Boro flash back - 31st August 1985

[erimus74]

Just over 10 years after watching, potentially, the best Boro team in my lifetime, a team that got me in to the love of the Boro big time & made me the obsessed Boro fan I am today, we became a struggling 2nd division team, losing money weekly & the Ayresome faithful were losing patience & leaving in their thousands, not me, my dad & my younger brother though, they couldnt get rid of us that easy, results on the pitch wern't going well either

Manager, Willie Maddren was trying to build a team to, at last challenge the front runners in the 2nd division

We started the season getting thumped at Wimbledon 3-0, Stephen Pears & Don O'Riordan making their debuts. Stephen Pears had two loan spellscat the Boro & now a full time Boro player
We won at home to Fulham 1-0, with an Archie Stephens goal, a crowd of 5,368 watching the Fulham game, then losing at Charlton

On this day (31st August) we played at home to Brighton in front of 5,520 fans, a couple of hundred up on the previous home game but again we suffered a 1-0 defeat against Brighton

This game was Paul Wards final Boro game before his transfer to Darlo & Pat Heards, wearing No6, debut on loan from Newcastle, his next Boro game will be wearing the No3 shirt, the 3rd player to don that number in the 6 games

Willie Maddren team

Stephen Pears
Brian Laws
Paul Ward - Subbed for Alan Kernaghan
Tony McAndrew
Tony Mowbray
Pat Heard
Gary Hamilton
Don O'Riordan
Archie Stephens
Gary Rowell
Peter Beagrie

Even though it was tough times for the Boro back then & us fans who stuck with the club too, but when you look back you look back with pride at following our great club at its lowest ebb & times, when you look back you look on with fondness, I certainly do & say yes we were there when the club needed us, it made us love our football club even more

UTMB