Viking Supporters Co-operative
Viking Chat => Viking Chat => Topic started by: dickos1 on August 14, 2025, 10:48:02 am
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We won our first 4 games of the season?
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Not this century
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In the league (not including cup competitions) the last time we won even the first 3 games was 1994-95 (and we drew and lost a 2-leg League Cup tie, so no wins there)
Our longest winning streak in the league from a season start is 5 in 1990-91 and 1946-47, the only other two seasons we have won the first three. So in only 3 out of 98 League and Conference seasons have we won our first three league games.
Edit: In 2002-03 (the season we won promotion from the Conference) we won the first 2, drew the third, and won the next 4. That draw was the famous match at Telford where we were 4-0 up at half time and drew 4-4. IIRC Telford had a man sent off as well, although very late on.
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In the league (not including cup competitions) the last time we won even the first 3 games was 1994-95 (and we drew and lost a 2-leg League Cup tie, so no wins there)
Our longest winning streak in the league from a season start is 5 in 1990-91 and 1946-47, the only other two seasons we have won the first three. So in only 3 out of 98 League and Conference seasons have we won our first three league games.
Edit: In 2002-03 (the season we won promotion from the Conference) we won the first 2, drew the third, and won the next 4. That draw was the famous match at Telford where we were 4-0 up at half time and drew 4-4. IIRC Telford had a man sent off as well, although very late on.
1994/95 was generally a fantastic season under the wonderful Sammy Chung but notable also that for the first six league games we conceded a grand total of zero goals.
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IIRC it started to unravel when we sold Jamie Lawrence. We were looking good for auto promotion (34 points from the first 16 matches) and we ended up missing the playoffs.
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From memory after winning the first 5 league games in 90/91, did we then lose the next 5? Pretty sure we did.
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We won our first 4 games of the season?
When did we last win 4-0 with 11 changes from the previous game? I doubt whether we've actually ever done so and only in the modern era would clubs have the squad numbers to make such wholesale changes. In terms of credibility (or should I say incredibility?), it must rank alongside the winning run we had in the Penny-era League Cup. Perhaps the 10-0 v Darlington does just about come into it too, but I think I'd still plump for Tuesday's result.
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IIRC it started to unravel when we sold Jamie Lawrence. We were looking good for auto promotion (34 points from the first 16 matches) and we ended up missing the playoffs.
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-3/22-november-1994/
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From memory after winning the first 5 league games in 90/91, did we then lose the next 5? Pretty sure we did.
Lost the next 4 on the bounce.
https://www.11v11.com/teams/doncaster-rovers/tab/matches/season/1991/
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From memory after winning the first 5 league games in 90/91, did we then lose the next 5? Pretty sure we did.
Lost the next 4 on the bounce.
https://www.11v11.com/teams/doncaster-rovers/tab/matches/season/1991/
I think the career ending injury to Dave 'Bruno' Jones in those early games had a lot to do with the loss of form
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From memory after winning the first 5 league games in 90/91, did we then lose the next 5? Pretty sure we did.
Lost the next 4 on the bounce.
https://www.11v11.com/teams/doncaster-rovers/tab/matches/season/1991/
I think the career ending injury to Dave 'Bruno' Jones in those early games had a lot to do with the loss of form
Absolutely, DU. The next game after those 5 wins was York City away. I was there that day. We were top of the league with 15 points; York were bottom with 1 point, but they'd only played 2 games, having abandoned one game, when David Longhurst collapsed and died on the field, and having to postpone the next two. Apparently, the bucket collection from Rovers fans that day was very generous.
In the game itself, we were toothless up front without Bruno, despite the presence of John Muir. By contrast, York had a giant up front called Keith Helliwell, and a midfield maestro called Tony Canham, who ripped us apart.
They ended up pumping us 3-1.
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IIRC it started to unravel when we sold Jamie Lawrence. We were looking good for auto promotion (34 points from the first 16 matches) and we ended up missing the playoffs.
That was definitely a driver, Dutch. We peaked in many ways at the Huddersfield FA Cup game which was a real contest but ruined after Jim Parker sent off David Roche in the first half. Selling Chris Swailes in March was also a problem. Still though went on in mid April to nail Scunny 5-0 away in a very memorable match. One for the ages.
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IIRC it started to unravel when we sold Jamie Lawrence. We were looking good for auto promotion (34 points from the first 16 matches) and we ended up missing the playoffs.
That was definitely a driver, Dutch. We peaked in many ways at the Huddersfield FA Cup game which was a real contest but ruined after Jim Parker sent off David Roche in the first half. Selling Chris Swailes in March was also a problem. Still though went on in mid April to nail Scunny 5-0 away in a very memorable match. One for the ages.
That Huddersfield cup game was one of the wildest moments in the 50 + years I've been going to games. Derby mid 70s,dogs let of the leash at the back of the kop,sheff u in the league cup in 79ish when the away end emptied and brawling all over the place. Millwall at home 82ish,Lincoln 84/5ish. However Huddersfield was different. It felt like something had been brewing up for years. Every pub got closed after the game,and police were attacked all over the centre. I saw a lad light something, throw it at a group of 6 or 7 police. They were blown of their feet. The next thing they were getting run out the Nags head by blokes hitting them with metal bar stools.
Time to get out of town at that point. Ended up in the Crown(gay pub)? Near the old art college/multi carpark to find it full of Rovers fans with the same idea
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If David Roche hadn't been kneecapped he could have been some player
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IIRC it started to unravel when we sold Jamie Lawrence. We were looking good for auto promotion (34 points from the first 16 matches) and we ended up missing the playoffs.
That was definitely a driver, Dutch. We peaked in many ways at the Huddersfield FA Cup game which was a real contest but ruined after Jim Parker sent off David Roche in the first half. Selling Chris Swailes in March was also a problem. Still though went on in mid April to nail Scunny 5-0 away in a very memorable match. One for the ages.
That Huddersfield cup game was one of the wildest moments in the 50 + years I've been going to games. Derby mid 70s,dogs let of the leash at the back of the kop,sheff u in the league cup in 79ish when the away end emptied and brawling all over the place. Millwall at home 82ish,Lincoln 84/5ish. However Huddersfield was different. It felt like something had been brewing up for years. Every pub got closed after the game,and police were attacked all over the centre. I saw a lad light something, throw it at a group of 6 or 7 police. They were blown of their feet. The next thing they were getting run out the Nags head by blokes hitting them with metal bar stools.
Time to get out of town at that point. Ended up in the Crown(gay pub)? Near the old art college/multi carpark to find it full of Rovers fans with the same idea
Remember it being biggest crowd we had in Belle Vue for years. Must have been close to 10k. Weather was fairly grim and got dark about half way through first half. Proper Yorkshire cup derby game. They had Booth and Jepson upfront. Graeme Jones scored a superb free kick as consolation.
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Surely he was some player IR?
That whole midfield, Parrish, Brabin and Roche is still one of the two best Rovers midfield I've ever seen. Renember Exeter away!
BobG
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If David Roche hadn't been kneecapped he could have been some player
Think he was sold so he could get away from some bad lads. Obviously didn’t work. That midfield of Roche, Parish, Brabin, Schofield, Lawrence and Harper was unstoppable.
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We had a fantastic start that 90’s season only us and Liverpool were unbeaten for that period, we had the flash in the pan Jonny Muir up front with Bruno alongside.
I kept thinking this would be the season i finally see us promoted, alas we fell very slowly away.
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I will never, ever forget that match away at Exeter. 5-1 to us in the end. Would have been nearer 8 or 9 if Graeme Jones hadn't got himself stupidly sent off at the start of the second half. Even when you remember Stock, Coppinger and Wellens I've never seen a midfield so utterly dominant as Roche, Parrish and Brabin were that day. They were a very, very fine Rovers midfield.
BobG
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We had a fantastic start that 90’s season only us and Liverpool were unbeaten for that period, we had the flash in the pan Jonny Muir up front with Bruno alongside.
I kept thinking this would be the season i finally see us promoted, alas we fell very slowly away.
That was a great start to the season. Was that the period that we had Eddie Gormley and John Stiles too?
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I think so Herbert, although my memory is hazy.
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I will never, ever forget that match away at Exeter. 5-1 to us in the end. Would have been nearer 8 or 9 if Graeme Jones hadn't got himself stupidly sent off at the start of the second half. Even when you remember Stock, Coppinger and Wellens I've never seen a midfield so utterly dominant as Roche, Parrish and Brabin were that day. They were a very, very fine Rovers midfield.
BobG
Think it was Warren Hackett who got sent off away at Exeter City.
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Remember going to York City searching for our fifth straight win and it was the game after the sad passing of David Longhurst and I remember there was a bucket collection for his family & it somehow felt fitting York won that day in memory of their fallen player.
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Remember going to York City searching for our fifth straight win and it was the game after the sad passing of David Longhurst and I remember there was a bucket collection for his family & it somehow felt fitting York won that day in memory of their fallen player.
We'd already won 5 before the York game, BR, as I alluded to in my earlier post about the game.
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No CBCB. The 5-1 match it was Graeme Jones who was sent off - early in the second half I believe. 5th November 1994.
BobG
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Remember going to York City searching for our fifth straight win and it was the game after the sad passing of David Longhurst and I remember there was a bucket collection for his family & it somehow felt fitting York won that day in memory of their fallen player.
I’m pretty sure that the cover of the programme for the game at York had a photograph of David Longhurst from the game against Lincoln in which he passed away. I remember this affected me quite a bit.
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No CBCB. The 5-1 match it was Graeme Jones who was sent off - early in the second half I believe. 5th November 1994.
BobG
Actually checking the record, it was David Roche sent off.
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IIRC it started to unravel when we sold Jamie Lawrence. We were looking good for auto promotion (34 points from the first 16 matches) and we ended up missing the playoffs.
That was definitely a driver, Dutch. We peaked in many ways at the Huddersfield FA Cup game which was a real contest but ruined after Jim Parker sent off David Roche in the first half. Selling Chris Swailes in March was also a problem. Still though went on in mid April to nail Scunny 5-0 away in a very memorable match. One for the ages.
That Huddersfield cup game was one of the wildest moments in the 50 + years I've been going to games. Derby mid 70s,dogs let of the leash at the back of the kop,sheff u in the league cup in 79ish when the away end emptied and brawling all over the place. Millwall at home 82ish,Lincoln 84/5ish. However Huddersfield was different. It felt like something had been brewing up for years. Every pub got closed after the game,and police were attacked all over the centre. I saw a lad light something, throw it at a group of 6 or 7 police. They were blown of their feet. The next thing they were getting run out the Nags head by blokes hitting them with metal bar stools.
Time to get out of town at that point. Ended up in the Crown(gay pub)? Near the old art college/multi carpark to find it full of Rovers fans with the same idea
Some memories there! The walk into town after the Huddersfield game was treacherous with battles breaking out all the way up Bennethorpe. I was on the train station with the Huddersfield fans after the game and they were like the walking wounded. A big group of Rovers fans then stormed into the old concourse and it all went off again.
A couple of years after the Millwall game I worked with one of their fans on the building sites who’d been involved in the ‘entertainment’ with the Rovers fans that day and spoke very highly of them. He was quite a lunatic.
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No CBCB. The 5-1 match it was Graeme Jones who was sent off - early in the second half I believe. 5th November 1994.
BobG
Actually checking the record, it was David Roche sent off.
Ha!!! Better than Hackett but I still think it was Graeme Jones. I haven't found a website that can help though. Mind you I'm starting to wonder if the date I gave is wrong!
Oh well. It doesn't matter. The point was how good that Parrish, Brabin & Roche midfield was.
Cheers!
BobG
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No CBCB. The 5-1 match it was Graeme Jones who was sent off - early in the second half I believe. 5th November 1994.
BobG
Actually checking the record, it was David Roche sent off.
Ha!!! Better than Hackett but I still think it was Graeme Jones. I haven't found a website that can help though. Mind you I'm starting to wonder if the date I gave is wrong!
Oh well. It doesn't matter. The point was how good that Parrish, Brabin & Roche midfield was.
Cheers!
BobG
I remember a pal of mine phoning me from a telephone booth in a nightclub in Hull (remember those days?) to tell me that one of our midfielders was working on the door! Turns out it was Brabin!
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What a great read this thread turned into!
Some fantastic anecdotes fellas
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Minutes silence for Denno today?
Better an hour before or after kick off! :lol: