FAC 1st round
Boro 3 Blackpool 0

The mighty Boro beat Blackpool 3-0 in the FAC 1st round, the last time we played a 1st round FAC tie was 20 years previous, away to Chester City on the 26th November 1966, John O'Rourke scored a hat trick that day as Boro won 5-2

Boro won this game with a Bernie Joseph Slaven hat trick, his 1st for the Boro, our 1st after liquidation & our 1st FAC hat trick since David Mills bagged 3 at home to Arsenal on the 26th February 1977

It was the 85th HT at AP, with Bernie becoming the 44th different Boro player to score a HT, our 15th FAC hat trick & 118th overall

This win gained sweet revenge on Blackpool who, in October, became the 1st team to beat us in the league that season when beating us 3-1 at Ayresome Park.

Match attendance 11,205

Bruce's team.
Stephen Pears
Brian Laws
Colin Cooper
Tony Mowbray
Gary Parkinson
Gary Pallister
Bernie Slaven
Archie Stephens
Alan Kernaghan
Gary Gill
Stuart Ripley

Great, great days indeed

In 2006 I attended the 20 year anniversary dinner.
Colin Cooper, along with Tony Mowbray, was one of the speakers & one comment Colin Cooper said which rang out so true, 'We didn't know what we had till it was gone'
It was such a special period for players & fans alike, whoever was part of that journey will never forget those unbelievable times.

And against our 'derby rivals' Sunderland in a division one away fixture, after beating them 2-0 the previous week we went onto record our first league double over them

Alosno Poulton, the only change from the 2-0 home win over Sunderland at Ayresome Park seven days earlier, made his first start of the season, his third Boro game to date, two the previous season & all away from home

The first four seasons following WW1 throughout the season, teams played each other home & away over two consecutive Saturdays

George Elliott, as he did the previous week against Sunderland bagged another brace to take his seasons goal tally to record his 14th of the season







Jim Howies team improved on the previous seasons 13th place to finish in 8th place, 6 points behind runners up Man City (2 points for a win back then)

64 today - One month younger than me

A truly remarkable bargain signing by the late, great Willie Maddren, one of the best signings our football club has ever made & one of the best goalscorers to play for our football club

Between 1985 & 93 Bernie, registered No577, scored 147 goals in over 360 appearances & yes, I was there for each & every one of Bernies 7 hat trick he scored, including his freight rover penalty shoot out v Rochdale in Feb 1987, that is counted/not counted, by some, in his total records.

19th October 1985 - Scored his 1st Boro goal on his home debut, at the holgate end v Bradford City
3rd October 1992 - Scored his final Boro goal, holgate end v Man United
15th November 1986 - Scored his 1st Boro hat trick, the clubs 1st FAC hat trick, following liquidation & the 1st FAC hat trick since David Mills v Arsenal in 1977, when Bernie scored all 3 v Blackpool & still our last FAC hat trick to date
29th November 1947 - Cecil McCormack was the scorer of our last top flight away hat trick for 41 years until the 1st October 1988 Bernie scored 3 goals away to Coventry City

Cheers Bernie.
https://youtu.be/he1DgdR_Nk0?si=iGVRFy6jty7beWZE

When we beat Man United 2-1 at Ayresome Park, recording a double over them after winning at Old Trafford 5-3 the previous week.
Andrew Nesbit Wilson & Stewart Davidson scored the goals for their 10th & first goals of the season

The first four seasons after WW1 teams played each other home & away over two consecutive Saturdays

Jimmy Howies team finished the season equalling 8th place & on identical number of 46 points, they achieved the previous season, 5 points (2 points for a win back then) behind runners up Spurs 

Andrew Wilson stared his Boro career in season 1913-14 making his Boro debut away to WBA, hecwent on to make 9 appearences, scoring 5 goals

Following his 1st season he enlisted with the Highland light infantry & posted to France where in Aaras early 1918 a shell fragment shattered his left hand & he was invalid sent home
After the war was over AW played for Hearts & Dunfermline, with the Boro still holding his registration he rejouned us in 1921

In season 1921-22 Wilson was the 1st division leading goalscorer, 32 goals in 35 games, in 1922-23 season not so well, 11 goals in 29 games
At the end of the 1923-24 season, when AW had played for both Boro & Chelsea following his transfer in January to the Londoners, both teams were relegated, Andrew Wilson finished top goalscorer of both clubs

57 goals in 90 games over two spells, some going

The previous season, our debut season in the football league, 1899-1900, seen us play our 1st FAC match as a league club, losing 2-1 at home to Jarrow

This season (1900-01) after 2 draws against Willington Athletic, the mighty Boro beat Northumberland team Willington Athletic 8-0, our second highest FAC win so far

FACQ1

November 3rd Boro 3 Willington Athletic 3
November 7th Willington Athletic 0 Boro 0
November 12th Boro 8 Willington Athletic 0

Our 4th FAC tie in total since becoming a football league club
We gained revenge over Jarrow after they became the 1st team to beat us in the FAC as a league club when we beat them 3-0 in the next round

After finishing 14th in their debut (previous) season John Robsons improved team turned the tables finishing a respectable 6th place & getting ready for a promotion challenge the next season

Great Boro flashback

Liverpool 0 Boro 1 - League cup 4th round

Big Jack, who almost didn't make kickoff was at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon to collect his OBE from the Queen, then onto Anfield in the evening, not a bad day at the office

Worthy winners Boro, who had lost at Anfield in the league the previous month were thankful to Jim Platt for saving a 70th minute penalty from Alex Lindsey

With 42 seconds on the clock & a replay at Ayresome Park looking likely Boro scored the winner when the late, great Willie Maddren, with an assist from John Hickton, scored his first cup goal for the Boro, as he placed the ball past Ray Clemence in to the back of the net & secure a place in the QF's of the league cup

Jim Platt
John Craggs
Frank Spraggon
Graeme Souness
Stuey Boam
Willie Maddren
Bobby Murdoch - Brian Taylor
Malcolm Smith
John Hickton
Alan Foggon
David Armstrong

Big Jacks Boro went on to finish in 7th place, sadly even missing out on at least a place in Europe.
At one point we looked as though we could do the unthinkable double, finishing 5 points behind champions Liverpool (2 points a win back then). Even the treble

League cup -
Second round Spurs away won 4-0
3rd round Leicester at home won 1-0
4th round Liverpool away won 1-0
5th round Man Utd home drew 0-0 . Lost 3-0 away in the replay

FAC -
3rd round Wycombe away 0-0. Won replay 1-0 at home.
4th round Sunderland home won 3-1
5th round Peterborough away drew 1-1. Won replay 2-0 at home.
6th round Birmingham City away lost 1-0

Becoming the 1st Boro player to score our 1st ever league hat trick & long before Ravenelli, he became the 1st Boro player to score a treble on his debut

The mighty Boro in our debut football league season thrashed Burton Swift 8-1 at Linthorpe road (The record 8-1 home win lasted until the 2nd March 1901 when we beat Gainsborough Trinity 9-2) for our third win as a league club from 6 home games
 
Charles Pugh & George Reid, debut, scored a brace each, they became the 2nd & 3rd players to score a brace each for the Boro up to that point, Geoff Longstaff also got on the scoresheet

The 3 debutants that day:-
Ernest Clark registered No25
George Reid registered No26
Joseph Murphy registered No27

John Robsons team, after losing the first 3 games, without an away win that season & only 2 wins up to the thrashing of Burton Swifts finished in 14th place, 6 points (2 points a win back then) above second bottom Luton Town

52 years today

Me & our Kevs 1st ever Boro away game

Our dad started taking me & our Kev to Boro the odd Boro game the previous season, late 1971, but 72-73 was to be our 1st full season

We got up early on the Saturday morning when our dad told us he's taken us to the Preston game, we were so excited, we gulped our breakfast down, got ready then jumped in to our dads blue morris oxford & set off

On arriving at the ground & for whatever reason I don't know, we went into the side paddock, instead of behind the goal with the Boro fans
Before kickoff a lady Preston fan gave me & our Kev a cup of coffee from her flask, how nice

The game itself, Eric McMordie ran the show with Mr Middlesbrough, John Hickton, scoring the only goal of the game, what a start to my Boro away days with a victory

I've clocked up 82 grounds following the Boro, but that game always holds special memories

Jim Platt
John Craggs
Frank Spraggon
Nobby Stiles
Stuey Boam
Willie Maddren
Bill Gates
John Hickton
David Mills
David Armstrong
Eric McMordie

Attendance - 10,015

My Boro love is still as it was back then

Thanks dad 💕

UTMB

Boro finished the season managerless in 4th place, Stan Anderson had resigned in January the following year with Harold Shepherdosn taking temp charge until a successor ( Jack Charlton) was brought in

Incredibly within 4 months of the season gone he had scored 19 goals on the way to scoring 38 in 41 games, his first full season in English football

He became the 32nd different Boro player to score a treble as the mighty Boro won 4-0 at Nottm Forests City Ground, Arthur Fitzsimmons scored the 4th goal to open his seasons account

It was our 14th away HT & 83 in total



Bob Dennisons team went on to finish in 6th place, 6 points behind runners up Nottm Forest

FAC - 3rd round won 3-2 at Charlton following a 1-1 draw at Ayresome Park
      4th round losing 3-2 at home to Aston Villa



 

Goals from John Hickton & Derrick Downing seen both points remain on Teesside to record our 3rd win on the bounce & 4th in 5 games

Boro finished the season in 4th place, 3 points behind runners up Blackpool

League cup - We feel at the first hurdle losing 1-0 at Man Utd in the2nd round

FAC - 3rd round - beating West Ham 2-1 at Ayresome Park.
      4th round - beating York City 4-1 at Ayresome Park
      5th round - beating Carlisle 2-1 away - Still Carlisles record attendance to this day
      6th round - drew with Man Utd 0-0 at Ayresome Park. Losing the replay 2-1