What is your earliest memory of going to watch your team?

[Comrie]

First season County were in the big leagues, was a cup game I think, got taken in by a local (who was a Liverpool fan) who wanted to see County's ground. I think we won.

[Jute]

Premier league tie at Ibrox with my Rangers (deceased) supporting Dad and uncle. I spent game cheering for team in red which almost got them lynched. Just remember the noise of the crowd, how many people that were there and the glare of the lights. That was me hooked. Thankfully the experience scarred my Dad and uncle for life and they never tried to take me back to Ibrox. 

[AUcal]

Always had the incorrect idea my first game was a 4 nil win but I don't think I've been right about that having had a look back at results.

I know it was in season 2005/2006, it was in the middle of winter (cause I was freezing) and that Ayr won. Looking into past results would suggest it was Ayr 2-0 Dumbarton on boxing day 2005. Craig Conway and Douglas Ramsay scored apparently.

Clearly I don't remember the actual game at all, but I remember loving the feeling of going to the football and being able to move around the Somerset Park terraces following the action. My dad bought me a Bovril, I spilt it down my jacket. At 7, I think I was just fascinated by the whole occasion really.

First away game was at Stirling Albion in 2008. Bryan Prunty scored two absolute screamers that day, think it was a 2-2 draw. 08/09 was my first experience of the team being quite good and winning most weeks - it was strange.

Good thread.

[Stylish Kid]

On 21/07/2023 at 11:04, paranoid android said:

Saw Hertz beat Motherwell 3-0 at Tynecastle for my first game.

In fact, we won the first five games I attended - thought I was a good luck charm.

How wrong I was! 

I had this too (good luck charm)

 

I think it was more likely a product of my dad picking matches that we had a good chance of winning (and of course the 1998 SC Final)

[Trackdaybob]

Early 80's, v Sunderland.

My grandad took me. I was lifted over the turnstile. We stood at the ice rink end. 

[Mr. X]

My dad wasn't really into football so my first game was with a mate when I was a young teenager. Hearts v Motherwell 23rd November 1985. Me and my mate wandered into the old enclosure in front of the old main stand. It was being used as the Family Enclosure at the time so it was a bit tame, but looking across to the Shed and hearing all the singing and chants was an incredible experience at the time.  'The referees a b*****d', 'You're going home in a Gorgie ambulance', 'It's magic you know, there's gonna be Gorgie Aggro' and 'So Fucking Easy'.  to a young impressionable teenager this was fantastic.   The football was pretty good as well, Hearts won 3-0. Hardly missed a game home and away for the next three seasons.

[Monkey Tennis]

11 hours ago, Mr. X said:

My dad wasn't really into football so my first game was with a mate when I was a young teenager. Hearts v Motherwell 23rd November 1985. Me and my mate wandered into the old enclosure in front of the old main stand. It was being used as the Family Enclosure at the time so it was a bit tame, but looking across to the Shed and hearing all the singing and chants was an incredible experience at the time.  'The referees a b*****d', 'You're going home in a Gorgie ambulance', 'It's magic you know, there's gonna be Gorgie Aggro' and 'So Fucking Easy'.  to a young impressionable teenager this was fantastic.   The football was pretty good as well, Hearts won 3-0. Hardly missed a game home and away for the next three seasons.

That must have ultimately been quite a scarring season, during which to have jumped aboard.

[AyrshireTon]

My first Morton game was 15th March 1978 - Morton v Aberdeen, Scottish Cup Quarter Final Replay.

Morton had sensationally forced a draw at Pittodrie with two late, late goals and were looking good for promotion from the 1st Division, so there was a lot of excitement for this game. My mum's younger brother is a die-hard Morton fan and talked my dad into going along - and I was taken too. My dad's brother played for Morton reserves in the early 70s, so Morton was already in both sides of the family.

Aberdeen won 2-1, with this effort from John McNeil hauling us back into it.

 

We were both hooked from that moment. Having only watched Scottish Football on TV, the experience of a live game had quite an effect on my dad.

Aged 6, I was half-asleep in class next day at school. Unfortunately, this meant that my dad didn't take me to the promotion-clinching game against Airdrie a month later. #stillbitter 

[Moorie]

Collecting the Scotland team coins from Esso for the World Cup 1990. Was only 4 so no memory of the tournament.

 

first game was first one remember of football February 4th 1994 Aberdeen 4 raith rovers 0 few days before my 8th birthday 

going into a sports shop in trinity centre  getting a new scarf which I still own to this day.  Going to Kodak to get a spool in my dads camera as wanted to take photos of the players remember my dad saying I couldn’t go onto the pitch to take them.

remember Snelders saving a pen and the colourful Language in the south stand. 

[madmitch]

On 22/07/2023 at 20:49, Billy Jean King said:

At risk of starting the age old spat with our Well supporting friends (tin hat firmly on) mine was the infamous Cup tie at Fir Park in 1976. I can remember a good few things, the football special train, being behind the goals at the front and it being packed and the general excitement about the day. I think that instantly had me hooked. The football itself I remember very little of but in my defence I was only 8.

The football went like this. Motherwell were a complete gang and kicked us off the park stopping our usual free flowing beautiful game.  The Saints support that day was unbelievable.

[Alberto Spencer]

Hearts v Stirling Albion last league game of the season 67/68. I have no memory of Donald Ford's 2 goals for Hearts but I remember like it was yesterday the Binos goal (made it 1-1 at the time). Eddie Thomson (later of Aberdeen and manager of Australia) was last man at the halfway line when a long clearance reached him. He chested it wide towards the touchline then turned to lob a pass back to Jim Cruickshank. Cruickie was at the edge of his box and had to chase back to his line but not in time for one of the best OGs I've ever seen. Eddie lost his Cup Final place to 18 year old Arthur Thomson who had a poor game the next week against the Pars and I'm sure he was only chosen because of the OG.

I still think this OG might have cost us the Cup as Eddie Thomson was a much better player than Arthur. In addition, Rene Moller was also left on the bench for the final (came on to create Hearts goal) and both choices were "unsuccessful" to say the least! These things stick with you as a young kid 

[tamthebam]

My old man wasn't a football fan. He did say once that he'd taken me to Gayfield when we lived in Arbroath but I have no memories of that.

I ended up going to a school where the main focus was on egg chasing rather than football so I got into football late. Most folk at school were Jambos but my mate down the road was a Hibee so me and another non footballing mate went with him to Hibs v Aberdeen in October 1986. A 1-1 draw occurred and I could just about see myself on the terracing on the Sportscene highlights that night. 

We went back for a midweek game the following Tuesday and Hibs got stuffed 3-0 by Dundee.. that was enough for the other mate who never went back to a football match.

From the East Terrace you could see the mighty floodlights of Meadowbank and I always meant to go along to a Thistle match out of curiosity. Thus on February 28th 1987 I saw Meadowbank beat Albion Rovers 3-0 with on-loan Celtic keeper Alan McKnight being sent off for Rovers and Alan Lawrence getting a brace. Cowdenbeath were then dispatched a few weeks later and there was no going back from that- loonies in the stand singing funny songs and a decent enough team made an impression on me. Thistle won the Second Division that season so I suppose I was a glory hunter! 

[Ya Bezzer!]

My first memory is being taken to Fir Park by my uncle in 1982.

I was only 8 years old so as you can imagine I was more interested in the entire experience than the actual game and I can't even remember the opposition or the score. 

The main thing I remember was the sort of bleakness of the whole thing.  The stadium, sky, punters and possibly pitch were the greyest of concrete greys.  I don't remember cheering so I don't think we scored.  The terraces were fairly barren and I spent most of my time running around swinging on crush barriers.

On the way back there was 'supporter trouble' at the tunnel/underpass up towards Orbiston Street with bottles getting launched and some fighting.

*Having done some research after remembering it was Dundee Utd fans that attacked at the tunnel I think it might have been the 23/10/1982 match which Dundee Utd won 2-0.

I remember better matches against Airdrieonians and Queens Park which may have been around 1983-84.

I started going regularly in 1986.  I'd started High School and my mum allowed me to go to the football without adult supervision. 

[Handsome_Devil]

On 21/07/2023 at 04:35, rowsdower said:

Motherwell v Rangers in the late 80s at fir park. My dad was a rangers fan so we were in the away end. I turned up in the rangers scarf he got me, my we brother was decked in motherwell gear, he wasnt going to take him in, and send him home woth mum instead, but in the end we all went in.

Motherwell won 2-1, but the only thing I can picture from the game was someone heading the ball off the bar. It also smelled like pish.

Followed the wee brothers lead after that.

Must have been this one

 

One of my first memories is refusing to go to that game because I wanted to play computer games with my mate instead. Doh. I was just turned six.

First game was possibly v Aberdeen in 86 or 87 but I don't remember much at all until 89/90. Cooper smashing one in off the bar v Dundee is one of the first goals I remember though I've never, ever seen it again. his masterclass with 10 men v United stands out too.

Oddly I also have relatively clear memories of the 89 cup final.

The biggest 'nostalgia' feeling is what kids could get away with in those days...tonnes of tig, running around all over the place when the game couldn't hold your attention which just wouldn't be on now, I suspect, even in the old style stadiums which could accommodate it. I also loved, particularly away from home, the first glimpse of floodlights towering high into the sky - the modern versions just aren't the same.

[tamthebam]

4 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

One of my first memories is refusing to go to that game because I wanted to play computer games with my mate instead. Doh. I was just turned six.

First game was possibly v Aberdeen in 86 or 87 but I don't remember much at all until 89/90. Cooper smashing one in off the bar v Dundee is one of the first goals I remember though I've never, ever seen it again. his masterclass with 10 men v United stands out too.

Oddly I also have relatively clear memories of the 89 cup final.

The biggest 'nostalgia' feeling is what kids could get away with in those days...tonnes of tig, running around all over the place when the game couldn't hold your attention which just wouldn't be on now, I suspect, even in the old style stadiums which could accommodate it. I also loved, particularly away from home, the first glimpse of floodlights towering high into the sky - the modern versions just aren't the same.

Aye, floodlights were a thing of beauty 

I can remember going to Hampden for the first time (1989 v France) and the massive lights shining through the pissing rain. You just don't get the same thrill with stand roof based lights 

[Monkey Tennis]

11 hours ago, tamthebam said:

Aye, floodlights were a thing of beauty 

Some of us still have 4 huge pylons.

[Clangers]

My first football memory was being 3 and visiting our old neighbours and there son giving me a pile of his football sticker doublers, I didn’t have a album so just stuck them on some white paper, I probably had no idea what they were.
 

My first game was the 1985 Rous Cup match, we were standing just the other side of the fence from the England fans which was definitely a eye opening experience, it scared my Dad enough he didn’t take me back to a Scotland game for years. I was definitely disappointed after when I went to my first league game and discovered that police horses charges and mass riots weren’t a normal match experience!

[tamthebam]

1 hour ago, Monkey Tennis said:

Some of us still have 4 huge pylons.

[mozam76]

I have very, very foggy recollection of being at Douglas Park with my dad one night - it must have been Hamilton vs Alloa, as I recall an auld guy screaming "NEVER MIND HAMILTON ACCIES, C'MON ALLOA!" right beside me. This would have been early-mid 80's.

The first football occasion I really remember being at was the 1987 Skol Cup Final that Rangers won on penalties vs Aberdeen. My brother "lifted me over", and I didn't see a single thing.

First Livi game for me was the opening of the stadium in November 1995. Even as someone in their late teens at the time, watching the stands near completion was achingly cool. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by mozam76

[Carlyle]

March 1965, Scottish Cup quarter final Motherwell 1 Hearts 0 scorer Carlyle. My memories as a 4yr old (nearly 5) has the goal scored from a header, though happy to be corrected.

Sat in the still newish Main Stand.