What is your favourite moment experienced in our history?

[Donnywolf]

Weird though it may seem one of my greatest Rovers memories was not even a goal or a win. In fact we lost the game 7-2. It was v Spurs at White Hart Lane in the League Cup quarter final when Chris Balderstone hit an absolute screamer from 25 yards out that was destined for the top left hand corner and would have put us 3-2 up. Pat Jennings who was probably the only keeper in the land at the time who could have saved it palmed it over the bar.

I agree with all of that and have said the same about Balderstones shot , except I always think in my memory that Jennings actually caught and held it

Maybe others can help but either way the game and that save were memorable for sure

[knockers]

Towelgate the other year for me 

[selby]

  All the moments mentioned have memories and I include watching supporters holding the sit down on the pitch protesting at our lowest ebb wondering if we would have a team to watch in the future.
  On the field one I am probably the only one to go with it a late penalty by Albert Broadbent at Notts County I think in a replay in the cup , the county keeper was Smith who always played well against us.
 
 

[BillyStubbsTears]

Always and never to be beaten, that moment in the Conf playoff 2nd leg, with 2-3 minutes to go where Dave Cameron let fly a rocket right into the top corner.

The author Bill Buford coined the term "Dead Time" for that instant between the ball being struck and the ball hitting the back of the net. Is it a goal or not? Are hopes dashed or do they survive?

It's a fraction of a second. Almost to quick to register. But in that game at Chester, my entire life as a Rovers fan flashed before my eyes. Absolute dejection. The ball was unstoppable. Directed right in the top corner. Our promotion dream was crushed. Who could know how long it would be before we got back into the League?

And then a miracle happened. The fingertips of Andy Warrington's right hand extended and just diverted the ball and inch over the bar.

Everything we've done in the last 2 decades stems from that save.

[Draytonian III]

Stoke, closely followed by Chester. To return to being a league club was massive in my eyes

[glosterred]

Wembley was the favourite of course.
However Sean Thornton’s strike which took a slight deflection into the top corner of Aston Villa’s net was an absolute feeling of euphoria.
We took Aston Villa apart in that match but at 2-0 we could still slip, then came that majestic strike… oh lord we’d just dismantled a top tier side….wow!

And Moyes blamed the pitch saying it was "crusty"   

David O’Leary


COYR

[idler]

  All the moments mentioned have memories and I include watching supporters holding the sit down on the pitch protesting at our lowest ebb wondering if we would have a team to watch in the future.
  On the field one I am probably the only one to go with it a late penalty by Albert Broadbent at Notts County I think in a replay in the cup , the county keeper was Smith who always played well against us.

I was there that night. Tony Hateley and Jeff Astle were in that County side. Justice was done after their last minute equaliser at Belle Vue the previous Saturday.

[Plumbster]

Great list, i would add the 4-2 at Forest in the first championship season which gave the team and fans so much belief, and then a more personal one, the 4-3 against table topping Mansfield in 1975, one of my first games.

[Lifelong supporter]

Obviously Copps' winner at Brentford, Billy's 'That's For You Son' goal, watching Alick Jeffrey in his pomp, Paul Malcolm's testimonial when Bremner and Gazza played on the same side, winning with nine men against Lincoln and Bradford City.
But favourite would have to be the 3-0 win over Farnborough in the Football Conference Trophy Final in 1999.
Over 7,000 at Belle Vue, fireworks, the joy of the Snodins, brilliant night.
Somebody said it was the night we properly got our club back after the misery of the Richardson years.
Whoever it was, they were right.

[roversontheup]

No matter what we achieve in the future Stoke, (with the Chester semi finals a close second) will always be my number one memory. Nothing will ever mean so much to me as that win did. We were back!!

[normal rules]

There plenty to choose from.

How’s about THAT overhead kick goal at Hillsborough.

[BerlinRed]

I've supported Rovers since the conference days (25+ years) and have seen many ups and downs and perhaps I'm guilty of some recency bias here, but that Biggins goal vs Barrow last season is without a doubt up there. Pure elation and felt like we were really going to achieve something incredible.

[moses]

I've supported Rovers since the conference days (25+ years) and have seen many ups and downs and perhaps I'm guilty of some recency bias here, but that Biggins goal vs Barrow last season is without a doubt up there. Pure elation and felt like we were really going to achieve something incredible.

Berlin, agree with both the highlight and recency bias. I was with my teenage lad, we shared a look of such joy and had a hug that I will take to my grave. Football eh!

[redwine]

Graeme Lee's extra time winner at Cardiff and full bear hug with Andy Liney who was sat next to me and my boys....... in full Donny Dog costume btw.

[BobG]

Crikey! Some belting memories here. Brilliant. I'll  offer 2 more 'normal' ones and two rather different ones.

Boxing Day Bradford 1-0. That was special.
Farnborough Trophy Final 3-0. Almost the apotheosis of DRFC that night.
Tony Coleman belting the appallingly bent Mr Pickles. And finally, no idea what the score was, but an evening match with a very young Ian Snodin being fouled and fouled and fouled by some big, dirty Rochdale thug. Eventually the Rochdale thug went straight through Ian in an absolutely shocking foul. Both fell down. Ian, skinny, 8 stone and 16 or 17 years old, obviously hurt. But Ian climbed to his feet.Took an almighty swipe right across the shins of the thug and promptly fell down again. Both of 'em got sent off. But Ian had become an instant folk legend. What a pair he had... What a player he was.

BobG

[jmt23]

Being a supporter since the mid 80’s, there has been so much rubbish to endure, but as a club we’ve had some absolute gems to enjoy.

The pure emotion of the Barrow game last season will tip it - and it is almost meaningless in what we have achieved. The look on my son’s face, the crowd reaction - the feeling our club is coming back again.

[colincramb]

Not a hugely significant game, but the 0-2 away win at Wednesday when we were at the peak of our powers under SOD will take some beating as the most complete away performance you will ever see. Our center half even scored an overhead volley. Billy scoring the 2nd at Hillsborough after they’d been chasing shadows all game topped it off.

A masterful performance

[Prez]

Wigan away on the sliding mud bank, Leyland Daf cup is without doubt one of my favourite memories.

[gillinghamrover]

Avoiding the obvious biggies of Stoke, Cardiff and Wembley, my favourite is first league game after promotion back into the football league, Div 3 as it was then.
Boiling hot day away at Leyton Orient, Leo Fortune-West brace, what a start to another promotion season!

[ctay]

Great thread. As well as many of the normal ones, I have a slightly different one. Southampton away, I think we were bottom but it was a performance that made be proud of the club. I remember Copps being unplayable. We played them off the park, Saints fans coming up to me on the way out asking how the f are we bottom, best club they had played at that point. I dont remember the year, maybe it was not long after the boxing day win at Forest?

[Petche]

Ahh a last minute goal always sticks in the memory!!
This one wasn't even a winner - Mark Albrighton, Rochdale away in my favourite ever season 03/04. It seemed like we half filled their ground that night.

[RoversInSpain]

Great thread. As well as many of the normal ones, I have a slightly different one. Southampton away, I think we were bottom but it was a performance that made be proud of the club. I remember Copps being unplayable. We played them off the park, Saints fans coming up to me on the way out asking how the f are we bottom, best club they had played at that point. I dont remember the year, maybe it was not long after the boxing day win at Forest?

17 January 2009.
Woods and Copps scored in a 2-1. Saints were really struggling.

[Draytonian III]

Great thread. As well as many of the normal ones, I have a slightly different one. Southampton away, I think we were bottom but it was a performance that made be proud of the club. I remember Copps being unplayable. We played them off the park, Saints fans coming up to me on the way out asking how the f are we bottom, best club they had played at that point. I dont remember the year, maybe it was not long after the boxing day win at Forest?

17 January 2009.
Woods and Copps scored in a 2-1. Saints were really struggling.


Was there for that one the natives were slightly restless

[turnbull for england]

Farnborough, Stoke and Tristan's equaliser  are the most important, but favourites have to include the praise or grumble fall out after Steve Adams won a penalty at Chesterfield, Scarboroughs mini bus announcement, Scunny 5-1 and of course  turnbulls hattrick at Hartlepool

[tommy toes]

I am lucky enough to have witnessed most of the above matches, Chester, Brentford, Stoke, Wembley, Dover, the Mansfield 4-3 game and so many more.
Another that sticks in my mind was the 3-0 away win at Millwall under S’OD Probably the most complete Rovers performance I’ve ever seen, we were just brilliant that day.

[philsky]

I am lucky enough to have witnessed most of the above matches, Chester, Brentford, Stoke, Wembley, Dover, the Mansfield 4-3 game and so many more.
Another that sticks in my mind was the 3-0 away win at Millwall under S’OD Probably the most complete Rovers performance I’ve ever seen, we were just brilliant that day.

Like you I’ve been to most of the matches being mentioned - being 63 helps !

Millwall away - Paul Green was on fire that day. Yes, a total performance that

[IDM]

I went to that game too.  I recall the stats for that game and the one before (Hartlepool at home?) said we had 29 and 30 shots - can’t remember which way round.  Only scored 5 across both games but that performance ably Millwall was stunning.

[Red wizard]

There was some memories in that first season in the championship. Some of the best football I have ever seen us play even before Forest when we was losing. I remember leaving Hillsborough losing 1.0 and they chased shadows all game but won 1.0. Even when we was bottom before the run started I knew we would start to score. Had we had sharp that first season we would of made play offs I think. Copps hatrick v Norwich was a good night. I remember my brother saying to me after Stoke on the way home. This is about as good as we will have it following rovers and we will be back as a middle table division 4 side. How wrong. The title followed by 3 years of building a very good l1 team that got a cup win and promotion at Wembley v one of the country's biggest clubs Leeds United. The 2000s have been good times for rovers bar a few bad seasons.

[tommy toes]

If SOD had played Heffernan instead of Guy earlier in that season, then things might have been different.

[Champagne Super Rovers]

Over almost 60 years there have been quite a few special moments, many of which have been mentioned above.
One of my special moments was on 18th August 1988.  Our first home game in the conference.  I'd left the Colchester game a few months before thinking that would be the last time I would watch the Rovers play and the club was dead and buried.  But now we were back and that was all that mattered.