My first memory of Liverpool was back in 1965 with the F.A. cup final. The only reason I picked Liverpool was I had heard of Liverpool, I had never heard of Leeds (I was only young). Thankfully Liverpool won and so I started to follow them through the newspapers. The next season we won the league and England won the World cup, so my interest in football started to grow quickly. My first game at Anfield was against the mancs in '68, my memories of that game seem as clear today as they were then. The shock of the colours (TV was black and white back then,) and the sound of the kop. Sadly my dad had taken me into the paddock so I was nearer to the mancs in the Anfield road end than the Kop, but I couldn't take my eyes off the seething mass at the other end of the ground. Finally after what semed an age the two teams came out, a thankfully weak mancs team and a full strength Liverpool side. Thompson started to give Fitzpatrick the run around right from the first whistle, with the dirty bas**rds only reply being to chop him down at every opporunity.
The first goal wasn't long coming, Thompson beat Fitzpatrick and whipped the ball into the Anfield Road End box. St John rose like a stag and smashed a great header into the net from around the penalty spot. Liverpool were all over them for the rest of the game, but it was quite late in the second half before Alun Evans rifled in the second at the kop end. 2-0 and a young kids journey to becoming a supporter had begun. I only missed one home game for the rest of that season, and even managed to get to a couple of away games.
That was my only experiencE of the paddock, after that it was always the Kop for me, I only went in the Anfield Road End once in all my time watching Liverpool, but we beat Ipswich 4-0 that day so it wasn't too bad.
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