Points West Archive Films

A crowd of 12,500 witnessed Rovers beat the Nottinghamshire side in a match that proved to be a memorable time for some of the key players, namely goal scorers Kenny Norman and Andy Leitch.

A confident manager Bob Mersell predicted the result would wind up 3-0 in his club's favour. He told BBC Points West that he was never in any doubt his side would do anything less.

Celebrating with the silverware

Chisel-chinned captain Kenny Norman was predictably 'over the moon'; thankfully he and his fellow team mates avoided footballers' avian flu, since not one felt the need to be sick as the proverbial parrot!

The match was played at a time when English football was being marred by a hooligan element and sadly the game attracted its share of trouble.

Despite this, BBC Points West focussed on the success of the Stroud team and caught the winning goals on film.

We've also included a second film from the BBC Points West archives. 

It shows Rovers in 1965, with interviews with the players and the club's secretary, who'd been in post since 1945.

It is interesting to see how a football team can change so much over the years. 

In the mid-sixties, players came across as relatively mild-mannered, quieter and seemingly more modest compared with the exuberance of the Wembley winners of 1982, their chant, "we're all p*****-up and we're going to win the cup!" reverberating around the stadium.

Points West's Peter Brown in 1965

In 1965 things seemed much more match-orientated than money-orientated, although finances were clearly an issue.

Then the club survived on £14.00 a week – roughly the equivalent of over £170 today, when based on the retail price index.

The club's secretary explained how their income came chiefly from the supporters' club, the generosity of club officials, and even the players' own contributions.

In the main, support for Rovers was based on the idea that local people took an active interest in the players, who, so it was claimed, performed better than many of those playing at a professional level.

However, even in 1965, clubs were faced with dwindling attendances with fans supporting fewer matches each week - another problem still being faced by clubs.

Today, coverage of live football is blamed for declining attendances at a professional level, while other distractions take people away from the local stands at non-league level, although people argue that it is the success of a side that determines the amount of support it receives.

The 1965 film also reflects women's attitude towards football. 

One supporter says she likes to show willing to keep in with her boyfriend, while the club's secretary concluded: "if my wife didn't like it, it would be a poor job!”

May be some aspects of football do not change after all!