Just bought a program from 50 years ago!

Grimsby v Barnsley FA Cup 2nd round replay dated Wednesday 8th December 1965. 10p isnt bad for a bit of history!

 

Is it one of the little square ones that cost sixpence?

 

Yeah says sixpence on it

 

So you paid four times the face value then
Originally 6d, now 2/-

I have loads of them by the way - games I actually attended. Would sell them if there was a decent market for old programmes

 

It just interests me, history of Barnsley Football/Town. My dad wouldve liked it he had a soft spot for Grimsby.

 

I've got about 5 seasons worth used to be my grandads wouldn't be without them.

 

From when? 60s?

 

Strangely enough , I was reading about that match 2 weeks ago.
I was at Blundell Park at a funeral wake and there was a report of that match on the wall in the McMenemy Suite.
We lost 2-0 after drawing the first match 1-1.

No idea why they have that match on the wall?

 

I've been collecting them for years and I'm around 30 shy of having every home programme since 1954. I originally tried to get every one since my first game (1977), then stretched it back to the year I was born (1969) and then kept going. I had to draw a line somewhere though and the price starts to rise steeply pre-1954, so that seemed a good place to stop. I'll still pick up the odd special game pre-1954 though (I've just bought a friendly at home to Glenavon from the 1940s). I'm also collecting at least one programme from everyone we've played away, which proves to be quite tricky. I've got all the ones available from competitive games (I won't tell you how much the Netherfield FA Cup one cost me, but I had to get permission from the missus first!), so I am scouring for friendlies against obscure non-league sides.

Some of the non-league ones are great though. There's one from Tonbridge in the late sixties in which they make reference to their hotshot teenager (actually playing as a defender in those days) Malcolm MacDonald. Tellingly the friendly they played before us was Fulham, and the report in the programme says that Fulham boss Bobby Robson was impressed with him. He certainly was, as he went out and bought him at the end of that season and turned him into a striker.

Of the home ones I am still looking for, one is a pipe dream, after a fellow member of this very parish told me how much the Notts County home from 65-66 went for recently (over three times I paid for the Netherfield one, put it that way!), whereas the others are difficult to find. The West Ham ones from the 50s are a pain, because there seems to be a lot of West Ham fans that also want them and they seem to have more money than me! Generally speaking though they don't cost a lot, 2 or 3 quid for most late 50s programmes is the norm, whereas 70s and 80s ones are practically given away. That's one of the benefits of collecting Barnsley programmes, rather than West Ham ones. You might search for years for a programme but then when you eventually find it it doesn't cost much (I had similar experiences collecting Stephen Duffy records!). Needless to say, it's taken a very long time to get to this position and I'm lucky if I find one per month.

What gets me though is the excellent condition that a lot of these are in. I can't imagine there was a big footy memorabilia market in the 50s, so they must have been lovingly kept as souvenirs and then gradually sold off. Some of the ones I have picked up for a couple of quid don't look like they've even been read.

But you can get bargains with the ones that aren't apparently in good nick too. I bought a pile off eBay that the seller said were generally in good condition with a few creases, although some had writing on them, so I ended up paying very little for a pile of autographed programmes from the 60s!

 

Ive got 59/60 to 65/66 complete home only. For some reason I can never fathom and never got round to asking miss 66/67 then 67/68 to 69/70.

I used to have every match I'd been to 70s onwards but lost most of them in a fallout with an ex (don't ask) and I'm gradually getting them back.

 

Including the 65/66 Notts County home?

 

Is that the one from Feb 1966? I will have to check tomorrow I believe they are complete years unless I've missed summat.

 

Yes, its a single sheet programme, as the club were struggling from one game to the next not knowing if they'd make it to the next, and couldn't afford to produce the proper programme. If you have it it's probably worth at least 5 times as much as the ones from the rest of that season added together!

 

I'm pretty sure it's there as I remember a single sheeter. It's ticked off my spreadsheet (I know sad ****er) but I can't be arsed to go into the attic to double check. My grandad was quite thorough he also left me every cup final programme from 1923 which Is why I don't understand the missing season.

 

Well when you hit on hard times you can bundle it in with your big badges. I'll start saving up!

 

Are you sure about the single sheet Gordon? I have the Crewe Alex home programme 29 Jan 66 and Colchester 26 Feb 66 programmes here and they were the standard little square productions, 6d each. It was the following season when we nearly went to the wall. November 66 was practically the end of the club and then Ernest Dennis and Geoff Buckle stepped in with their life saving £10,000.

Seems odd that the Notts County programme in between these would have been a paper one yet all the ones either side were normal production. Are you sure you are not mistaken?

 

May be wrong here but I think the Notts Co programme may have been a single sheet as there was a shortage of paper - the suppliers to the programme publishers being on strike at the time. Not a lack of money at the Club.

I have this Notts Co Sheet/Programme, can't recall how or when I got it. Not sure if it's genuine or whether it's a copy of the original.

 

Hmm that might be it then. Oddly enough, on the results and fixtures page for the Colchester match (26 Feb) there is no mention that the Notts County game took place on 12 Feb - the fixture is at the bottom of the page with the "to be arranged" matches. I had to check the later on in the season ones and, sure enough, the match against County did take place on 12 Feb 66. It was a 1-1 draw.

Interesting bits from this season 65-66. It was our first ever in the Fourth Division.
Notable defeats - 7-2 away to Bradford Park Avenue ("Hector got five" was the chant when we went there the following season!) and we lost 5-1 at home to Doncaster. We also lost 6-3 at Wrexham and 5-4 at Luton, and there were a few fours against us as well.
Best wins - 5-0 home to Rochdale, 5-1 away to Barrow. Season ended in glorious sunshine in the middle of May with a 4-0 stroll against Southport with the Ponty End choir singing "What's it all about, Albert?" (in the style of Cilla Black's song Alfie). Albert Lord was in goal for Southport and dropped a few clangers!

 

Ah, maybe I'm being fed duff information by the so called club historian (or maybe I didn't read his explanation properly, which is more likely!). I was swapping wants lists with Turvey Tyke and he filled me in on the Notts County one and sent me the link to the one that went recently for around £350. It's the only one in this format though. I have all the 66-67 ones and they are regular programmes.

Come on Dave, what's the story?

 

you have pm