50 years 22:23 - Dec 12 with 8911 views | D_Alien | Almost exactly half a century ago to the day, Dale conceded 5 at home in a cup tie to another team beginning with G from the eastern side of England. Those of a certain age will remember it Walking away from the ground that day, it felt like the lights had gone out on Dale, but after years of struggle and perseverance, we came good again I've no idea whether we'll see another 50 years at Spotland. There's a similar feeling right now, but we survived against the odds then, and we may do now It took another 25 years before we took a proper upward turn. The period between 1999 (the arrival of Steve Parkin) and 2019 (the amazing night at Old Trafford) were, in the main, tremendous and well worth waiting for, since it seemed highly unlikely we'd ever see anything like it. Different times now; football is different. Dale deserve a future, and its fans deserve a club we can once more feel proud of [Post edited 12 Dec 2023 22:25]
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50 years on 14:08 - Dec 14 with 2013 views | since58 |
50 years on 15:37 - Dec 13 by 49thseason | I doubt there is a team at any level of professional or semi-pro football that doesn't think it is in with a chance when they come to the COA. There is no history of success, no mad partisan crowd, and we kindly provide a nice wide, flat pitch that we have never used to our advantage by utilising 2 wingers and a net busting centre forward since the days of Jenkins and Steve Taylor. Any success has immediately resulted in the key players being sold off as soon as an offer arrived and drinks all round in the boardroom as another squad is broken up to prevent them having to put their hands in their pockets or spend some money building off-pitch income streams. Last night was simply the continuation of the hand to mouth existance that this club has enjoyed for decades. No doubt Nevett will be sold for peanuts and we will be grateful, the money will be spent on overheads and we will stagger on for another few months. As it was, so will it always be.... |
Didn't there winger tear uz to pieces that day. . Not sure but i think he was making his debut. Cant remember his name tho.He went to have a good career. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 14:10 - Dec 14 with 1993 views | since58 |
50 years on 14:08 - Dec 14 by since58 | Didn't there winger tear uz to pieces that day. . Not sure but i think he was making his debut. Cant remember his name tho.He went to have a good career. |
Replying to Shrewsbury post. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 14:11 - Dec 14 with 1992 views | EllDale | The more I think about it Mullington came to mind because he managed to hit the foot of the post with a free header in front of the Pearl Street End? I know the crowd was so big we couldn’t change ends. Probably the biggest attendance until we played Bury in the cup in the early 1980s | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 14:37 - Dec 14 with 1940 views | D_Alien |
50 years on 14:11 - Dec 14 by EllDale | The more I think about it Mullington came to mind because he managed to hit the foot of the post with a free header in front of the Pearl Street End? I know the crowd was so big we couldn’t change ends. Probably the biggest attendance until we played Bury in the cup in the early 1980s |
... which was the last time we had a gate in excess of 10,000 at Spotland I didn't get in till nearly half time! | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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50 years on 15:53 - Dec 14 with 1846 views | Plattyswrinklynuts |
50 years on 14:10 - Dec 14 by since58 | Replying to Shrewsbury post. |
Luke Rodgers (?) That day still gives me the cold sweats. Applauded off by dale fans as I recall. | ![](/images/avatars/25858.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 16:00 - Dec 14 with 1836 views | EllDale | Losing 6-0 at home to Plymouth around 1973 was another one to forget…. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 16:06 - Dec 14 with 1830 views | fermin |
50 years on 15:53 - Dec 14 by Plattyswrinklynuts | Luke Rodgers (?) That day still gives me the cold sweats. Applauded off by dale fans as I recall. |
Wasn't he sent off with a second yellow card for celebrating? That was a bad result but I seem to remember it was a bit of a freak result in that we were pretty good and they were the opposite and hardly ever scored (away). Not like the 8-0 at Orient! | ![](/images/avatars/1236.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 16:11 - Dec 14 with 1816 views | dawlishdale | Yes...the stuff of nightmares. Think we lost at home park about 4-0 as well that year. I remember us getting a corner...and passing back to our player who missed the ball allowing them to score within 5 or 6 seconds of us taking the corner. Plymouth used to beat us regularly in those days... later to be replaced by Orient as our bogey team. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) | Login to get fewer ads
50 years on 16:15 - Dec 14 with 1783 views | dingdangblue |
50 years on 15:53 - Dec 14 by Plattyswrinklynuts | Luke Rodgers (?) That day still gives me the cold sweats. Applauded off by dale fans as I recall. |
Ryan Lowe scored his 1st ever career goal in that game too. | ![](/images/avatars/2229.gif) |
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50 years (n/t) on 17:31 - Dec 14 with 1643 views | since58 |
50 years on 15:53 - Dec 14 by Plattyswrinklynuts | Luke Rodgers (?) That day still gives me the cold sweats. Applauded off by dale fans as I recall. |
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50 years on 18:06 - Dec 14 with 1574 views | Beechball | Yes - caused by Parkin uising a 1-0 defeat the Tuesday before as an excuse to bring in his mate Coleman at the back | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 18:09 - Dec 14 with 1570 views | since58 |
50 years on 15:53 - Dec 14 by Plattyswrinklynuts | Luke Rodgers (?) That day still gives me the cold sweats. Applauded off by dale fans as I recall. |
Dean windass was another applauded off by dale fans in the leavue cup. He beat us that night on his own | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 20:27 - Dec 14 with 1447 views | TVOS1907 |
50 years on 16:15 - Dec 14 by dingdangblue | Ryan Lowe scored his 1st ever career goal in that game too. |
Surprised he didn't also claim Rodgers' hat-trick! | ![](/images/avatars/1107.gif) |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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50 years on 21:53 - Dec 14 with 1324 views | pioneer |
50 years on 16:11 - Dec 14 by dawlishdale | Yes...the stuff of nightmares. Think we lost at home park about 4-0 as well that year. I remember us getting a corner...and passing back to our player who missed the ball allowing them to score within 5 or 6 seconds of us taking the corner. Plymouth used to beat us regularly in those days... later to be replaced by Orient as our bogey team. |
The two heavy losses were a season apart but both in 1973. The 6-0 home loss was in 72-3. We played the return game at plymouth the last game of the season and lost 3-2 in a belter. We had finished the season well with a young Leo Skeete being brought into the team and scoring in each game including this game. At the start of the following season we lost 5-0 down there with a youthful Chorley lad and future England star Paul Mariner scoring in one of his first games in the league. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 09:05 - Dec 15 with 1115 views | EllDale | I vividly remember Leo Skeete’s impressive scoring debut in a Tuesday night 3-2 victory over Grimsby. I think he scored in each of the last three games of the season after signing? We desperately needed a scorer. The season had started with Jack Howarth and Reg upfront but the former left halfway through the season to be replaced by Bill Atkins and Reg was a shadow of his former self and missed quite a few games. The way he was treated at the end though was nothing short of despicable. After that encouraging end to the season though the board changed tack by sacking Dick Connor and bringing in Walter Joyce. And we all know what happened after that. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 09:30 - Dec 15 with 1091 views | D_Alien |
50 years on 09:05 - Dec 15 by EllDale | I vividly remember Leo Skeete’s impressive scoring debut in a Tuesday night 3-2 victory over Grimsby. I think he scored in each of the last three games of the season after signing? We desperately needed a scorer. The season had started with Jack Howarth and Reg upfront but the former left halfway through the season to be replaced by Bill Atkins and Reg was a shadow of his former self and missed quite a few games. The way he was treated at the end though was nothing short of despicable. After that encouraging end to the season though the board changed tack by sacking Dick Connor and bringing in Walter Joyce. And we all know what happened after that. |
Dick Conner: "Football is a game of triangles" | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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50 years on 10:24 - Dec 15 with 1022 views | pioneer |
50 years on 09:30 - Dec 15 by D_Alien | Dick Conner: "Football is a game of triangles" |
Kept us in the third tier comfortably for four seasons and they sacked him. During that time we drew at div 1 crystal palace in league cup and beat div 1 Coventry in FA Cup. Replaced him with Walter J. Probably the worst decisions the club ever made. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
50 years on 20:06 - Dec 15 with 871 views | finberty |
50 years on 10:24 - Dec 15 by pioneer | Kept us in the third tier comfortably for four seasons and they sacked him. During that time we drew at div 1 crystal palace in league cup and beat div 1 Coventry in FA Cup. Replaced him with Walter J. Probably the worst decisions the club ever made. |
“Probably the worst decisions the club ever made.” I’m not sure how it compares in ‘worstness’ against the decision to allow Bottomley within five miles of the place. | ![](/images/avatars/2682.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
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