HARTLEPOOL UNITED F.C. SOUTH EAST POOLIES

PERSONAL

Name- Rob Wilson
Age- 51
Location- Bromley, Kent (exiled for 33 years)

YOU AND POOLS

First game- vs Bournemouth Aug 10 1968 (1-1, Terry Bell scored) with my grandad. First game of the season in the old 3rd Division, stood in the Rink End. Don't really remember the game, but remember the bus journey to and from Bishop Auckland, where I was staying with my grandparents.

Favourite game- Home vs Aston Villa in the League Cup in 1974. Have never seen the Vic so packed, before or since. Still got the match ticket. Was squished right up against the wall surrounding the pitch near the corner flag of the rink end/mill house terrace. (health and safety would put paid to that nowadays) Away – vs Ipswich in 1992, fantastic atmosphere from the thousands of travelling poolies. (A much more pleasant memory than in 1978, when I was nearly arrested, but that's a different story!!!).

Funniest moment – FA Cup 2nd Round replay vs Marine in 1975. We had already been drawn against Manchester City in the 3rd round and as the game kicked off the Rink End was in full voice "If you're all going to City, clap yer hands, if you're all going to City, clap yer hands, if you're all going to City, all going to City, all going to City"…………………..total silence, as Marine put the ball in the back of the net!!!! We did have the last laugh though as we went on to win 6-3.

Favourite all-time Pools player- Brian Honour (I will never forget him almost single handedly destroying Maidstone Utd (at Dartford's Watling Road ground, back in 1991)

Favourite current Pools player- Ritchie Humphreys (could anyone say anybody else?)

Away trip look forward to most- Darlington (not that it's going to happen any time soon, eh?)

Pre-match routine- A few(sic) beers, a bet and to catch up with mates.

Best away pub- Yet to find it. Been to some good ones over the years though. If I'm going by train, I like to do a bit of a crawl. York and Exeter are good days out.

FOOTBALL-

Favourite other team- Arsenal (I try and keep that quiet). First saw them in the sixties and 'supported' them in the seventies, whilst going to watch Pools every week. Realised, when I moved down to London, that I had it the wrong way round.

Teams you dislike most- The mackems, borer and crystal paralysis. (I now feel sorry for darlo!!)

Player most admired- Bobby Moore

Best ground visited- Millenium Stadium (for obvious reasons)

Sit or stand- Stand, but don't mind sitting so much these days as long as there is decent leg room.

Best football song- Jack the Ripper song (not heard too often these days).
Me brother's in borstal, me sister's got pox
Me mother's a whore down at Hartlepool docks,
Me uncle's a pervert, me auntie's gone mad,
And Jack The Ripper's me dad,
La, la,la, la-la-la-la-la!!!!"

FAVOURITES

Food- Chicken Balti Rogan (in The New India, East St. Bromley).

Drink- Socially - Beer, preference for Real Ale, but will drink any decent lagers and ciders.

Holiday destination- Anywhere in the world that I'm not going to run into some fat, loud mouthed twat from Yorkshire. Bit of a hard ask that, like. Luxury African safari, I reckon.

Music- The Clash (showing my age there, but the seventies was the best decade for music by a country mile, you have everything you need, all the genres at their best)

Films- Pulp Fiction

Newspaper- Metro & Evening Standard because they are free. Most newspapers are bobbins, only interested in the sport really.