Fans United

[Hiney]

Is it really SIXTEEN YEARS since we played Hartlepool?

Going into the game we were 9 points adrift of Doncaster and things were looking bleak.

In his programme notes, Steve Gritt talks about the recent (slight) upturn in fortunes, but acknowledges there is a long way to go and urges the fans to 'stay positive, keep up the good support and enjoy the game'.

The column written by the Supporters Club makes mention of Richard Vaughan, the Plymouth fan who first raised the idea of 'Fans United'.

An unbelievable day and the springboard for the great escape

 

[supaseagull]

9 points and we did it and yet people think it will be hard for us to get into the play offs with a 5 point gap!

Couldn't make the game myself and was gutted but I remember listening to it on the radio and the atmosphere at the game sounded amazing.

 

[The Large One]

Spooky. Posted a Tweet on this at EXACTLY the same moment.

 

[Hamilton]

One of the best experiences (at the very worst of times.)

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Remember it like it was yesterday. Walking through Hove park reading the various messages of support it seemed a little somber at the time but once inside The Goldstone the atomosphere was electric, something I will never forget. Still have my United Colours of Football t-shirt, though it seems to have shrunk over the years and no longer fits.

- - - Updated - - -

Remember it like it was yesterday. Walking through Hove park reading the various messages of support it seemed a little somber at the time but once inside The Goldstone the atomoshere was electric, something I will never forget. Still have my United Colours of Football t-shirt, though it seems to have shrunk over the years and no longer fits.

 

[Kumquat]

The thing that stood out most for me that day was the Chelsea fan in the North stand sitting on someone's shoulders directing the singing. He had Matthew Harding RIP on his back. A great day and wemustnt't forget the support we got from the likes of Wimbledon and Chelsea fans who came down to support us. Went to AFC Wimbledon last Saturday and it actually brought back memories of that day.

 

[Hotchilidog]

This day was the starting point for my Albion fandom. Came down to this game as a West Ham fan with a Rotherham fan and a Wealdstone supporting mate and was totally blown away by the whole day. From getting thanks for turning up from Albion fans in the Yeoman before the game, to standing on the west terrace with a load of Wolves fans and watching the drama unfold on the pitch and in the North Stand.

After the battles at West Ham with the board over their proposed bond scheme the Albion's plight interested me at the time and I actually found out about Fans Utd from the West Ham mailing list at the time. My partner and I were already looking to move down to brighton at the time so coming down for this was a no brainer for me. As an outsider you could not help but be impressed by the passion and emotion that ran through the whole day, it really was a unique experience which I have found unmatched since. never has the phrase 'you really had to be there' been so true.

To round this story off, I eventually moved down later in the year, and the Albion moved up to Gillingham, but three years later once Withdean had become accessible I had a Mike Ward-esque conversion and became an Albion STH having ditched the overpaid prima donnas and exorbitant ticket prices of the Premier league and haven't looked back since.

 

[ROSM]

Seeing that programme makes me retch. Bellotti in his column tries to take ownership of the day 'welcome to our fans utd' if I recall. When you look now and you see what they did to the badge even (red for gods sake?).

But then the match, the passion, Stevie wonder counting the attendance and declaring just over 9k!!. Vialli in the north stand, 'thank you for coming' sung by us (still brings a tear to the eye thinking about it)

And then the next day all the good work got partially undone by the stitch up that was 'goodbye Goldstone' on meridian. Our naivety caught us out and bellotti being there, archer doing the programme despite having agreed with cedr that neither he nor Dick knight would and then scally from Gillingham oiling his way round the studio. Some wanted us to appear to be a rabble and the way the programme went out and the behaviour of some of us in attendance helped that image.

 

[Superphil]

Did you see last weekend Hartlepool won their first game in ages, their scorers, Peter Hartley and James Poole

 

[Hiney]

Full programme from 1997 here

8 Feb 97 v Hartlepool United

 

[Brovion]

Seeing that programme makes me retch. Bellotti in his column tries to take ownership of the day 'welcome to our fans utd' if I recall. When you look now and you see what they did to the badge even (red for gods sake?).

But then the match, the passion, Stevie wonder counting the attendance and declaring just over 9k!!. Vialli in the north stand, 'thank you for coming' sung by us (still brings a tear to the eye thinking about it)

And then the next day all the good work got partially undone by the stitch up that was 'goodbye Goldstone' on meridian. Our naivety caught us out and bellotti being there, archer doing the programme despite having agreed with cedr that neither he nor Dick knight would and then scally from Gillingham oiling his way round the studio. Some wanted us to appear to be a rabble and the way the programme went out and the behaviour of some of us in attendance helped that image.

Worse was to come - they made it into a shield! Took YEARS and the arrival of the Amex before that last symbol of the Archer era finally vanished. (And yes I know that's not strictly accurate but it's certainly how I feel about it!)

 

[W.C.]

Full programme from 1997 here

8 Feb 97 v Hartlepool United

Brilliant. Will have a good look when I get home.

Fans Utd was possibly the best experience I've had as a football fan. Incredible day.

 

[Hornblower]

The thing that stood out most for me that day was the Chelsea fan in the North stand sitting on someone's shoulders directing the singing. He had Matthew Harding RIP on his back. A great day and wemustnt't forget the support we got from the likes of Wimbledon and Chelsea fans who came down to support us. Went to AFC Wimbledon last Saturday and it actually brought back memories of that day.

This is what I remember most vividly from the day, I think the the MH helicopter crash had happened only the week before. Seeing all those different shirts in the pub before hand and everyone having a pint and getting on was one of the very best footballing experiences.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Full programme from 1997 here

8 Feb 97 v Hartlepool United

I LOVE the interview with John Crumplin.

Middle name Leslie, favourite band Simply Red, liked to relax with a pint after matches and his favourite restaurant was The China Garden in Preston Street.

Top nuggets of insight.

 

[The Large One]

... and after the game, Craig Maskell trotted up to the North Stand, kissed the match ball which was by rights his to keep, and booted it into the crowd.

It's those little gestures that make a day.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

... and after the game, Craig Maskell trotted up to the North Stand, kissed the match ball which was by rights his to keep, and booted it into the crowd.

It's those little gestures that make a day.

Would be great to track that down for the Amex museum.

Did anyone ever list all the clubs who had fans at the Hartlepool game? Some sort of Fans United graphic made up of the club names would be great for any display in the museum.

 

[The Large One]

It all started here...

"I see the scum FA have now taken 2 points who do they think they are they wouldn't do this to Man United. It makes me sick what is happening to your club and it's an insult to your fans. I'm a Plymouth fan and I think that one week when we're away I'm going to come up and support your protest. I think it would be a good idea if LOADS of fans from different clubs turned up at Brighton (with their shirts on) and joined in it would show that we're all behind you 100%"

Richard Vaughan - Wed, Dec 11, 1996 at 23:31:32

... leaped on by [MENTION=189]Wozza[/MENTION], and celebrated by thousands.

 

[Gazwag]

If that day didn't happen, BHAFC would no longer have existed.

 

[Rodney Thomas]

I believe that this is probably my favourite ever football game I have watched live. It was just fantastic. The reason for this is that it was my first season watching the Albion properly, I was only a kid and going to this game and seeing all the other supporters there it struck me that the Albion were really very important and this should definitely be the team I support for life, and guess what, I’m still here. The most vivid memory of the day was asking my dad, bearing in mind I was only 6, “why is there a Manchester United flag over there’, to which he, for the 6th time, dutifully explained the situation, to which I replied, “it’s nice to know they care, isn’t it”, which, if I do say so myself, pretty much sums it all up!

(And as a side note, if I were to pick my all-time top football matches as a spectator at the ground, three of them would have come in that one, my first, season!)

 

[chucky1973]

is there a thread with images of the day?