First match day experience of seeing the Cherries

Listening to Mike's All Departments episode Zero about the first match he attended at Dean Court made me look back at my own experience. I must have failing memory or perhaps the game was not that good but I am not 100% sure of what my first game was.

Sadly I did not buy a programme for every match I attended in those days but the first match programme I do have was in November 1981 when AFCB were at home to Reading in the FA Cup. Apparently we won the game 1:0.

The pictures was shot from my phone, so it's not to good but I treasure the first AFCB programme that I have.
Just 35p, what a bargain!

I would only have been 14 then and was at Portchester Boys School as it was called then. I remember David Webb as the Cherries' manager and several of the players like Ian Leigh, Tommy Heffernan, Chris Sulley, Nigel Spackman Tony Funnell and Keith Williams etc.

I know I was a keen Liverpool supporter in my early days but Bournemouth's red kit was also likable for me so it was not long before I swapped allegiances to the mighty Cherries. I think that because the Cherries were down the end of the road and Anfield was what seemed a million miles away might have had something to do with it.

Well the Reading game could not have been that bad because I still have the next programme for when AFCB played Sheffield Utd in the Third division at home. I guess that I had been hooked by that stage.

If you would like to recall your first match at Dean Court Cherry Chimes would be more than pleased to post your story on the site.