3 Games from our history that you could attend again

[1879Rovers]

Games I was at:
Doncaster 3-2 Bristol Rovers JPT Final 2007 -Just a great day, I was too nervous at the play off final.

Doncaster 2-1 Bournemouth Final home game 1980/81 - There to see us promoted and the mass pitch invasion. I was in the Cowsheds and just remember Ian Nimmo scoring the winner in front of us.

Doncaster 1-2 Derby 1976 League Cup - First ever Rovers game and despite losing, I would love to see it as I remember little about it.

Plenty of others I could mention.

Games I wasn't at:
Doncaster 4-3 Man City 1950/51 - My dad often tells me about this game. 3-0 down and came back to win 4-3.

Doncaster 10-0 Darlington 1963/64 - For obvious reasons.

Liverpool 2-2 Doncaster 1973/74 Top of the league v bottom of the whole league at Anfield and we almost won it. Must have been a great atmosphere.

[newyankee]

Bob G

 I think if you look back at the 6-0 game against Fulham, Jimmy Hill scored 4 goals, Bedford Jezzard scored the other two.

[donnymatty]

1. 3-0 vs huddersfield, first game at keepmoat
2. 1-0 vs forest, last game at belle vue
3. 3-0 vs aston villa in carling cup

[newyankee]

Sorry Bob G, we are both wrong Hill scored 5 Jezzard just the one.

[Danum Dog]

Some great games mentioned here. Thanks for the memories. Yes I still remember the 10-0 against Darlo but I still can't beleive nobody has mentioned 7-0 against Aldershot. They were top of the league and we were 2nd. Before the game we were working out how can we go top? Yes we can if we beat them 5-0 but that couldn't happen to a team at the top of the league. I even remember walking into town and a guy asked me how Rovers had gone on. "7-0" I replied and he clipped me around
 the ears and called me a cheeky so and so.

[newyankee]

Amongst many games which stand out, there is one which has always stuck in my mind.  It was a 4th Division game against Exeter at Belle Vue. It was a typical end of season game with nothing to make yopu remember it.  That was until the 80th minute when King Alick scored with a shot from 30 yards. Within the last ten minutes he had scored another two from around the same spot.

 The game ended 3-0 to Rovers, but only the last ten minutes are etched in my memory.   

   RIP King Alick.

[andysly]

In truth there's been so many, my top 3 could change totally from one day to the next.
The obvious cup finals and giant killing games are always going to amongst people's favourites.

This season, for me the sheer drama of the late win at Shrewsbury would take some beating, having said that we've done it more than once this season.

[silent majority]

Amongst many games which stand out, there is one which has always stuck in my mind.  It was a 4th Division game against Exeter at Belle Vue. It was a typical end of season game with nothing to make yopu remember it.  That was until the 80th minute when King Alick scored with a shot from 30 yards. Within the last ten minutes he had scored another two from around the same spot.

 The game ended 3-0 to Rovers, but only the last ten minutes are etched in my memory.   

   RIP King Alick.

I remember that game too! Well, when I say remember I really meant the hat-trick and the opposition, apart from that its all a blur.

[Donnybax]

Mansfield Away- that will always be the best ever away game.
Southend at home in play off semi
Leyton Orient away first game back in football league

This season it would be Stevenage away

[Al4475]

Stoke
Stoke and
Stoke!
LOL
Most important day in our History in my opinion!

[walter the red]

Yes,the Liverpool 2-2 (73/74) Think Peter Kitchen hit the bar with virtually last kick of the game ?
Also the 10-0 win over Darlington (did the great Alfie Hale score 4 ?)
The play off at Wembley against Leeds-what a day !!!!
Too many memories to list but those 3 (and of cause the Mansfield match ) stand out for me .
PS-can anyone confirm the attendance at the Darlington game as around 20,000 -or am i confusing it with the other time we played Darlington -think we lost 1-0 (please put me right if i mixed up )

[Cramby10]

out of curiosity ,does anyone remember kettering away? hammering down it was. i actually dont remember the score but we won. duerden scored one of his first few goals for us. he'd had a few stinkers until then but went on a scoring run after that. at the final whistle glynn snodin was celebrating as if we'd won the league whilst pointing at duerden telling us he's the man.
Then leek town away in the hammering rain again? think we won 1-0? tony daley played for them. it was one of the most primitive grounds ive visited. as was the place for that matter. it made me realised just how far we'd fallen. good times though. i strangely enjoyed it.

[Filo]

out of curiosity ,does anyone remember kettering away? hammering down it was. i actually dont remember the score but we won. duerden scored one of his first few goals for us. he'd had a few stinkers until then but went on a scoring run after that. at the final whistle glynn snodin was celebrating as if we'd won the league whilst pointing at duerden telling us he's the man.
Then leek town away in the hammering rain again? think we won 1-0? tony daley played for them. it was one of the most primitive grounds ive visited. as was the place for that matter. it made me realised just how far we'd fallen. good times though. i strangely enjoyed it.

Tony Daley played for Forest Green Rovers

[Dutch Uncle]

Yes,the Liverpool 2-2 (73/74) Think Peter Kitchen hit the bar with virtually last kick of the game ?
Also the 10-0 win over Darlington (did the great Alfie Hale score 4 ?)
The play off at Wembley against Leeds-what a day !!!!
Too many memories to list but those 3 (and of cause the Mansfield match ) stand out for me .
PS-can anyone confirm the attendance at the Darlington game as around 20,000 -or am i confusing it with the other time we played Darlington -think we lost 1-0 (please put me right if i mixed up )

Hi Walter

The 22268 attendance for a Darlo match was in 1968-9 when we lost 1-0; there were only 6150 present for the 10-0 match in 1963-4. However there were good attendances for all the Darlo Home matches in the intervening seasons, namely 14103 in 1964-5 for a 6-3 Rovers win, 15572 in 1965-6 for another 6-3 win, 14207 in 1966-7 for a 0-4 defeat and 12660 in 1967-8 for a distinctly goalshy 2-1 win.

[donnievic]

Bobg got me thinking there when mention the 5-1 home win against Exeter,how about the 5-1 away win against in about 93?? Maybe year is do out when I think we were 4-0 up at half time and then having either Roche or Brandon sent off,if it was the game with Brandon getting stick from the home fans for being fat?remember him lifting his top up to which they cheered then the red showed him a 2nd yellow

[Cramby10]

out of curiosity ,does anyone remember kettering away? hammering down it was. i actually dont remember the score but we won. duerden scored one of his first few goals for us. he'd had a few stinkers until then but went on a scoring run after that. at the final whistle glynn snodin was celebrating as if we'd won the league whilst pointing at duerden telling us he's the man.
Then leek town away in the hammering rain again? think we won 1-0? tony daley played for them. it was one of the most primitive grounds ive visited. as was the place for that matter. it made me realised just how far we'd fallen. good times though. i strangely enjoyed it.

Tony Daley played for Forest Green Rovers

quite right. must have dreamt it. think it may have been tony agana i was thinking of.

[CusworthRovers]

Some cracking moments in the DRFC timeline there.

To add another as to be Derby away and our introduction to the big boys of Prem 2. It was a fantastic feeling waking up, travelling, seeing the top draw stadium, seeing a huge home crowd expecting their Premiership club to give us a mauling, seeing a very nervy, apprehensive yet large and vocal Rovers support, and then the mighty Rovers taking them apart, putting 2 fingers up and urinating over the hierarchy of that league.

That day always warms the cockles up

[wilts rover]

I must say I am suprised that no-one has put our first ever game back when Albert Perkins and the boys trotted out in home made kits back in 1873. What were the rules? What was the play like? I wonder was anyone actually watching? And whatever achievements we go into with our next European campaign - there will only ever be one first ever game.

Then the first game at Belle Vue after they jacked up and moved the stand from Bennethorpe, imagine if you played your part in creating your own ground and seeing the first game there.

And finally Wembley. As this time I wont think it is a good idea to go off for a cup of tea at the end of half-time as the queues will be shorter......

[Prez]

Im going to mention 3 less obvious choices

1. Wigan away in the LDV 88-89 (i think) quarter final, we won 2-1 in extra time, when we got the winner loads of Rovers fans slid and fell on the mud bank at Springfield Park, we were caked in mud but didnt care!

2. Bruno Jones hat-trick at Rochdale on his debut, gave us long suffering fans, that there may be at last success on the horizon.

3 Chester away in the F.A CUP.Around 1989 This game was played at Macclesfield, we were 2-0 down but Rankine equalised in injury time to send us in to raptures! Needless to say we lost the replay 2-1.

[RedArmy]

If I could have one more (obvious ones aside) Id go for Rochdale in 2004 when Albrighton scored in last minute to make it 1-1. Madness!

Bloody hell, the albrighton equaliser has anyone got a video off that?! would love to see it once more went crazy!

[The Red Baron]

I must say I am suprised that no-one has put our first ever game back when Albert Perkins and the boys trotted out in home made kits back in 1873. What were the rules? What was the play like? I wonder was anyone actually watching? And whatever achievements we go into with our next European campaign - there will only ever be one first ever game.

Then the first game at Belle Vue after they jacked up and moved the stand from Bennethorpe, imagine if you played your part in creating your own ground and seeing the first game there.

And finally Wembley. As this time I wont think it is a good idea to go off for a cup of tea at the end of half-time as the queues will be shorter......

Albert Perkins, indeed! And if you went back to 1873 you'd be six years too early.

[RedJ]

I must say I am suprised that no-one has put our first ever game back when Albert Perkins and the boys trotted out in home made kits back in 1873. What were the rules? What was the play like? I wonder was anyone actually watching? And whatever achievements we go into with our next European campaign - there will only ever be one first ever game.

Then the first game at Belle Vue after they jacked up and moved the stand from Bennethorpe, imagine if you played your part in creating your own ground and seeing the first game there.

And finally Wembley. As this time I wont think it is a good idea to go off for a cup of tea at the end of half-time as the queues will be shorter......

Albert Perkins, indeed! And if you went back to 1873 you'd be six years too early.

I thought we started unofficially in 1873 too. Can't remember where I read it but I'm sure there's somewhere that says something along them lines.

[wilts rover]

out of curiosity ,does anyone remember kettering away? hammering down it was. i actually dont remember the score but we won. duerden scored one of his first few goals for us. he'd had a few stinkers until then but went on a scoring run after that. at the final whistle glynn snodin was celebrating as if we'd won the league whilst pointing at duerden telling us he's the man.
Then leek town away in the hammering rain again? think we won 1-0? tony daley played for them. it was one of the most primitive grounds ive visited. as was the place for that matter. it made me realised just how far we'd fallen. good times though. i strangely enjoyed it.

Was that the time that someone opened a gate and a load of the away fans got in for free?

[The Red Baron]

Three I was at:

1. Wembley 2008. Loved every minute (I was too nervous at Stoke).
2. Villa Carling Cup 2005. The sheer joy of giving a "big time" Premier League side a sound thrashing.
3. Rovers 3 Bristol Rovers 1 November 1969. I don't remember much about my first game, other than the size and noise of the crowd. I'd love to see whether it really was that impressive and also how good the game actually was.

Three I wish I'd been at:

1. Liverpool away FA Cup 1974.
2. Rovers 10 Darlington 0 1964. The most I've seen us score in a game is seven. I'd love to have seen that one.
3. Rovers 3 Burslem Port Vale 3. September 1901. Rovers first game in the football league, and by all accounts something of a cracker.

[gillinghamrover]

Leyton Orient away- first game back in the league. Boiling hot day and a Leo-Fortune West brace to boot.
Dagenham @Stoke- joy, horror, despair, jubulance( Thank you Sir Franny!) tears!
Weeds@wemberrrly- euphoric, to beat them despite all and sundry writing us off, we were only there to make up the numbers- We are a pub team having a laugh!

[wilts rover]

I must say I am suprised that no-one has put our first ever game back when Albert Perkins and the boys trotted out in home made kits back in 1873. What were the rules? What was the play like? I wonder was anyone actually watching? And whatever achievements we go into with our next European campaign - there will only ever be one first ever game.

Then the first game at Belle Vue after they jacked up and moved the stand from Bennethorpe, imagine if you played your part in creating your own ground and seeing the first game there.

And finally Wembley. As this time I wont think it is a good idea to go off for a cup of tea at the end of half-time as the queues will be shorter......

Albert Perkins, indeed! And if you went back to 1873 you'd be six years too early.

Oh really..............

[The Red Baron]

There were various teams called "Doncaster" in the period before 1879. However, none of them can claim a link to the team formed by workers at the Plant. The "Belle Vue Grounds" were in the area now occupied by the Nuttall Homes and were played on by Rovers from 1920-22 and also on occasions before they moved to Intake Farm.

I don't know if your article makes it clear which code the "Doncaster v York" game was played, but it may have been under association rules, rugby rules or a mixture of the two!

[wilts rover]

Yes TRB, thats why I would like to have gone to a match back then, probably nothing at all like footie these days

I should have put the link on, its the British Newspaper Library Newspaper search site

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/advanced

[Lesonthewest]

Ignoring the obvious promotion & final games.

1. The 7-0 demolition of promotion rivals Aldershot in the sixties, complete performance.

2. The 2-1 defeating of Hull City in the league cup in the 70s, one of those special Belle Vue nights that was.

3. The 5-4 victory over Dover was special for the sheer drama, whatever the opposition or league it was.

[hoolahoop]

Again ignoring the big 3 games, I would add the following :-

1) The replay against Liverpool in '74 where everyone sneaked out of school for the day and filled OBV in the 'winter of discontent'. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife as the Bindippers were at that time the best team in the world.
2) The Boxing Day Massacre of the Florists in their own back yard 3 seasons ago. Never liked them and it was great to wreck the Christmases for all those Scabs .
3) The semi-final of the P/offs against Sarfend , now that day the KM did rock and shows it can be done