Memories of the 1990 Wembley play off final v Swindon.

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Remember getting the bus down with my grandad and some other family relatives. Seeing a massive queue of buses along the back of the Roker end. They all seemed to be just single decker busways buses anarl. Can't remember owt else about the journey there or back
 
Went to the match in my Sunderland top, aged 18 and straight out of RAF Brize Norton.
Got beaten up by a bunch of Swindon fans in the underpass by the bus station after the match.
Landed a few good ones, the twats.
 
dalemackem said:
I was on this bus. The backseat was red hot due to the engine overheating . Not one of the best days I've had supporting the Lads. As we were late getting back the bus wouldn't stop at Seaham so we got dropped off on the A19 at Mutton and walked home.
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Haahaa that's right . My mate Jess was complaining all the way back coz his back was burning . We stopped somewhere I can't remember exactly and there was a takeaway van and we all had chip buttys
 
Another great day out ruined by 90 minutes of torture.
Swindon absolutely destroyed us. It could have been 6 or 7.
Me and a few mates watched as the players walked off the coach and they looked ashen faced with fear.
I think we knew then that we were in trouble.
Gary Owers in particular looked terrified.
 
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Kent Boy 2 said:
Yes, that’s what I heard. Most of the Swindon fans on the day knew they weren’t going up. Players on both sides must have been messed up. I’ve always been convinced that we knew before the semi at the Mags and that’s why they were so motivated for that game and then so “unbothered” against Swindon.
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Denis Smith disagrees.

He said on the recent podcast he had no idea about it and didn’t believe Murray did either. He couldn’t believe Murray would know something like that and not tell his manager, even after the defeat. Smith didn’t find out about it until it was officially confirmed by the Football League.

Murray then gave a podcast a few weeks later where he said he had known all along, he was told off the record a couple of days before the Swindon game.
 
Stevos said:
Denis Smith disagrees.

He said on the recent podcast he had no idea about it and didn’t believe Murray did either. He couldn’t believe Murray would know something like that and not tell his manager, even after the defeat. Smith didn’t find out about it until it was officially confirmed by the Football League.

Murray then gave a podcast a few weeks later where he said he had known all along, he was told off the record a couple of days before the Swindon game.
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They may not have “known”, but they “knew”!
 
Stevos said:
Denis Smith disagrees.

He said on the recent podcast he had no idea about it and didn’t believe Murray did either. He couldn’t believe Murray would know something like that and not tell his manager, even after the defeat. Smith didn’t find out about it until it was officially confirmed by the Football League.

Murray then gave a podcast a few weeks later where he said he had known all along, he was told off the record a couple of days before the Swindon game.
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Nobody I knew from Swindon believed it would happen.
I still see Alan Mac now and he has no idea whatsoever.
He was everywhere that game.
 
I remember being absolutely mortal

Before the game the pub was so full we got a taxi to the off licence to get some grog and drive back to the pub and drank it outside
 
We were on one of the double deckers hired by the travel club. About 25 minutes into the journey and we were sitting upstairs, there was no air conditioning, the windows were steaming up and this bus didn't sound like it could make it to Scotch Corner never mind London.

We decided to get off, I will never forget the drivers face when we said this will do for us in the middle of nowhere. Haven't a clue where we were, somewhere short of Middlesbrough I think, we got off and walked for 20 mins or so towards a town and a proper coach stopped next to us seeing our red and white colours, he was on his way up to Sunderland and he gave us a lift back up, we then made it to Roker Park where my brother had parked his car up and we drove down instead.

About 15 minutes into the game we spotted people from our coach trudging in which I think had broken down.

Forgettable game with us played off the park.
 
Lodsa memories. Getting pissed, going to Birmingham afterwards when should have been going to Calais. Waking up still pissed thinking we are fucked here. Eventually head to calais, stop in nearest garage, smash up mates car, thinking we’ll get away with this! Drive smashed up car back to Soltau, all got our story together, got away with fuck all, all fined and some bust (reduced in the ranks). f***ing class days man. Everyone is soft as shite these days man!
 
CW7 said:
Lodsa memories. Getting pissed, going to Birmingham afterwards when should have been going to Calais. Waking up still pissed thinking we are fucked here. Eventually head to calais, stop in nearest garage, smash up mates car, thinking we’ll get away with this! Drive smashed up car back to Soltau, all got our story together, got away with fuck all, all fined and some bust (reduced in the ranks). f***ing class days man. Everyone is soft as shite these days man!
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Sounds great fun mate.
 
I think we went on one of the Shields coaches. Can't remember much of what we did before or after the game. We were sat opposite the dugouts/Royal Box, in the very last row. Couldn't see the other side of the pitch due to the roof so loads of us were sat in the ailes further down the steps. It was f***ing roasting and we were utter gash.
 
The Hesford Diet said:
The night before was canny, Sunday night in Covent Garden and a short wander for a plodge in Trafalgar Square. Next day was nursing a hangover in a Kingsbury pub, tube to the game, then saw us get hammered.

Wandering back to the tube, a Sunderland fan was getting angry with the Swindon fans, demanding that they sing and celebrate their win like we would've done. No reaction at all. I think they knew what was coming.
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That's just the way they are down in Wiltshire, very reserved. I was living in Swindon at the time, and I don't think they knew it was coming, certainly not relegation to third division, which was the punishment initially. There were plenty of celebrations in Swindon that Bank Holiday evening , but an interesting close season was looming for them.
 
Wewontbehomefortea said:
Who has memories of attending this visit to Wembley then? Even though they won the game it was just 10 days later Swindon Town’s world imploded. Ossie Ardiles – (remember him? He was the manager that time forgot at Sid James Park....just before Keegan waked in) had led Swindon to the ‘infamous’ 1-0 triumph over us at Wembley. We weren’t very good that day iirc?
If I remember rightly this was the first time the play off final was over one game instead of two legs?
The FA relegated them twice for sanctioning illegal payments. Lou Macari was at the helm of the club when these were made?
The Mags were furious that we went up without winning the game! Even though we beat them at Sid James to make it there.
All to no avail because we were relegated straight after in our first season back....what a bizarre time that was!
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I fell asleep through the match - had fun when awake!
 
I remember how warm it was and how we were even worse than the Milk Cup Final in 85. There were loads singing 'Get Yer Tits Out' at the cheerleaders and one of them jokingly went to flash her arse which probably got the biggest cheer of the day.

As has been said it could have been 5 if it wasn't for Norman and that Mcloughlin for Swindon ran the show.

We got the train back from Kings Cross and were back in CLS for last orders where a few Mags in The Lambton who had been quiet since May 16th suddenly became very vocal......they took the later decision to relegate Swindon and promote us instead very well mind.:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
Wewontbehomefortea said:
Who has memories of attending this visit to Wembley then? Even though they won the game it was just 10 days later Swindon Town’s world imploded. Ossie Ardiles – (remember him? He was the manager that time forgot at Sid James Park....just before Keegan waked in) had led Swindon to the ‘infamous’ 1-0 triumph over us at Wembley. We weren’t very good that day iirc?
If I remember rightly this was the first time the play off final was over one game instead of two legs?
The FA relegated them twice for sanctioning illegal payments. Lou Macari was at the helm of the club when these were made?
The Mags were furious that we went up without winning the game! Even though we beat them at Sid James to make it there.
All to no avail because we were relegated straight after in our first season back....what a bizarre time that was!
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We didn't turn up on the day.

Like idiots we parked right next to the ground, and it took forever to get away from Wembley and onto the main roads.
I don't think the four of us in the car exchanged a word for 200 miles, we were that p*ssed off at our utterly inept performance; a complete embarrassment :(
 
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We were living just outside Warrington at the time and could only get tickets for the Swindon end/ actually side not far from the halfway line. We were as bad as everybody says, but I remember at the end of the game saying to the Swindon fans that we were going up in any case and to be fair they agreed but said that they just wanted to win to prove a point.
 
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