Match of the day

[roversdude]

just seen a list on FB of all the teams to feature on Match of the Day
Even the Met Police are on there but zero appearances for Rovers
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GR4Mc9dpJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[Janso]

The highlights show? as we've definitely been on MOTD live coverage, we beat Sheffield United 2-0.

[donnievic]

just seen a list on FB of all the teams to feature on Match of the Day
Even the Met Police are on there but zero appearances for Rovers
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GR4Mc9dpJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

sure we was on highlights show when we got beat by Halifax at home in cup

[roversdude]

Thought it strange

[Surrey Rover]

just seen a list on FB of all the teams to feature on Match of the Day
Even the Met Police are on there but zero appearances for Rovers
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GR4Mc9dpJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

sure we was on highlights show when we got beat by Halifax at home in cup

We were, November 1999. The late Tony Gubba was the commentator.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk1l54mW2OE&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD

[Sven Vath]

Wasn't a 0-0 with Portsmouth, mid 80s on MOTD ?

[tingleyrover]

I’m sure we were live on MOTD in the FA Cup a few seasons ago v Crystal Palace.

[essexrover]

I’m sure we were live on MOTD in the FA Cup a few seasons ago v Crystal Palace.

And away to West Ham when Moore was in charge.

[IDM]

Wasn't a 0-0 with Portsmouth, mid 80s on MOTD ?

No that was the local ITV highlights programme.  The usual pre match majorette band stood in front of the players tunnel so they would get on the telly, and then Young Snod spent most of the game on the pop side touchline to show off closest to the camera..

[andysly]

And definitely when we beat QPR in 85

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I think the point is we've never been a feature game for bread and butter league matches on the main Saturday night programme.

Growing up Match of the Day featured one main match, which wasn't exclusive to the top tier, and brief highlights of two others from any division.

We featured on YTVs Sunday Soccer a few times, but no where near enough as we were generally sh*te during the 70s & 80s.

[Draytonian III]

Away to Huddersfield 75/6
Home to Portsmouth 79/80 ???

[ForsolongaRover]

West Ham United 1 : Rovers 1 which was in the late 50s - confirmed online as 1957 and Eddie McMorran was the scorer (I’m pretty sure).

[VivaRovers]

West Ham United 1 : Rovers 1 which was in the late 50s - confirmed online as 1957 and Eddie McMorran was the scorer (I’m pretty sure).

I'd say it's a long shot that this game featured on Match of the Day given it's seven years before the programme first aired.

As has been stated above, the only time Rovers have been the featured highlights game on BBC's Saturday night Match of the Day is that 1999 FA Cup 1st round tie against Halifax.

[scawsby steve]

Away to Huddersfield 75/6
Home to Portsmouth 79/80 ???

The Huddersfield game was on ITV on the Sunday afternoon, Drayt. I remember watching it. We won 2-1 with goals from Alan Murray and Brendan O' Callaghan.

[wilts rover]

The Kettering FA Cup match last year was a featured Match of the Day fixture?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0025nfz

I notice the link in the OP has been taken down.

[ForsolongaRover]

West Ham United 1 : Rovers 1 which was in the late 50s - confirmed online as 1957 and Eddie McMorran was the scorer (I’m pretty sure).

I'd say it's a long shot that this game featured on Match of the Day given it's seven years before the programme first aired.

As has been stated above, the only time Rovers have been the featured highlights game on BBC's Saturday night Match of the Day is that 1999 FA Cup 1st round tie against Halifax.

Interesting observation VR. I’ve always remembered this game in black and white and Kenneth Wolstenholme was the commentator. The following verifies the existence of such highlights. It is from Wikipedia: “ The BBC, meanwhile, started showing brief five-minute highlights of matches on its Saturday night Sports Special programme from 10 September 1955 until its cancellation in 1963. The first games featured were both from the First Division – Luton Town v Newcastle United and Charlton Athletic v Everton. Kenneth Wolstenholme and Cliff Michelmore were the commentators.”
Perhaps not strictly “Match of the Day”, but an historical equivalent and conceivably worth a mention as possibly the first televised Rovers league match.

[VivaRovers]

...The following verifies the existence of such highlights. It is from Wikipedia: “ The BBC, meanwhile, started showing brief five-minute highlights of matches on its Saturday night Sports Special programme from 10 September 1955 until its cancellation in 1963. The first games featured were both from the First Division – Luton Town v Newcastle United and Charlton Athletic v Everton. Kenneth Wolstenholme and Cliff Michelmore were the commentators.”
Perhaps not strictly “Match of the Day”, but an historical equivalent and conceivably worth a mention as possibly the first televised Rovers league match.

No, that only verifies the existence of the programme, Sports Special. But not that this West Ham vs Doncaster match was featured on it. There's no mention of the game being televised in the match programme, or in the Radio Times listings for 19 October 1957, sadly.

Be interesting if it was, as I've never seen or heard any reference to it before.

[Branton Red]

just seen a list on FB of all the teams to feature on Match of the Day
Even the Met Police are on there but zero appearances for Rovers
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GR4Mc9dpJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

sure we was on highlights show when we got beat by Halifax at home in cup

We were, November 1999. The late Tony Gubba was the commentator.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk1l54mW2OE&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD

A typical Jamie Paterson goal for Halifax.

The highlights there don't show a hideous headed miss from Mike Newell, I seem to recall from that game, from a brilliant Simon Marples cross at the Rosso End.

Being on MoTD allowed us to swear at Newell's incompetence all over again later in the evening as it was replayed several times with pictures from the TV camera which had been placed on a temporary platform at the far end of the terracing on the Pop side near to where I used to stand.

[ForsolongaRover]

...The following verifies the existence of such highlights. It is from Wikipedia: “ The BBC, meanwhile, started showing brief five-minute highlights of matches on its Saturday night Sports Special programme from 10 September 1955 until its cancellation in 1963. The first games featured were both from the First Division – Luton Town v Newcastle United and Charlton Athletic v Everton. Kenneth Wolstenholme and Cliff Michelmore were the commentators.”
Perhaps not strictly “Match of the Day”, but an historical equivalent and conceivably worth a mention as possibly the first televised Rovers league match.

No, that only verifies the existence of the programme, Sports Special. But not that this West Ham vs Doncaster match was featured on it. There's no mention of the game being televised in the match programme, or in the Radio Times listings for 19 October 1957, sadly.

Be interesting if it was, as I've never seen or heard any reference to it before.

I suppose that if there is to be an argument VR - and I wonder why peoples’ honest recollections have to be challenged rather than noted - I would cite the archives to which you refer and looking at the page in the “Radio Times” featuring the equivalent programme for the following week, none of the matches that were to be featured were specified.

So the facts about the match are that it took place on 16 March 1957 (when I was 16 years old). The Radio Times archive was useful, but I couldn’t get an image of the page in question, but for the week following, 23 March 1957, there was a listing of the equivalent programme which simply informed readers that (unspecified) matches played on the day in question would be featured. So, there is likely to be no evidence to prove  that the match at the Boleyn Ground/Upton Park was NOT featured on the equivalent programme the previous week. And you VR, rather imply that based on “the listing” that I am mistaken, implying that the “listing” actually specified which matches would be included when it never did at that time. That rather misleads the reader I think. So perhaps you might acknowledge that the balance of probability falls on my side. Why would I make it up? You may be too young to remember too that when the BBC began live sound commentary on Saturday matches the match was not revealed until after Kick Off.

Perhaps it is inappropriate to be emotional, but this is one of my long-term memories of Rovers and I am somewhat hurt that someone comes along, 68 years after the event, and tries to prove me wrong.

[VivaRovers]

I suppose that if there is to be an argument VR - and I wonder why peoples’ honest recollections have to be challenged rather than noted...

Apologies Forsolonga, but I think you've taken my response the wrong way.

I was trying to find something that backed up your recollection, because, as I said, I've never heard anyone mention this Rovers game being televised before, so I'm really intrigued as to whether something concrete exists that makes reference to it. Hence me digging about online on old tv listings and programmes.

[ForsolongaRover]

I suppose that if there is to be an argument VR - and I wonder why peoples’ honest recollections have to be challenged rather than noted...

Apologies Forsolonga, but I think you've taken my response the wrong way.

I was trying to find something that backed up your recollection, because, as I said, I've never heard anyone mention this Rovers game being televised before, so I'm really intrigued as to whether something concrete exists that makes reference to it. Hence me digging about online on old tv listings and programmes.

Thanks VR - apology accepted. It’s a minor detail in history, but I can see it now in my memory - the angle of the camera, almost over-looking the touchline with just a couple of yards between the crowd and the pitch and of course the fuzzy black and white images. My recollections of Eddie McMorran was of a well-built, broad-chested man with dark wavy hair who I think wore number 10.
And of course, you had to concentrate more in those days because if you missed the goals there were no “Action Replays” on TV back then! And there were no pundits either.

[DMnumber4]

Were Rovers not one of the main games for the FA Cup Round One defeat at Scarborough back in 2003?

[Monolith No. 9]

West Ham United 1 : Rovers 1 which was in the late 50s - confirmed online as 1957 and Eddie McMorran was the scorer (I’m pretty sure).

I'd say it's a long shot that this game featured on Match of the Day given it's seven years before the programme first aired.

As has been stated above, the only time Rovers have been the featured highlights game on BBC's Saturday night Match of the Day is that 1999 FA Cup 1st round tie against Halifax.

I well remember BBC’s coverage of that Halifax game. Steve Rider was the Grandstand anchor that day. I think he was presenting from a nice, lush golf course when he did a link to a pre match chat at Belle Vue. I can’t remember his exact words but gesturing to the wooded area around him was something along the lines of ‘so let’s go from here to the less than salubrious setting of Doncaster’.

I was furious. Patronising git. I actually wrote a letter of complaint to the BBC. I got a worthless reply back saying that ‘no insult was intended’…er, I think it was intended. Prat.