One of my favourite smells to this day is cigarette smoke wafting on a cool autumn day.
I smell it and it instantly takes me back to Loakes Park and the aroma drifting up to the Gasworks or Hospital end.
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On that note, I give you stale urine, when I get a whiff off that it takes me back to the piss troughs at the gasworks end and behind the mainstand.
New çlub sponsors Wiffaway, would have had their work cut out, to make the Loakes Troughs smell pleasant.
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I remember on one occasion at a match at Slough’s old Wexham Park (?) ground, leaning on the rail a couple of yards from the touchline and being almost overcome with the smell of liniment. I think in those days every player must have applied it.
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Does that mean you were at games such as…
St Albans City (H) W4–1 FAAC4 - Feb 1950
Bishop Auckland (Griffin Park) L1-2 FAACSF - March 1950
Bishop Auckland (Belle Vue) L0-1 FAACSF - March 1955
Corinthian Casuals (Highbury) W4-2 FAACSF - March 1957
Corinthian Casuals (H) W3-2 IL May 1957?
If so, I am insanely jealous
Did men not Poop in the 1950’s with crowds often in 5 figures.
There was only two ‘Traps’ in the whole ground at Loakes. Did the diet of stout and woodbines stop you shitting ? Or was their a skill to unload a log, and let it drop down through the leg of the spacious slacks.
No one has ever managed to give me a reasonable account of how these vast crowds had a number two !!
Maybe they ‘dropped the kids off at the pool’ before they went to the game?
I’ve watched lots of shit at AP, never done one though.
As a matter of fact I was at all the games you mention/ I had my own sporting activities but somehow managed to be free to attend on those dates. The last one on your list I take to be the one at which Frank Adams presented the ground to the club.
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Before there were any changing rooms on The Rye, teams changed in the upstairs back room at The Nags Head opposite. That stank of lina ment and probably permeated down into the bars below.
40 years of watching the game in-person and I’ve never sat on the throne at a game. I’d have to be gravely ill to even consider it.
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Given that you’ve said in the past you often eat at grounds as well you’ve either lived a charmed life or have a cast-iron constitution
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A friend of mine involuntary deficated through sheer excitement after each of Sir Matts two goals at that memorable Trophy Semi final at Gander Green Lane.
The 1st time his under crackers came to the rescue, before being deposed off in the Sutton toilets, the 2nd time not so lucky. So whilst thousands jigged and danced on the pitch to celebrate reaching Wembley again. Poor old Jimbo had to do the penguin walk back to our mini bus.
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Football grounds do seem to be the place good food goes to die. Went to a game abroad not long ago in a real foodie hotspot city where it’s almost impossible to get bad food, game played in a fairly new stadium too but the ability to reduce a burger into a flavourless dry mush and then charge the best part of ten quid for it is unparalleled.
I always loved my season ticket at Loakes Park (perhaps it was Adams Park). It was like a book of vouchers for the 21 home games in the season. The printing costs must have added up to almost the cost of the season ticket…well it certainly did for me as some old boy used to give me a session ticket each year for delivering his papers.