Seth's dad here. Yes, it was me who screwed up the arrangements. But it's more complicated than Seth says. We were in Scotland together because I was due to climb my final Munros. For those who don't know, they are the mountains in Scotland over 3000 feet high. There are around 280 of them, and I had three left to climb. The idea is that when you do the last one, you have a big piss-up on the summit, and then carry on getting pissed for the rest of the day. All your family and mates come with you, especially the ones who climbed lots of mountains with.

Originally I had planned to leave just one Munro to climb during that last week - that would give us plenty of time in case of bad weather, failures etc. That would also have meant we could arrange to drive down to Wembley and back as well. But that all went wrong when I injured myself playing with my grandchildren about two months before. I pulled ligaments in my foot and could hardly walk for a month, let alone climb a 3000-ft mountain.

I had planned to go up to Scotland ahead of the final Munro trip in order to climb two of the three remaining Munros. In that way, I would leave just one for the last trip, as explained above. But my injury meant I was unable to do so, which is why I arrived in Scotland with three left to climb.

However, I had bought tickets for the playoff, and was still wondering whether we should make the long drive down to Wembley like the previous year. But the weather at the start of the holiday was bad, so I couldn't do any climbing to start with. Then there was a good forecast for the Monday, so I decided I had to stay in Scotland to climb two of the last three Munros, and thus make sure there was time to climb the last one before the end of the week..

All I could do for Seth and his brother was to find them somewhere they could watch the match. I found a bar in Aviemore and had a word with the barman to make sure the tv would be on the right channel etc.

As for me, I went out mountain climbing as planned. I was wearing a walkman radio and listened to the commentary throughout, instead of glorying in the magnificent Highland scenery etc.
We had just forded a river when I heard a roar and a commentator saying someone had scored - I couldn't tell who. A few seconds later I realised it was Palace and went berserk in the middle of the Scottish wilderness, throwing my walking pole in the air and dancing like a loonie - which my walking companions assumed that I was.

So that's the full story. I have had to live with the guilt of stopping Seth from seeing the Hoppy final ever since. I was just about getting over it when someone (i.e Seth) posted a thread about The Match You Are Most Gutted At Missing.

Now I know I will have to live with this guilt for the rest of my life.

PS I kept the playoff tickets in my wallet for several years, as a kind of token of wishing I could turn the clock back. I eventually replaced them with an unused ticket for the Dougie Stockport match, which I couldn't get to either. That's another story, but at least Seth was able to see the match this time.

Edited by peterg (14 Oct 2004 8:15pm)

Edited by peterg (14 Oct 2004 8:16pm)

The right place at the right time

Blackburn at home.....2nd leg of the play-off final In 1989!!!

I had my leg In plaster and It was a full one right up to my bollox so I couldn't move!!!

talk about frustrating,I lived In South Norwood at the time and I could hear the crowd!

still the result softened the blow!!

Cup semi in 1990. I was 11 at the time and my parents decided to go shopping instead.

At the time we lived oop North but my dad worked in London so weekends at home were the only time we saw him so football wasn't as regular for me then as it is now.

Got to go to the final though

Missed the ZDS final but i don't really care about that.

The Palace V Brighton game. I went to my mates mums wedding (still had my palace shirt on under suit). The game wasnt on radio and I didnt have a signal on my phone. I had to wait till after everyone had finished eating to be told that we were winning 5-0 with a couple of minutes to play; I didnt believe it when I heard.

If I had gone we wouldnt have won though

In the words of Palace legend Leif Anderson - "A goal is a goal, isn't it?"
Twitter: [Link]

You mean, the first ever Palace game?

"You can feel the stadium jumping. The stadium is actually physically moving up and down"
FA Cup MOTD 24/4/16

Seth's brother here: I don't blame Seth or my dad for missing that game - I had already decided not to make the trek down south from Scotland after the heartbreak of the previous year.

The game I most regret missing is the 1990 semi-final v Liverpool. I would have gone, but a good friend was getting married that day and my wife put a lot of pressure on me to go to the wedding which I did. The irony is that Tom (the groom) was a big Liverpool fan. He invited me over to this posh hotel in Surrey to watch the game on TV whilst he was getting ready for the wedding. Gray had just equalised when we had to leave to drive to the church. We couldn't get the radio to work in the car (some poxy little Fiat) and I spent the whole of the service in an agony of uncertainty about the final result, which I finally found out later during the reception. It was a fairly dismal affair, and their marriage has now broken up. I still get a pang of regret whwn I think about it, and wish I had been at Villa Park with Seth and Pete

"These woods are lovely dark and deep
But I have promises to keep..."