BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[Gav]

Interesting chairman’s 11 here:

[oneandycrawford]

On 02/10/2025 at 07:52, Bronzed A Donis said:

Footage of Bob Crompton captaining England against Wales at Wrexham.

Some good match footage of him playing.

 

Loved the bit where the England keeper catches the ball on his goal-line.....and immediately boots it upfield. Cue Russell Martin heart-attack!!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

On 02/10/2025 at 07:52, Bronzed A Donis said:

Footage of Bob Crompton captaining England against Wales at Wrexham.

Some good match footage of him playing.

 

That is the best footage of our captain Bob I have seen to date...jock Simpson,another Rover,played in that game.

[Gav]

Not football related, but filmed in Darwen, with Darreners:

 

 

[arbitro]

35 minutes ago, Gav said:

Not football related, but filmed in Darwen, with Darreners:

 

 

Cheers Gav.

Probably for another thread but I remember Vox Pop like it was yesterday and knew lots of the characters.

[Cherry Blue]

On 22/09/2025 at 23:32, Upside Down said:

What about the full members cup final?

Unused ticket. Sadly couldn't make it and missed Hendry's goal in the 1 0 win.

[Gav]

6 hours ago, arbitro said:

Cheers Gav.

Probably for another thread but I remember Vox Pop like it was yesterday and knew lots of the characters.

Were you not one of those Punks are the start Tony? 

[Gav]

42 minutes ago, Cherry Blue said:

Unused ticket. Sadly couldn't make it and missed Hendry's goal in the 1 0 win.

Without doubt the best day I’ve spent watching Rovers. We had nothing, expected even less and a day many of us will never forget. 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

7 hours ago, Gav said:

Not football related, but filmed in Darwen, with Darreners:

 

 

They really couldn't have made Darwen look any more grim.

Remember the Punks and Skinheads massing on Darwen Bus station every weekend..Youth culture identity that seems lacking these days.

[arbitro]

9 hours ago, Gav said:

Were you not one of those Punks are the start Tony? 

Not guilty Gav.

I was more like the blokes in the Highfield WMC talking nonsense.😃

[Herbie6590]

15 hours ago, Cherry Blue said:

Unused ticket. Sadly couldn't make it and missed Hendry's goal in the 1 0 win.

Some photos from my collection…Simon Garner used the first one as his Twitter banner for a few years..!

 

 

[rog of the rovers]

Be sure not to miss the BRFCS Ultimate 150 List first poll at the top of the messageboard.

Including some wonderful extra reading including a fabulous piece from an Everton historian on Jack Southworth.

[jim mk2]

 

Denis Law scores past Fred Else in the First Division clash between Rovers and Man United at Ewood in March 1963

Riverside absolutely packed

Rovers 2 United 2

I woz there. 62 years ago but still remember the game.

 

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Denis Law scores past Fred Else in the First Division clash between Rovers and Man United at Ewood in March 1963

Riverside absolutely packed

Rovers 2 United 2

I woz there. 62 years ago but still remember the game.

 

 

Me too, it was the first game after the big freeze in 1963. Fred Pickering had got married that Saturday morning and both teams gave him a guard of honour when they came out.

They really gifted Fred a goal later on. We’d been on the attack and it broke down with the Utd goalie getting the ball in his hands. He threw it out to Albert Quixall about 30 yards from goal. As he did that Fred was crouching down tying his boot lace. Quixall got the ball under control but he was quickly closed down, so he turned around and passed the ball back to the keeper, just as Fred stood back up ! The ball went straight to him and he just turned and banged the ball past the keeper into the back of the net.

Matt Woods, Denis Law, Fred Else and John Bray in the photo.

[jim mk2]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Me too, it was the first game after the big freeze in 1963. Fred Pickering had got married that Saturday morning and both teams gave him a guard of honour when they came out.

They really gifted Fred a goal later on. We’d been on the attack and it broke down with the Utd goalie getting the ball in his hands. He threw it out to Albert Quixall about 30 yards from goal. As he did that Fred was crouching down tying his boot lace. Quixall got the ball under control but he was quickly closed down, so he turned around and passed the ball back to the keeper, just as Fred stood back up ! The ball went straight to him and he just turned and banged the ball past the keeper into the back of the net.

Matt Woods, Denis Law, Fred Else and John Bray in the photo.

Look at the pitch Tyrone .... quite good by Ewood 1960s standards!

[47er]

I was there.----Darwen End. Great time to be a Rover.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Look at the pitch Tyrone .... quite good by Ewood 1960s standards!

As I said, it was the first game after the big freeze in 1963, we did well to have any grass at all. Widnes RL club tried to beat the freeze by putting some fancy chemical on their pitch. That killed all the grass ! 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

24 minutes ago, 47er said:

I was there.----Darwen End. Great time to be a Rover.

I was at the Blackburn end right behind the goals. So I got a perfect view of Fred’s  “ wedding gift “.  Funnily of all his goals that’s the one I remember best.

[47er]

31 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I was at the Blackburn end right behind the goals. So I got a perfect view of Fred’s  “ wedding gift “.  Funnily of all his goals that’s the one I remember best.

I best remember Fred for that home game against Arsenal. we were all worried because Douglas was out injured.

We needn't have, Fred ran riot.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, 47er said:

I best remember Fred for that home game against Arsenal. we were all worried because Douglas was out injured.

We needn't have, Fred ran riot.

Yeah he got a hat trick that day. He ran their big money signing Scottish international centre half Ian Ure ragged.  I remember one of them clearly. Again I was right behind the goals at the Blackburn End. Fred had a shot a goal but he kicked the ground as much he kicked the ball. It just rolled towards Jim Furnell in the Arsenal goal who inexplicably let the ball go through his legs. The ball just made it over the line.

Andy Mac stood in for Dougie that day and he was brilliant. We never missed Bryan. Reg Blore stood in for Andy.

I was standing behind the Darwen End goals before the kick off. When Rovers started playing towards the Blackburn End I was making my way along the Riverside to get behind the Blackburn End goals when Arsenals Joe Baker raced through the middle of our defence to slot the ball past Fred Else in the Rovers goal. That must have been after 2 or 3 minutes.  I thought “ We’re going to be up against it today. “.

Little did I know. We just went out and battered a very good Arsenal team. Fred was unstoppable that day. When he was in the mood he was Shearer level without a doubt. 
 

I consider myself blessed to have seen that team play at their best. They were a goal scoring machine when they were in the mood. They just demolished teams.  No team since has been quite as entertaining.

Edited 10 hours ago by Tyrone Shoelaces

[GHD]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yeah he got a hat trick that day. He ran their big money signing Scottish international centre half Ian Ure ragged.  I remember one of them clearly. Again I was right behind the goals at the Blackburn End. Fred had a shot a goal but he kicked the ground as much he kicked the ball. It just rolled towards Jim Furnell in the Arsenal goal who inexplicably let the ball go through his legs. The ball just made it over the line.

Andy Mac stood in for Dougie that day and he was brilliant. We never missed Bryan. Reg Blore stood in for Andy.

 

My recollection is that Reg Blore played as a direct replacement for Douglas and had a blinder. He only played a handful more games and never came anywhere near reaching the heights of that debut.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

21 minutes ago, GHD said:

My recollection is that Reg Blore played as a direct replacement for Douglas and had a blinder. He only played a handful more games and never came anywhere near reaching the heights of that debut.

That’s not how it worked in my opinion. Reg wore the old number 8 and Andy wore Bryan’s number 10 

My impression of Reg that day was he was exactly what he was. A player Everton let go as a young player, then made a bit of his name for himself at 4 th Division Southport. His ability was a level or two below the old First Division. My abiding memory of him that day was of a golden chance falling to him in the Darwen End in the second half. I’d made my way back to that end at half time. When the chance came he was really slow to get a shot away and his attempt was blocked.

He did well at Oldham when we let him go but I think that was his level

[simongarnerisgod]

On 15/10/2025 at 21:01, Gav said:

Without doubt the best day I’ve spent watching Rovers. We had nothing, expected even less and a day many of us will never forget. 

vince o`keefe putting on a masterclass in goal😁 and the first glimpse of what a good player colin hendry was going to be,i still go on you tube to watch that goal from time to time😁

[GHD]

6 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

That’s not how it worked in my opinion. Reg wore the old number 8 and Andy wore Bryan’s number 10 

My impression of Reg that day was he was exactly what he was. A player Everton let go as a young player, then made a bit of his name for himself at 4 th Division Southport. His ability was a level or two below the old First Division. My abiding memory of him that day was of a golden chance falling to him in the Darwen End in the second half. I’d made my way back to that end at half time. When the chance came he was really slow to get a shot away and his attempt was blocked.

He did well at Oldham when we let him go but I think that was his level

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

54 minutes ago, GHD said:

 

Mm, not how I remember it. I thought Andy played the deeper role with Reg playing alongside Big Fred.