17 years ago tomorrow - Millennium magic!!

London Cherry

First Team
With the Playoff victory in 2003 being celebrated elsewhere I’d love to hear people’s memories from the day?! I honestly think this moment would never be matched! It was a long journey but I remember seeing lots of Cherries on the road to Cardiff (strange in those days!) I remember never feeling comfortable in the match until our 5th goal went in! Jumped up so much I stubbed my toe! A cracking game and great Cherries support albeit a very long journey home!! A great day which I’ll always remember :utc:
 
Back in summer 2003, I helped to put together a souvenir book of that game, snappily titled "Didn't We Have A Lovely Time The Day We Went To Cardiff".

It was a collection of memories, funny events and assorted anecdotes of the trip, with contributions from quite a few who are still active on this board. It's a lovely read, and takes you right back to the time when we were very much a small club, with a great feeling of togetherness.

I can scan and copy a few pages if you like.
 
Just one of those great days that happen from time to time as a Cherries fan. A super stadium, certainly something we were not used to back then. Some terrific goals. Fletch’s goal celebration. Some very likeable wholehearted and grounded players...and an impressive turn out by the fans, flags, songs and smiles.
 
My wife and I caught the Special train from Bournemouth, son overslept and had to chase the train in his car through the Forest until he got to Southampton Parkway, were we surprised to see him walk through to our carriage. Train stopped in Salisbury and we got off to stretch our legs.

Arrived in Cardiff, walked into the City, saw the Cherries pub which was packed to the rafters with our fans, so found a cafe to get some food and then walked up to the Stadium. Very impressed with the Millennium Stadium.

Had seats with a good view and what a great day it was, we got off at the Parkway on the way back and our son drove us to Bournemouth Station to pick up our car.

It made up for that ‘strange finish’ at Wembley that time.
 
Traveled down from London.
Joined by a few other AFCB fans, and a load of QPR fans heading for their play off.
Was in Cardiff for 1100. Plenty of beer before hand.

Fantastic day.
Purches goal, still one of my favourites.

Then a quick train out of there to celebrate in London around 9pm.

Sat in the buffet carriage with 4 Lincoln fans on the way back.
They were still proud of their team, and rightly so.

NO NATIONAL ANTHEM AS TO NOT UPSET THE WELSH WAS PLAIN CRAZY!
 
Living in east Hants at the time, so drove to Newport and caught local train from there. Mrs B came with us, but after a bite to eat she went shopping whilst we went to the match!
Broke my work phone somehow during a goal celebration, it didn't bounce very well
 
I also travelled on the Special Train - which was apparently used for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.

After the match, waiting for the train back, Lincoln fans waiting on the opposite platform. When a train arrived there, we all started singing "Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio". The train pulled out - and the Lincoln fans were all still there!
 
Was a minibus load of us from Corfe Mullen. Decided to pop up local night before for "just a couple ". Got in at 3am absolutely steaming. All met at said local in morning. I had 1 job ,to remember everyone's tickets. Got to Dorchester and realised had left tickets at home. Turned back got tickets and got to Prince of Wales? pub couple hours before kick off. Great day.
 
Minibus from Dorchester with my Dad and brother, the latter who had been out the night before celebrating his birthday.

Eventually he could keep it in no longer, and then spent about 20 minutes holding a back of vomit until we reached a service station!

Great game, and a great viewing position which back then was a bit of a rarity.
 
Organised a coach for work colleagues which left Hurn about 7? 7.30?, no alcohol of course, but lots of people on board with litres of “coke” and “orange juice”. Stopped at services, full of AFCB.

Got to Cardiff, all pissed. Walking to the pub, turned round to lead my group in a song, walked backwards into a railway bridge.

Into the Prince of Wales, 16 had made it, so got to the bar and ordered 32 beers, starting a chain to get the beers to the group. However, by the time the ninth was heading down the line, the first empty was coming back, so ordered another 16.

Got into the singing section behind the goal, and the noise was superb, everyone having a great time and positive we’d win. I remember the tenseness despite the alcoholic haze, but that disappeared in the explosion of joy which greeted Fletch’s goal.

Towards the end many of us were feeling somewhat the worse for wear despite the ecstasy of winning. Remember the lap of honour to the Quo and Queen and just constantly singing all day.

The return coach journey was enlivened by a massive row between a couple on board, and they ended up getting off the coach in a lay-by and refusing to get back on, so they were left there.

Got back to Bournemouth aiming to hit the town but were starting to feel hungover already so settled for another couple of swift pints before heading home.

Great day, one of my top 5 football days
 
Got into the singing section behind the goal, and the noise was superb, everyone having a great time and positive we’d win. I remember the tenseness despite the alcoholic haze, but that disappeared in the explosion of joy which greeted Fletch’s goal.

You did well to get in there. We ended up in the posh seats surrounded by Cardiff fans who strangely enough were all supporting us over the Lincoln Transit Elite lot....
 
Back then I used to go to D.C. with the kids and any of their friends we could persuade to come along. Towards the end of the previous season the Good Lady said she'd like to come along. My thoughts were " take her to a match and that'll cure that". How little did I know, she was hooked from the first defeat ( a lot of that was down to the way she instantly felt part of the club, thanks to our fans and stewards), in fact I think it was 6 matches before she saw us win.

Anyway on to the "Big day". We drove down, me, the Good Lady 13 year old son, his best mate and our daughter. Disabled parking was under the Stadium, drove in there , nearly cut Bernie the Kitman over looking for a space.
Emerged onto a street, rammed with Cherries and Imps. By then the G.L. was in need of the loo. First pub we came upon was packed full of Lincoln fans, security eventually let myself and the Good Lady in. Very big town centre pub with the loos right at the back, managed to manoeuvre the wheelchair through the throng and the Good Lady enters to make use of the facilities. I had to wait outside ( this was before I had discovered T-shirt heaven) wearing my replica Cherries shirt and A.F.C.B. cap on my own. I don't know how long she was in there but it seemed like days : )
Needn't have worried, everyone in the pub were very friendly.

Other random memories, all the street vendors selling flags, honkers, big felt hands had cockney accents. The stadium concourses were well organised to provide matchday essentials, 12 pints poured in seconds, pizza slices slopped on paper plates double quick time. Superb noise and atmosphere from our fans, matched by the players on the pitch. Couldn't have wished for a better first away match for the Table household : )
 
Quite a different experience for me as took my two children aged c 18 months and 4 1/2 so spent pre match exploring Cardiff castle to wear them out! Always a struggle to get them to last 90 minutes back then but they did for that game - think they liked all the red and black balloons. Eddie Howe and Richard Hughes sat nearby amongst afcb fans! My children can’t remember anything about the game now but now chuffed they saw the cherries in that game!
 
My wife and I caught the Special train from Bournemouth, son overslept and had to chase the train in his car through the Forest until he got to Southampton Parkway, were we surprised to see him walk through to our carriage. Train stopped in Salisbury and we got off to stretch our legs.

Arrived in Cardiff, walked into the City, saw the Cherries pub which was packed to the rafters with our fans, so found a cafe to get some food and then walked up to the Stadium. Very impressed with the Millennium Stadium.

Had seats with a good view and what a great day it was, we got off at the Parkway on the way back and our son drove us to Bournemouth Station to pick up our car.

It made up for that ‘strange finish’ at Wembley that time.
My Mum, Dad and older brother were on that train. I heard it was the longest slowest train journey ever having to give way to every scheduled service along the way?! Meanwhile...
 
Quite a different experience for me as took my two children aged c 18 months and 4 1/2 so spent pre match exploring Cardiff castle to wear them out! Always a struggle to get them to last 90 minutes back then but they did for that game - think they liked all the red and black balloons. Eddie Howe and Richard Hughes sat nearby amongst afcb fans! My children can’t remember anything about the game now but now chuffed they saw the cherries in that game!

Went to Cardiff Castle myself before the match having arrived early and having a meal. A good way to try to calm the pre-match nerves!
 

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