McMordie

I'd be up for this so long as no one minded my terrible hearing!

I know what you mean - I thought at first that I'd got my maths wrong with the 41 years. Hodgson was indeed sent off together with City's Nicky Reid. This was the final day before red and yellow cards were abolished in the Football League because the League had decided that referees brandishing red and yellow cards wound up spectators. Hodgson and Reid therefore became the last players to be red carded in the League for six years, until FIFA forced the League to reintroduce them. The match was also notable because Boro played in Manchester United shirts (complete with United badges).

What was unusual about Boro's match at Manchester City 41 years ago tomorrow (17 January 1981) and what happened to David Hodgson during the match that didn't happen again in the Football League until 6 years later?

On This Day - 6 January 1894 - Double Joy for Boro Rivals Darlington 1 Middlesbrough 3 (Northern League) Middlesbrough Ironopolis 2 Crewe Alexandra 0 (Football League Division Two) Courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive BL_0000159_18940108_002_0003.pdf

3 December 1975 - Boro Blast Burnley to Move to One Step From Wembley. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0002240_19751204_108_0020.pdf

19 December 1926 - Boro Slay Swans in Christmas Cracker (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0000687_19261220_089_0004.pdf

31 October 1925 - Camsell's debut. Clough Saves Boro from Hallowe'en Forest Horror. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0001898_19251102_109_0006.pdf

Gazette match report. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0000159_19001119_002_0004.pdf

17 November 1973 - Late Double Adds Gloss for Table Topping Boro. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0002240_19731119_197_0016.pdf

Perhaps a slightly inappropriate comment.

1. We'll make the play-offs. 2. I think that Wilsoncgp's team will be about right. 3. No, but I do know that Strachan tried to buy Wallace and Gromit because he thought they were the St Mirren forward line.

8 February 1972 - Boro see off Millwall to seal Old Trafford trip. (From British Newspaper Archive) BL_0002240_19720209_298_0022 (1).pdf BL_0000560_19720209_173_0027.pdf

I think my mum thought that being given stockings as a teenager by a mysterious American serviceman might have been exciting but getting them from a bunch of lecherous old men in the Synners Social Club, less so. (Could have been even more awkward for the committee if a teenage boy had won).

16 November 1935 - Boro Rout Rovers. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0000711_19351118_288_0011 (1).pdf

She knew him because she used to follow the Synners home and away, often travelling on the team bus. She said that if a girl ever spoke to him he stood there with his ears blushing first and then the blush spreading to the rest of his face. As an aside, my mum was Billingham Synthonia's supporter of the year one year in the late 1940s or early 1950s and the committee men decided than an appropriate prize for a teenage girl would be some stockings. Different times!

15 November 1975 - Derby Day Stalemate. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0002240_19751117_170_0014.pdf

14 November 1964 - Six Goal Thriller at the Baseball Ground. (From British Newspaper Archive). BL_0002496_19641114_109_0008.pdf

My mum knew him during his Billingham Synthonia days and reckoned his persona was an act to mask his shyness.

Could be right as we did name a local delicacy after our former Estonian star Kinky Parmo after his spectacular goal against Burnley.

"Pork scratchings" is Danish for "rubbish bits we can flog to the British after we've made the bacon".

23 August 1958 - 9-0 (Our biggest win until the 10-0 against Millwall next Saturday). The following day Boro lodged a £9000 bid for Don Revie. (From the British Newspaper Archive). BL_0000378_19580825_078_0008 (1).pdf

My daughters have never forgotten that while we were waiting in the very long queue to go to the top of the Willis Tower in Chicago there were life size pictures of Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama and signs to show you how many times their height the tower was. Everything is now measured in Baracks in my family.

This should really be in the random Boro tidbits thread. And I'd say he's more of a Barbeque beef man.

That reminds me of those Focus On.... columns they used to have in Shoot!, some of which I was reading a few weeks ago. Did you know that David Armstrong's favourite pastime was marquetry?* Ok, yes, that should be in the random Boro tidbits thread. *Although looking at Spike's other answers it's possible he was taking the p*ss.

It's funny how we perceive things. As you say, in 1980 he'd only have been 62 but to my teenage self he looked ancient. I'm now not far off 62 myself and still feel like a teenager!