smogintheforest
Active member
60 years ago today, in the Boys End at Ayresome Park, I saw my first Boro match. Two goals from Ian Gibson and we won! A wide eyed, optimistic 9 year old, I knew glory and success was only a matter of time for my home town team. Didn't quite turn out like that! 11 years before I saw us in the First Division, with a spell in the Third Division before that (but I did enjoy joining the pitch invasion after the 4-1 win against Oxford), and 34 years before we finally won a 6th round FA Cup match, 41 years to win a major cup (not counting seeing Stuey Boam lift the Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1975). Not forgetting all the promotions and relegations and the minor matter of a European final. And trips to Wembley. Favourite season-Bruce Rioch's Third Division team in 86-87, because we'd come back from the dead and that season was just great fun. And what if I'd known back in 1963 that 60 years on we'd be .....bottom of the Championship and I'd have a 262 mile round trip for home games. But it's a habit we just can't break. We're a bit down now but we'll bounce back sometime, whether it's this season or next or the one after. Let's face it, we'll never be the best but we'll always be The Boro and we wouldn't swap them for the world. Hope I'm around to post on my 70th anniversary in 2033. UTB!