The North Stand at Maine Road?

[JGL07]

when the scoreboard end was developed it took two off seasons
they put up the roof first with no seats, so the following season we had a standing area behind the goal with a roof
the atmosphere was electric and i thought much better than the kippax
we also had an excellent season on the pitch and should have gone on to win the league

over the next summer they put in the seats and so that was the end of the standing north stand.

Yes thats how I remember it,very lively and noisy.I recall a game against Airdrie in a competition(Anglo-Scottish cup I think)and despite a small crowd a good atmosphere .Seem to remember it was split into separate concrete bays rather than one big open area.

That was to avoid surges.

I used to frequent the Scoreboard End but moved to the Kippax while it was being redeveloped. I never liked the Kippax, the sightlines were poor. There always seemed to be someone bigger than me obstructing my view despite being 5'11". I also found it to be claustrophobic because of the low roof. As for the toilets, enough said.

It was great to move into the North Stand when it opened. I got my first season ticket in there when it was converted to seating and remained there till I moved away in 1977.

 

[Jnr Kisby]

I was a norhtstander before we moved to coms, the North Stand was where it was at. Kippax, kippax give us a song!

 

[Blue Mist]

when the scoreboard end was developed it took two off seasons
they put up the roof first with no seats, so the following season we had a standing area behind the goal with a roof
the atmosphere was electric and i thought much better than the kippax
we also had an excellent season on the pitch and should have gone on to win the league

over the next summer they put in the seats and so that was the end of the standing north stand.

Bloomin 'eck, I was sure we went from an open end (no roof) to a seated end all at one go. It just shows how your memory can fade (well mine !)

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

What was it like in that season when it was standing? Was it like a Kop End type stand?


Not sure what you mean there as it was always a standing area.... cold wet concrete....... with no roof......... and the wind always coming in. It was shite. But I think you mean the final season before they redeveloped it. As I remember the lads who sang decided to finally have an 'end' rather than a 'side (the Kippax) so they gave up there relative comfort and went out into the wilds. To be honest I don't really remember it being a cauldron of noise and not sure what Tony Book is refering to.

Spent many a Saturday getting pissed wet through on the North Stand or 'the Scoreboard End'. Unforgiving rough as a bear's arse Twenties concrete. Stood just by the exit tunnel on the Maine Road side.

 

[Blue Mist]

What was it like in that season when it was standing? Was it like a Kop End type stand?


Not sure what you mean there as it was always a standing area.... cold wet concrete....... with no roof......... and the wind always coming in. It was shite. But I think you mean the final season before they redeveloped it. As I remember the lads who sang decided to finally have an 'end' rather than a 'side (the Kippax) so they gave up there relative comfort and went out into the wilds. To be honest I don't really remember it being a cauldron of noise and not sure what Tony Book is refering to.

Spent many a Saturday getting pissed wet through on the North Stand or 'the Scoreboard End'. Unforgiving rough as a bear's arse Twenties concrete. Stood just by the exit tunnel on the Maine Road side.

I was a softie in the Kippax ! Can anyone remember what year(s) in was redeveloped. The wonderful web that is world wide just says 'in the early 70's' I think I was just a tad to young to move with the big boys to the North Stand.

 

[TheBlueDune]

Some views of north stand in here when it was standing and open

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJAzk2ptVU&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

Search for "Maine road on location" on YouTube

 

[silverback]

As "blue mist" said earlier, memories can be tricky, for some reason I thought the first match for the covered North stand was a cup game against Wigan.

 

[totallywired]

tHE SEASON IN THE nORTH sTAND WAS awesome, we should have won th league that year, I think 58,000 for Marsh`s debut against chelsea, such a shame they put seats in it. Always remember `Son of my Father` by Chicory Tip being played before the game and at half time !!
WE are the North Stand BOOT BOYS. Crazy days indeed.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

First game I was in there was a 1-1 against Chelsea about a month before our ecwc game with them.

I was only a kid and my dad rip would take me in the lower corner near the kippax.

First full season finished so close to winning the league.....rest is history.

 

[lancs blue]

As "blue mist" said earlier, memories can be tricky, for some reason I thought the first match for the covered North stand was a cup game against Wigan.

The new North Stand was being developed from the end of the 69/70 season and work carried on during the 70/71 season. They did allow fans onto part of the completed terracing during the 70/71 season and yes there were fans on there for the Wigan Cup tie.

You can see on this vid what it was like at the start of 70/71 season:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRUPjwPvo8A[/youtube]

And on this vid of the Wigan cup-tie there are fans on the new terracing, though I can't recall if the roof was finished at that point:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFeFlN71RaY[/youtube]