1950s relegation

[Iana]

My old fella was at Oldham the night we returned in 1954,from what he told me,we virtually had the same team,year in,year out back then,but there wasn't the huge chasm between players and fans,the fans stuck with the team through the good and bad,even when we returned we had the same team pretty much and my dad always laughs about fellas named Juliessen,Pinchbeck even Harry Catterick,Tommy the bonecrusher Clinton full backlollollol

My Dad was at Oldham as well and he was an Evertonian but also a follower of all football.His abiding memory of the evening was the hordes of Evertonians locked out and clambering over the wall to bunk in and getting covered in a tar like substance smeared on top of the wall to supposedly stop bunking in!
Football was much less tribal in the 50s and you were as likely to have a player as a neighbour or even friend…my dad knew Jackie Grant who used to live in a club house behind the old Park End(Goodison Avenue?).
He would always tell me that, despite what I witnessed at Goodison during the 70s, no player who pulled on the blue shirt was worse than Albert Juliussen!

 

[Dario Terracotta]

My Dad was at Oldham as well and he was an Evertonian but also a follower of all football.His abiding memory of the evening was the hordes of Evertonians locked out and clambering over the wall to bunk in and getting covered in a tar like substance smeared on top of the wall to supposedly stop bunking in!
Football was much less tribal in the 50s and you were as likely to have a player as a neighbour or even friend…my dad knew Jackie Grant who used to live in a club house behind the old Park End(Goodison Avenue?).
He would always tell me that, despite what I witnessed at Goodison during the 70s, no player who pulled on the blue shirt was worse than Albert Juliussen!

Christ I forgot to mention Juliussen,yep centre forward and my dad reckons the worst of lot Harry Potts another who went on to manage Burnley,tar all over the gaff at Oldham that night you are quite correct mate!!!

 

[GoodisonRoadSupperBarWool]

My grandad was telling me tales about us getting promoted at Oldham a few months back - he’s 81 so doesn’t remember much as he was only a kid. Adamant he was trying to prepare me for the worst last season.

 

[Marc bolan]

A few games in the in the 1953/54 season we had attendances at Goodison between 55 and 62 thousand. Impressive for the 2nd tier even back then.

Getting promotion that season helped

 

[Liam-EFC]

Getting promotion that season helped

Promotion wasn’t sealed until the last game as runners up.

 

[Marc bolan]

Promotion wasn’t sealed until the last game as runners up.

Surely us being in the mix for promotion never out of the top three from November to May
Would keep interest at a max

 

[Joey66]

@Joey66

Yes my son - we went down struggled for 2 years then two inspired local signings - Dave Hickson & John Willie Parker scored for fun to Dave hit 25 goals John Willie Parker beat that total to gain promotion at Oldham - last game away we needed to win 4-0 to get the aggregate goals to win the league division 2 - 3-0 up after 20 minutes - it was not to be as Oldham held firm - still promoted - with the red lot getting relegated what a pleasure to replace them in the top Division -

My late father was there with thousands of Blues in Oldham to put tar on the walls to stop blues fans getting over the walls - local newsagents were raided for newspapers to place over the tar, to keep their clothes clean as they scrambled in lol as this photo shows -

the pubs were drunk dry in Oldham too lol

 

[Joey66]

Getting promotion that season helped

It must have been great as the red lot went down we replaced them in the top flight - they were down there nearly a decade - as a kid 1963 it was their first season up v us .....

 

[Marc bolan]

It must have been great as the red lot went down we replaced them in the top flight - they were down there nearly a decade - as a kid 1963 it was their first season up v us .....

Yes Joey the game at goodison was the most one sided draw you can get we played them off the park
By all accounts

 

[allezlesbleus]

My old fella was at Oldham the night we returned in 1954,from what he told me,we virtually had the same team,year in,year out back then,but there wasn't the huge chasm between players and fans,the fans stuck with the team through the good and bad,even when we returned we had the same team pretty much and my dad always laughs about fellas named Juliessen,Pinchbeck even Harry Catterick,Tommy the bonecrusher Clinton full backlollollol

My dad went twice and didn’t see a game! First one called off by fog, then locked out of the game to clinch promotion!!!

FWIW he said relegation was terrible -a disgrace- but he just thought they would bounce back. Also said it was sort of worth it to come back up as RS went down and he got to loads of new grounds in Div 2.
But in fairness he was saying this around 1970 when we were boss again which I think coloured his comments a bit.

 

[allezlesbleus]

Yes my son - we went down struggled for 2 years then two inspired local signings - Dave Hickson & John Willie Parker scored for fun to Dave hit 25 goals John Willie Parker beat that total to gain promotion at Oldham - last game away we needed to win 4-0 to get the aggregate goals to win the league division 2 - 3-0 up after 20 minutes - it was not to be as Oldham held firm - still promoted - with the red lot getting relegated what a pleasure to replace them in the top Division -

My late father was there with thousands of Blues in Oldham to put tar on the walls to stop blues fans getting over the walls - local newsagents were raided for newspapers to place over the tar, to keep their clothes clean as they scrambled in lol as this photo shows -

the pubs were drunk dry in Oldham too lol

View attachment 228441

Brilliant, mate!!! Well done!

 

[johnjoeefc]

I was born in 1941 and can tell you kids the fans were much better in our last relegation

What was the Goodison atmosphere like back in those days. Was ownership of the club still an issue or did the fans not care for that kind of thing and only worry about what was happening on the pitch? How much was admission back in those days as well?

 

[Cameron Manning]

A few games in the in the 1953/54 season we had attendances at Goodison between 55 and 62 thousand. Impressive for the 2nd tier even back then.

Newcastle had an average gate of over 57,000 the season they were promoted just after World War Two. mind you attendances after the war in all sports theatres and picture houses ( cinema’s) because we had all suffered during the war one way or the other,

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Remember manure,citeh and some London club that play in white falling down the trap door.....

 

[Joey66]

Yes Joey the game at goodison was the most one sided draw you can get we played them off the park
By all accounts

Yes & got robbed - the sign of things to come .....