Busmansholiday

Amazingly efficient for once, let's hope the final tickets are as well organised.

Hopefully we'll get automatic promotion, otherwise I believe the league 1 playoffs are around about then (final on 21st).

Great Uncle died at Xmas 1973 and his sis (my grandma) gave me his season ticket, (West Stand Upper). I'd been going anyway but it was wonderful, well having a season ticket was, the footie was dire. If you think we play crap at times these days, that's nothing to those days. Had seasons after that in the south, being able to throw the cushions onto the pitch when we played crap was a bonus. Always remember Preston away, mid week, well before the dreadful tragedy at Bradford. Fans turning up with several copies of newspapers and then lighting them on the away end so we could dance around them and keep warm. A copper trying to stamp out the flames and his trousers catching fire. Bricks being thrown at the coach on the way out and the driver stamping on the brakes, a bus load of us diving out the emergency exits and chasing them. I passed my PSV driving licence in 1978 and worked for what had been SUT. Knew the management anyway, they put me on a few away Owls coaches (you got in free as driver) so lost track of where they sent me. Do remember Exeter away in March 79, 2-2 draw. I do apologise to anyone on that coach that day, but despite the M5 being dual carriageway in parts, the M42 not existing, I did get you back to Sheffield for 10pm for some beer !!!

Do you mean a ginger haired footballer or the disabled people in those AC Invacar model 70s pitch side? My grandfarther had an earlier version until his death in the 60's.

Remember that event like it was yesterday, rather than the 48 years it really is. Was also the season I had my first season ticket and it was a pretty grim time. I also remember that at the start of the new year one of the newspapers had a prediction for what would happen each month in 1974. It was something like April when they predicted that the Post Office would say "Post early for Xmas", they followed that up with Sheffield Wednesday send out dismissal notices to the management and staff. Sideways move for a legend, yes, sack on Xmas Eve, no, I doubt even DC can top that.

Despite this being a total p1ss take by our owner I have renewed. The good news is that he's only made £16.09p from me for the delight of watching L1/2 or Championship (delete as you feel free) football next year. This is because I'd £90 credit against last season, I'd been luck enough to have my refund of £98.91 against the previous season arrive and I've changed from Adult to OAP. I'm probably one of the luck ones, it is though a pretty shambolic way to treat your supporters, sorry customers, and I feel for the vast majority of fans that aren't as lucky as me.

Of course, if we play any more matches this season like last night, you'll have bought an early bird ticket to watch L2 football next year.

April '77, four of us squeezed into a mates then new mini for the trip.

Stagecoach buses are on strike for a week from today.

Four Lanes chippy before the match and listening to Praise or Grunt on Radio Sheffield (when the pigs have lost) on the drive home to cheer me up.

We had joy we had fun, we had XXXXXXX on the run, but the fun didn't last because the b*st*rds ran too fast. (XXXXX =insert various teams). Then there was one about the East Bank Republican Army I'm struggling to remember the words.

Those were the days in the South Stand, especially when the PA came on asking you Not to throw them. Remember hurling mine in the 4-0 home defeat to Villa in the 74-75 season.

A quick look on Google maps... I've been in those West Stand 'Bogs', they make the grimest of the 'bogs' at Hillsborough look like the Hilton.

Once went to watch Benidorm v Denia (a local derby) in the Spanish version of non league with my (late) father. We were sat there with a beer when a local steward (with good English) asked us if we minded swoping our beer glasses for plastic ones, as being English, they were worried we'd throw/drop the glass ones !!

Spider cutting inside and scoring the first in the Boxing Day Massacre in front of the kop. Made my Christmas after those dark years of following Wednesday in the early / mid 70's.