hilarious.

I used to watch Northern Spirit back then too.  Stopped when Rangers bought into them.  My son plays for their youth team now.

[Flankengott]

I went for a boozy football weekend in Germany with a couple of mates in October 2019. Over on the Friday back on the Monday. Was a brilliant weekend, packed with laughs. On the Saturday we went to SC Freiburg v Leipzig (not the obscure game). Fantastic game in a great wee stadium, with Freiburg deservedly coming out on top (2-1) with goals by Hofler and Nils Peterson. Leipzig got a late consolation. On the Sunday we took a train to a wee wine village about half an hour south of Freiburg and saw a sixth tier game in the Südbadische Verbandsliga between FC Auggen and SC Lahr. It was an absolute pleasure to be there. The sun was shining.The locals were welcoming. The bar was open and cheap. The football was honest and energetic, with the occasional bit of gratuitous niggle to keep the crowd fired up. At half-time a committee member tapped you on the shoulder to collect the entrance money and remind you that the bar was open.The home team won, and we went back to the bar for a jug or two of wine before catching the train back to Freiburg for a few drinks. Nothing beats a game of football somewhere you haven‘t been before.

[Riccarton3]

Meadowbank Thistle v Alloa Athletic

[Tazio]

2 minutes ago, Riccarton3 said:

Meadowbank Thistle v Alloa Athletic

I’m sure I’m not alone in this but I remember going to see Meadowbank at Tynecastle playing Hibs in a cup game. We wanted to see George Best play and it presented an opportunity to see him without going to Easter Road. 

[Weakened Offender]

Meadowbank v Raith Rovers after the Hearts match was called off, early 80s. 

 

Huddersfield v Sunderland in the League Cup, early 90s. 

 

Blackburn v Derby in 1981

 

The Ian Cathro Era. 

[Weakened Offender]

On 11/02/2021 at 15:27, Locky said:

  

Seems to be one of the lesser documented Hearts friendlies of recent times.

 

Wtf were Cruzeiro doing in Scotland?

 

Hearts v Dynamo Kiev  in the 80s at Tynecastle. 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Weakened Offender

[NANOJAMBO]

Late  1980s , Wolves v Hereford in the old 4th division on a Bank Holiday weekend.

Absolutely dire game in a stadium that was 3/4 closed because it was literally falling apart. 

[Auld Reekin']

51 minutes ago, Riccarton3 said:

Meadowbank Thistle v Alloa Athletic

 

H1b5 / Hearts select* vs. Bosnian Select, at Meadowbank Stadium, early 90s sometime.

 

 

 

(Managed by Sandy Clark. *Strangely enough, it was all h1bbie5, from what I recall  but mostly young laddies anyway...)

[Riccarton3]

Falkirk V Patrick Scottish Cup. Falkirk win in last minute I think. Goalkeeping blunder. A howler. 

[Riccarton3]

Montrose 3 Brora 2 - a play off in the lowest league. A call to arms against the Highland invaders. Two down, the gable endies come back to win. The town celebrates

Edited February 12, 2021 by Riccarton3

[SwindonJambo]

August 1990: Swindon Town v Hibs in a pre season friendly/testimonial for John Trollope, who still holds the English record for most appearances for 1 club. Here's the teamsheet:

 

https://www.footballprogrammes.net/football-testimonial-benefit-c-95/john-trollope-testimonial-benefit-match-swindon-town-1990-hibs-p-56753.html

 

3 Scots in the Swindon lineup - captain Colin Calderwood (excellent player who later joined Tottenham and mismanaged Hibs)

Future sheep Duncan Shearer

Confirmed Jambo Ross McLaren from Balerno in midfield.

 

The Hobbits brought a travelling support of around 100 Neanderthals.

 

All was going to plan when Shearer put Swindon 1 up early on. I turned up for the game in my Hearts top and a Cup Final flag hidden under my denim jacket. There were certainly a handful of other Jambos in the Swindon end and I wandered up to the segregation fence where the singers gathered. There I met a local in a Hearts top and the crowd around me asked me to teach them a Hearts song. Within a minute I had several hundred in full voice with 'When the Hearts go marching in'. Out came my maroon and white flag, waving around. The Neanderthals went ballistic, being totally outsung and at one point I thought they were actually going to chew their way through the fence - they were like savages. Shortly after, I saw 2 Constables heading in our direction so I bundled up my flag pronto and buttoned up my jacket to ensure no colours were visible. I stood in silence playing innocent while the police forcefully questioned the lad in the Hearts top with a local accent demanding the flag while I had moved a step forward on the terrace and stood in silence with all colours concealed. Fair play to the lad - I didn't even get his name and he really took one for the team and probably protected me from being lifted ( and probably deservedly). I was a young fool of 23 then and wouldn't dream of doing anything similar even a few short years later.

 

Unfortunately Paul Kane's double put the mutants 2-1 up before Shearer made the final score 2-2.

 

A memorable evening 😁

 

Thankfully this was not repeated the next time I saw Hibs play - later that same season when Andy Goram's brilliance restricted us to a 3-1 win at Tynie prompting the Jambos to sing his name.

 

@Dagger Is Back A while back I began telling you this tale of woe and left it hanging. This is the rest of it 😉

Edited February 12, 2021 by SwindonJambo

[Fxxx the SPFL]

Port Vale v West Brom 1990's i think getting old and memory fading. me the wife and two kids staying in Stoke for a weekend break took the kids to Alton Towers on the Friday and on the Saturday me and the laddie went to the footie and the wife and daughter went shopping. me and the laddie walking to the game with our Hearts tops on as you do and a few West Brom supporters buses passed us and gave us the thumbs up not sure why. Anyway bought a programme and inside was a picture of Robbie Williams who is a PV fan seemingly so managed to get a pen in the hotel after the game and sign his name on the page, showed the daughter and she started greetin as she was a massive Take That fan only admitted the wind up about ten years later thought she was going to punch me lol. i'm sure a guy in the West Brom team was jailed for murder for a hit and run car crash i think Lee somebody     

[Debut 4]

On 11/02/2021 at 19:09, Locky said:

Had a bit of a similar experience to your mate when I went to the Schalke - Dortmund derby a couple of seasons back. Stepped off the train in Gelsenkirchen just as a train full of noisy Dortmund fans was emptying a couple of platforms away. As I would in Scotland, I decided to give them a right, good 'get it ****ing up you' with my middle finger proudly in the air.

 

Next thing I felt a hand on my shoulder and some big, 6'5 German police man fully clad in riot gear was just scowling at me. Just whimpered a rather petty apology and walked away.  

😁👍🏻

[Dr. Sheldon Cooper]

38 minutes ago, **** the SPFL said:

Port Vale v West Brom 1990's i think getting old and memory fading. me the wife and two kids staying in Stoke for a weekend break took the kids to Alton Towers on the Friday and on the Saturday me and the laddie went to the footie and the wife and daughter went shopping. me and the laddie walking to the game with our Hearts tops on as you do and a few West Brom supporters buses passed us and gave us the thumbs up not sure why. Anyway bought a programme and inside was a picture of Robbie Williams who is a PV fan seemingly so managed to get a pen in the hotel after the game and sign his name on the page, showed the daughter and she started greetin as she was a massive Take That fan only admitted the wind up about ten years later thought she was going to punch me lol. i'm sure a guy in the West Brom team was jailed for murder for a hit and run car crash i think Lee somebody     

 

Lee Hughes.

[SwindonJambo]

37 minutes ago, **** the SPFL said:

Port Vale v West Brom 1990's i think getting old and memory fading. me the wife and two kids staying in Stoke for a weekend break took the kids to Alton Towers on the Friday and on the Saturday me and the laddie went to the footie and the wife and daughter went shopping. me and the laddie walking to the game with our Hearts tops on as you do and a few West Brom supporters buses passed us and gave us the thumbs up not sure why. Anyway bought a programme and inside was a picture of Robbie Williams who is a PV fan seemingly so managed to get a pen in the hotel after the game and sign his name on the page, showed the daughter and she started greetin as she was a massive Take That fan only admitted the wind up about ten years later thought she was going to punch me lol. i'm sure a guy in the West Brom team was jailed for murder for a hit and run car crash i think Lee somebody     

 

Lee Hughes. Contract terminated by West Brom and he served 3 years of a 6 year prison sentence. He resumed his career at a much lower level once out and now plays non league .

 

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-bromwich-albion-lee-hughes-15426213

[A Boy Named Crow]

On 12/02/2021 at 02:56, Tazio said:

I went to the Australian grand final in Brisbane a few years ago. I was in town working and spotted it was on so got a ticket and went along on my own. It was the same week we beat Celtic in the 2012 semi final. 55k in the stadium, brilliant organisation with free buses from the town centre to Suncorp Stadium. Very different atmosphere to a British game. Something I realised very quickly when a player was brought down in the box and got no penalty. I jumped to my feet and let the referee know my opinion using standard football language and nearly everyone where I was sitting turned round and stared in shock. The next week I went to and Aussie Rules game and felt a lot more at home in the crowd for that. I got the feeling that the football crowd were a bit more middle class than the Rules fans. 

Aye, they deliberately removed all the "nastiness" from the A-League. They'd had issues in the past with different teams being followed by folk based on their Euripeam heritage, and all the aggro that entailed.

 

Family friendly, pseudo EPL wannabe is order of the day now. Agrwed, f you're used to proper football, NRL and AFL are really your best options!

[Fxxx the SPFL]

7 hours ago, SwindonJambo said:

 

Lee Hughes. Contract terminated by West Brom and he served 3 years of a 6 year prison sentence. He resumed his career at a much lower level once out and now plays non league .

 

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-bromwich-albion-lee-hughes-15426213

that's the lad cheers @swindon jambo and @drsheldoncooper 

[Dagger Is Back]

9 hours ago, SwindonJambo said:

August 1990: Swindon Town v Hibs in a pre season friendly/testimonial for John Trollope, who still holds the English record for most appearances for 1 club. Here's the teamsheet:

 

https://www.footballprogrammes.net/football-testimonial-benefit-c-95/john-trollope-testimonial-benefit-match-swindon-town-1990-hibs-p-56753.html

 

3 Scots in the Swindon lineup - captain Colin Calderwood (excellent player who later joined Tottenham and mismanaged Hibs)

Future sheep Duncan Shearer

Confirmed Jambo Ross McLaren from Balerno in midfield.

 

The Hobbits brought a travelling support of around 100 Neanderthals.

 

All was going to plan when Shearer put Swindon 1 up early on. I turned up for the game in my Hearts top and a Cup Final flag hidden under my denim jacket. There were certainly a handful of other Jambos in the Swindon end and I wandered up to the segregation fence where the singers gathered. There I met a local in a Hearts top and the crowd around me asked me to teach them a Hearts song. Within a minute I had several hundred in full voice with 'When the Hearts go marching in'. Out came my maroon and white flag, waving around. The Neanderthals went ballistic, being totally outsung and at one point I thought they were actually going to chew their way through the fence - they were like savages. Shortly after, I saw 2 Constables heading in our direction so I bundled up my flag pronto and buttoned up my jacket to ensure no colours were visible. I stood in silence playing innocent while the police forcefully questioned the lad in the Hearts top with a local accent demanding the flag while I had moved a step forward on the terrace and stood in silence with all colours concealed. Fair play to the lad - I didn't even get his name and he really took one for the team and probably protected me from being lifted ( and probably deservedly). I was a young fool of 23 then and wouldn't dream of doing anything similar even a few short years later.

 

Unfortunately Paul Kane's double put the mutants 2-1 up before Shearer made the final score 2-2.

 

A memorable evening 😁

 

Thankfully this was not repeated the next time I saw Hibs play - later that same season when Andy Goram's brilliance restricted us to a 3-1 win at Tynie prompting the Jambos to sing his name.

 

@Dagger Is Back A while back I began telling you this tale of woe and left it hanging. This is the rest of it 😉

🤣

[Carl Fredrickson]

13 hours ago, Riccarton3 said:

Falkirk V Patrick Scottish Cup. Falkirk win in last minute I think. Goalkeeping blunder. A howler. 

 

Was that in the late 80s/early 90s at Brockville? Midweek replay? If so I think i was at that game too. Ended IIRC 4-3. Jim Duffy was playing but I cant mind who for but I do mind he had a great game for an auld guy who could hardly move. 

 

What I do mind most about the game was that Jim Leishman had recently been sacked by Dunfermline and he sat in front of me (I went into the stand as the queues to get in the terracing were longer). JL wasnt just a great laugh but gave a decent insight into both teams tactics. 

[Riccarton3]

41 minutes ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

 

Was that in the late 80s/early 90s at Brockville? Midweek replay? If so I think i was at that game too. Ended IIRC 4-3. Jim Duffy was playing but I cant mind who for but I do mind he had a great game for an auld guy who could hardly move. 

 

What I do mind most about the game was that Jim Leishman had recently been sacked by Dunfermline and he sat in front of me (I went into the stand as the queues to get in the terracing were longer). JL wasnt just a great laugh but gave a decent insight into both teams tactics. 

That's the one.  Travelled through with my jags supporting mate

[Weakened Offender]

11 hours ago, jonesy said:

Pretty sure I've got a programme for that somewhere.

 

They walked it, eh? Oleh Blockhin was one of the best players in Europe at that time. 

[Carl Fredrickson]

52 minutes ago, Riccarton3 said:

That's the one.  Travelled through with my jags supporting mate

 

That was when I was quite young and hadnt long passed my driving test. Would often go to non-Hearts games midweek or a weekend if we werent playing. Changed days....

[Riccarton3]

17 minutes ago, Weakened Offender said:

 

They walked it, eh? Oleh Blockhin was one of the best players in Europe at that time. 

0-2

[graygo]

17 hours ago, Riccarton3 said:

Meadowbank Thistle v Alloa Athletic

 

I might have been at that game, did Meadowbank score a long range raker free kick?

Was also at an Albion Rovers v Meadowbank game at Cliftonville on a cold Wednesday night when Meadowbank were miles clear at the top of the league and Rovers were bottom. Rovers won 5-0 😄

I didn't follow Meadowbank, a mate played for them, he scored that free kick I mentioned.

[Boof]

If Meadowbank counts as obscure, I saw them beat Montrose 5-0 in 1982/3-ish.

 

5 Feb 1983, says London Hearts (never knew they did other clubs!) - a week before we whupped Ayr 5-1.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Boof

[obua]

New York Cosmos v Philadelphia Atoms 1976.

Pele scored in a 2-1 win.

[Samuel Camazzola]

On 11/02/2021 at 22:59, jambo in iraq said:

Iran vs USA World Cup 1998, Iran fans were absolutely fanatical! Burning effigies. 
 

another random game I went to was Erbil vs Dohuk in an Iraqi Cup Semi final. Football standard was actually pretty good!

This was the game the US tried to play an offside trap in the opposition half. Got caught out and Iran scored a clincher. 😄

[Weakened Offender]

6 minutes ago, jonesy said:

Wasn't at the game, sadly. Just randomly found the programme at a relative's house a few years ago. Loved the air of mystery around the Eastern European teams (in fact, most foreign clubs) in those days. Kind of like the African countries at World Cups up until the mid-90s, when football got really globalised and there were very few surprise packages any more.

 

Yip, agree. I remember getting quite excited about seeing Hearts play a side from Communist Russia the time. 😊

[Samuel Camazzola]

Preston Athletiv v Hamilton Accies, 2002/03 Scottish Cup. 

 

Hamilton brought bus loads of jakeys swigging Buckie at the pitch side that day. It just felt like one of them was going to lose it and attack a player. 

 

Hamilton won 1-0 with ex - Livi player Brian Mcphee getting the goal. 

[queensferryjambo]

Radio 1 DJs vs Radio Scotland DJs (or maybe Radio Forth DJs) in the late 70s at Meadowbank Stadium.

 

I don't recall too much about it apart from it was sunny and was good fun. Tried finding details online but struggling.

 

Seem to remember people like DLT, Jimmy Saville, Noel Edmunds etc being there but could be talking crap. One thing I think I remember was Scottish pop star B.A Robertson might have played as a guest.

 

Anyone else there? Or even remember who played? 

[Rupert Pupkin]

Plymouth Argyle v Aberdeen some time in the late 80’s

[Riccarton3]

1 hour ago, graygo said:

 

I might have been at that game, did Meadowbank score a long range raker free kick?

Was also at an Albion Rovers v Meadowbank game at Cliftonville on a cold Wednesday night when Meadowbank were miles clear at the top of the league and Rovers were bottom. Rovers won 5-0 😄

I didn't follow Meadowbank, a mate played for them, he scored that free kick I mentioned.

No, I think it was 2 nil to Alloa. A guy at my school had started following Thistle (from Hearts!). Think we just went to see what it was like. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Riccarton3

[Riccarton3]

1 hour ago, obua said:

New York Cosmos v Philadelphia Atoms 1976.

Pele scored in a 2-1 win.

Show off!

[Auld Reekin']

1 hour ago, queensferryjambo said:

Radio 1 DJs vs Radio Scotland DJs (or maybe Radio Forth DJs) in the late 70s at Meadowbank Stadium.

 

I don't recall too much about it apart from it was sunny and was good fun. Tried finding details online but struggling.

 

Seem to remember people like DLT, Jimmy Saville, Noel Edmunds etc being there but could be talking crap. One thing I think I remember was Scottish pop star B.A Robertson might have played as a guest.

 

Anyone else there? Or even remember who played? 

 

   Hope you gave that lot a very wide berth...   

[Gambo]

AEK ATHENS V PSG in a pre season game in a town on the shores of Lake Geneva.

[Carl Fredrickson]

On 13/02/2021 at 13:21, Samuel Camazzola said:

Preston Athletiv v Hamilton Accies, 2002/03 Scottish Cup. 

 

Hamilton brought bus loads of jakeys swigging Buckie at the pitch side that day. It just felt like one of them was going to lose it and attack a player. 

 

Hamilton won 1-0 with ex - Livi player Brian Mcphee getting the goal. 

 

Would have fitted in like locals at the Pans

[Doctor FinnBarr]

37 minutes ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

 

Would have fitted in like locals at the Pans

 

I thought "Purple Heroes" was a type of LSD til I visited Pans.

[Samuel Camazzola]

1 hour ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

 

Would have fitted in like locals at the Pans

I refrain from further comment. 🙂