44 Years ago today

[Surrey Rover]

17th April 1981-Good Friday

Rovers were at Prenton Park and looking for a win in their quest for promotion from the fourth tier. It was match number 43 and Rovers were chasing third or fourth place which would guarantee promotion together with Wimbledon and Peterborough United. The playoffs back then did not exist.

Southend United and Lincoln City were well ahead in positions one and two respectively so in reality just two more places were up for grabs.

Tranmere themselves desperately needed the points in their quest to avoid re-election to the football league in the days before automatic relegation into non league football.

Prenton Park was a ground in somewhat disarray at the time with only one side of the stadium open, the terraces behind each goal and opposite the main stand closed due to safety issues. It made segregation quite a challenge with a large contingent of Rovers fans having made the trip, the home fans subsequently occupying the main stand with the visitors being allocated the main stand terrace below.

Rovers were managed by Billy Bremner at the time who had built a very workmanlike side on a limited budget made up of youth and experience. Lining up in their all green away strip Rovers looked well off it and it was no surprise they went in at half time a goal behind.

The second half was a scrap, teams under Bremner never gave up and Tranmere were fighting for their football league survival. It was difficult to see where an equaliser would come from but eventually the award of a penalty would bring parity as the ever reliable Alan Warboys made no mistake from the spot.

The match would finish 1-1, a result that neither team were looking for but a point Rovers looked unlikely to gain at halftime.

So it was on to the next game the following Tuesday evening at home to Bradford City. A match that now had a definite must win feel attached to it. City had nothing to play for and a mid table finish for the side from West Yorkshire was guaranteed.

Rovers didn't disappoint and goals from Steve Lister and Glynn Snodin gave Rovers a 2-0 victory.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zGk0nKvYTmY&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD


Which left the penultimate  match at Field Mill against Mansfield Town the following Saturday all set up for a Rovers promotion party. A win would  be enough irrespective of other results and with a large contingent expected to make the trip together with Yorkshire Television all set to record the event for the Soccer Special highlights show on the Sunday afternoon what could possibly go wrong? Of all the permutations discussed that week I don't believe anyone prophesied  waking up to a foot of snow  that last weekend in April, very peculiar for the time of year but unfortunately "Match Postponed" was the only possible outcome.

Rovers almost gained promotion that same afternoon without kicking a ball, Peterborough whose match had gone ahead were losing with just a few minutes to go but a late equaliser meant Rovers would need a point to make sure in their final home game against Bournemouth the following Saturday.

Over 11000 packed into Bellevue that afternoon to see goals from Alan Warboys and Ian Nimmo give Rovers a 2-1 victory and witness promotion back to the third tier for the first time since 1971.

Following the 1-1 draw with Mansfield in the rearranged match the following week Rovers would finish third on 56 points having won 22 and drawn 12 in the days when only two points were awarded for a win. That would now equate to a points total of 78 in the modern game but this and that season are remarkably similar in terms of Rovers and teams around them all stumbling towards the finishing line.

[retford rover]

my first ever supporters bus i organised

police were swinging big batons at Rovers fans near the end of the game,  not like that now 
as you said segregation  was awful
in don't like going there 
be careful if you head past church  just up from ground their fans congregate around there
had a traffic cone put through bus window before

lets go and get 3 points

 

[Draytonian III]

Is it the same price on the bus as it was 44 years ago ?

[retford rover]

think it was 4 pound there  that day dave
Paul

[IDM]

I remember that promotion game, and standing in the main stand overlooking the directors box steps, after the game, getting soaked by the fizz being sprayed by the players.  As a 12 year old I didn’t care.!

[Filo]

I remember that promotion game, and standing in the main stand overlooking the directors box steps, after the game, getting soaked by the fizz being sprayed by the players.  As a 12 year old I didn’t care.!

I managed to climb on top of one of the dugouts

[Plumbster]

Yeah one of the rare occasions I got on the hallowed turf at BV

[Sven Vath]

My first season of supporting Rovers....Lincoln at home, I can still remember them scoring past Willie boyd.(I think anyway, 8 years old). Outside the box top left.

More lows than highs, going tomorrow with my son.

[BigH]

Yeah one of the rare occasions I got on the hallowed turf at BV

Ha! Remember going on the pitch after the Bournemouth game and thinking our hallowed turf wasn’t so great. Looked bare and bone hard in patches. It felt nervy till Warboys(?) put a header in, then we calmed down and the game played out. As people have remarked, we weren’t great that season but we kept at it and got there in the end. Hopefully, an omen for this season.

[Draytonian III]

think it was 4 pound there  that day dave
Paul

Yeah but bitter was 41p and lager was 43p a pint

[RoversInSpain]

my first ever supporters bus i organised

police were swinging big batons at Rovers fans near the end of the game,  not like that now 
as you said segregation  was awful
in don't like going there 
be careful if you head past church  just up from ground their fans congregate around there
had a traffic cone put through bus window before

lets go and get 3 points
Pretty sure I was on that bus…..great season, great memories

[Usher wide.]

I remember that promotion game, and standing in the main stand overlooking the directors box steps, after the game, getting soaked by the fizz being sprayed by the players.  As a 12 year old I didn’t care.!

I managed to climb on top of one of the dugouts

You must have been the one directly in my line of sight of the pitch that day Filo?

I remember shouting “Get down you fat bas**rd. I can’t see!”.

I was two years old….but fair do’s, you did get down!

How’s the diet come on?

[Ryaldinhio]

I remember that promotion game, and standing in the main stand overlooking the directors box steps, after the game, getting soaked by the fizz being sprayed by the players.  As a 12 year old I didn’t care.!

I managed to climb on top of one of the dugouts

You must have been the one directly in my line of sight of the pitch that day Filo?

I remember shouting “Get down you fat bas**rd. I can’t see!”.

I was two years old….but fair do’s, you did get down!

How’s the diet come on?

Shouldn't be shouting abuse people can hear.......

[andysly]

My first promotion after 6 years of supporting the Rovers and went to all those last games that have been discussed, certainly was a little lairy at Tranmere that day.

[Draytonian III]

As above ⬆️