help me please - What was my first Eastleigh match ?

[taylov]

No, I've not gone gaga. When I moved down to West End in 1998, I had to leave my old village football club behind - 190 mile round trip for county league games was not practical for long.  So around Xmas/New year 1998/99 I visited a number of grounds to find a local side to support. On Boxing Day Saturday 26th, I went to watch Pirelli General FC vs Vospers on what is now AFC Stoneham's ground - with a young Craig McAllister playing for the home side !!!

On what must have been New Years Day Friday 1st January 1999 or on Saturday 2nd January, I went to a Wessex League game at 10 Acres, my first sight of Eastleigh FC. Trouble is, I never got a programme and, nearly 20 years on, cannot remember who the opponents were.  Anyone got the 1998/99 fixture list or programme?  IIRC the only cover at the ground in those days was the old wooden "stand" with 3 rows of bench seating on the half way line (where the present stand is).

Tony

[efc21]

2nd January 1999 Eastleigh 1 Bournemouth 0

www.tonykempster.co.uk/archive98-99/wessres.htm

[nobadspitfire]

Impressive resource. But, what was the gate? 

[michaelefc]

Would have been about 90.

[taylov]

Two fans brought their dogs. My memory was that the crowd was around 100 and that a lot of people never left the clubhouse !

Thanks for the info, I can sleep well tonight.

[tenacres]

Very good site Tony Kempster. He sadly passed away about 5 years ago but good to see the archived information is still available.

I think non league attendances only become readily available at the level above wessex league (ie Southern S+W)

[upthespitfires]

Wow! Thanks to the original poster I've just discovered that an old college friend of mine Matt Stanley played for Pirelli General FC at the same time as Macca. I probably saw him play (and yes, it was that old wooden shack which didn't give much shelter).

[Deleted]

Ah the days when Pirelli had a good team, I watched them every home game in their Championship year.....1972-73 I think....might have been a year earlier, they had their own Terry Paine, the late Norman Phillips who got 31 goals, and their own Ron Davies, Martin 'Taz' Newman who got 32 goals, many from Norman's superb crosses to head home. I speak to Taz most weeks and he is still as big as he was back then.....but has lost that blonde hair!!!

[thelake]

Will have to look up mine too. We must have been wessex league though not a regular till about 4 years ago