Scariest moment at a football match

[whitelion]

There's been a few, having attended matches in the sixties and seventies:

Birmingham v Leicester 1969-1970. Hitched up to Walsall to watch the Albion but called off with three feet of snow at Fellowes Park. What was a football supporter to do but find a game that was on. Unfortunately every other fan had the same idea as most of the games in the area were postponed. There were West Ham and god knows who else at the game at St Andrews. The atmosphere was extemely threatening and there were major punch-ups. I believe the crowd was 50,000+



Brighton v Bristol Rovers 1976? You could walk from one end of the Goldstone to the other at this time. Unfortunately so could the away mentalists. In the second half on the East Terrace I just remember somebody shouting "Watch out, he's got a knife" and looking towards the south terrace hundred of Gasheads were charging towards us. I just remember seeing this "biker-type" with a huge blade and that was it, I was off......

 

[CAFC Matt]

Walking around Leicester this season with Paulo Di Canio on my shirt just after the game was bit scary. Seeing as he had just dived to get us a equlaising penalty they didn't like him very much. Lets just say walking past pubs was wee bit scary!!!

 

[m20gull]

There have been a few but I've only been slapped once and I don't remember it being too scary. I guess the worst at aclub game would have been Spurs v Swindon in the cup in the early 80s. The away end (I was with a Swindon supporting friend) was basically unsegregated and was constant battle the whole game.

But scariest of all was definitely England v Scotland in about 1980 - the "so you tried to ban us" game.

 

[Bobby's Gull]

I haven't had too many scary experiences, but when we played Sheff Utd at home a couple of seasons back, my stupid muppet of a brother started on about 6 of their fans while walking to the park and ride after the game. I was glad I had my running boots on!

 

[Beach Hut]

Facing off the gun barrel of going out of the play-offs against Swindon.

I thought we were out for the count then.

 

[The Orange Seagull]

Gillingham away 1987-88. seething tension between rival fans during match was followed by Gills fans ambushing us on way back to the train station and showering us with glass bottles!all over very quickly though cos they soon scarpered when they saw how many Albion fans were following behind us!

 

[Emily's Mum]

It has to be at Notts County, April 1998. I was quite happily standing up (along with everyone else) holding Emily who was 11 months old at the time, when nice Mr Plod decides to arrest someone & accidentially on purpose barge into me, sending me crashing to the floor & trapping Emily in the process.

Not one policeman or steward came to help, instead it was left to fans to clamber over seats to come & pull Emily out. Not a nice day, but at least it didn't put Emily off

 

[Screaming J]

Two, both at the Goldstone.

Spurs in 78 when we won 3-1. Spurs all got in the North Stand and starting breaking up bits of the terraces and chucking them at us. Went on the pitch.

Chelsea, first home game in 83-84 when they bust the goal in front of the N Stand after the game. I'd graduated (?) to the Chicken Run by then and was roundly and loudly slagging off the Cockney hoolies when I realised I was surrounded by about 10 of them. Got from the ground to Hove Station in about 3 minutes flat!

 

[emphyrian]

my dad took me to old trafford to see arsenal vs manure when i was a nipper. my dads an arsenal fan and they scored first so he cheered. problem being we were in the stretford end surrounded by all the united fans. brown undies time.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

i must say i've never really had a particularly scary moment at a game- luckily i seem to have grown up watching it when its been a lot safer than some of you have

 

[Lindfield by the sea]

Half Time: Hereford vs Brighton

 

[m20gull]

It has to be at Notts County, April 1998. I was quite happily standing up (along with everyone else) holding Emily who was 11 months old at the time, when nice Mr Plod decides to arrest someone & accidentially on purpose barge into me, sending me crashing to the floor & trapping Emily in the process.

Not one policeman or steward came to help, instead it was left to fans to clamber over seats to come & pull Emily out. Not a nice day, but at least it didn't put Emily off

Remember that - it was a disgrace.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Quite a few to be honest,
But at Spurs year ago when there were loads of Tottenham in our end and they were just waiting for us to score,they just stood behind a load of Albion fans and started pissing down the backs of the Albion lads legs waiting for a reaction as The Old Bill couldnt see what they were doing!!

England vScotland ,when they all ran on the pitch and done the Crossbar etc,that was frighteneing for me at such a young age!

West ham at home,as well as when they charged the North Stand,but I think that was Spurs again??

 

[El Presidente]

Millwall away in (I think) 1984/5. Millwall had been undefeated at home for about 30 games, and that idiot Mick Ferguson decided to have his only skilful moment in an Albion shirt and waltz through their defence and we win 1-0. Catch the train back to Brighton and there are a number of faces I don't recognise, but feel safe as the police are on board the train.

The next station is about 2 miles down the route. The police get off the train, as do the 'faces'. Police wander off, the train is stationary, so the 'faces' jump down on the track, gather together a load of shale, and take out most of the windows in the train with it, showering everyone indiscriminately with glass.

Event number two was Port Vale away in 2002. We had parked away from most Albion fans as had come south from Manchester. After our 1-0 win and Championship party the police kept all the Albion faithful back due to muppet like behaviour from some of the Port Vale crew. Then had to walk back to the car, but stood out like a beacon as dressed in beach shorts and hawaiin shirt. Between the ground and where the car was parked were two pubs. Loads of locals giving it some serious verbal as we walked past the pub, and then an enormous skinhead carrying a bottle wandered across the road, thought we were going to be battered and filled trousers accordingly. Luckily he was too stupid to realise we were Albion and wandered past as his mates were encouraging him to have a pop. We were outnumbered 100-2 and they would have made mincemeat of us as the ringleaders were clearly looking to slap someone.

 

[Woodingdean Gull]

1980(?), mid-week match v. Arsenal. In the North stand just around kick-off, there was an almighty surge which pushed me and my mates a good 20-30 yards. Didn't know what had happened, and so with one other mate pushed our way back to where we always stood by a crash barrier.
I'd just said "What the f*** was that?" when from everywhere, all around us, about 600 arms went up in the air and about 300 voices started chanting "The Arsenal, the Arsenal......".
My mate and I very slowly looked at each other, and as one moron with a knife went past us about three yards away shouting "Where are those bastards, I want to rip someone!", I very slowly zipped up my jacket to hide my "seagulls" scarf. It was not the time for any heroics.
I must admit, that was the most evil and frightening atmosphere I have ever known.

 

[Faldo]

After the Grimsby game season before last - I was dropped back into Watford as the others I was with headed for warmer climes. Kitted out in full Brighton regalia, wandering through Watford town centre. A crowd of meat heads in the old yates' started the usual gay boy chants. I smiled and clapped sarcatically, but the breed 'em dumb up that way. Couple of thrown glasses, a few threats and a bit of a chase later, I decided that a Brighton shirt perhaps wasn't welcome on Watford High Street on a Saturday night.

 

[Gazwag]

Millwall away in (I think) 1984/5. Millwall had been undefeated at home for about 30 games, and that idiot Mick Ferguson decided to have his only skilful moment in an Albion shirt and waltz through their defence and we win 1-0.

That's is mine as well, I went up by car with my mate and his dad, I remember we were kept in the ground for ages after the final whistle and can remember everyone walking back to the tube station in silence and once there we quickly found a taxi to take us back to where we parked the car. I can remember seeing all the the millwall fans hding in alleyways and waiting for any chance to attack

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Albion V Oxford circa 1984 chased round Hove Park.

 

[Dandyman]

Home against Palarse in probably either 1977 or '78 when myself and my 15 year old mates turned the corner after the game and came face to face with several hundred Croydon in-breds.

Also an evening game against Millwall at home in the same era - I went to game with my mixed race (English/Indian) next door neighbour*. We were sitting having a chat on the train to Hove when the biggest and hardest looking skinhead I'd ever seen walked into the compartment. As it turned out he (probably sensing we were sh*ting it) turned out to be a good laugh.

The Spurs game (15 April 1978) was on my 15th birthday and I have to say I thought it was very entertaining !


(* I think she ended up working with Trotster at Fontwell)

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

every time the ball was launched into our box in cardiff