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OK this might exclude a few people, but hey ho.

1. Lens 2 Marseille 1 1992. As an English fan you wonder what it's like to be part of one of thse mad european crowds with its flags, smoke and leaping around - one that's actually enjoying itself? This is where I found out. Good game too.

2. England 4 Netherlands 1 1996. Pure joy at a football match. I was not brought up tactile. I'm not a hugger. I don't hug strangers. At 4-0 I hugged strangers. Strangers in crusader costumes. And quite a few others.

3. Forest 1 Spurs 1 1978. First game I can remember going to. Stood on the Bridgford end on a Co-op milk crate (cliche klaxon!), wreathed in the smoke of locally made cigarettes (the smell of English ciggy smoke in the open air IS the smell of football). Oh and Villa and Ardiles made their debuts. I think O'Neill scored for Forest. Or Dave Needham. It wasn't especially important.

4. England 1 Germany 1. 1996 Just 'cos. Penalties were down the other end so thanks to old Wembley sightlines I didn't really see them. Did't have to. Only saw how close Gascoigne was to a winner about 5 years later on a clips programme.

5. Forest 4 Palace 2 2001. Sunshine and warmth, a birthday treat. Marlon takes on Palace more or less single handed and wins (Stern John scored a hat trick, but mainly through his tactic of standing in the area and letting it bounce in off his arse). No tension, no high stakes, plenty of opportunity to moan at players who weren't Marlon. Good result. Ace.


I'm not really a non-league kind of person I think. A few of Lens's euro adventures against Arsenal only just missed the cut, as did the best goal I've ever seen Forest score (Andy Reid at the Boleyn). And going with my dad and kids to the Olympics at Old Trafford last year. Anyone else?

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Pukka Pie pest

Embrace the margin
Always Changing at Retford http://sptxx.tumblr.com/
Not Changing at Retford http://sptxx2.tumblr.com/

I'd have to be excluded. I could do top 5 I've watched on TV...

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

1. Man City 2 Gillingham 2, (City won on pens), Division 2 Play-Off Final, Wembley, 1999

This has gone down in folklore. Playing to go up from the third tier of football after being 10th around Christmas. Gillingham under the vile Pulis 2-0 up and some City fans already heading for the motorway home but with two goals in the last 5 minutes (including injury time) see extra time then penalties. Never in any doubt once the pens started though and Nicky Weaver the hero.

2. Man City 1 Man United 0, FA Cup Semi-Final, Wembley 2012.

Not a great match but I didn't care. Beating the old enemy in a cup semi final after decades of winning nothing? I'll have that!

3. West Ham 2 Man City 0, Division 1, Upton Park 1987

Seems odd picking a match where your team lost and also went down but the fans of both teams were magnificent that day. City's singing "Champions" (the reserves had won the Central League) and other songs for the full 90 minutes and the Hammers' saluting the last game of Liam Brady's career. At the end the WHU supporters gave us a guard of honour away for the ground, chanting "Loyal Supporters!".

4. Crystal Palace 1 Watford 0, Play-Off Final, Wembley 2013

Again not so much for the match, which was fairly poor, but for the fact that it was me and my son at a big occasion, wearing matching red and blue scarves and cheering on a side. The Palace fans were great that day too.

5. Man City 1 Wolves 0, Maine Road, 1969

My first ever match, with my dad, aged 6. All the usual stuff about excitement and fear mingling together, along with confusion; I couldn't believe that the people in front of me were the same ones featured in posters on my wall so I assumed they were all actors.

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

Just missing the cut were:

Palace 3 City 3 played just before the Palace cup-final v United. Fancy dress all over, great bonding as City fans presented banners willing on Palace for their cup final.

Sometimes the opponents have been so good you've ended up enjoying it regardless of the result so I would include City losing 5-2 at home to Everton on the final day in 93 (keeper subbed at half time he was so poor!) and losing away to Arsenal 4-0 in 1990 (it should have been 10 - Perry Groves, yes, PERRY FUCKIN GROVES was incredible that day)

City winning 3-2 at Millwall when away fans were banned from the Den in 2001. Bizarre sight of players celebrating in front of an empty stand after the goals went in.

Oh and the game I saw George Best play for Bournemouth in the third division.

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

1. Swansea 4 Reading 2 - Wembley 2011.
Coasting 3-0 at half time. I got a bit cocky then a few minutes into the 2nd half it was 3-2 and it got a bit nerve wracking. Cracking atmosphere as over 40,000 Jacks saw the Swans back into the big time.

2. Swansea 5 Bradford 0 - Wembley 2013.
First major cup win. Cracking atmosphere.

3. Swansea 2 Aston Villa 1 - Vetch Field, 1981.
Conflicted little boy at this match as his home town club played his 'top league' team. Though they were both in the top league at the time. I was gutted Gary Shaw was injured. But still as 2nd ever matches go, I seem to remember having a good time.

4. Newcastle United 2 – 2 Bournemouth 3 - 4 (penalties). St James Park. FA Cup. 1992.
I was a student in Newcastle and this replay was sold at £3 a ticket. Crammed into the gallow gate end with some Geordie mates, we saw Newcastle get knocked out on Pens (this was the first season they were introduced in the FA Cup).

5. Newcastle United 3 - Swansea 0. St James Park. FA Cup. 1995.
I'd left Newcastle by then, but we made the trip back up for the then high flying Newcastle draw in the 3rd round of the cup. Swansea nearly scored after 10 seconds. But eventually we got ground down by Newcastle. A Kitson (Paul?) hatrick did for us. It was just after Andy Cole had been sold so we took great delight is singing 'Where's your Andy gone' at the home fans. Out sang the home team by a country mile.

Bubbling under a number of games at Orient/Southend in the away end with the Swans.

None of these compare to the Wales rugby games I've seen though.

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Has something against Spotify...

My choices aren't in any way objective.

5) West Ham 0 Liverpool 2 The Boleyn Ground 71-72 Season
The first professional game I ever went to. Liverpool's goals were scored by John Toshack & Steve Heighway

4)Sheffield Wednesday 3 Tottenham Hotspur 4 Hillsborough 1994
Jurgen Klinsmann scores on his debut in a team that also included Sherringham, Dumitrescu, Barmby & Anderton. The season ultimately ended with Spurs finishing in the bottom half as it's attacking prowess was only exceeded by it's defensive ineptitude.

3) Arsenal 2 Tottenham Hotspur 3 Emirates Stadium 2010
Spurs may be more consistent under AVB, but under Redknapp it's fair to say that when they were good they were very good indeed and played some of the most exhilarating football I've ever seen.
2-0 down at half time and looking second best in every department, the second half comeback was as astonishing as it was unlikely, with goals from Bale, Van Der Vaart & Kaboul.

2) Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1 Carling Cup Final Wembley 2008
Like any Spurs fan I feel an intense rivalry with Arsenal, but I fucking hate Chelsea!
I've only seen Spurs beat them twice, once in the league at White Hart Lane in 2010 and this 2008 final.
Not that great a game, but had this been the FA Cup this would have definitely been my number 1.

1) Tottenham Hotspur 3 Arsenal 1 FA Cup semi-final Wembley 1991
Spurs won. Arsenal lost. Gascoigne's stunning free-kick set the tone and Spurs went on to win the final. 'Nuff said!

Just missing out, England beating Scotland 5 -1 at Wembley in 1975. Seemed like me and my dad were the only two Englishmen there, but emphatic doesn't come any more emphatic!

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Curmudgeonly Rock 'n' Roll time traveller from ye olden days

2nd verse same as the 1st...

Norwich 1-0 Leeds (League one, March 2010)
Leeds had been top of League One for the majority of the season but had bottled it. Norwich, having suffered a 7-1 defeat at home to Colchester on the first game of the season, had recently overtaken them. With the end of the season eight games away, Norwich could open up an 11-point gap at the top of table if they won... which they did with a 89th minute Chris Martin goal. I have never celebrated a goal as much.

Tranmere 3-1 Norwich (League one, April 2010)
Safe in the knowledge that Norwich were going to win the league after the previous week's last-gasp victory against Leeds, we travelled to Birkenhead for the televised Friday night game against Tranmere. What could possibly go wrong? The answer is Eddie Ilderton, who awarded Tranmere two penalties and sent off Norwich goalkeeper Fraser Forster in the opening twelve minutes. Having given Tranmere's first penalty for a supposed handball from Darel Russell, Ilderton turned a blind eye to Tranmere's Craig Curran controlling the ball with his hand to put away Tranmere's third after half an hour. Norwich pulled one back - from a cross that had actually gone out of play - and not even the goalscorer himself, Grant Holt, could dissuade Ilderton from awarding him the goal. This truly bizarre refereeing display infuriated manager Paul Lambert - who was then shown the red card himself - but left bemused Norwich fans with little choice but to write this off and spend the evening having a jolly in the stands rather than paying attention to the game. One of the most memorable and entertaining nights out ever.

Arsenal 3-3 Norwich (Premiership, May 2012)
Norwich 2-1 up at half time, City fans doing the Arsene Wenger dance as he and the Arsenal fans contemplate missing out on CL qualification to Tottenham. Van Persie thinks he's rescued them with a double late in the second half, only for Steve Morison - who had been largely criticised by Norwich fans all season - to equalise in the 89th minute.

Torquay 1-2 AFC Bournemouth (League Two, September 2009)
37-year old local hero Steve Fletcher with an 87th minute winner to send Bournemouth joint top of League Two. Fans go wild and we go for a curry in the evening. An increasingly drunk brother-in-law does a slow-motion re-enaction of Fletcher's header in the restaurant, followed by an extreme slow-motion demonstration on how he celebrated said goal. Concerned waitress comes over and asks him if his curry is too hot.

Morecambe 0-4 AFC Bournemouth (League Two, May 2008)
Having ensured Football League survival the previous week, Bournemouth travelled to Morecambe where the Cherries would put four goals past the sorry Shrimps. Bournemouth fans did the conga in the stands - something you can only really do in the lower leagues.

Chelsea 2 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday (Aug, 1987 – Division One)
My first ever game; Gordon Durie & Kerry Dixon scored for Chelsea; think one of them was a penalty. Don’t remember much about the game except for being a bit frightened of the large, skinhead types beside me – they didn’t seem that bothered with the game and more concerned that my uncle had brought a Spurs fan with him (I’d accidentally mentioned my preferred club on the way in).


Tottenham 4 – 0 Sheffield United (Oct, 1990 – Division One)
First game at the Lane; I couldn’t see a thing so two policemen let me stand with them on a stairwell. Not standing with my Dad and hearing the news Gary Lineker was injured hadn’t put me in the best of moods…but then Paul Walsh scored a hat-trick and the atmosphere was amazing. Vinny Jones did his best cartoon villain performance too with a few strops, and I think another United player threw the ball at a linesman and got sent-off. All good fun.


Tottenham 2 – 1 Norwich City (Nov, 1990 – Division One)
I was back the following month and Lineker had returned from injury and even Gascoigne was approaching full fitness – an absolute joy to watch. Lineker scored twice (although one involved a blatant handball) and at one point the ball went out of play in front of me and I managed to grab it & hand it back to him – my hero at the time – sounds silly now but I’ll never forget that moment. At school I didn’t shut up about it all year.


Tottenham 2 – 3 Blackburn Rovers (Mar, 1996 – Premier League)
A cracking game; Spurs two down but then Sheringham & Armstrong level things up. Looks like we’ve salvaged a point until the 94th minute when Alan Shearer completes his hat-trick. I’d never been to the Lane and seen Spurs lose before, so while a defeat (and the manner of said defeat) was hard to take, it didn’t take long to acknowledge I’d witnessed a fantastic match. Blackburn weren’t quite the side they’d been the previous season but were nevertheless formidable in attack. Plus I’d never seen a striker as aggressive and potent as Shearer.


Tottenham 3 – 1 Fulham (Mar, 2010 – FA Cup Quarter-Final replay)
Never experienced a better, nor a more positive, atmosphere at a football match; everything just seemed to be going right for Spurs at this point. A Champions League spot was finally a real possibility (which we achieved) and silverware looked on the cards too after this (we lost the semi-final against Portsmouth). Pavlyuchenko had suddenly become a decent striker and David frickin Bentley scored that night too; good times didn’t last long for those two though.

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Putting the pip in pop since the late 70s

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Rock n roll librarian

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

Plenty to choose from but these stand out.

1. Fulham 1 Orient 2 (2006) - FA Cup shock ahoy. Premier league you are having a laugh as two deflected goals in the first half gave the almost bottom of the league O's victory. We were battered in the second half but held on. I got very drunk afterwards!

2. Tottenham 1 Bristol City 0 (1978) - First game I ever went to and I wondered why Brian Moore wasn't commentating during the game.

3. Brighton 4 Leyton Orient 4 (1997) - Last Orient visit to the Goldstone. 2-0 down at half time we were 3-2 up within 10 minutes of the restart. 4-3 up with 10 minutes to go and the ref gave a penalty that never was to calm down the Brighton fans who had also entered the pitch and assaulted Scott McGleish.

4. Orient 4 Oldham 2 (1992)- FA Cup tie where the O's destroyed top flight Oldham. Should have won by a shed load.

5. Orient 2 Wales 1 -(1996) The cheeky sods wanted friendly opponents of the same calibre of San Marino who they were facing next in a Euro Qualifier. Giggs et al took a beating. The winner was scored by Peter Garland who was the fattest player I ever saw in an O's shirt!

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If Ian Curtis had lived, and enjoyed the ale…

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1) City 3 Rags 1 (2006):Evra and Vidic's debut for them lot didn't go to plan; memorable for local lad Sinclair scoring the opener and spinning away kissing the badge right in front of us; Stephen Jordan crunching Ronaldo into the hoardings, resulting in a comical tantrum and subsequent sending off for the Portuguese ponce; Robbie Folwer grabbing the winner and giving his '5 Euorpean cups' salute in front of the glum and seething Stretford masses. Great day.

2) City 1 Stoke 0 (2011): FA Cup final. Didn't make it to Wembley, but did watch the game on beam back at City Square with, brother, sister, sister in law, niece and nephew. It absolutely tipped it down from half time onwards and in running for shelter we got split and ended up in three separate pairs watching different screens - I was with my niece and have never seen her as excited as she was when Yaya scored -when we all met up at the the final whistle it was an emotional moment and we were together to see the trophy lifted.

3) City 2 Liverpool 2 (1996): strange pick perhaps as this was the relegation day that kicked off the clubs downward spiral, but for pure emotion and highs and lows it's a hugely memorable day. Lomas holding the ball in the corner thinking we were safe is a familiar story, but what sticks with me more is the chants of Blue Army defiantly reverberating round the stand as we traipsed out - also saw Noel Gallagher that day heading in the direction of the away buses while Guigsy looked on.

4) City 1 Arsenal 0 (1991) My third ever match, but the first time I'd sat in the North stand with the adults, rather than the family stand. Also the first time I'd seen the pitch illuminated with floodlights. Michael Hughes ripped the full back apart and my hero David White scored the winner. Wagon Wheel at half time, copy of the pink for the bus into town and chips and gravy in the gardens before going back to the hotel to see mum. perfect

5) City 3 Norwich 1 (2002) We were scintillating that promotion season under Keegan. Came out firing on all cylinders from the get go, only for Danny Tiatto to be sent off after ten minutes (kicks water bottles) - it didn't make a bit of difference, we continued to play them off the park with one man less, culminating in a fantastic solo goal from Eyal Berkovic. Not even being stuck in the Gene Kelly stand could dampen the day.

Honourable mention to City 3 Southend 0, an unremarkable game, save for a breathtaking display from Kinkladze.

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Knowing M.E, Knowing You.. Ah Ha!

David Silva loves Bakewell Tarts the best
He'll eat a box and leave none for the rest
De Gea's doughnuts never look the part
next to Silva's Bakewell Tart!

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Curmudgeonly Rock 'n' Roll time traveller from ye olden days

2nd verse same as the 1st...

_________________
Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

_________________
Pukka Pie pest

Embrace the margin
Always Changing at Retford http://sptxx.tumblr.com/
Not Changing at Retford http://sptxx2.tumblr.com/

_________________
Pukka Pie pest

Embrace the margin
Always Changing at Retford http://sptxx.tumblr.com/
Not Changing at Retford http://sptxx2.tumblr.com/

_________________
Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com