what is the most memorable match you have attended

[spikey norman]

that didn't involve Fulham or craven cottage - for me two come to mind (one for non footballing reasons)but I'm sure there were others.

The first was a match that took place on December 17th 1966.I had only just started going to football matches and also begin my love affair with Fulham(my first match was a 4-1 win over man city on the 26th November and second a 3-1 win over Southampton) and as  a 12 year old going to away matches to follow Fulham never entered my head at that moment in time (though did go away to Chelsea and spurs later that season).So being bored my neighbour who was also a fulham a fan and I decided to go and watch chelsea v west ham at stamford bridge mainly because we wanted to see hurst,moore and peters from our world cup winning team. For some reason we ended up with the west ham fans but better than being with the Chelsea lot. The game was really exciting end to end stuff with the final score being 5-5 with chelsea equalizing in the last minute – only other memory from that game was the trouble between the rival fans which was quite bad and very scary for a 12 year old who had never experienced something like this first hand before.
My second match was new years day 1976.I had gone with a Scottish friend of mine to Glasgow for a few days to celebrate new year and football wasn't on the agenda. From the moment we arrived in Glasgow it became one long "session" culminating in a brilliant new years eve party and i didn't get to bed until about 4am in an unfit state thinking at least I can have a lie in – how wrong I was. About 8am I was woken by my mate who asked me what I wanted for breakfast – food was the last thing on my mind or his as he held a whisky in one hand and a can of tennant's lager in the other – I opted for the tenants and  remember the cans had pictures of scantily clad women on them. My friend a celtic fan then produced two tickets and said we were going to ibrox to watch rangers v celtic (someone he knew gave them to him at the party) meeting up with his mates before hand for a few beers and to catch the official celtic supporters coach to the match which kicked off at 1.00pm.Quite a few beers and whiskey's were duly sunk before getting on the coach which was covered inside with scarves, banners and the irish tricolour. As we set off the fans all began singing and chanting with plenty of banter  flying around and enough alcohol to start your own off licence. We weren't far from ibrox when someone shouted 'duck' as the first of many missiles –bricks, bottles, lumps of wood and ball bearings – were thrown at our coach by rangers fans. I hadn't been to the loo for a couple of days but my bowels were beginning to move and it got worse  as we approached the ground. The coach had to go past the rangers end of the ground to get to where the celtic fans were standing and momentarily came to a stop due to the sheer volume of rangers fans in the road. At this point the rangers fans were trying to get into our coach  kicking at the door and trying to break the windows in (luckily they were reinforced but nearly went) the hatred on their faces will stay with me forever – at one point they were rocking the coach so badly i though it was going over -thank god the police arrived quickly and cleared a route for our coach to move on. That experience certainly sobered me up. Before going into the ground everyone was searched for alcohol and weapons but that still didn't prevent loads of booze still being on offer during the match especially el Dorado and llanique fortified south African wines which certainly had a kick. The atmosphere during the game was unbelievably tense and you could sense the hatred between the rival fans who constantly goaded each other with anti catholic/protestant songs. The celtic end was uncovered so I experienced sun, sleet, hail, snow and rain all in one 90 minute period and nearly broke a tooth eating a mutton pie – I was glad when the match (which rangers won 1-0) was over got into the coach (leaving post match violence behind us - celtic had their share of nutters too) and headed back to a welcoming pub on the east side of Glasgow and some much needed lubrication.

[Jambo]

Tough one as 99% of the matches I have attended have been Fulham.  Would have to be Real Madrid v Deportivo at the Bernabeu about 5 years ago.  Madrid won 4-1.  A totally different experience from going to an English game.  Everyone having a packed lunch at half time was one difference!!!  Great atmosphere too.

[tommy]

For me it was England v Moldova at Wembley just after Princess Diana had died. They played candle in the wind before the game and turned all the lights off. The stadium was then lit up by candles and lighters, 80,000+ of them. It was a very surreal and amazing moment. One I'll never forget.

[HatterDon]

Spring of 1974. It was an evening match -- Tuesday? -- that featured FA Cup holders Sunderland, who made the entire 2nd division proud the previous May by beating Leads in the final at Wembley..

Luton had already clinched promotion to the old First Division and it was the last match of the season. There was a good-sized crowd and a serious party atmosphere. With nothing meaningful to play for, both teams did nothing but go for goal. If there was a foul resulting from a challange, I don't remember it. I DO remember Vic Halom terrorizing our defense and being cheered by the Oak Road End whenever he touched the ball -- still the only visiting player I can remember getting that treatment [I think the fans of every club he played for loved him].

Luton lost 3-4, but nobody really cared. I invaded the pitch for the first an only time as a supporter, dancing around like the other idiots, not because we lost, but because the next match was going to ensure that I watched Luton in all four divisions. Interestingly, the first match in the next season was also at home, against Liverpool -- the new FA Cup holders. Luton lost that 0-1 [damn you Steve Heighway!]. I've often wondered if any other team in football league history has lost consecutive league matches against different FA Cup holders in different divisions.

Never attended any match like it. Magic.

[Bradstow]

1966 World Cup Final. And I was in line with the goal line for that famous "goal" - it was NOT over the line!

[ffcbulgaria]

CSKA Sofia vs Blackburn in 2002. The Bulgarians going behind 0-3 then raiding the opponents and leveling the score with 5min to go. Amazing game with great atmosphere in a packed stadium.

Followed closely by Fulham vs Spurs and same score :)

[leonffc]

WOW surely no ones going to compete with Bradstow!!

I have 2.
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid in 1999. What a game, what an atmosphere. I went out with a mate in hope of watching it but was told by locals that we'd never get a ticket so went to the ground in the day to have a look around. As soon as we got out the taxi we were approached by a tout who could speak no English. My mate didnt have enough pesatas on him and the tout dragged us (what seemed like) miles to a closed bank where their siesta was rudely interupted by the desperate tout banging on the door. We were locked in the bank trying to change the money up and then were given 2 bits of pink card with a bar code and biro writing on - these were our 'entradas' (invitations from a local hotel apparently). Thinking we had been ripped off we headed back in the evening a little worried but chanced it - A packed Camp Nou and seeing the football on offer was worth the worry. 

The other is England 4-1 Holland in 1996. Great day out and Hollands '1' got the biggest cheer of the day as it meant Scotland were out of the competetion  000en.gif

[MasterHaynes]

Putting the Hamburg and Pompey games aside it would be Chelsea v Leeds in the FA cup final at Wembley 2-2 draw, what a game, conditions were perfect for wing play, a wet heavy pitch keeping the fullbacks on their toes and missing sliding tackles(those were the days) . My friend went down with Chickenpox so I went with his Dad instead. I wanted the mighty and hated Leeds to lose but Gray was absolutely stupendous that day, he made Harris and McCreadie look like amateurs you couldn't help wanting them to win for his sake alone. The Chelsea Goal led a charmed life with the ball hitting bar and both posts with regularity and Bonetti making great saves.

[cheerupjimmyhill]

Bradstow you are the first person i have known to have been at 66 final.. You are not George Cohen are you? Must have been an amazing occasion..

Going to watch other matches for me never feels the same especially as i had to go to Chelsea every other week and sit on them damn benches praying that they would lose. However memorable for the wrong reasons was the Chelsea v Palace cup match, i think Palace won 3 - 2 but it was remembered for Malcolm Allison being the showman and more so for the worst crowd trouble i have ever experienced when at the time it was quite normal but this was a different level.

Thinking back now the Palace team was a very good young team then with i think Venables as coach and mainly home grown players

[Jambo]

1966 World Cup Final. And I was in line with the goal line for that famous "goal" - it was NOT over the line!

You win!!

[King_Crud]

I used to be a Sydney FC season ticket holder when back in oz. My first away game was north to Central Coast. CC were 2-0 up in 20 mins, Sydney scored one on each side of half time to equalise. CC scored again, Sydney then scored two quick goals to take the lead, CC scored in the 86th minute to equalise 4-4. Then in the 5th minute of injury time a CC player hand balled in the box and we got a penalty, which was duly put away, and the final whistle was blown. Amazing scenes.

Highlights are here

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pekeb8GoJCg

[spikey norman]

wow bradstow being at '66 world cup final must have been brilliant - remember watching the match live on tv and as a result got the urge to start going to matches.
Also remember watching the news later that day and seeing a fulham fan dancing in the fountains at nelsons column later to discover it was the late great The Traveller Alex Ferguson.

one other match that i also enjoyed was when i went with a group of lads for a long weekend to amsterdam in may 1985 and while there went to the olympic stadium to watch ajax v feyenord who were going head to head for the dutch championship.

geat game and atmosphere and chance to watch rijkaard,gullit,van basten and ronald koeman live - ajax won 4-2

[A Humble Man]

Fulham v Juventus for pure tension and a dramatic finish beats anything I can remember in 58 years watching.

[Mr_Moon]

2010-11 Serbian Cup Final
Partizan Belgrade vs Vojvodina, 2-1 (further 3-0 forfeit).

Electric atmosphere, goals wrongly given, penalties wrongly given, goals not given. Vojvodina players after consulting their ultras walked off at around the 80 minute mark, resulting in handbags with Partizan players. No one had a clue what was going on, it was pure chaos. When the clock reached 90mins, the ref blew up for the end of the match and Partizan were awarded the trophy. Even though Partizan were the better team, I've never seen a side be robbed as much as Vojvodina were.

[F(f)CUK]

Matches that do not include Fulham do not come close to the series of roller-coaster of tensions and other emotions that I experience watching Fulham on a normal Saturday.  I can admire the football and even show a willingness for one of the teams to come out on top, but for me it is the unerring support :scarf: for Fulham that is important when watching a game.

[A Humble Man]

Matches that do not include Fulham do not come close to the series of roller-coaster of tensions and other emotions that I experience watching Fulham on a normal Saturday.  I can admire the football and even show a willingness for one of the teams to come out on top, but for me it is the unerring support :scarf: for Fulham that is important when watching a game.

But any non-Fulham matches I watch are just for entertainment and none I can remember as memorable as I have no connection with them.  I have seen a lot of matches in the Premier League where the standard of football is much higher than anything we usually see at the Cottage but it is not Fulham so it is not memorable.

I am Fulham till I die exclusively.

[Mr_Moon]

But any non-Fulham matches I watch are just for entertainment and none I can remember as memorable as I have no connection with them.  I have seen a lot of matches in the Premier League where the standard of football is much higher than anything we usually see at the Cottage but it is not Fulham so it is not memorable.

I am Fulham till I die exclusively.

I don't really see how that works. Surely it'd be the opposite as you're watching a match in unfamiliar surroundings with different players etc, whilst Fulham is same old. Matches are generally memorable if they're either of a good standard of football, it's a special occasion or if something noteworthy happened. Example off the top of my head, a few Barnet games that I went to in 08 were more memorable then Fulham 0-0 Derby of that year, where the highlight was Konchesky elbowing Fagan or Miller. Can't remember anything else about the game, whilst I can with other non-FFC.


Or of course if they're utterly terrible.

[lamby]

Australia vs. Uruguay (16/11/2005 - Sydney) World Cup Qualifier 2006.

Schwarzer saves 2 penalties in a shootout to take Australia to it's first World Cup final in 32 years!!

http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/classicqualifiers/news/newsid=846066.html

The stakes
The script could not have been written any better. Uruguay had defeated Australia in a play-off for the FIFA World Cup in November 2001, overcoming Frank Farina's men 3-0 in the second leg in Montevideo. This time, Guus Hiddink was in charge of the men from Down Under, and the same two teams faced off for a ticket to the world finals. The first leg, in Montevideo this time, gave the Uruguayans a slender 1-0 lead to take to Sydney for the decider. Before 82,600 fans at Sydney's Olympic stadium, the teams entered the field to deafening applause from the yellow-drenched arena.

[GoldCoastWhite]

Australia vs. Uruguay (16/11/2005 - Sydney) World Cup Qualifier 2006.

Schwarzer saves 2 penalties in a shootout to take Australia to it's first World Cup final in 32 years!!

http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/classicqualifiers/news/newsid=846066.html

The stakes
The script could not have been written any better. Uruguay had defeated Australia in a play-off for the FIFA World Cup in November 2001, overcoming Frank Farina's men 3-0 in the second leg in Montevideo. This time, Guus Hiddink was in charge of the men from Down Under, and the same two teams faced off for a ticket to the world finals. The first leg, in Montevideo this time, gave the Uruguayans a slender 1-0 lead to take to Sydney for the decider. Before 82,600 fans at Sydney's Olympic stadium, the teams entered the field to deafening applause from the yellow-drenched arena.

That was special Lamby, as was the 2011 A-League final. Nil all after ninety minutes, Brisbane 2 down with 26 minutes of extra time played. Henrique scores in the 117th minute, Erik the Viking equalises with a killer header as the ref blows for full time and the mighty Roar win on penalties. Cue pandemonium at a packed out Suncorp Stadium  oztralian

[F(f)CUK]

But any non-Fulham matches I watch are just for entertainment and none I can remember as memorable as I have no connection with them.  I have seen a lot of matches in the Premier League where the standard of football is much higher than anything we usually see at the Cottage but it is not Fulham so it is not memorable.

I am Fulham till I die exclusively.

I don't really see how that works. Surely it'd be the opposite as you're watching a match in unfamiliar surroundings with different players etc, whilst Fulham is same old. Matches are generally memorable if they're either of a good standard of football, it's a special occasion or if something noteworthy happened. Example off the top of my head, a few Barnet games that I went to in 08 were more memorable then Fulham 0-0 Derby of that year, where the highlight was Konchesky elbowing Fagan or Miller. Can't remember anything else about the game, whilst I can with other non-FFC.


Or of course if they're utterly terrible.

My view is that for a match to memorable you need to be emotionally connected.  So whilst I can remember being at the Milk Cup final Norwich vs Sunderland, Crystal Palace vs Everton, Everton vs Chelsea, Everton vs WHU and even England vs Yugoslavia - I was not overly bothered about who won or lost and therefore Fulham vs Derby 0-0 probably would have meant more to me.  The fact that it now merges into countless other Fulham matches is neither here nor there.