Gwen Bonds first away match v Leicester City 1948

[Prendo's boots]

Eyup...a nice bit of an Owls story here and also it says something about the times when it all happened. We had my missus' relatives staying down here for a week and during a pub meal as usual I started talking about The Owls.

Gwen who is now 81 is an Owls fanatic but I never realsied how much so. From when she was 15/16 she and her best mate Judy used to watch Wednesday every home match, catching the bus from Handsworth into Sheffield and then into Marsdens cafe for beans on toast as a pre match meal.

They both used to wear blue and white dresses with a white cardy and would then walk into Hillsborough and down to the ground. She said they didnt even know Hillsborough had shops at that time as they walked straight to the ground. She's sure they used to stand on the old South Stand terracing where home and away fans would often mix and chat/cheer together. She said that plenty of people used to travel to follow their team but they weren't allowed at the time being only 15/16 years old.

Anyway during a game against Leicester C at home they were chatting to a couple who had their daughters with them and were invited to the return game whenever it was....this involved letters being written to Gwen and Judys parents assuring them that they would be picked up at the station and then returned to the train straight after the game....this proceedure took several weeks and many letters before Gwens Mum and Dad finally agreed.

She remembers going to Barnsley/Rotherham and all the local away games after this but still remembers this kind gesture as the one that set the ball rolling for having trips away....cant remember the score tho!! They also used to go to the Lane every other week to cheer on the opposition as well as watching cricket down there through the summer. She's a right character although too frail to attend games now but still completely obsessed....good old Gwen!!

My wife's Dad's last game was summerised by him saying 'ant bin since Nicholson brock 'is leg' ....anyone know when this might have been???

The other visitor was Piggy Uncle Mick who was a bus driver in the 70's and used to be one of the mob who used to stand together on the Lower Lepp so they could get out first to their buses that were parked along the top of Parkside Road...

As has been said before many times on here back in the day all footy fans in Sheffield seemed more often or not to watch both teams play...imagine that happening now!! They all agreed that Derek Dooley was the best player from either team they had ever seen play!!! .....Anyroad as you were....

[torryowl]

nice story from a different age .....as for nicholson 3 have played for us 2 around the turn of 1900s and 1 in 2000 and i'm sure he didnt bust his leg so don't know who yer wifes dads on about .

[ReadingOwl]

I once went to a wedding, on the wife's side, at Whitley Hall. All her family are ardent Unitedites.

There must have been a hundred guests for the sit down meal. All the tables had red and white balloons on them apart from at the very end of one, where a token cluster of blue and white balloons were.

That is where me and my kids were sat. With us were sat the wife's Aunty and Uncle. He had been brought up a Unitedite and had trials with United. But his wife (her Aunty) was a massive Wednesday fan. Fair play to him, he had a season ticket with her and used to go with her to Hillsborough. It was during the a Walker/Waddle era.

So in total, there was me and my two kids, and her Aunty, who were true Wednesdayites. My kids were young, but we all played along the 'joke' (this must be twenty years ago) with regard to the balloons.

During our meal - in a loud voice - her Aunty asked my lad if he been to the new Wednesday store? He replied in a loud childlike voice that his Grandmother had taken him and, she had bought him the full kit. Her Aunty said - the superstore is fantastic isnt it? My kids both agreed.

She then said, in a very loud stage whisper acerbically, United only have a stall in the Castle Market on Tuesdays afternoons.

You could have heard a pin drop.

I pissed myself.

It was very funny at the time. Her Aunty is still alive, must be her eighties now, saw her the other month - still a massive fan.

[Prendo's boots]

Haha...quality comment!!!! ....I wasn't sure about the Nicholson either chap...remember the one from the late 90's Kevin I think....i'll mentionn it next time I see him....need to get to the bottom of it just for a curiosity reason!!!....Must have been the late 50's early 60's I reckon from what he was saying as he mentioned seeing Bronco Layne play.