Football Excursions
 
 
I was first taken to a Football match as a young child. It was at Villa Park where Aston Villa were playing Blackburn Rovers, and I guess that my parents couldn't find a child minder. Looking at the Aston Villa fixture list for the 1940's, the first match after the war at Villa Park involving Blackburn Rovers was on 10th May 1947, so I guess that must have been the match. Villa won 2-1, but I remember very little about it. And I didn't go to another match until 12th October 1958, when Villa played West Bromwich Albion at home, and were thrashed 4-1. At the end of that season, Villa were relegated to Division 2. 
 
By that time, trips to Villa matches were a family event, though we only went to home matches. But in 1959, all that changed. The Second Division had it's advantages after all. It opened up opportunities to travel on new rail routes. Family trips to away matches were usually by car, but those involving myself and my brother were by rail. 
 
And so on Saturday 3rd October 1959, with Villa in the Second Division but doing well, myself and my brother joined an excursion that started at Northfield, to travel to the away fixture at Lincoln City. The locomotive was Black 5 no 44919, and departure from Northfield 10.55am. We called at Kings Norton, Selly Oak, Birmingham New Street, Tamworth, and Nottingham (crew change). Arrival at Lincoln St Marks was at 2.13pm. On the return there was the Nottingham crew change stop, Tamworth, then Birmingham New Street, where we alighted.
 
A week later, 10th October 1959, there was another away match, this time Sheffield United. Again the excursion started at Northfield, called at Kings Norton. Birmingham New Street, Tamworth, and Derby (crew change). The train was a packed 10 coaches and the loco Jubilee 4-6-0 no 45605 Cyprus. We left Northfield at 10.52am, and arrived Sheffield Midland at 1.33pm. For the return journey, 2 coaches were added, making 12. We left Sheffield at 6.15pm, and with the same stops, reached Birmingham New Street 8.25pm, where we alighted.
  
By April 1960, Villa were top of the 2nd division with Cardiff City hot on their heels. The fixture at Villa Park earlier in the season produced an attendance of 54,763. The Ninian Park fixture beat that total by 6. A 13 coach excursion ran from Snow Hill, dep 10.07am, to Cardiff Central, arr 12.46pm, via Stratford on Avon and Gloucester Central. 5959 Mawley Hall was the loco for the outward journey, and 5084 Reading Abbey did the return, dep Cardiff 6.10pm, assisted from Stratford on Avon to Birmingham Snow Hill by 0-6-0 no 2267. Arrival was at 9.42pm.
   
  On Saturday 10th September 1960, Villa were away at Blackburn Rovers, and an excursion, formed of two Metro-Cam DMU's, ran from Birmingham New Street to Blackburn. The route was an interesting one. From Birmingham, we picked up at Aston, Witton, Perry Barr, Great Barr, Bescot, and Walsall. And then ran via Cannock, Rugeley, Colwich Junction, Stone, Stockport, Stoke on Trent, Congleton, Stockport, Ashton Moss Junction, Miles Platting, Manchester Victoria, Bolton, Sough Tunnel, Blackburn. Stops for Crew change were at Stockport in each direction. On the outward journey, Birmingham departure was 10.05am, Blackburn arrival 1.35pm approx. On the return we left Blackburn at 6.21pm, and arrived Birmingham New Street at 9.50pm approx. A particular memory of the day was seeing a named B1 storm through Blackburn station at about 6.15pm on a return excursion from Blackpool to Yorkshire. 
   
An FA Cup fixture on 7th January 1961, saw Aston Villa drawn away to Bristol Rovers. An excursion ran from Birmingham Snow Hill to Bristol Stapleton Road, hauled by 5022 Wigmore Castle, in both directions. The load was 13 coaches, and the route was Hatton North Junction, Stratford on Avon, Gloucester avoiding line, Westerleigh Junction, and Filton Junction. Birmingham departure was 10.15am, Stapleton Road arrival 12.41pm. On the return, Stapleton Road departure was 5.18pm. Arrival time at Birmingham was not recorded. A whole family occasion.
 
The next round of the 1961 FA Cup took Aston Villa to "the Posh" ie Peterborough United. So on 28th January 1961, we joined Black 5 no 45272 at Northfield. Full details of the journey are not now available, but we travelled via Birmingham New Street, Water Orton, Nuneaton Abbey St, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, and Stamford, arriving at Peterborough East. Another whole family occaision.
 
On 10th March 1962, Aston Villa played Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in the 6th round of the FA Cup. Several rail excursions ran from Birmingham New Street to London, and the one I booked on was the last one. The loco was Royal Scot class 46123 Royal Irish Fusilier, then allocated to Saltley, and probably not in the best of condition. We departed New Street at 8.39am, called at Castle Bromwich, then turned right on to the Leicester line. We would no doubt join the West Coast Main line at Nuneaton, I thought. But we didn't, we went over the top, past Hinckley, and turned right at Wigston Junction, where we stopped for a crew change. Then we ran non stop to St Pancras, arriving at 12.05pm. On the return, we followed the same route, leaving St Pancras at 7.17pm, and arriving at Birmingham New Street at 10.28pm. And that was my last Steam Hauled Footex.
 
On 1st March 1974, I travelled to Wembley to see Villa win the League cup, the motive power being a class 85 electric. I then gave up watching football completely until the late 1980's, when I commenced taking my younger son to the Villa home matches. But this only lasted for a few years when I decided that the new football culture was not for me. 
 
Left: My football idol from my early days. Gerald Archibald Hitchens, "Gerry", who scored 10 goals in a 14 day period, 14th to 28th November 1959.

 He subsequently played for England, and left Villa to pursue his career in Italy. A super guy, who for some years lived in my home town of Halesowen, Worcestershire. Sadly he died of a heart attack in 1983 during a match. He was 48 years of age.
 
 

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