When Did You make your Debut

[Terry]

cant remember the exact date, but it was during the 1986/7 season when we beat derry 3-1 at home. watched the entire match on me dads shoulders in amoungst all the derry fans. Cracking game with the most electric atmosphere I ever experienced, HOOKED!

[dcfc_1928]

1987/88 Season - Sunday 4th October 1987

Denis Bonner, Gerry Mullen and Paul McGee scored for Galway & Owen Da Gama scored for Derry.

cant remember the exact date, but it was during the 1986/7 season when we beat derry 3-1 at home. watched the entire match on me dads shoulders in amoungst all the derry fans. Cracking game with the most electric atmosphere I ever experienced, HOOKED!

[Raheen]

Galway United V Glasgow Celtic, June 1986. Packie Bonner vs Dennis Bonner We lost 2-0 but I was hooked.

Remember it well. Brought a young lad from next door. His first game in Terryland, about two minutes before half-time he hopped the fence and chased Packie Bonner for an autograph needless to say the good man obliged.

My own first game was the league up final against Dundalk in 1980/81. I was six years old and loved it. For two weeks afterwards I sang all the Dundalk songs I heard. We are black. we are white....we are f***in' dynamite...etc. Loved it...within a few years I was at every home game and when possible games in Athlone and Sligo. The glamur of it all. Skipping school to see Bohs in Terryland mid-week!

Now I live a 800 KM from Terryland and miss the biweekly buzz more than I could ever think....despite a season ticket for the Nord Auteil end at PSG..even more painful than Terryland over the past 12 months...

[deecay]

Cant remember my first game because ive been going since near enough to birth.Remember different bits of the 94 league and cup finals

[passinginterest]

My first League of Ireland games involved Bray Wanderers around the 01/02 season. I lived there during my first year of college, although I still went home at weekends so never got to Friday night games. I saw them three times, I think twice against Bohs and once against Longford. The atmosphere created by the travelling supporters from both sides really captivated me, the constant singing and drumming was enthralling. I remember Gary O'Neill coming on for Bohs in both matches and I was amazed he wasn't starting, he outshone Glenn Crowe and Jason Byrne for me (Byrne was the star at Bray at the time). Didn't go to another LOI game until last season when the Youths arrived, first Youths game was at home to Cobh, freezing cold, big crowd, great result. I also went to a few Bohs games last season, this year I've seen the Youths in Kildare, Santry and Tolka, as well as going to Pat's and Rovers home games in between. It's fair to say I've well and truly caught the LOI bug.

[osarusan]

Limerick 1 - 3 Derry City back in .....1989? We needed to win to have any chance of catching Derry, but they won pretty easily in the end.

I also went to a Derry vs Cork FAI cup final that ended scoreless, but don't know which year it was.

It was part of my dad's plan (a Cork Celtic supporter) to give us live football, rather than on TV. It worked. I still love any football, even the much derided Premier League, but live football, watching 'your' team just can't be beaten.

[Neish]

First game was when we played Bradford City in 1993, (went with my cousin who went fairly regularly at the time). Was at several home games that season usually when my cousin was gong. The following season I starting going on my own and made all but a few home games. IN 95/96 I made every home game and we were promoted that season, been hooked ever since.

[Red Army]

I'm a Man U fan I've never actually seen them play but I watch all there games on TV and buy all there jerseys

[KevB76]

I thought my first game was v Kilkenny until my brother reminded me of the unmistakable figure of Wes Charles - so it was Limerick FC v Bray Wanderers at Pike Rovers ground in 2004, 1-0 win, goal from Keith Hartnett . My second game was another home win on the last day of that season (Limerick FC 1-0 Sligo Rovers). It did not escape my attention that Limerick were having a disastrous season so I considered myself something of a good luck charm

[Monkfish]

Limerick 0-0 Derry City in Hogan Park (early 90's) Lasting memory was the 100 or so Derry fans having an auld fella waving a walking stick at them through the fence which was behind the goals at the time and the Lorry containers which were being used as changing rooms.

Walking out after it I says to my father 'their a bit mad Da, coming all the ways down here to watch that crap' he says to me 'hope your not that stupid when your older'

Dear old Dad, he didnt half talk ******.

[Rovers1]

first game was 94 cup final...dont remember much, just being at the back of the stand and everyone in front of me going mad when Gerry scored. didnt really attend games until round 97/98. We lost 1-0 to Shamrock, that was the earliest game i can remember that season.

[Magicme]

My first footie game was Sean McCaffery's team Oriel Celtic playing against a young Liverpool squad which included Robbie Fowler and David James. I was about 15yrs old.

Went to my first Mons match in Dalymount Park when was living in Dublin for College sometime between 1992-1994. Only really started going to their games when I seperated from my husband and decided someone should bring our young sons to games. Fell in love with the friendly fun athmosphere at the games and would go to games even when my kids were away with their dad.

My youngest son hasnt really known a life without Monaghan United and I hope that they will always go to games.

[Paddyfield]

Back in the early 80's (circa 1983) V. Waterford at Terryland. They brought hundreds of fans and won the game. My friend who dragged me to the game has never been there since (he is currently living in USA). I've been attending regurally since those days. This was an era when Terryland had no seats, ramshackle dressing rooms and zero Ladies toilets.

To say that the Club didn't have a pot to pi$$ in would be a gross understatement when you consider that the Gents toilets consisted of an open air wall. This facility had the advantage of allowing you to watch the game while you drained the spuds. Eamonn Dunphy described Terryland as "a cabbage patch" on RTE Saturday Sport and nobody was offended.

My first away game was semi final replay of 1985 Bulmers FAI Cup when it was staged at neutral venues which was played at St Mel's Park, Athlone. Galway United were playing Limerick City - I was 15 and I got permission to take a half day off school - and we won after extra time. This was pre floodlight days and had game went to penalties, there was a possibility of abondoning the game due to poor light.

[BobtheDrog]

my first Drogs game was the friendly with everton. it was neville southalls testimonial i think. everton won 2-1, Michael Harte got the drogs goal. Daniel Amokachi got both evertons goals. The first league game was a 5-2 loss to Bohs

[stann]

My first game was late enough as it happens, at Kilcohan Park roundabout '88 or '89 is all. It would have been the season before the one where Pascal Keane was vying for the golden boot with the Cork lad (Johnny Caulfield or Pat Morley maybe), only to lose out on the last day.
Unlike many I can't remember for definite who it was against, or indeed when it was, because it was far from a 'Road to Damascus' moment, there was nothing that sticks out about it.
Think I was dragged in five or six times that season (possibly because I was the only one of us driving at that stage, but it was a long time ago so I don't even know if that's right! ), eventually succumbing and becoming a regular the next, and ever since.

[GavinZac]

Its a bit foggy really. We'd just moved back to the Cross and Davey Barry was manager. That puts it in or around 1995 making me 11 years old. I have no idea who we played and was mainly there for the craic. I was just interested in football at that stage and was going to AUL finals, business league finals, friendlies around the place and such. Only after a couple of months was I really hooked. From that point on I kept an uneasy balance between supporting my home club and supporting ManYoo as I had been bribed into doing as a child. The turning point was when MU won the champions league, supposedly the biggest prize in football; yet I wasn't as happy as when City had won the FAI Cup, and I was celebrating in my living room in front of a TV, instead of down on the pitch with the players and the trophy as after the League Cup win. When the LoI season started I never wore a MU jersey again.

[Macy]

FAI Cup Quarter Final v Newcastlewest, 1988, in Abbeycartron. Went in with a few lads and dads from the village when I was over on holiday. Was back in England by the time of the semi final defeat to Derry. Started going regularly when I moved home in 99-00 season, the promotion season so nice timing with that.

[gufct]

first Galway Rovers game was in 1978 a cup game against Swilly Rovers who had a lad playing about 5 stone overweight and ran the show before that i used to travel to Athlone and go to the Town with my Uncle they had a brilliant Team then Stef Fenuik and Kevin Smith being my favs. Even got to the Milan Game and how they managed to squezze almost 10,000 into St. Mels ill never know.

[gspain]

Can't exactly remember which game and not sure I could work it out now. I saw a couple of Limerick games towards the tailend of the 70/1 season. I remember crying at being left behind at home for the 71 Cup final but have no memory of the cup win. I saw more in 71/2 but only have vague memories. I only missed 1 home game then from Sept 72 to Sept 84 (a 2-1 win over Drogheda in late October/early Nov 76) .

My mother was pregnant with me at the 1966 Cup final if that counts.

[razor]

Cork CIty 1-0 Derry City FAI Cup Quarter Final March 16th 1986