Last week while at Bauer publishing (formerly emap) I got the opportunity to browse their back catalogue library. All their Peterborough based tiles are archived, hard bound, right back to 1955 when Motor Cycle News was launched.
My Mum and Dad owned a newsagents in the 1970s and 80s so I was generally aware of any new magazines. At the time I 'took' IPC's Shoot - the weekly kid's football magazine but when emap's new and exciting competitor launched in 1979 I quickly swapped to Match, as did my friends.
I can't ever remember reading Match, the joy was more in owning the magazine, even as a pre-teen magazines were about expressing who you wanted to be.
I was quite sentimental flicking through the Match back issues. I think I even recognised the layouts from 30 or so years ago. It just shows how much of an emotional attachment readers have with their magazines.
The tasters are excellent and are snap shot of football before the Premier League- "Garry Birtles' Manchester misery by Frank Stapleton". What a cover line! I can't see Rio Ferdinand writing a similar story about David de Gea.
Prime position is "In colour Walsall Milk Cup souvenir poster" In 1984 the Saddlers had got through to the Milk cup semi finals.
My memory can't be all that good. I remember Match being a glossy, full colour product more like today's version, not the newspaper inspired edition I found.
Over the last few years I've had the chance to work with editor James Bandy and his team on the contemporary
Match. I reckon my 11 year old self would be pretty pleased about that!
