Happy Birthday Peter Kitchen

[Donnywolf]

... for today

My favourite Rovers player ever. Met him first on pitch at Southport in 73 ? ish when there was a Bomb scare, Stood talking with him and Big Bren as it was "everybody" on the Pitch

Met him again at Southampton in Championship in 2009 I guess - as we won -  in Cafe Bar at Half Time
True gent - even though he didnt remember me from Southport lol

Throw a few of your personal Kitch memories here

[Donnywolf]

I still habe memories of a great goal he scored at Rosso end in a night game where he beat 3 or 4 oppo players AND had to "beat" a half unfurled Bog Roll

Presumably we had almost scored and someone must have lobbed it in error (or these days as they say suffered from premature celebration)

[EasyforDennis]

I remember having a good chat with him in the bar behind the away fans end after that first game at Brighton's new Amex stadium.

[Draytonian III]

He scored the first ever Rovers goal I saw

[Donnywolf]

Wow great memory - I have scanned the Anfield crossbar cutting from Paper but not smart enough to post it yet

We had a big thread recently on it though

[roversdude]

One of my favourite Rovers too and a top bloke

[idler]

Happy birthday Kitch, a real hero to all Rovers fans of a certain age.

[sheffield exile1]

I saw him occasionally in the Park Hotel, Mexborough (before footballers achieved super star status) and sort of spoke to him at said Southampton match (probably rather incoherently) in 2009, after a few sherberts on the train down. Last time was the Belle Vue Bar where he signed his book after a Q&A night. Many happy returns!

[Donnywolf]

Happy birthday Kitch, a real hero to all Rovers fans of a certain age.

Yes of his age LOL. Amazingly I looked up to him so much and yet I am older than he is. Never mind top player - and can never shake the image of the bog roll goal from my memory and of course that bloody Crossbar

[tommy toes]

I saw Kitch's first goals for Rovers in a 3-1 win at Shrewsbury on a Tuesday night. Me and JB went on the train. We didn't get back to Donny until the next morning.
I used to work with his brother Gordon at DRI.
He agreed with me that the only thing that stopped Kitch from getting right to the top was his lack of pace. Tbh he was really slow, but had sublime skills and was a natural goalscorer.

[idler]

Happy birthday Kitch, a real hero to all Rovers fans of a certain age.

Yes of his age LOL. Amazingly I looked up to him so much and yet I am older than he is. Never mind top player - and can never shake the image of the bog roll goal from my memory and of course that bloody Crossbar

At your height I didn't think that you would look up to anyone John.

[BobG]

Kitch scored the best individual goal I have ever  seen. I've wittered on about it on here several times so I wont go mad this time. Away at Newport County one cxold Friday night in either 75 or 76 I think. We were 3-0 up fairly quickly. Bren got one from a corner but Kitch got just the best goal ever. Greybeards will remember the Tonie Currie goal for Blades that featured on the opening credits of YTV's Goals on Sunday for a while. A mazy dribble followd by poking it into the net. Well, Kitch's was better. He beat more opposition players and he beat the goalie too. He dribbled his way from the edge of the penalty area pretty much right through to the goal line. A stunning goal.

We ended up giving Newport 2 goals after but we won in the end

Met him at Southampton like everyone else! And at the Amex. And wasn't there a match against Orient at the Keepmoat where he turned up? I might be imagining that but I've a feeling I saw him there?

BobG

PS. Newort County away 21st February 1976

[Donnywolf]

Bob - have you seen the goal he got v Chelsea as well in FA Cup for Orient .... another mazy dribble and a great finish

Talked about it on here a year or so back and then we found it on Youtube. I will see if a search gets it

[BobG]

I was there DW!!! Saw it live. Ended up spending the night in Hammersmith Hospital after wrecking my ankle attempting to replicate it on the pavement outside White City tube station having supped a few too many post match sherbets .

If John Boulton is on this board, he will remembver that night!

BobG

[Donnywolf]

So which was the best ?

I remember the Chelsea one vividly and was great when I found it on Youtube. I watched a few Orient Games in that cup run including Boro away on the Saturday amd Orient 3 days later and I went all way to Semi Final where Orient Players kicked signed Balls into Crowd and I caught one

Man at work had wife who was local rep for Free Press so they came and wrote a piece about a Rovers Fan watching his hero and I was in DFP with Ball signed by all Squad

A week or so later someone must have alerted PK and I got a package with quite a few Photos of him and a nice Letter from him and some of the items were signed by him. Great gesture but stupidly I didnt look after the ball and it went down and shrivelled up - and that was my big regret that the ball would have been better going to a genuine Orient Fan who would have treasured it more than I did

I will scan the Letter if possible and put it here later

[Donnywolf]

Easier than I thought - hopefully can be read 
Was searching for the video of goal and I found this post from you - very comprehensive from 2010 by a certain BobG


 I was AT that match Wolfy! Lived in White City at the time and me and another Donny lad went to both the original match and the replay - simply to watch PK. PK cost me a night in hospital after that goal. It was such a wondrous one that I attempted to recreate it on the pavement just outside White City tube station on the way back. Unfortunately, somehow a few sherberts made me fall over whilst doing so. No idea why. Completely f**ked my ankle it did. My mate had to just about carry me to Hammersmith hospital down the road where he dumped me in Casualty and buggered off. Took months to get better. Stonking goal though. I'd like to see it again too.

BobG   

[i_ateallthepies]

Easier than I thought - hopefully can be read 
Was searching for the video of goal and I found this post from you - very comprehensive from 2010 by a certain BobG


 I was AT that match Wolfy! Lived in White City at the time and me and another Donny lad went to both the original match and the replay - simply to watch PK. PK cost me a night in hospital after that goal. It was such a wondrous one that I attempted to recreate it on the pavement just outside White City tube station on the way back. Unfortunately, somehow a few sherberts made me fall over whilst doing so. No idea why. Completely f**ked my ankle it did. My mate had to just about carry me to Hammersmith hospital down the road where he dumped me in Casualty and buggered off. Took months to get better. Stonking goal though. I'd like to see it again too.

BobG   

Nice note from Kitch, that, John.  Kitch is one of those players who will always be regarded as one of our own and revered regardless of his moving on.

[roversdude]

https://youtu.be/F6mWqIvLwLE
One of the best goals ever DW I agree

[BobG]

Many thanks for the link Dude. Brings back memories that does.

That Mayo character playing for Orient, I'm pretty sure he's the guy of that name who ended up at Watford where he tortured the Rovers for what seemed like decades...

As for Kitch's goal, yep. A good 'un. But the Newport one started furtther out and he beat more players.

Somebody else must have been there night! Come on chaps!! It was a bloody cold night I can tell you. I slept in the car in the Forest of Dean that night as I was due on Filton aerodrome in Bristol the next day Chuffing frozen I was.

BobG

[albie]

Absolutely tashtastic, was Kitch;
https://twitter.com/FootballThen/status/1366474637115285508/photo/1

The zapata will be back in soon.....I realise some on here think it never went out!

[Lesonthewest]

My absolute hero back in the day, absolutely gutted when he left us. Clinical finisher in & around the 6 yard box. The best striker I have seen play for us.

[BobG]

How did you rate Mike Elwiss Les? Around the same time - just a tad later was he? I suppose he didn't stay long enough for us to see him in his pomp like we did Kitch. Shame. To be a member of that 'Team of the 80's' at Palace like he was, he must have had something about him.

BobG

[Stocksbridge Owl]

Back in the late 70’s I’d just moved to London working on the building sites in the East End. I was extremely home sick, didn’t know a soul down there, wanted to go home...but I had steady and very well paid work. Each Saturday I’d go to one of the matches in the capital (oh for the days when you could just turn up and pay on the gate!!). My favourite team to watch was Fulham, simply because they were the friendliest bunch of supporters down there and you rarely saw trouble. Peter Kitchen was playing for them at the time and he was quite often the best player on the pitch! If he got the ball in the penalty area, he’d always create a chance. I knew he was from Mexborough too, so always saw him as a bit of a kindred spirit down there in the big smoke!!

[Lesonthewest]

How did you rate Mike Elwiss Les? Around the same time - just a tad later was he? I suppose he didn't stay long enough for us to see him in his pomp like we did Kitch. Shame. To be a member of that 'Team of the 80's' at Palace like he was, he must have had something about him.

BobG
[/quote#

I think Elwiss was a bit before Kitch Bob, left us mid seventies for Preston where I believe he played most of his football, really good skilful player, who had that drop of the shoulder. We replaced him with the excellent Ian (windy) Miller who provided the crosses for big Bren & the 'rat' as Kitch was affectionately known. As you say Palace were a team with flair back then so I'm sure Elwiss must have fitted in well after his move from Preston.

[BobG]

Thanks Les. I couldn't work out where Mike Elwiss was in time relative to Kitch - despite the fact that Mike was at the same school as me and I used to see him running up and down the hill on the playing field with a bag of sand (or summat...) on his back.

I sort of remember him playing for the Rovers but not with that depth that I remember Kitch. Yet Mike Elwiss ended up being signed by Terry Venables for the 'Team of the Eighties'. So I've always wondered just how good was he?

Cheers

BobG

[idler]

I thought Elwis was a year or two behind Kitch. Kitch was certainly in the first team before him I'm sure.

[RobTheRover]

Before my time. Warboys and Nimmo was the strike force when I started going.

[Donnywolf]

.... YES Mike Elwiss was good,fast and obv "had it" and was on Prog cover in 74 (at least i always imagined it was a stylised drawing of him)

Fits well when you think Anfield JAN 69 with PK and BOC then JAN 74 Anfield JAN 74 where Kitch hits bar and MW was onto the rebound