Wycombe weren’t playing in quarters when I first started watching them at Loakes Park. I think they must have got reintroduced the season we moved to Adams Park. Although I’m sure they were also playing in quarters when we played our final game at Loakes Park so I’m not sure if it was the whole of that final season at Loakes Park they were reintroduced.
That’s fab
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Brings back memories of trips to Murray’s for “pick and mix” from the up and over carousel on the ground floor (honestly I didn’t eat any we hadn’t paid for!), while waiting for the clock to descend from the top floor on the long wire. Then up to the top floor to sit and have coffee from their new espresso machine - it made a wonderful noise as the steam wand heated the milk rising to a crescendo.
Would have been about 60 years ago!
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The quarters were only brought back for that final game at Loakes Park. From when I started watching them in the mid 80’s they played in mainly light-blue shirts and dark blue shorts. One shirt in that time introduced a white stripe across the chest. The quarters were then brought back permanently with the move to Adams Park.
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We’ve worn Oxford and Cambridge Blue, and approximations thereof, for our entire 138 history.
1887-1906 - halves
1906-1912 - stripes
1912-1921 - vests
1922-1929 - stripes
1929-1963 - quarters
1963/64 - stripes
1964-66 - quarters
1966-90 - Cambridge blue
1990-96 - quarters
1996/97 - stripes
1997-2012 - quarters
2012/13 - halves
2013-2026 - quarters
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I am presently reading MON’s book. He claims a ‘return’ to the quarters was his idea.
Before my time ( as young people say on quizzes) but that’s what he says.
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I have read that too, and there is no reason to doubt that as far as I am aware, as he became our manager during that final season at Loakes Park, and it was his contacts that pulled together the opposition team for the last match, in which we wore quarters for the first time since 1960’s.
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I chatted with Alan Hutchinson around the time I worked at the club and he explained to me that he was tasked with sorting out the kit for the final game at Adams Park.
He ensured the shirts were Oxford and Cambridge blue quarters and upon seeing them Martin O’Neill asked why we didn’t wear them as our first-choice kit and ensured we did so upon moving to Adams Park.
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In the early part of our history we played variously in light and dark blue halves, light and dark blue stripes and light and dark blue quarters. In the mid 60s we adopted light blue shirts, dark blue shorts and light blue socks as our kit, you are right we reverted to the quarters when we moved to Adams Park.
We also played in the quarters for the very last game at Loakes Park in 1990
Hope this helps
‘Wycombe ‘Til I Die 1884’. Interesting to see a reverse swan on the cover of that programme.
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At Loakes Park, it was a common practice to open up the top gate just after half time.
If Dreary Dodds was about in those days, there would have been a stampede up lily’s walk, as you would have been able to write off seeing a goal in the 1st half.
I remember the gate being open after half time. I quite often sneaked in during the second half (well, hardly sneaked, the gate was wide open as you said). I also enjoyed the fans changing ends at half time and standing behind the changing rooms listening to the managers shouting at the players. I learnt a lot of industrial language from them. I think I learnt the most from Malcolm Alison. I remember hearing him going crazy in the changing room at half time. I think he was manager at some random club like Fisher Athletic or Merthyr Tydfil.
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I think it was Fisher athletic and we beat them by six goals to one
No wonder he was so annoyed!
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Interesting. As the gates are opened for smokers, drinkers, etc to amble in and out at half time and the disinterested stewards seem unlikely to challenge anyone, I might give up my ST and start just pollng up at half time in my bucket hat and scarf.
Fisher Athletics owner Dogan Arif. was let’s say a rather dubious TurkishCypriot chap, He was arrested shortly before the 6-1 game. A lot of the high profile ex league players they had on their books disappeared rapidly, hence the weak team they had that night.
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I know someone who lives in Sands who’s been doing that for a couple of years. Straight into the Frank Adams, no questions asked.
That’s interesting - there’s been some chairman who have been really interesting characters down the years. Around the same time, Barnet had the infamous Stan Flashman (which has to be the best name ever for a dodgy chairman).
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Stan Flashman was a bit off a hothead and attended most games. He was certainly a ‘hands-on’ chairman and I credit him with helping to dramatically change the future of our club. Glyn Creaser was playing for them and was sent off for a bit of a ‘to do’ with Mark West. Subsequently, Creaser and Stan had an argument and he was then sold to Wycombe a day or so later. At that level, Creaser was the Virgil Van Dyke of non- league football. He was the heart of the Wycombe defence right up to our promotion to the football league. In my time of watching Wycombe (mid 80’s onwards), I believe he has been the most significant signing we have made…thanks Stan!
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Sounds like you were a remarkably precocious five year old, @Twizz.
I was pretty sure I watched the Blues in quarters for at least some of the time between 1968 and 1990. Now I’m not so sure.