Macclesfield town v Cardiff City 1997 revisited

Just looking through the archives at my old programmes. I have never been one for collecting home programmes other than the European games we participated in but have always liked to purchase the away programmes. Macclesfield Town I went there back in 1997 on a CCFC supporters coach with the usual die hard away fans such as Eric Botchett from Oakdale, the general, Spike and Pauline and the regulars on the bus at that time. The away following was nothing special in a crowd of 2,403 on December 20th 1997. We lost the game 1-0 !!! I didnt even remember the scoreline but always wrote it down on the back of the programme 1-0 to town in finished.

The squad we had that day consisted of the following:

Tony Elliot
Craig Middleton
Chris Beech
Scott Young
Mark Harris
Scott Partridge
Wayne O Sullivan
David Penny
Andy Saville
Carl Dale
Anthony Carrs
Lee Jarman
Gareth Stoker
Steve White.

Some great memories there looking through our squad , Dale will always be a legend in my view and Stoker whom we signed from Hereford made an impact whilst he was here with us briefly !!! Steve White big striker not afraid to get stuck in and put his head on the ball etc......I remember when we signed Andy Saville whom had been a great player in his career but by the time he joined us his legs had gone and he never made an impact. The MTFC manager that day was the great Sammy McIlroy and the Cardiff City manager was Russell Osman. Russell Osman in my view turned out to be a diaster with the city and I remember some lads coming up with a song about him which went along the lines. This will give you an idea of the regard he was held in and they were bad days for the city. We were in the 3rd Division at the time just below midleague in the table and Ironically Macclesfield or the Silkman as they were known sat 1 position above us in the league. Here are some of the verses I can remember.

russell osman whats he do, russell osman whats he do
he managed bristol city
he made them fecking shi**** russell osman whats he do.

russell osman whats he do , russell osman whats he do
he played for ipswich town, he looked like a clown,
russell osman whats he do,

russell osman whats he do, russell osman whats he do
we saw him on tele, he was crap compared to pele <he appeared in the football escape to victory film>
russell osma what he do

Round the same era we got stuffed at home to Gillingham in the fa cup which led to fans storming the pitch demanding the resignation of the chairmen the kumar brothers <remember them!!!> and old bill had to remove fans from the stadium but not before a meeting was agreed between kumar and some of the fans in the lower grandstand who refused to move. Incidentally you can see as a club how we moved on, flicking through the programme it showed our average home attendance round that era.
top scorer
87/88 4,428 Gilligan 20 goals
88/89 4,374 gilligan 14 goals
89/90 3,630 Pike 18 goals
90/91 2,959 pike 14 goals
91/92 6,204 dale 22 goals
92/93 8,536 pike stant 12 goals
93/94 6,588 blake 14 goals
94/95 4,543 stant 13 goals
95/96 3,295 dale 21 goals
96/97 3,563 white 13 goals

Barmy Army

I was at that game and am sure that someone (not sure our team or theirs ) played with a protective face mask. The floodlights were crap, it was very dark and misty and bloody freezing. And as you say we lost. It was a long drive back home.
They good old days.

i was there and the town was dead it was like they were expecting an invasion shops were boarded up i think the home pub was set on fire by there own fans as well that day lol whats a shit ground and town

i was there and the town was dead it was like they were expecting an invasion shops were boarded up i think the home pub was set on fire by there own fans as well that day lol whats a shit ground and town

Yes your right it was one of those northern towns that looked past its sell by date, There was a rave song in the early 90's called its "grimm up north" heres a link and that song summed it up perfectly. Very grim place

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwtSdJaPCSI

I was at that game and am sure that someone (not sure our team or theirs ) played with a protective face mask. The floodlights were crap, it was very dark and misty and bloody freezing. And as you say we lost. It was a long drive back home.
They good old days.

Your memory serves you correct it was Steve Wood one of their lads who looked like phantom of the opera

In the programme they have a feature on him playing week earlier at Barnet !!

i was there and the town was dead it was like they were expecting an invasion shops were boarded up i think the home pub was set on fire by there own fans as well that day lol whats a shit ground and town

Yes your right it was one of those northern towns that looked past its sell by date, There was a rave song in the early 90's called its "grimm up north" heres a link and that song summed it up perfectly. Very grim place

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwtSdJaPCSI

liking it lol grim up north

i was there and the town was dead it was like they were expecting an invasion shops were boarded up i think the home pub was set on fire by there own fans as well that day lol whats a shit ground and town

Yes your right it was one of those northern towns that looked past its sell by date, There was a rave song in the early 90's called its "grimm up north" heres a link and that song summed it up perfectly. Very grim place

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwtSdJaPCSI

liking it lol grim up north

The highlight in a lot of these northern towns was a jar of stones bitter lol !!! not sure if thats still around

http://www.flickr.com/photos/macclesfield/5657348297/

face mask lol

http://www.flickr.com/photos/macclesfield/5657348297/

face mask lol

Thats the chap !!!! lol

I went ,good old fashioned terracing .I remember the home fans were quite close to the left of us .

I went to Macclesfield away, presumably that season if it was the only time we played them, and I also remember the mask (and chants connected with Phantom of the Opera), but I don't remember the mask at that game! Seem to remember it was someone at a game against either Cambridge or Barnet?

Hey up chaps. Steve Wood is correct as the man in the mask. If I remember rightly that day he didn't half wind you lot up in the away terrace.

Go to 1m 12s in the video below and you can see his goal.



Safe journey up tomorrow!