Tuesday 4 January 2022

Rovers Return

Anyone remember where they were on January 4th, 1992? Phil Brown very likely does, and that’s a clue. Exactly three decades ago was arguably our second biggest away FA Cup tie, when 4,000 Poppies marched north to Ewood Park.

Memories of the day? Thirty supporters coaches lined up at the Cattle Market. Up the M6 to tight terraced streets and a crowded pub packed with fellow fans, wondering if this was going to be another Charltonesque day out. Into the ground and the covered Darwen End (much much better than the exposed terrace at Selhurst where we got thoroughly drenched). 

This was Blackburn pre Shearer & Sutton but they already had money behind them and were upwardly mobile.  So Kenny Dalglish, what first attracted you to the millionaire Jack Walker? We were up against a strike partnership of Newell and Speedie.  Newell we could take or leave, Speedie however was just born to be insulted. Well ok then.

As you’d expect, Patgod was on hand to chronicle the day’s events for posterity:

“How can one describe the atmosphere? I believe it was superior to the noise we created at Charlton.  A big match, a good terrace with a low roof, and a few thousand Kettering fans; always perfect ingredients for a boisterous afternoon”.

Er, that was our correspondent Mr Cholmondley-Warner.

We kept the first 45 pretty tight, with the sorely missed Gareth Price looking completely at ease, until Speedie (what a w…) nicked one before HT then it threatened to become a bit of a thumping before Phil Brown smashed in a long range special and the famous “1-4” echoed round the ground.

I seem to remember Dalglish being a bit grudging about our performance afterwards. Fortunately he met his ray of sunshine match in our very own PM and we returned south in high spirits.  



 

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