Above: Dad and I watch Cardiff City reaching the FA Cup final, 2008

Fifty years ago today, I went to see my first football game, aged 10.

Dad told me at lunchtime he was taking me to see Cardiff City play West Bromwich Albion at Ninian Park. It was my sister’s 20th birthday, but I imagine she was spending the day with friends. It’s poignant to think she would have been 70 today. (She died far too young in 2017.)

We made our way through the Grangetown end tunnel to the Bob Bank (so called because it once cost a shilling to stand there). It wasn’t the most entertaining experiences, and about 10 minutes before the end Dad decided he’d had enough. Or was I the one? As we made our way back through the tunnel to the exit there was a cacophony of stamping feet above us. West Brom had scored a late winner.

Dad obviously decided that the experience hadn’t made me a football fan, as he didn’t take me to another game that season. But almost a year later I accompanied him to my second game, curiously also against West Brom. This time the West Midland side won more convincingly, 2-0, and Cardiff were relegated from the old second division for the first time since the war.

City bounced straight back, and that promotion season in 1975/76 was my favourite. Cardiff struggled at first, and struggled against the likes of Grimsby, Halifax and Port Vale. But as autumn arrived, we were enjoying ourselves, and I watched a thriller on my 12th birthday, as City beat Chesterfield 4-3 in an autumn night game. It was my first experience of the unique atmosphere of a floodlit game, and I noticed how even Ninian Park looked glamorous under the lights. It was also unusual as my two uncles and cousin Wendy came with us.

Six months later, I saw an even more dramatic night game as second-placed City beat leaders Hereford United 2-0 to move closer to securing promotion. We were amongst a crowd of 35,000 that night, which even in 1976 was impressive for a third division game. A few weeks later, we heard that Cardiff had beaten Bury away and were back in the second division. Dad gave me a glass of martini to celebrate – that wouldn’t happen today!

That promotion season I was lucky enough to watch City from the Ninian Park directors box, as Dad had been given a season ticket. We enjoyed a wonderful buffet at half time each game – it was a contrast to the old Bob Bank!

The following year saw an unforgettable FA Cup run, with Cardiff knocking out first division Tottenham Hotspur with a wonder strike from 35 yards by Peter Sayer in the third round. The next round was even more spectacular, with City comfortably poised at 2-0 against Wrexham. After getting a goal back, our Welsh rivals stunned us by equalising in the 89th minute, and a replay looked inevitable. But John Buchanan won it for us in the very last minute. It was a treat to watch the highlights on Match of the Day that night. I was convinced Cardiff would go on to win the cup exactly 50 years after we became the only club from outside England to win it, but we lost narrowly to Everton in the next round.

It was another 31 years before I saw the Bluebirds reach an FA Cup final. On a bright but snowy April day in 2008, Dad and I went to Wembley for the semi-final against Barnsley. We went ahead early on, and never really looked under threat. It was an unforgettable day, and we enjoyed chatting to the Barnsley fans. Sadly, Cardiff lost the final 1-0 to Portsmouth, and a few years later lost equally narrowly in the League Cup final to Liverpool.

Five years earlier, Karen and I had the unusual experience of watching Cardiff win a play-off final for promotion to the Championship in Wales’s national stadium. The Millennium (now Principality) Stadium was standing in for Wembley during its six year rebirth, hosting the FA Cup final, League Cup final and playoffs. We were lucky enough to have hospitality tickets through Nationwide Building Society, hence the smart look! It was a very long way from standing on the Bob Bank at Ninian Park as a 10 year old 50 years ago today.