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Post by clipper on Aug 16, 2011 18:50:22 GMT
And of course, traditional or not, it has been daft to call it Wothorpe Road for a very long time! Since I became a regular Daniels watcher in 1973-74 the only access has been from Kettering Road. I do remember going in from the Wothorpe Road entrance (now absorbed into someone's garden) on a rare visit maybe in January 1971. I think on my first visit in April 1969 (a 6-1 win over Loughborough) I was pushed through a hole in the hedge by my dad ha ha. Mr Burrows will be wanting my six old pence admission fee now I suppose! Was it as late as that, Jeremy? I remember that entrance very well, immediately over the railway bridge and there was a little shed where you handed over the dosh and got your ticket off the roll. I remember "Charlie Sticks" always seemed to be making his way very slowly up the road to that entrance and they may well have closed it down after he passed on. I've a vague recollection of Andy Hunt's dad manning that entrance occasionally although I may be mistaken about that. As for coming through a hole in the hedge, that was far from difficult and in fact there was barely a hedge at all in some places during the winter once the foliage had dies down, it was certainly easy enough to go through and fetch the ball. I also suspect that there was more than the odd occasion when the football was of sufficiently poor quality that quite a few spectators turned round and watched the girls playing hockey  Forget holes in the hedge, the main "freebie" entrance was up the railway bank. Numerous postmen and railwaymen used to watch the games that way over the years and several supporters would regularly get off the train from Peterborough and leg it up the bank and into the Railway Side stand. As a whipper-snapper I was able to combine my love of the Dannies with my then hobby of train-spotting which was one of the best double-deals ever! |
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Post by pompeywalt on Aug 17, 2011 0:37:07 GMT
Many a saturday afternoon climbing up the railway bank for free Dannies entry.
I recall the Wothorpe Road access and the garden shed but too young to remember the club officials/characters.
Mr Hird invited me as a 15 year old to train with the squad then following him to Corby and playing in their youth team.
i can recall walking through the `Hedge end` into the grassed school area to train.
Embarrassingly i can also remember Barry Maddocks having to ask me to `calm down` after tripping/fouling Keith Alexander causing him to collapse like a majestic giraffe and concern that the legendary striker may have to serve time with Buzzer in the physio room which now hosts the Premier Kitchen & Bedroom Arena welcome board.. Whoops, Sorry Mr Busby to all concerned!!
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Post by northern uproar on Aug 17, 2011 7:37:04 GMT
Forget holes in the hedge, the main "freebie" entrance was up the railway bank. Numerous postmen and railwaymen used to watch the games that way over the years Spot on there Clipper!! Back in the 80s 'lates' for my dad involved spending the evening at the station putting bags of mail on the Travelling Post Office that headed off towards Leicester, and on the last passenger train to Peterborough. If there was a game on he and the Station Master (Bob Spencer and Charlie Walker spring to mind) would climb the bank and watch in between performing their duties. I am sure the same can be said for other Daniels supporting Stamford based posties of the time like Lewis. |
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Post by jeremy on Aug 17, 2011 9:24:26 GMT
Some classic memories there Clipper...I remember Charlie, he lived well into my Daniels supporting era. He used to live in the old folks home on Ryhall Road and used to travel back there from town on the Delaine bus that I went home on after school. Quite a feisty old cove as I remember who used to wave his stick and swear like a trooper at the schoolboys on the bus. I seem to remember Freddie Dean (a tiny old guy) doing the admission at the Wothorpe Road entrance.
Eric Hunt was on the main paybox as he was the treasurer. I'm sure he had some sonar equipment in there...during term time I often used to get to the game around or even after half time having had to play some silly sport or other rather badly first, Eric would be standing at the office door watching the game but he always seemed to hear you coming and appear at the window to take some money off you!
I also remember Bill Drakes who was another entertaining character who sold raffle tickets at the main entrance with a very persuasive line in sales patter.
I might have got the wrong game when I went in from Wothorpe Road, it could have been a charity game against the TV entertainers. Just to show what a poor team we had then (c 1970) I think they lost to a bunch of comedians/actors/pop stars/Anglia TV weathermen (to quote Ronnie Barker for a moment) although I think the Daniels team all played out of position with the forwards playing in defence and the goalie up front etc! If I remember right the pre match publicity suggested Stanley Matthews would be playing but it turned out not to be the famous one but his less well known son who was a tennis player (but not of the Andy Murray standard, more like Jamie Murray!).
Glad to know I'm in good company in bunking in but I can't believe Lewis would ever have watched without paying!
Happy days.
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