WHEN Pete Ewins suggested taking his fiancée Linda Allen to Bristol, the intention was to buy her an engagement ring – or so she thought!

In fact, Pete had other things on his mind – his beloved Oxford United were playing Bristol City that afternoon.

Pete recalls: “When we got to Oxford station, Linda said, ‘There are a lot of people about.’ I said, ‘Oh, I expect it’s the football fans.’

“We got on the train with them and when we reached Bristol, police ushered us straight to the ground. When the game ended, they ushered us straight back to the station, so there was no chance of going to the shops.

“We saw the match, but Linda came back without her engagement ring.”

Memory Lane this week

Linda finally got her ring, but there was another surprise when they fixed the wedding – they had to postpone it a week because it clashed with the FA Cup final!

Everything, however, was soon forgiven and forgotten, they married at St Mary’s Church, Wheatley, and 40 years later, they are still together, enjoying life at their home in Stanway Road, Risinghurst, Oxford.

Oxford Mail:

Pete Ewins and wife Linda

Pete wrote in after seeing our story of Headington United’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against mighty Bolton Wanderers at the Manor Road ground at Headington before a crowd of 16,870 in January 1954 (Memory Lane, October 6).

His father Jim attended the match, which United lost 4-2, and has passed to his son the match programme and half of his entrance ticket – the other half was torn off and kept by the turnstile operator.

The programme cost threepence and admission to the ground cost 2s 6d (12½p).

Pete tells me: “I was too young to attend that match. I started watching United in 1962 and I have been supporting them for more than 50 years.”

He has amassed a collection of more than 200 United programmes, including those for the famous FA Cup games against Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End in 1964. When Headington United (forerunners of the present day Oxford United) played Bolton in 1954, they were still eight years from gaining entry to the Football League, but the club already had considerable ambitions.

Manager Harry Thompson wrote in the match programme: “Gaining Football League status would throw a tremendous responsibility on all concerned and would call for even more effort.”

He told fans: “There is one way in which you may help us in our ambitions.

“We have a 16,000 gate today, many of you at Manor Road for the first time – why not become regular spectators?”



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