It's just like 1980

[K55]

Who remembers the last game of the 1979-80 season? I remember it well, and the parallels to this season are uncanny.

We had slipped down the table after a promising start, and manager Bill Dodgin was removed after a run of, wait for it, one win in 18 matches. Also if you think about it, William Dodgin's initials would be WD.

A new, unconventional manager in Fred Callaghan came in and turned things around, though not quite to the same extent that Martin Allen has. We then faced Millwall at home on the last day of the season, a southern-based club with little to play for, needing a point to survive.

100 year of Brentford describes it as a 'tension packed afternoon', which we can safely assume will be the case on Saturday, and the diminutive Tony Funnell popped up near the end to score the only goal.

So let's hope for a similar happy ending on Saturday, and it would surprise nobody if a diminutive player ends up writing his name into our history in a similar way.

[A406 Bee]

I remember that game - I think Funnell got clear of the defence for a one-on-one with the keeper at the Brook Road end before slotting the ball home.

Think the goal was around 10 minutes from time and it was a great moment.

Hope we don't leave it as late this time.

[Stanley]

........at least I think it was, we needed a win at home to be sure and S****horpe to not win on the last day but we only got a draw, meaning a loss or draw for Scunny would effectively keep us up.

As there was no teletext or mobile phones in those days loads stayed behind and listened to the Sports report classified results over the Tannoy.

It was excruciating listening to all those results till James Alexander whathisname got to S****horpe 1 somebody else1 ...cue big celebrations at GP.

[Voice from the Braemar]

Originally posted by K55
Who remembers the last game of the 1979-80 season? I remember it well, and the parallels to this season are uncanny.

We had slipped down the table after a promising start, and manager Bill Dodgin was removed after a run of, wait for it, one win in 18 matches. Also if you think about it, William Dodgin's initials would be WD.

A new, unconventional manager in Fred Callaghan came in and turned things around, though not quite to the same extent that Martin Allen has. We then faced Millwall at home on the last day of the season, a southern-based club with little to play for, needing a point to survive.

100 year of Brentford describes it as a 'tension packed afternoon', which we can safely assume will be the case on Saturday, and the diminutive Tony Funnell popped up near the end to score the only goal.

So let's hope for a similar happy ending on Saturday, and it would surprise nobody if a diminutive player ends up writing his name into our history in a similar way.


i was there for that...............the atmosphere was very subdued though, as beating Millwall in those days was always a bit iffy;) :(

even the players were quite calm about it all



:)

[Wise old Bee]

There was something very strange about this match. Millwall couldn't really be arsed and hardly got forward at all and our goal was a real gift when their centreback, Mel Blyth, allowed a long punt to bounce over him and Funnell ran through to score although he took it well. I'm pretty sure the game was thrown and I've seen us do the same at Swindon a year or so later when we played out the meekest of 0-0 draws to allow the inbreds to stay up. Too much to hope Bournemouth do the same Saturday.

I wouldn't mind if history were to be repeated next season as Callaghan and Harris rebuilt the side completely in 1980 and bought the likes of Crown and Hurlock to GP and we had a side that came very close to achieving something. Now who is to be our Joseph/Mahoney partnership next season then?