Dorothy Meacham

I was born in 1931 almost next door to Villa Park and from when I was four years old I remember listening to my Dad and Uncle talk about their football team with such reverence. I saw my first match by going under the legs of the queue – much to my parents’ horror. My next memories are of seeing the players turn up for training on their bikes, while sitting in Aston Park knitting a claret and blue scarf. No club shops in those days.

When football started up again after the war, I saw all the home games, took leave from school for the occasional matches (no floodlights) and in my teenage years went to any away matches I could save up for. My early favourite players were Frank Moss and George Edwards.

The moment that altered my life was on an away trip to Liverpool in December 1950 on which I met my future husband. The match was postponed because of snow, but – from that meeting on – two new generations of Villa supporters were born in the family.

On the eve of the Manchester United Cup Final, my husband walked from our house in Walsall – pushing our one year old daughter in the pram – to my parents’ home so we could travel to Wembley the next day from Witton Station. What a memory that was! Since then we have seen all the League Cup Finals and the match at Highbury when we lost the game but won the league title. We were also at Wembley when we lost to Chelsea. Back to happier memories. Being in Rotterdam and winning the European Cup was obviously a fantastic memory, but I remember us beating Liverpool 5-1 at Villa Park and the latest match against the hated Blues as good memories!

My favourite players include Dixon, McGrath, Little, Hitchens and until recently, Barry. Too many goals in my ageing memory to distinguish – but some of the afore-mentioned leave the happiest memories.

Floodlights and television have made the most positive difference to football – but, in my opinion, money has spoilt the game. When I first supported them, the players earned £12 per week and that was only when they won, but the loyalty to their team was great and that’s what I miss most today. I forgot to mention many happy away and home matches when in the third division.

One of the questions you ask is how supporting Villa has affected my lifestyle. I only have to look at my lovely family to answer that one.

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