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JOHN HICKTON, QUEBEC
I'm still in love with The Boro after over forty plus turbulent years, even though we are nearly 3,000 miles apart.
At the moment I'm living in Montreal but in this computer age, I still feel as close to The Boro as I did one day in 1963 when as a nervous 12 year old I waited for the 263 United bus in Redcar. I'd been nagging my mam for weeks to let me go on my own because my week-end dad was always promising to take me but never turned up. I said to the conductor on the bus, "where do I get off for the football ground?" He just laughed and said "don't worry, you'll know where to get off". Lol, I didn't end up in Woolworth's.
I settled myself in the Boys' End. The prematch entertainment for me was watching the lads nicking over the wall into the East End and singing 'over the wall we go, all coppers are 'nanas' at each successful break, plus a sound chorus of booing if anybody was caught. That was my next aim, to climb that wall and get behind the goal. But not this week. I didn't want ejecting on my first visit. I never did find out if they were slung out, or just taken downstairs and let back in at the sliding gate?
We were playing Swindon and I have always had a soft spot for them ever since. The match itself was a disappointing 1-1 draw, with Bill Harris scoring with a cracking shot off the underside of the bar, a la Geoff Hurst in the World Cup. That was it though, I was well and truly hooked. Middlesbrough weren't some mythical team that I heard of on TV every week as Mam diligently checked her pools coupon, hoping to win a fortune. They actually existed and I'd been there. It was quite a thrill and I wanted more.
Little did I know that we were already on a downward spiral. The Thomas brothers were shafting the club, Raich Carter was their 'yes man' and it was only a matter of time before our first relegation into the old third division. I was mortified, the only salvation being that we were actually going to host some World Cup matches after Newcastle was dumped at the last minute. I even attended the North Korea v Italy match. Great stuff and we had a shiny new refurbished ground for our assault on the third division.
The Holgate End and our short stay in the third division.
This was the start of the golden age in the Holgate and we did have the loudest Kop in the land and that's official. Give us a goal John O'Rourke and the chants of John Hickton (unbelievably loud) and a repertoire of songs too numerous to mention. It's a bit sad now that we need a clown like Mark Page to orchestrate people on what should come naturally but I digress. At the end of the season we had a lot of games in hand but we had to win them, which we did. Everybody remembers the Oxford game but the penultimate fixture against Peterborough was a must win game. They even got the guy from Wembley to come and do some community singing, which was a bit of a joke actually. It was all very tense and we won 2-1.
Getting back to the Oxford match, that was just the most magic night ever at Ayresome Park, the culmination of a whole season and we hadn't even been in the top two places all season. The pitch invasion was amazing and the crowd could not be fitted back so they all had to sit on the sidelines. I was concerned that the match would be abandoned.
I'd arrived at the ground at 5pm and the queues were massive already. I don't think anybody knows the true gate that night but it was well over 40,000. They reckon the roar was heard at the top of Ormesby Bank when we scored. Here's a bit of information for you, did you know that Ron Atkinson was the captain of Oxford that night?
I've got to pad this out a bit as there are no photos for you to peruse but I can assure you, I'm quite debonair and handsome lol. I had some nice ones however I was a naughty boy and my computer came down with a nasty virus, so I just had it wiped and lost everything, boo hoo!
Those were the years when the hook firmly lodged into my mouth. Then there were lots of heartbreaks in the late 60's, early 70's as we repeatedly missed out on promotion until Big Jack came. It was never really exciting with Jack, apart from the odd cup match but my passion didn't waver and we had some stability for a few years before we became a real yo-yo team.
We dropped into the third and it's game on again in the excitement stakes, as the phoenix rose. This was when my love was to be tested to the maximum. After we were relegated I said "that's it, finished", however going bankrupt put it all into perspective. It couldn't possibly happen could it? So, just as we were going to lose our team, I realised how much I loved them. Was there any doubt!!! I asked myself? (PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY BORO AWAY)
The Holgate is reborn as I move into the south stand with a lot of all the old Holgate enders (my back was aching, I like to see a full match too) and the South Stand Thump is born.
The yo-yoing commences; we even get a new ground however my nerves couldn't stand it in the long run. I had to leave the country so you can blame me for all the stability, cup win and Europe, lol.
The majority of my memories are tied up at Ayresome Park. I managed a half a season at The Riverside but, I'd already received the call to leave Blighty.
I'm now a fully fledged armchair supporter but still feel like a Boro fanatic through and through and just happen to sleep in Montreal. I get all the stuff on the box that you lot get, plus a great lifestyle here.
I don't normally like cities but Montreal is the best one in the world IMO. They say Madrid's a frying pan city, an oven in summer and freezing cold in winter. Somebody should've told them about Montreal, just as HOT sometimes and COLD, well have you ever felt your nostril hairs freeze as you inhale? It's like waves going up your nose unless you breath through a scarf.
Having said all that, once summer starts it usually averages around 28c, similar to the Spanish Costas. There's plenty to do, the largest jazz festival in the world and a big comedy festival. Eating out is very cheap with lots of good restaurants. Much better than Toronto, the London of Canada, they think they're the bee's knees. Anybody who's been to Canada before but not Quebec should consider it. I'd highly recommend it.
Quebec, La Belle Province.
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