Memories of the Kippax

[Lucky Toma]

As some of you know - and most probably dont to be fair - I run a website called the Daisy Cutter.
Its off-line for the summer but I'm in the process of a relaunch for the end of July.

About 80% of the readership are blues and I thought, for its opening week, I'd like to do an article on the Kippax.
Specifically blues' memories of the place - stories, occurances, what it was like during a favourite game, or just general reminiscences of the sights and smells.

These will be all mixed together into one big tribute to a place I genuinely miss.
I know it sounds soppy but I truly wish I could go back there just one more time, for one more game, and just really cherish it instead of sort of taking it for granted like I did back then.

Anyway if anyone would like to share their Kippax memories feel free to send me a message. Can be as long/short as you like but please bear in mind that it might be shortened during the editing process.

Or write them beneath this.

One more thing though - is it okay if you include a first name (doesnt have to be your real first name) or a nickname. Just so there isnt a lot of Blue57, Blueboy, Blue101 alongside the stories when its published.

ps The Cutter wont be relaunched until July 21st so the finished piece wont be up until the 23rd at the earliest.

 

[BertTrautmann'sParachute]

Just pm'd you, mate.

 

[Lucky Toma]

Cheers BTP. Some brilliant ones so far lads.

 

[Pagie]

My first clear memory of standing on the kippax was the last home game of the 90/91 season v sunderland. We won 3-2 think david white got a couple and sure for some reason martyn margetson was in goal. I was 10 at the time and still recall this season more than most. Maine road was packed including the away end i was stood at the front and seem to remember a few cases of sunderland fans being escorted past bleeding not sure how or why. We sent them down and also finished 4th or 5th above the rags the players did a lap of jonour the kippax chanting were the pride of manchester. From then on i was hooked wed be stood outside before the gates opened before home games Pay 4 quid and go sit above one of the tunnels on a bar / wall 2 hours before kick off. As you looked at the kippax it was about 3/4 to the right quite close to where standing away fans went. Although it wasnt every gamed that away fans were in the kippax from what i remember maybe it was overspill from the old platt lane wooden benches !

 

[charliebigspuds]

I have memorys of the Kippax dating back to 1975 when I was 4. My first memory was my Dad putting me on the wall at the front but you couldn't sit with your legs over the wall and facing the pitch so I had to sit with my back to the pitch and get a stiff neck whilst trying to watch the match. Another couple of memorys are from my days when I started going with my mates the first is sitting on the wall at the back of the open air bit and having to jump off at the end of the game, this was a real worry as your cold feet used to absolutely murder when they hit the floor.
My best and funniest memory was when one of my mates brought a roll of till reciept and said he was going to launch it when the players came out so it would be like a streamer, we used to stand above the tunnel at the Platt Lane end and as usual took our position, my mate (Tomo) waited with anticipation for the players to come out ( I think he thought he was going to start a Argentina '78 thing going). As the players came out he launched his till roll high into the air, the problem was he'd forgotten to take off the piece of cellotape that held it together and it hurtled down to the bottom of the Kippax like a excocet missile, it never made the pitch and hit some poor individual flush on his bald head at the bottom. The fella just crumbled in a heap and was carried out on a strecher, after the police showed up and some finger pointing going on we made a hastily retreat to the wall in the open end and stayed there for a few weeks.

 

[smeeagain]

not my earliest memory, but one of the strongest i have , is of i think an FA cup quarter final
we were playing derby county who were a top team at the time, probly about 1972?
no segregation back then , me and my mate were amazed at the lack of away support
when the teams came out ,almost half the kippax was derby fans !!!! the sound of them was
overwhelming ! dont recall seeing any trouble but i bet there was , we were right at the front about 14 yrs old ,can any other oldies remember this happening?

 

[johnny crossan]

the dire warnings from my brothers not to stand on the wrong side of the barriers

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

23 Nov 1957 - I was never a regular on the Kippax and the match I saw on this day might have persuaded me that there were 'luckier' parts of Maine Road. I installed myself on the halfway line and if memory serves (with the added advantage of looking up the record!), Barnes (2) and McAdams had put us 3-1 up with ten minutes left. A fifties Manchester fog descended onto the proceedings. You could just make out some ghostly figures if they were in the middle of the pitch. Nowadays the match would surely have been abandoned. The only thing I saw in the last ten minutes were three more kick-offs for City and we went down 4-3. I've had a sneaking suspicion all these years that three Wolves players caught the ball and ran into the net with it, and the bloody ref did us! I can honestly say that when Fulham came to CoMS the other season and snatched the match 3-2 it revealed to me, yet again, the notion of déjà vu. We old 'uns up in CBL3 never feel safe unless we're a good 4-0 up with ten minutes left!

I was also on the Kippax when Burnley won the Championship! I keep clear of anything with a Kippax connotation!

 

[Pigeonho]

The entire Kippax singing 'you're gonna win the cup' to Chelsea fans around 1993/94 when they were about to play United in the FA Cup final.

2 blokes rolling down the concrete steps fighting each other, bashing into the metal barriers as people made way for them!

A big fat bloke letting one go, and a large circle appearing around him as people stepped away from him! I've never seen anyone go do red, so quick in my entire life! It was just his mates to be fair, but they made it so a real scene was created! Piss funny!

Some bloke in a leather coat, hair all slicked back shouting racist abuse to John Barnes, only for this rasta bloke in front of me turning round towards him. Just the glare was enough to prompt the mouthy fucker to shut up.

Just a few of many.

 

[McnabsMustache83]

THE KIPPAX STREET STAND : I think the first memory for me was around the 83 season against Huddersfield Town, i was about 9 years old, we lost 3-2 i recall, My older brothers took me and stood next to the open air bit in the corner near the North Stand, it was really loud, i remember seeing a middle aged bald headed bloke stood on his own with his scalf tied around his rist drinking a small bottle of whiskey shouting and jumping about.
To this day i have'nt lived this down but it all went quiet during the Match, as Alex Williams was about to take a goal kick, i shouted at the top of my voice, GIVE IT A GOOD KICK ALEX, the brothers still rib me to this day.
KIPPAX STREET : On the way home after the Match a mini bus was stuck in a bit of a que with a load of Huddersfield fans singing 3-2, 3-2, 3-2, they shouted at the wrong time because a load of lads just swarmed it and turned the bus over on its side and battered them as they were trying to climb out.
Sign of the times i reckon.