Before Boro

[artiefufkin]

So who did you watch before converting to Boro, unless you are one of the few oldies who have been going since the days of county league division 6 you must of followed someone else.. For me it was Brighton since early 80s but kinda gave up watching them because Withdean is rubbish and way too expensive- nearly £30 a pop these days(play-off final at Cardiff was a top day out mind) so i went down the Lane bout 4 years ago and got hooked... So, who WERE yer?? (ex Palace need not reply) ;D

[chillic]

Born in Hastings, but moved up to Berkshire and was a season ticket holder up at Reading FC for 5 years. Moved down south the year Reading went up so I never got to see a live Premiership game. Started watching a lot of local football when I moved down to Seaford, even going to watch Seaford some weekends. Over the last 3 years i've been watching Boro part time. Attending the games I could make in between my youth football coaching commitments. Highlight of last season was of course the away game to Lewes at Xmas. Fantastic atmosphere that day. Looking forward to Crawley and Lewes at Priory Lane next season. I've now started a job at Eastbourne and have taken a break from the coaching, and I'm finding myself there most of the time and I really want to take the opportunity to see some of those big sides get a kicking down these here parts so i'll be attending as many games as I can next season.

[sbbuts]

Followed Sidley Utd for years in fact was at the game when the then Langley Sports were beaten in their promotion year at Sidley their only loss all season I think.Can remember some Langley supporters turning up with blow up Aliens never could work out why.
Looking forward to the coming season.

[borosaint]

I used to watch brighton down at the goldstone ground and had a season ticket their for a couple of years, when they moved to the withdean I lost faith and began to go and watch a lot of Liverpool games as my family supports Liverpoolwith serveral trips to Anfield and one fa cup final at cardiff was memorable with michael owen scoring two last minute goals! remember Goonerboy! but all this time I was'nt abe to get anyone to take me to watch southampton and I was two young to go on my own so borough was my solution really until a couple of years later I began to travel to southampton on the train and take turns between that and borough and that's how it is now!

[lok]

Never followed anyone but Langney Sports/Boro have done for 30+ years! only missed 2 games last season, that includes away games also! In the old days when there was Mick Green & co, Delly, Nigel Hole,Paul Weatly,Paul Callingham,Jo O'Neil,Chris Marshall,Paul Filsell to name but a few. Those days and players will always hold special memories for me. Then the big games were against Hailsham and 'the toffs from the Saffs'. That said the 'Wilson' days have also been fantastic with Alty, Oxford and the Play-off in May fantastic days. This is one special football club and there will never be another like it for me !

[shinless1]

I'm embarrassed to say that I remember the aliens, and their reason for landing. They were Matt Allen mascots (Allen/alien )!
I can only justify this madness with the fact that things were really taking off with the club in that season. There was a lot of excitement, and it seemed at that time that anything inflatable was fair game .

Rob

[Andrew Raeburn]

Jul 8, 2008 19:23:14 GMT shinless1 said:

I'm embarrassed to say that I remember the aliens, and their reason for landing. They were Matt Allen mascots (Allen/alien )!
I can only justify this madness with the fact that things were really taking off with the club in that season. There was a lot of excitement, and it seemed at that time that anything inflatable was fair game .

Rob

I remember seeing the alien up close for the first time when leaving The Oval after Langney had come from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Matt Crabb was in the United team that night I seem to remember.

Despite living just a Sean McFadden/Dean Lightwood/Paul Stark/Lee Hook goal kick away from Priory Lane since 1990, my first football passion was Aston Villa (stop laughing...!). Started following their results in 1993, as an 8-year-old and within a year they'd beaten Man Utd in the League Cup. They then went and won it again in '96, beating Leeds 3-0 - and have won the square root of b***** all ever since! My first Villa game was 1996, at Selhurst Park, to watch a 3-3 thriller with Wimbledon.

My first proper Langney Sports game was on March 1, 1997, the day before my 12th birthday. I've just dug the programme out. It was against Saltdean United in the County League.

Langney team listed in the programme (I didn't write the team changes on!): 1. Sean McFadden, 2. Darren Baker (legend!), 3. Simon Kibler, 4. Jason Morley, 5. Shaun Chaytor-Grubb, 6. Ian Smith, 7. Derrick Smith, 8. Gary Callingham, 9. Stuart Danbury, 10. Dominic Shepherd, 11. Paul Callingham. Subs: 12. Steve Walters, 14. Andrew Ducille, 15. Steve Richardson.

Steve 'Rico' Richardson was the manager. Dean Lightwood was in goal for Saltdean! And future Millwall and Palace player Paul Ifill started for Saltdean.

The excellent programme printed the top six of what was then the Vauxhall Conference - the division that 11 years later Eastbourne Borough find themselves in. Not much changes...

1. Kidderminster Harriers
2. Macclesfield Town
3. Northwich Victoria
4. Stevenage Borough
5. Hednesford Town
6. Morecambe

[boroblade]

As a young schoolboy my first introduction to football was watching Worksop Town FC in the then Northen Premier League. I recall going to see The Tigers v Wigan Athletic @ Springfield Park; their home before their illustrious rise through the non-league ranks and resettling @ the JJB Stadium. ( Who's to say that the Borough won't achieve a similar League status in the future?)
When aged 16 I made the short trip to "Beautiful-down-town-Bramall Lane"& have been a Blade ever since. My job has taken me to various parts of the country whereby I invariably "supported" the team where I was living. These included Dawlish Town; Ashford Town(Kent);Worthing FC and Hastings Town/United. I was a regular at Plainmoor during the mid-80's and watched Mansfield Town for a season when working in north Notts. Anyway, been down the Lane for the past 9 years and no intention of going anywhere else!!

I remember Grant & John taking that blow-up alien to the away games; didn't really get it! Anyhow they both left a few years back to follow Town..............presumably taking their inflatable with them! They fell out of favour with the Sports when they changed the name to Eastbourne Borough FC.

[wha]

Can't really compete with some of the quality posts on here and see myself as a comparative newcomer.Have always been interested in "local" football and I think the first time I saw the Sports was in a senior Sussex cup final and again,I think, at the Goldstone.Followed Brighton for years home and away but like many stopped when we lost the Goldstone. I was there for the final match there and remember when driving home that the buzz seemed to have gone.I got seriously into Boro the season we won the county league and have not looked back since.I have enjoyed the last few years and am now trying to put something back in season ticket,sponsorship etc.I hope we don't lose the unique qualities that are our club as we continue to move up the pyramid. It's been the most enjoyable ten years or so that I have had in watching football.Up the Boro!!!!

[jay]

i watch everton alot when i was about 8,9

[sportspool]

Andrew Raeburn knows the answer to mine. My username is a clue

[daddyhorsesense]

Before Boro I was a dedicated Millwall follower, up and down the country, relegation as well as the few promotion seasons. Still have the MillwallLion tattooed on my arm, and 'We are the famous Millwall'.
I was there at Wembley (0-3 to Man Utd) and there when we won the FA Cup (Women's FA Cup, 1-0 against the Doncaster Belles).
And, in all that time, about fifteen years, I only got arrrested once, and received a written apology from the police for that, as a case of mistaken identity. Something of a record for a Millwall fan, I reckon.
I changed to Boro a couple of years after moving to Eastbourne; I went to the first game of the season at Millwall, home to Yeovil Town, and the club had decided to save money by only opening half the ticket sales points. It was about 80 degrees, two hour-plus queues to get a ticket, no shade, families with young children, some of whom actually fainted from heat/dehydration. I was reading the programme about how Millwall was now a family club and the directors were determined to do everything they could to help the fans from now on. What did they do that day? Several watched us queue up from the director's restaurant, but no water was brought round, no discounts offerred, nobody thought to sell tickets along the queues to get people in. Their total action was to tell the stewards to leave the queues to avoid trouble, and put police there instead, with orders to arrest anyone who argued or got upset.
I left without watching the game, went to Boro the next week and bought a season ticket at the gate, and vowed never to go to Millwall again - so far I haven't, and I haven't looked back either!

[hartlepool]

Always have done, and always will follow Hartlepool United.
Season ticket holder for 12 years now, and I'm only 17.
It is expensive now that I am not a U16 anyomre mind.
Good deal this year for our centenery at £120 for my season ticket standing behind the goal.
Was first introduced to Borough at a pre-season friendly Vs Gillingham a few seasons back.
Former Pools manager Neale Cooper had just took charge of Gillingham, and I was in the area staying with family, so made the short trip from bexhill to Eastbourne.
Been back 3 times since and make the effort to get there as often as possible.
Cant wait for a few shorter trips this season to see their away travels

[Barry Carpenter (baz)]

Nationally always supported the mighty Hammers. Had a season ticket for a few years back in the early nineties.

Locally from the age of about 11 watched Hailsham Town (home and away). During those days we used to have some epic battles with the then Langney Sports, players such as Paul and Howard Stevens. Paul Filsell, Steve Richardson, Steve March and the old guard in defence. At that time Sports had legends such as Mick Green, Stevie Dell, Nigel Hole and Matt Jones to name a few. Went through the years when the Sports were managed by Pete Cherry and Hailsham had such managers as Micky French and Trevor Wood ( who I stll rate to this day as one of the best man motivators in local football).

In them days Hailsham had the famous cup runs that included trips away to Forest Green Rovers (lost 6-5) in normal time, Dulwich Hamlet, Ashford Town, Eastleigh and even included one to Jersey (a very messy weekend ). We also had a trip away to someone, cant remember the side where I remember us going 4-0 down in about the 75th minute only to come back to draw 4-4 (the team escapes me for a minute, maybe you could ask Mr McEwan Andrew, test the old boys memory ). We also had some massive crowds at the Beaconsfield with teams visiting like Hastings, Hungerford Town and a number of others in our mighty cup runs.

Been down at Borough now for a few seasons although used to follow them a bit in late nineties which included the 3 or 4 games needed to settle the cup tie against Kingstonians (sure it went to a 3rd replay).

[lastonthecoach]

Used to watch Brighton when i was five. But have supported Leeds since the age of 8. Still go to games. Home and away. Watch boro when not watching Leeds. I do cheer when the boro do score but not to the extent when Leeds score.