How old were you when you started watching SUFC?

[canveyshrimper]

Canveyshrimper - yes sorry - it was 1955/6 season and listed as January - I thought 1955 wrongly. :dim:

Jan 1956 it was.

No worries, it's just that a lot of my family were at the game, and date is ingrained on my memory along with being told how brilliant Trautmann was on the day.

 

[Suffolk Blue]

14th April 69; 10 years and 2 weeks old, on my own. I had 2 shillings birthday money left and took the bus from Vange to go to the match. Never had to pay my bus fare either way; 6d to get in, a bloke gave me his program to read on the way home, and we beat Bradford Park Avenue 5-0. One of the happiest and clearest memories of my childhood.

Got into trouble when I got home as mum thought I was playing down the football field. Looking back, I've no idea how I ever managed to convince her to let me go again. I honestly can't imagine that happening nowadays but it didn't appear that unusual then.

First away game was Colchester away when I was 12; managed to persuade a load of schoolmates to go with me; most of them still support us to this day!

 

[Ricky Otto]

I think mine first game was around 1992ish I remember it was Grimsby at home and Collymore scored

 

[choggy]

About 3-4 years old. Both my parents are SUFC mad so southend games were a bit of a family outing.

 

[Shrimper Stu]

I was 5 when my Dad took me to my first game - Can't remember who we played unfortunately.

 

[Andyhsufc]

The first game I can remember seeing was Fredy Eastwood's debut against Swansea (though I know I went when Rob Newman was in charge but they were hardly memorable times!). So I would have been about 10/11

 

[Its Only A Game]

a new years day game for me. think it was 1978 when i was 10. A 1-1 draw at home to grimsby

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

pretty conclusive poll. Get them young. As for terraces I can remember running down the south west corner terrace and smashing my forehead on the crash barrier so I suppose I was about 3-4 feet tall. We used to sit on the grass under the SE floodlight and sit on stools we brought so we could see.
One game I clearly remember was a game when our keeper was Threadgold and the opposition's was Drinkwater. It fascinated me for some reason.

 

[Kent Shrimper]

I was taken by my Dad from 5 as he used to do the Door in the Shrimpers, and after we would walk through to the Paddock.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

My first game was at home to Northampton 96/97 I think.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I was 9 my first game was against Halesowen in the FAa Cup 1st Round in 1987.

 

[blueballs]

i was 5 years old, just moved from america... watched southend win 4-1 against reading in 94. hooked.

 

[C C Csiders]

Aged 6 and three-quarters at home to Doncaster Rovers Good Friday 1972. 2-1 win (Garner and Best).

Last game looks like at home to Brentford on 13 April 2010 aged 44 and three-quarters.

 

[Angell Delight]

My first game was in 1988, first day of the season and we beat Bolton 2-0 at home (O'Shea, Crown). I was 7.

 

[Cockle43]

Strangely can't remember my first League game, but then I am increasingly finding that I can't remember things these days!

However, the first game I saw at Roots Hall was an England international!
March 25th 1966 the archives tell me, must admit couldn't have told you the exact date off the top of my head but knew it was just before the '66 World Cup, England Amateurs 3-3 Scotland Amateurs. Just after my 9th birthday.

Attended a couple of Southend matches with Dad at the end of that season and then got the bug after the World Cup and by 68/69 was a regular with my mates from school. Dozen, or so, of us every week; and as some said earlier the fare to get to the game cost more than the gate money!!! Happy days......changing ends at half-time......

 

[canveyshrimper]

Strangely can't remember my first League game, but then I am increasingly finding that I can't remember things these days!

However, the first game I saw at Roots Hall was an England international!
March 25th 1966 the archives tell me, must admit couldn't have told you the exact date off the top of my head but knew it was just before the '66 World Cup, England Amateurs 3-3 Scotland Amateurs. Just after my 9th birthday.

Attended a couple of Southend matches with Dad at the end of that season and then got the bug after the World Cup and by 68/69 was a regular with my mates from school. Dozen, or so, of us every week; and as some said earlier the fare to get to the game cost more than the gate money!!! Happy days......changing ends at half-time......

Blimey, there's some old gits on this board. ;):whistling: It's been discussed a few times here what a great season 1968/69 was.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

I was 12 ... just moved into the area, away from my local team in the southern league Basingstoke Town , and wasnt happy so dad took me to a friendly (maybe Charlton in 1975??) to try and make me happy .. and I was having none of it!!

But he always had the ethos of supporting your local team... so there starts a 35 year roller coaster....

However that ethos now has my own youngsters coming to games at the Hall and even away..and my eldest , my son, made me very happy the day he came home from school and sat me down after telling me he had ''a big thing to discuss'' at 6 years old....

And stated ''Dad, I have made a decision, I want to support Southend, and I hate Man U ''I could have cried!! and 5 years later, freindlies, home and away nearly 150 games and wears his shirt with pride amongst all the prem teams done the park and elsewhere, and always responds when he gets flack....' at least I get to see live football with my team''

 

[southend4ever]

I remember being in the ground at just gone 2pm when I was 8 or 9 and shouted at Roycie he turned round and put his thumb up to me. That was the stuff of legend. I'd been with Basildon Boys FC and had a morning training with good old Frankie Banks then had some lunch and got our tickets sitting in one big line in the West. Brilliant.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

18th March 1991 (vs. Birmingham City - a 2-1 home win)... coming up to my 19th anniversary of watching the Shrimpers. I was 17 when I first went, so for me it was all about the North Bank.

I still think Slipper's post in Scott's thread sums it all up, though. Football has changed since the dark days of the 80s, and thank heavens for that. It might seem "cool" to talk of casuals and random violence; but for the vast majority of people who don't get a kick out of getting a kicking, football back then was sh*t, and it was dying on its backside.

Matt

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

I saw my first game when my father took me to the Kursaal when I was six years of age. It would have been the boxing day fixture against Exeter 1933 which we won 3-1. A repeat scoreline this Saturday will do nicely.
My grandfather used to take my father to the original Roots Hall and I in turn took my son to the current ground so it is very much a family thing.