VIC MEMROBILIA

UNDER WATER DRAINAGE PIPE               

                                              "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"... Admit it, that's what you are saying , isn't it?.. and its a very good question as well...  This old bit of dirty looking clay is apparently one of the old drainage pipes that used to run under the Victoria Ground pitch according to some one who I spoke to at the old site... 

I have no idea how long it would of been under the turf but it was certainly there under the hallowed green grass for the last game and that's good enough for me to keep and treasure.. Its a strange piece of memorabilia compared to people who keep seats and turnstiles in the back garden, but it is a very unusual and interesting one and that is why I hang on to it!

GRASS CLIPPINGS FROM THE VIC

Think about it.. how many blades of grass are their in the world?? That's the type of question that blows your mind, isn't it?

Yet it is more than likely that every single Stoke City supporter has something like this found in their collection. It may also be more than just a couple of clippings like this, some people have an entire lump of turf.. Some people even have their entire back garden re-turfed with with the green grass that used to grown on the Victoria Ground pitch and everyone around you thinks that you are mad for doing it, but often they don't under stand the concept of it...

It's NOT the grass that matters.. anyone can go out and get some grass from virtually anywhere.. What is so important at the end of the day is where the grass came from, that is what makes it so treasured to someone..

THE BOOTHEN END

This is a scanned copy of the poem "The Boothen End" by J Bennett from a special offer the Stoke City Club did a couple of seasons back..

This framed poem came with a framed black and white drawing  of the Boothen End, drawn by Gary Holmes on the 19/4/96.. I'm sure many Stoke supporter knows what I'm talking about and would of seen it advertised in match day programs from a couple of years back.

I'd scan the drawing in for you but it is far to big and is currently proudly placed on our landing in its frame with this poem placed next to it.

Only 1000 were ever printed so it was a limited offer and I really can't see there been anymore left now to sell.. The picture captures the image of an empty Boothen End brilliantly looking  from the view by  the tunnel next to the dugouts in the Boothen Stand.. and in turn this poem is another masterpeice that sums up what the Boothen End was in not very words, but with maximum effect.

THE FINAL EVER MATCHDAY PROGRAM

This is the copy of the final ever league match day program from the Victoria Ground in the last ever game against West Bromich Albion. This was a special, glossy A4 program priced at £4 and I ended up buying two of them.

This special program was well worth the £4 price tag and is complete with many articles, views and features of the Victoria Ground, as well as comments from famous ex Stoke stars such as Sir Stanley Matthews on what the Victoria ground meant to him.

The program is also complete with a special feature on the new Britannia Stadium and at the time acted as an article to wet the appetite of Stoke fans in an attempt for them to buy season tickets for the future the club had in front of it.

SIR STANS AUTOGRAPH

We all loved Sir Stan and I bet almost 99.9 % of us have all managed to get his autograph before he died when we used to see him on the way to the ground before a match or at one of the many social events he used to attend, but Stan wouldn't just settle with giving you his autograph, he'd also give up his time to talk and get to know you.. His kind will never be seen again, one in a billion was Stanley...

TICKET FINAL STUBS

Here are some ticket final stubs that will probably bring back some special memories from over the years if you happen to no longer have yours or its stuck up your attic some place and you haven't seen it for years.

As you can see one is from the1992 Autoglass trphy final at Wembley against Stockport whilst the other ones are my father's from the build up to the 1972 League Cup final, the other bottom two tickets are from the semi final replay's, both against West Ham, one ticket from Old Trafford and the other from Hillsbough.

STOKE CITY FOOTBALL CLUB CLASSIC VIDEOS

1972 LEAGUE CUP FINAL TEAM PAGE

Most of you will know what the front cover of this famous program look like but this page is actually from the inside and it gives you the teams for both Chelsea and Stoke City that day..

The funny pen squiddles that you see next to the Stoke team line up are actually autographs from John Marsh and Terry Conroy that my Dad got at a recent visit the two ex Stoke players paid to Knypersley Cricket club, they came for a special meet the manager evening which also included John Rudge and Gudjon Thordson.

SIR STAN'S ALL STAR GAME

This was taken from that famous night in the Potteries where Sir Stan 's team played against an International Eleven to mark his Testimonial after he retired as a player.

Has any other league ground in the country ever hosted so many World class Stars than this memorable evening at the Victoria Ground?.. I don't think so..

This night has to go down as one of the greatest night's the Potteries has ever seen, and one of the greatest spectacles that the Victoria Ground had played on her famous turf..

TICKET STUBS FROM  THE EARLY 90'S AT THE VICTORIA GROUND

These will probably bring back some good memories for you.. these are the paper thin tickets that we used to have at the Victoria Ground and they look nothing like the shiny tickets that we have today at the Britannia Stadium. 

I had a season ticket so the only tickets I have collected are from mainly cup games at the Vic. I can't remember but I think the colour varied depending which part of the ground you went in.. I know that the Butler Street stand was definitely blue to the amount of dropped ticket stubs that I used to see on the stand's old wooden floor,

THE MOST IMPORTANT MATCHDAY INGREDIENTS!

And last but not least after you'd got your ticket these two valuable items were what you always had to buy next from any seller you could find around the busy streets next to the Victoria ground.

Firstly an official program to find out the teams and then even more importantly the latest issue of "The Oatcake" fanzine, these provided crucial reading at half time , on the way home or when you were waiting for the match to start..  Look at that top right hand corner of the Oatcake, I have only just noticed it but that was probably from someone's foot print in the Butler Street stand, probably from when I may of accidentally dropped it in the busy concourse waiting to be served, or maybe when it might of accidentally slipped out of my coat and fell to the floor during the celebrations of a Stoke City goal....