4000 Holes podcast - Simon Garner - “One Last Shot”

[jim mk2]

Another great thing about Garner is that he obviously loved playing football. He was still banging in goals at the age of 39 and 40 at a decent level of the semi-pro game. A brilliant Rover, up there with the likes of Clayton and Douglas. Shame he settled down south though

[tomphil]

14 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

He was absolutely 100% nothing to do with it though, despite the rumours. Either by finance or by association. That’s from the horse’s mouth.

It was already as you say the best wind-up ever, that particular embellishment was a bit of extra pantomime for the Dingles, given Garner’s history with them. 
To be honest if I were him I would have carried on letting people think I was involved. 
 

Well i'm not sure he ever publicly denied it, not for a long time anyway so over in one braincell land they still think it was him  🙂

[tomphil]

11 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Another great thing about Garner is that he obviously loved playing football. He was still banging in goals at the age of 39 and 40 at a decent level of the semi-pro game. A brilliant Rover, up there with the likes of Clayton and Douglas. Shame he settled down south though

Yes for a guy who it was assumed was never as fit as he should be he had quite a prolonged career and a bit of a flourish towards the end.

I think tales of the size of his legendary refuelling were a bit of an urban myth as well.

[Penwortham Blue]

56 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Yeah I was also one of the hardy souls that travelled down to Stamford Bridge for the second leg. A disappointing way to end what had been a brilliant season, one of my favourites. I was out with an ACL injury sustained in a pre season friendly and only missed one Rovers game home and away all season - ironically it was to have my knee operation and it was when Vince O’Keefe broke his leg and he ended up in the next bed to me in hospital. I think Garner ended up in goal that night?

John Millar scored that night, his other claim to fame was getting hit by the brick thrown at the team coach by the Dingle scum in the pre season Lancashire cup encounter at the Turd.

[Sweaty Gussets]

58 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

John Millar scored that night, his other claim to fame was getting hit by the brick thrown at the team coach by the Dingle scum in the pre season Lancashire cup encounter at the Turd.

Was that the game when Tony Finnegan scored from about 30 yards?

[tomphil]

I remember seeing a lad get hit with a brick at half time in one of those pre season Turd games.

A hail came over the fence and one hit this guy who was just queuing for a hotdog in the area at the back of the away section. 

Rough as old boots those games were.

[dcbrfc]

Hi all - as said earlier in this thread, Simon's got a new book coming out this year. If you want to be among the first to know when it's available to preorder, you can sign up here: Simon Garner Book

It'll be a great read for anyone whether you have or haven't read his first book which came out in 2003. More stories and great memories, as well as guest contributions from loads of other players and managers giving their memories of the legend.

[Exiled in Toronto Mk2]

On 30/07/2023 at 15:12, tomphil said:

I remember seeing a lad get hit with a brick at half time in one of those pre season Turd games.

A hail came over the fence and one hit this guy who was just queuing for a hotdog in the area at the back of the away section. 

Rough as old boots those games were.

If you haven’t been hit by a brick at the Turd, you weren’t standing close enough to the Longside dividing fence - I got hit by a quarter of one and my mate next to me by a golf ball - the inbreds didn’t even shout “Fore!”

[tomphil]

18 minutes ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

If you haven’t been hit by a brick at the Turd, you weren’t standing close enough to the Longside dividing fence - I got hit by a quarter of one and my mate next to me by a golf ball - the inbreds didn’t even shout “Fore!”

First time i went there was a pre season game late 80's and there was metal netting from dividing fence to the bars that supported the roof.  I remember looking up at it and seeing all sorts stuck in there like darts and other bits and bobs including a chain from a bike or chainsaw.  

I thought WTF is this place.

[Upside Down]

17 minutes ago, tomphil said:

First time i went there was a pre season game late 80's and there was metal netting from dividing fence to the bars that supported the roof.  I remember looking up at it and seeing all sorts stuck in there like darts and other bits and bobs including a chain from a bike or chainsaw.  

I thought WTF is this place.

Welcome to t' turd.

[Exiled in Toronto Mk2]

16 hours ago, tomphil said:

First time i went there was a pre season game late 80's and there was metal netting from dividing fence to the bars that supported the roof.  I remember looking up at it and seeing all sorts stuck in there like darts and other bits and bobs including a chain from a bike or chainsaw.  

I thought WTF is this place.

Bolton in the 70s was far more intimidating. Turd was a great day out, Burnden was like the first 20 mins of Indiana Jones.

[Riversider28]

7 minutes ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

Bolton in the 70s was far more intimidating. Turd was a great day out, Burnden was like the first 20 mins of Indiana Jones.

Making your way back to the station along Manchester Road was like being in downtown Beirut. Head down, don’t say a word. Crazy times. 

[tomphil]

 From what iv'e read and heard down the years it seems Bolton were by far the roughest lot around here in the 70's/80s.

Burnley made their name chasing around fans of tiny clubs in the 4th div when they were that bad they were almost falling out of the league.  

[Waggy76]

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

 From what iv'e read and heard down the years it seems Bolton were by far the roughest lot around here in the 70's/80s.

Burnley made their name chasing around fans of tiny clubs in the 4th div when they were that bad they were almost falling out of the league.  

Burnden Park  the most dangerous ground, I have visited ...

Went  half dozen times , first one in 73 that was a night ! Last one when we lost 2-1 Matty Holmes scored ..

 

[JohnD]

1 hour ago, Riversider28 said:

Making your way back to the station along Manchester Road was like being in downtown Beirut. Head down, don’t say a word. Crazy times. 

Once went to watch Bolton v Blackpool. Got chased to the station by Bolton fans then the Blackpool train was on the same platform before the Blackburn one, battered twice 😱🤣

[simongarnerisgod]

very intimitading ground was burnden park,you were safer in the home ends,you just needed to keep quiet and not look to happy if we scored,the walk out of the ground was scary tbh

only grounds that were worse were elland road,maine road and the victoria ground,stoke fans were always angry about something

[tomphil]

Yeah i remember going to the Victoria ground 3 times and every single time there was loads of bother outside afterwards and being pelted with coins all match.

Don't know if it was always like that or because we had big followings then so all the local nutters turned up, the home stands were never very full, like most places back in the day.

[Upside Down]

3 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

very intimitading ground was burnden park,you were safer in the home ends,you just needed to keep quiet and not look to happy if we scored,the walk out of the ground was scary tbh

only grounds that were worse were elland road,maine road and the victoria ground,stoke fans were always angry about something

If you had to live in Stoke you'd be pretty angry. 

[oneandycrawford]

11 hours ago, Upside Down said:

If you had to live in Stoke you'd be pretty angry. 

I was moving to live in Newcastle-under-Lyme a long while ago. Was talking to a salesperson in DFS in Hanley and she asked 'why on earth are you moving to a place like Stoke!' I said actually I'm moving to N-u-L - and she replied 'oh that's alright then - you really wouldn't want to live in Stoke!!' The A500 is the big divide!!!

[Boroblue]

The railway embankment at burden park was the stuff of nightmares. I went in maybe 1974 and it had reached the point where there was only a few hundred rovers there. You had to fight to get in, fight to stay in and then fight to get out.

I was outside and this large group of Bolton fans came over and said where looking for Wellsey he pointed at another guy for a laugh Chris Brooks I think. He was no slouch and gave this Bolton lad a right thumping

[Boroblue]

20 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

very intimitading ground was burnden park,you were safer in the home ends,you just needed to keep quiet and not look to happy if we scored,the walk out of the ground was scary tbh

only grounds that were worse were elland road,maine road and the victoria ground,stoke fans were always angry about something

Port Vale is a shocker they are the ones who are barred from stoke city

[Aqualung]

Before I started supporting Rovers my team was WBA..... Only for the fact that I was given their kit for Xmas when I was 4 years old. Still don't know why to this day! 

Visiting Burnden park as a 13 year old in 1977 was only my second experience in watching a live football match, the first being 1969 at turf moor v West Brom. My parents dropped off me and my younger brother and we made our way onto the Burnden Terrace. My parents went shopping in town in the meanwhile. 

Can't remember how the game v Albion panned out tbh.... Either 1-1 0r 0-0...not that many Baggies fans behind the goal but still loads of bother outside and scared me shitless. 

Luckily my parents were across the main road waiting for us... Couldn't get away quickly enough. 

Horrible place. 

[dcbrfc]

On sale now! Only at www.simongarnerbook.co.uk

[Herbie6590]

Watch this site closely next week for a special 4000 Holes podcast with Simon…🤍💙

[Colt Seavers]

I'll be interested to see which 1st Division clubs  were after buying Garns during Saxton's time. Howard Gayle heard that Liverpool were interested around that time.