The first contributor is Dave Phillips, who like many fans has followed the saddlers after being introduced to it by his dad and gone on to meet new friends.
Well, since the reason I’m a Walsall fan is a bit of a wild one, I thought I’d put it together. It will be a mix of why I became a Walsall fan and mixed with experiences.
Right 1st I must add I was born in the early 80s & I was born in Wolverhampton not too far from where the i54 is for context’s sake & for us to get to games would comprise a bus to town (going past Molineux), a bus to Walsall then either the football special bus or walk to the ground.
My Dad is the whole reason I’m a Walsall fan like most sons they follow their dad everywhere I was no different but this is where it’s wild you see my dad WAS a Huge Wolves fan, I mean he used to go to everywhere possible despite his fear of flying he’d go to off as many of these European games/Anglo Scottish cup everything (I’m obviously talking about late 50s 60s here).
He also loved the game, so if Wolves were away and he could not make it for whatever reason, he’d find a game to go to & many of those were Walsall games including those League Cup Semi Finals (I still have the programme).
Anyway, this is the point of the story where Walsall FC and I come into it. I was born in the early 80s where football in England was really on its arse Wolves were a mess & my dad started going to more & more Walsall games, plus with me getting older & being his only son he wanted someone to show/share this love of the game.
Once he felt I was old enough, so as not to be annoying, want to go home or get bored, he would take me. This came along in the 1987/88 season, and I don’t remember how many games I went to or which was myfirst game. It’s all too long ago now but I remember getting (and still got) David Kelly’s autograph on a programme as he was sitting behind us at Chesterfield (not sure why he was not playing) & obviously attending all 5 Play-Off games despite being young my dad made sure I was at Bristol City on a Tuesday night with school next day, oh & I must add we went everywhere via Train or public Transport, so any Tuesday night game we was getting home at all hours. With Walsall getting promoted that year, we had some great days out despite the results. I actually only missed one home game that season: the 7-0 drubbing Chelsea gave us. I’d been ill all week leading up to it, and my mum was adamant that I was not going to the football.
The next few seasons were pretty awful, with us relegated to what was Division 4 in a matter of seasons.
Since the move to Bescot me & my dad had some amazing times being a part of the Walsall FC family, including listening to the radio on the rear guard stalemate to get promoted at Bury, that win Vs Oldham, having to rush home to watch Extra Time of the Play Off Final in Cardiff because we went on holiday the day after the Stoke Semi Final lol. The trip to Old Trafford & other cup upsets & who can forget Dean Keates stunner to win us the title at Swindon. Then meeting some great friends via social media, which ended up with us meeting them and going to games together. I’ll truly never forget getting in from Gillingham at 5am. Thankfully, I’d booked the week off work. The others, they were all at work by 9am.
But as usual with life, there is a horrible part, and that is now knowing that the Bristol City Wembley game was one of the last times me & my dad were at a Walsall game together. He sadly passed away in 2023, with him generally giving pro football the heave-ho even before the Wembley game because of the prices. He ended up more invested in Halesowen Town FC. In fact, after he had been diagnosed with liver cancer back in 2020, I knew I had to spend as much time with him as possible, so I ended up going the same way.
Walsall FC will forever be in my heart & have been a massive part of my life, but with it now bordering on being £25 to watch Division 4 football I’m just not paying that no matter where we are in the table plus football as a whole since losing my dad just does not feel the same.
I could put more, but typing this has seriously had me in tears with the stuff about my dad. I’m going to leave it at that.
Thanks
Dave.
