Who knows we might get a chance to see in person if they get promoted ( or 3rd rd of the FA Cup to get revenge?)
Oh Its a cracking ground now.
I was working not far from there about 12/13 yerars ago and it looks ace, I meant between 79 and 91.
I would love a trip back there now, especially as there’s a couple of Ossett Brewery pubs round there as I recall. Their beers are a thing of beauty.
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That Hibbitt period was matched by a couple recently. October 2019 was really bad. The Pomlett/Clarke honeymoon well and truly over as we got well beat everywhere we went.
The game at Oldham towards the end of that month was a particular low. Both teams trying to out shit each other. Nobody could pass the ball to a team mate. Sunday league stuff. The game only coming to life when Matt Sadler inexplicably got himself sent off for an impromptu game of basketball. And as you say, last season was a very good season to miss in the flesh.
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I was good friends with Dave Evans (their centre half) and his brothers, all decent footballers. We lived in the next street on the Yew Tree and all went to Stuart Bathurst in the 70’s. He was a great all round athlete at school and signed for The vile before playing for Bradford and Halifax.
Always had a chat with him when he played against us.
Thanks for posting that Geordie, bad result but it brought back happy memories.
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Can’t believe I drove up there on Christmas Eve. Wasn’t it snowing that day, or was that at the first replay a few days earlier? It was a long miserable drive home anyway.
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Think it might have been. I took a Swindon supporting friend to the first replay but strangely he had other things to do on Christmas Eve. it wasn’t the greatest start to the festive season was it?
Always gets my goat when some folk get angry that I can oftimes be a little ‘negative’?
As a kid I was infatuated with the Saddlers, from optimistic away days on Central or Dawsons, we always lost. Fellows Park could restore faith now and again, but it was obvious that we were little fish in a pond of success, run on a shoestring whilst the mighty Wolves (uurrgggh!) won the old First Division year in year out, and Villa & West Brom had continued triumph, my schoolmates laughing at the fact that I supported little old Worsul.
Things have never really changed all that much, in fact things are worse now than they ever were, occasionally we had good times 4-2 at Rotherham, 2-2 at the mighty Liverpool, beating Manure at home. We had Buckley, Alan Clarke, George Kirby, Wilson & Lightbourne, Jorge etc. Now we have a struggling Fourth Division outfit, a club stripped of Millions by our No 1 fan (who I believe still ‘pulls the strings’ in the background, despite denials from his puppets).
So forgive the pessimism when we celebrate beating previously non league Sutton etc
Or when our gloriously ‘infrastructure’ funded future prospect academy team seem to lose 8-0 and feel they are ‘making progress’
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I was wondering if anyone was going to bring that up!! I must admit I did get a bit miffed 
Happy days!
Football was certainly a different experience back in the day especially away matches. With the bombsites of grounds, the “welcome” from the locals virtually every match and even worse the “welcome” from the local old bill who along with the Government, media and general public considered football fans to be the lowest form of life and treated us accordingly.
Mind you I was glad that I didn’t have to travel to the West Midlands as an away fan as WMP were notorious although South Yorks and an few others weren’t far behind. I remember reading on one of those FB football in the 80s pages, a Bristol City fan posted about the play off matches at FP and their treatment. He posted something along the lines of “Walsall had the hardest, most organised and heavily armed hooligan firm in the country, they even had horses FFS” and he posted a photo of WMP charging the Brizzle fans with horses and the full works
Halifax was a truly miserable match, one of those I feel honoured to have attended! I wonder why Blower seemed reluctant to have a chat… The Shay was certainly an experience along with a few other places at that time like Belle Vue, Eastville and Spingfield Park…
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The behaviour of the police in one match against Bristol City was a disgrace. As I walked back over the railway bridge there was a sort of charge led by some police on horseback and people were fleeing everywhere. Total mayhem for a minute or two and quite unnecessary.
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I think it was particularly bad (and not just for visiting fans) when the lot from Coventry were assigned to police our games.
I’d never seen this before. Love the Hungarian flag at the start.
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I was at this game. It was just after we lost at home to Liverpool in the Milk Cup. It was mentioned in the commentary we were still top after this defeat but we went on an awful run until the end of the season and faded away badly.
I don’t have any real memories of Buckley playing for Walsall so I was surprised to see him scoring in this video, I don’t remember it that well obviously.
I remember going to Eastville either the next season or the season after possibly and we won 1-0. We had this corner routine where Kenny Mower stood on the front post and flicked it on. It worked on this day, Colin Brazier nodding in the flick on. The only time I remember the routine working !
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I was at the eastville game you mention .
Went on Dawsons coach and it broke down on the way , just about got into the ground to see brazier score .
What a huge away end eastville had !!
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I think the Buck only scored one more goal for us after that. He was effectively finished as a player before he was 33. I can’t remember if there was or had been an injury problem, or if his playing career drifted away because of the cares of management.
If he was fit and healthy, I would have thought that his superb technique would have given him 2 or 3 more seasons, even if not starting every game.
As a P.S., I’d forgotten how much room there was between pitch and terraces at Eastville. I think it’s a Tesco or Asda now.
I went to Stockport in the fa cup in 84 . 1st round , I was only young but think buck slammed a penalty home that day ??
I knew I had seen him play because I was going to games quite a few seasons before that one. My real memories of what was going on football wise really start from that season in particular, probably because of beating Arsenal, drawing at Anfield and so on. I remember some bits from league games that season, like the defeat at home to Oxford sticks in my mind for some reason. I wish I had memories of Buckley as a player, but I guess I am still fortunate I have memories from Fellows Park and also of some of the brilliant football his teams played (especially at home)
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He was still playing regularly in 82-83, up front with Ollie Kearns and/or Kevin Summerfield.
We made a pretty unimpressive start to 83-84, and either he dropped himself or was injured, I can’t remember. Either way, the rest was history and we played some brilliant football and he never played very much after that. It was too young to finish, really, but then again he hardly managed after the age of 57, so he obviously doesn’t favour outstaying his welcome.
I suppose we might sign a player that good again, but could we keep him for five years scoring 20 plus goals every season?
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I didn’t think so but it was yonks ago and maybe someone knows definitively.
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Can we bring Kenny back to coach us on it?
Anyone know if there is footage of THAT match at Roker Park 88-89 season? Stuart Rimmer hatrick to end out run of 15 successive defeats. I have looked but can’t find footage anywhere. Anyone got any ideas?
Ooooo Stuart Rimmer is apparently a fellow cat lover and follows my cat rescue exploits on FB. He has agreed to come down to the Railway Club and attend a match as ISSA guest later this season. Thanks to Olly for helping to organise, will be great to see him down the Railway Club
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