Hooliganism and Violence Maine Road 80's/early 90's

[colinthewindowcleaner]

Vaguely remember some Chelsea in the early days of punk in dog collars etc pogoing in the kippax singing Ramones 'Beat on the Bratt'

Great tune !

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Exactly the same as us. 8 or 10 of us from Blackpool. Didn't go looking for trouble but if it happened we were there. Knew most of the Governors and Young Governors and did travel with them to places like Milwall, WH , Merseyside etc. Happy and very different days.
Still see lots of the lads from those days, scarily all heading to our 60s!!!. Sadly quite a few no longer with us.

I remember going to Blackpool in 84 for a 3rd round FA cup game on a freezing day in January. I had a ticket my mate didn't so i said I'd meet him near central pier after the game. We got beat 2-1 and City fans went on the rampage smashing 100s of windows in the town. I didn't smash any though.

I walked up and down the prom freezing cold looking for my mate for about an hour before i found him. Our plan was to go on the piss and get a cheap B&B before getting the train back Sunday morning. We went in some rough pubs but at least they were warm. We ended up in Blackpool beirkellor to watch some punk bands but they were all shite, one band called Avoid even used beer kegs as drums.

After several hours on the beer we got burger and chips before knocking on a B&B door, well we would have if we hadn't carelessly pissed our digs money up the wall. Was around midnight and below freezing with a cold wind blowing in from the Irish sea. No digs money and no last train back. We walked the streets looking for somewhere sheltered from the cold wind and eventually settled in a multistorey car park. We found a big sheet of cardboard to lay on and 2 carrier bags we filled with paper for a pillow each. Lay there trying to blank out the cold in a a lightweight Harrington jacket was no fun at all. My mate shared his donkey jacket as a blanket, 2 youths huddled together, don't think I've ever spooned a woman that close!

I think i managed a couple of hours kip and that was only cos i was pissed and we ended up getting up about 7am looking for a cafe. We found one open at 8 but we was there about 7:45 banging on the window asking to be let in. A full English brekkie and a couple of brews next to the radiator and we felt ok before getting the first train back to Manchester.

 

[Eds]

One game that sticks in the mind is City v Everton 81-82
Trevor Francis sent off and Kevin Bond equalizing for City with a long shot

A huge pre match brawl in the Platt Lane which seemed to take the club by surprise, especially as it seemed to erupt in the middle of the Junior Blues section.

It even got a mention in the match programme for the next home game v West Ham (who also took the club by surprise when buying a whole block of seats in the Main Stand)
The did the same thing the following season, but this time all sitting on the opposite side of the Main Stand

Pretty sure they scored very early at Platt Lane end and Everton jumped around but it wasn’t the junior blues. Bond equalized a couple minutes later. Don’t remember WHU being in the main stand in big numbers but could be wrong. Very few clubs brought huge numbers to Maine Rd in those days.

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

I remember going to Blackpool in 84 for a 3rd round FA cup game on a freezing day in January. I had a ticket my mate didn't so i said I'd meet him near central pier after the game. We got beat 2-1 and City fans went on the rampage smashing 100s of windows in the town. I didn't smash any though.

I walked up and down the prom freezing cold looking for my mate for about an hour before i found him. Our plan was to go on the piss and get a cheap B&B before getting the train back Sunday morning. We went in some rough pubs but at least they were warm. We ended up in Blackpool beirkellor to watch some punk bands but they were all shite, one band called Avoid even used beer kegs as drums.

After several hours on the beer we got burger and chips before knocking on a B&B door, well we would have if we hadn't carelessly pissed our digs money up the wall. Was around midnight and below freezing with a cold wind blowing in from the Irish sea. No digs money and no last train back. We walked the streets looking for somewhere sheltered from the cold wind and eventually settled in a multistorey car park. We found a big sheet of cardboard to lay on and 2 carrier bags we filled with paper for a pillow each. Lay there trying to blank out the cold in a a lightweight Harrington jacket was no fun at all. My mate shared his donkey jacket, 2 youths huddled together, don't think I've ever spooned a woman that close!

I think i managed a couple of hours kip and that was only cos i was pissed and we ended up getting up about 7am looking for a cafe. We found one open at 8 but we was there about 7:45 banging on the window asking to be let in. A full English brekkie and a couple of brews next to the radiator and we felt ok before getting the first train back to Manchester.

We had a few cup games at Blackpool in the 80's and they were all mental. City taking the piss inside and outside the ground at each one.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

Pretty sure they scored very early at Platt Lane end and Everton jumped around but it wasn’t the junior blues. Bond equalized a couple minutes later. Don’t remember WHU being in the main stand in big numbers but could be wrong. Very few clubs brought huge numbers to Maine Rd in those days.

It was mentioned in the match programme because a number of dad's and lads were forced to run from the scene. Not sure if it was premeditated or just a spontaneous incident.

West Ham was a strange one, essentially because we'd never previously witnessed this type of ingenuity from away fans at Maine Road.

In 81-82 they filled a whole block of Main Stand seats nearest to the Platt Lane, but the following season they filled the whole block nearest to the North Stand
I don't recall much aggro. It was more of a WE'LL SIT WHERE WE WANT AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT with gangs of frustrated blues in other stands

 

[Oils]

One game that sticks in the mind is City v Everton 81-82
Trevor Francis sent off and Kevin Bond equalizing for City with a long shot

A huge pre match brawl in the Platt Lane which seemed to take the club by surprise, especially as it seemed to erupt in the middle of the Junior Blues section.

It even got a mention in the match programme for the next home game v West Ham (who also took the club by surprise when buying a whole block of seats in the Main Stand)
The did the same thing the following season, but this time all sitting on the opposite side of the Main Stand

I was in the middle of that with my brother , dad and grandad…was 9 at the time and my dad just kept saying watch the game and ignore them! Proper kicked off!

 

[The Colonel]

Pretty sure they scored very early at Platt Lane end and Everton jumped around but it wasn’t the junior blues. Bond equalized a couple minutes later. Don’t remember WHU being in the main stand in big numbers but could be wrong. Very few clubs brought huge numbers to Maine Rd in those days.

We weren’t junior blues but I was caught in the middle of that as a 10 year old with just my school mate for company. Weirdly there was a load of Everton in the Platt Lane at the bottom. As city lads ran down from above they charged back. We ducked under the wooden benches at the point they met, carnage reigning above, lots of thuds. The plod then waded in and we just got back up, someone ruffled my head and they were escorted into the Kippax away corner. All part of the experience.

 

[Blue Boy 63]

We had a few cup games at Blackpool in the 80's and they were all mental. City taking the piss inside and outside the ground at each one.

Remember a few lively Texico Cup games there in the mid 70`s .

 

[BlueRockape]

It was mentioned in the match programme because a number of dad's and lads were forced to run from the scene. Not sure if it was premeditated or just a spontaneous incident.

West Ham was a strange one, essentially because we'd never previously witnessed this type of ingenuity from away fans at Maine Road.

In 81-82 they filled a whole block of Main Stand seats nearest to the Platt Lane, but the following season they filled the whole block nearest to the North Stand
I don't recall much aggro. It was more of a WE'LL SIT WHERE WE WANT AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT with gangs of frustrated blues in other stands

There weren't that many but fuck me they were handy a few of us went around the back of the main stand at three quarter time to wait for them.
I ended up with a fractured cheek for my travels.
It went blue on blue in the Clarence latter those that ran wished they hadn't

 

[Sid C]

ha ha sorry 3 pm must still be traumatized from that day

I seem to remember that the Everton/Millwall game kicked off half an hour before ours, presumably to lessen the chances of clashes. Well that didn’t work did it lol.
I’ve forgotten details of so many games nowadays but I’ll never forget that day. The way back to Lyme Street was like a fucking live war zone.