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[Dougals Dad]

I got into following Alty rather by default really. I'm from Stretford and as a kid I wanted to be a journalist, so I went to a game with the intention of writing a report for the Messenger. Unfortunately it was a crap 0-0 v Barnet and so, not surprisingly my report didn't get published! The added misfortune of that day was the fact that I became hooked to Alty! Talk about a double whammy! Why did I go back after such a dire game? I don't know. Today, I'm proud to tell people that I follow Alty. For one thing, it's different. Also, with a small club there is a greater sense of belonging - it's great to see the same faces week in week out. There's also the fact that as a club, we live in hope rather than expectation, and hope is just more interesting than expectation. Maybe these are some of the reasons why I went back - I try not to think about it!

Hear hear

[Alty TV]

My Dad used to drag me down in the 60's when I was knee high - can't remember much about those days apart from rolling down the grass bank at the chequers end. We moved away, first to Scotland and then back down to Cheadle. During the late 70's I followed Liverpool (mainly to annoy my Utd supporting Brother). My dad took me to see a Alty vs Liverpool XI freindly (78/79?), Then a few months later, the seeds being sowed, I caught the 371 bus on my own to watch Alty Vs Bangor City. I was amazed at the football and the characters - Kingy, JR, JJ, Barry Howard - but more importantly felt that I mattered to the club, rather than being a speck in a 40,000 crowd. Alty gave me an identity as a teenager, I was the Alty fan in my school.
But what a time to start my official career as an Alty fan. Months later we were playing Spurs in the cup, then into the Aliance Prem and more cup runs and two championships. When I look back at those days I can't belive we actually lost a few games. I couldn't get to many away games but was so hooked that I would save up by dinner money and on occasion walked from Cheadle to Alty and back.
Its not all been down hill since then. There is a lot to be proud about today- staying in the BSP and doing it in the right way (off the field), there is something special about Alty, not just the history, look at the amount of former players who still come back to watch - once Alty is in your blood, you're hooked for life

[markecky]

I love threads like this.

Me and Gary Stuart were the Alty fans at Green Lane...up until our last year of school in 1991.  Then the whole year turned into Alty fans for about six months....and me and Gaz were cult heroes.

I know exactly what Flagger M means when he says Alty gave him his identity as a teenager.  Alty got me through many a teen crisis, whatever else came and went, Alty were there.  Often awful..but never boring.

[Bath Alty]

I have no idea how I ended up an Alty fan really.  We'd moved away before I went to my first game aged 7 (Alty3-2Weymouth 79-80).  Dad had always followed Alty but we'd didn't go often because we were so far away.  We did the big games - Wembley and cup matches but little else.

Moved to Wycombe in 85 and watched the Alty games there.  91 was a nightmare - upper 6th, Alty fan in Wycombe school.  Still don't know how we lost that trophy semi final first leg.  All I would say at the time was "we don't care, you can have the trophy we've done that twice but we'll win the league".  Oh how I regretted that!

Only really got seriously into Alty with the advent of Altrinchamfc.com - with just teletext scores you don't really feel part of anything, just a casual how did we get on but with daily news of players, photos etc I got more interested.  Started dragging Dad to southern games and we've got hooked (him for a second time obviously).

Despite only knowing two Alty fans (Dad and his brother) and only having been to Moss Lane a handful of times I find myself a lifetime member of STAR, abandoning my young family for trips to Exeter on my own to watch my beloved Alty.  How the hell did that happen?  Still, I'll be on here every Saturday we are out of travelling range, hunting around for biased local radio commentries.  It's a strange thing and rather sad, but you just don't have a choice do you?  Once Alty's got you, it's all over and your stuck with it for life.

Bath City would be a much more sensible option but I just can't do it - I only want them to do well so I can watch Alty play at Twerton Park......

[Darren]

Graet thread

Starting watching 77/78 aged 11 used to get the bus from Helsby road to Alty (115 i think) Remember joining other fans climbing on one of floodlights when they brought the trophy home in 78 watched them till end season 81/82 going to Anfield to see the Liverpool match was the last big match i attended before joining the army in 82-91 didn't get to many games in those years.
Starting coming back regular in 1992 and was on the terrances till 1994 after the Wigan fa cup i became a steward and been doing the job since. Some one said to me resently at a match you can't be any Alty fan your a steward, I told them you don't think i doing it for the money

[letsbyavenue]

 a lifelong red, came to 1st alty game aged 43 august bank holiday 1998 with my son then aged6 against colwyn bay. 1-1 was the score from memory .got promoted to conference that year and won 2 other trophies. been mainly downhill since then ,but still attend home games with my son now aged 16 and his brother aged 8. There have been times when i have had chances to see Man u ,but go to see alty in preference . Watching alty is not just football, but a way of life : every corner of the ground is full of characters and you don't get a sense of that at old trafford or other big clubs.

[Sarf London Alty]

Grew up just over the golf course in Timperley and my first game was right at the end of 87/88, when we beat the Daggers 6-0 (I think) I would have been 7. I went quite a bit in the 2 seasons after that with my parents, sat in the Main stand but graduated to the terraces for the never to be forgotten 90/91 season. After that I saw pretty much all the home matches for the next 10 years with a fair smattering of aways. My old man had grown up a United fan but gradually as he took me he got more into the Alty and while he'll watch United on the box now he rarely misses a home game at Moss Lane. I left home to go to Uni in 2000 and this coincided with a few years in the Unibond wilderness and I didn't get down as often as I should, graduated and returned back with great timing for the Conference North Play off season culminating in that fantastic day at Stoke. Moved to London for work at the end of that season and now a fully paid up member of 'London Alty', hoping we manage to do it otherwise it'll be a lot trickier when every game is a few hundred mile round trip for us exiles next year.

[SW]

Even now the thing about supporting Alty ie a non mainstream club arouses interest. My work colleagues in Kingston-upon Thames, Palace, Spurs, Chelsea, Kingstonian, Man Utd(always one), Brentford fans, all now look out for Alty scores and I'm usually the first asked come Monday about the weekend game. They all know already before I turn up how we got on. A couple of them have attended SE games. Would I go to theirs, doubt it!

[Ballers]

I love reading the first matches that people went to or remember. i remember beating Dagenham 6-0 (I think Gary Stewart got a couple). Their keeper that day was Lloyd Scott a guy who had Leukeamia, last I heard he was the bloke who walked the London marathon in a divers suit in about 3 days the other year for charity.

[jiminlondon]

when i was a kid i wasnt wildly interested in football despite my dad taking me to old trafford in the late 60s, mainly because i was rubbish at playing it. i dont think it ever occured to me that you could go and watch games and enjoy it. somewhere along the line there were a group of kids in my year at alty grammar who used to go to alty every week, including some of my friends, so i went along and experienced a revelation. this was 1976.
i suppose i had it really easy compared to some of you because this coincided with the start of the succesful era. looking back i got into it really quick, going away a lot (it was reatively cheap on the coach then) i went to rotherham seeing us hammered 5-0 and went to all the trophy games including the quarter final at weymouth and the semi at scarborough. the years that followed were genius and i hardly missed a game for 3/4 years.
although i was at all the great games its not really them that i remember, more the silly away days at goole and worksop, at netherfield and great harwood. night games at vics where we would go in front of their main stand and carry out a 90 minute argument with the old blokes who stood there. going to weymouth midweek and arriving back in the middle of the night then going to school.
i hesitate to say it really, but i was quite a solitary child and alty allowed me to belong to something. i took (and take) great pride in the fans and their humour. i loved going to games and having a laugh with like minded people. i loved shouting daft things at the opposition, making up chants at school and trying them out on the saturday.in fact i really loved singing songs full stop. there is something liberating about bellowing at the top of your voice and not caring.
at one point we became the grass bank skins (grown their hair) and supported a journeyman centre half called graham tobin through thick and thin.
in 1982 i moved to london to go to college and although the early years were alright as i was living with another alty fan and at that time there were loads of local games and visits home, after my dad died i had no connection with alty any more and slowly i faded away to a game every now and then.

in many ways this message board has revived my interest because it keeps you in touch with what is going on

the other thing i would say is that i count myself incredibly lucky to have been around then. my twin obsessions are football and music and to be 15 in 1977, and then 17 in 1979 when manchester was the centre of the music universe, and your football team was kicking the crap out of allcomers.

[SW]

Absolutely brilliant and eloquent post Jim, very emotional too. Just what all this stuff is about.

Whatever happens over the next few weeks we will all remain and continue supporting Alty.

[Brian Flynn]

Ballers,

Alty 4  Trowbridge Town 0: Saturday, 5th November 1983.

Oh, and Flynny's a weirdo....but I'm not!

Wibble!!!

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

Grew up just over the golf course in Timperley and my first game was right at the end of 87/88, when we beat the Daggers 6-0 (I think) I would have been 7.

I remember that 6-0 drubbing of Dagenham at Moss Lane in May 1988.

I have a feeling that game featured the debut goal for Alty of a certain Nicky Daws.
Flynny, help me out!

Dagenham had endured a wretched campaign and possibly our fourth goal was the hundredth league goal that they had conceded that season.

Its arrival was marked by a certain Scotsman in the main stand shouting "One Hundredddd!" in his best Tony Green from Bullseye voice.

(Why can I recall bizarre events like this from two decades ago and yet struggle to remember what I did yesterday? That's what watching Alty does to you.....).

[thegazelle]

fantastic jimmy,

i can still, picture you alll moving from the left side to the grass bank, can you imagine that kids we had two/ three  gangs of singers .

are lot thought your "Joe mercer said to joe harvey, have you heard of the north bank highbury? oh no said joe i dont Think so but i've heard of the grass bank aggro was FANTASTIC , tobin tobin tobin probably as loud as the lads that sing are now , but for the big games we all got together.

Having lived abroad for ten years i can also confirm that this board and the main sight really kept my passion going and i am currently probably at the most fervent i have been for 15 years or more.

could rattle on abut memories for ever Alty have  been such an important part of my life

Jimmy, we have to do a drink and a match soon just to catch up cant do the 12th april  as i am being best man for Crash Helmutt (Phil Hall)

recently got pissed with bertie volkswaggon , adolf blitzcrieg, and herr cut

[Jacko]

well here goes.. i started off as a liverpool fan mainly becuase ian rush was amazing and remember crying my eyes out when micheal thomas stopped them from winning the league, then i went to watch alty train with my mate in 1990 as i was bored and that was it, some nights they'd let us on the pitch to have a knock around in the goal mouth so we kept coming back, one night trianing was called off so we climbed in and played in the dark!!! i remember making string and paper banners up at scool to cheer the players up like
C-H-A-R-L-I-E!!! for charlie bradshaw,  ricky harris used to give us a lift home too when it was cold too which says a lot, i admit i am immature and do get fanatical thats why i understand when i see even the most mature people acting like kids at moss lane but perhaps thats what makes the club great.
never forget the clive freeman belter thats my favourite goal of all time to this day.....it was just a straight rocket into the underside of the crossbar, none of this dipping that todays footballs do,man i'll tell you that ball would have still been goin! anyway we looked class that night with paladino stopping everything chester had to give,
in recent years i also love to watch real madrid and am lucky to have seen zidane(the best player of my generation by a country mile) play in the bernebeu 3 times which was worth every penny, but i would swap it with promotion for alty to the football league undoutably!
i too have had a word or two with myself over alty...especially after a 1-0 unibond home defeat to guiseley in particular but i just cant shake moss lane off to this day!!!!