Obviously there are very knowledgeable historians of our club on this forum, and/or even older supporters than myself.
Does anyone know when Newport County last hosted a league game on Christmas day? Being born in the early 50's on Cromwell road opposite the Somerton Park entrance I have a very vague memory of peering out on thousands of men wearing flat caps reeking of stale ale and tobacco outside of the ground on Christmas morning. Or is my memory playing tricks on me?

OLDCROMWELLIAN wrote:Obviously there are very knowledgeable historians of our club on this forum, and/or even older supporters than myself.
Does anyone know when Newport County last hosted a league game on Christmas day? Being born in the early 50's on Cromwell road opposite the Somerton Park entrance I have a very vague memory of peering out on thousands of men wearing flat caps reeking of stale ale and tobacco outside of the ground on Christmas morning. Or is my memory playing tricks on me?

Thurs 25th Dec1958 County 4 Southampton 2 McPherson 2, McSeveney, Graham
Att .9,034

ambertone wrote:

OLDCROMWELLIAN wrote:Obviously there are very knowledgeable historians of our club on this forum, and/or even older supporters than myself.
Does anyone know when Newport County last hosted a league game on Christmas day? Being born in the early 50's on Cromwell road opposite the Somerton Park entrance I have a very vague memory of peering out on thousands of men wearing flat caps reeking of stale ale and tobacco outside of the ground on Christmas morning. Or is my memory playing tricks on me?

Thurs 25th Dec1958 County 4 Southampton 2 McPherson 2, McSeveney, Graham
Att .9,034

Thanks very much for confirming that for me. Such a coincidence with your penguin logo also, as I had a football as a present and i'm sure we had a snowfall that day.

I recall either in the late 60s or early 70s that we played both Boxing Day and the day after , but I think we also done this over Easter in the early 80s. I cannot imagine that today. Then again I recall just a bench , a manager , the sponge man and just one substitute. How times change.

I had to look it up in Amber in the Blood - my first ever game was 27 December 1969 at home to Aldershot and we'd played at Exeter on Boxing Day.

Playing on consecutive days was quite common right into the 80s:

1975-76.home to Crewe on BD, away to Northampton next day.
1980-81 home to Swindon then away to Exeter.
1982-83 away to Cardiff 27 Dec, home to Oxford next day,
1983-84 away to Bournemouth BD, home to Plymouth 27th
1986-87 away to Walsall BD, home to Port Vale 27th

As for Easter, we seem to have played on both 20 and 21 April 1984 and 7 and 8April 19080 which I assume were Easter weekends.