Brighton/ Palace late 70's early 80's

[Seasidesage]

sage ,there were 6 of us on Brighton station concourse when their train came in from Hove after the game ,felt slightly uncomfortable about the whole experience ,seemed Brighton were low key that day
regards
DR

They weren't too clever down by the Cranbourne before the game, but when that happens outside your own ground you have to hold your hands up...

 

[FamilyGuy]

Sad to say that Gerry Ryan, who featured in some of those games against Palace in that era, has had a stroke and is now living with his mum in Dublin, having lost everything.

My girls went to school with his kids; apparently he is indeed living with his wife at his mum's - his kids now live in Oz - and he's not too good.

My favourite BHA player in the "Wembley Years" and IMO Man of the Match in the first Cup Final when he came on in place of Chris Ramsey (thanks Whiteside!!! ffs!)

Best wishes to Gerry and his family - get well soon and thanks for the memories.

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

They weren't too clever down by the Cranbourne before the game, but when that happens outside your own ground you have to hold your hands up...

Cranbourne emptied and ambushed their mob as they got to the top of Cranbourne Street, iirc!

 

[Seasidesage]

Cranbourne emptied and ambushed their mob as they got to the top of Cranbourne Street, iirc!

Hmm seem to recall something similar...

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

Hmm seem to recall something similar...

I think we had a 'spotter' somewhere on West Street who tipped us off that they were heading up CS so we were ready. And they looked very surprised at a) our numbers, and b) the speed at which the pub emptied.

 

[melias shoes]

That was a nasty day, loads of trouble inside and outside the ground. Our coach and the one in front got bricked after leaving the ground, remember the iconic sight of a Brighton lad with a white Pringle jumper wrapped around his head covered in blood from a nasty head wound. I got a face full of coins when we ran Palace outside the main stand after the game and one of my mates was knocked down by a police horse and was lucky to have not been seriously injured.

I went to all the early and mid 80s games home and away, and as some have said there was a lot of posturing and running around like tarts, but there was also a lot of very nasty stuff that I'm glad I don't see too often these days at football.

Your right it was a nasty day. Albion fans in seating in the Arthur waite with the palace fans below on the terraced part. Albion jumping down onto the terracing. Sporadic fighting going on. After alongside the waite was lively also as we had been allowed to leave at the same time. A few punches thrown. Then as I said held back by the police and everyone had their details taken by the police.Nasty indeed.
For me the worst of the trouble was the night game in 84. The night Gerry Ryan broke his leg. Kin hell what a night.

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

For me the worst of the trouble was the night game in 84. The night Gerry Ryan broke his leg. Kin hell what a night.

Think that was 85, my 21st birthday. We had part of the Homesdale and spent most of the evening kicking up the crumbling terrace and lobbing it at their mob nearest to us in the AW. They, in turn, took it out on our unfortunate lot in the seats above them.

 

[wigman]

I think we had a 'spotter' somewhere on West Street who tipped us off that they were heading up CS so we were ready. And they looked very surprised at a) our numbers, and b) the speed at which the pub emptied.

We did have a spotter that day, who came in to the Cranbourne on more than one occasion to tell us that the enemy were in West Street.

 

[Guerrero]

Is Vic Tulley in that photo? One of the Smith twins too!

I remember an away game around 1975/76.
We got off the train early and a couple of hundred of us walked to the ground unescorted.
It was mayhem.
Inside there were loads of fights and some naughty weapons being used.
After the game we were herded to a small station where it kicked off again across the tracks.
I remember Mark Kenyon fighting on the tracks.Not sure if the line was electrified.
A few brave Palace fans made it to our side and got battered.

Madness,but exciting at the time.
Our version of National service.

 

[origigull]

I think we had a 'spotter' somewhere on West Street who tipped us off that they were heading up CS so we were ready. And they looked very surprised at a) our numbers, and b) the speed at which the pub emptied.

I remember late 70s away game when about 10 of us with a 3/4 lifted home scarfs went on a recon mission around their ground with the intention of getting into their end. It was said that we need at least 50ish to attempt it. We spread the word around to meet up outside their end. We seemed we were the only ones so didn't bother. Went into the way end and looked at home end where there were sporatic fighting. They got a bit battered and were escorted out to our end.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Went to a friendly up there. A few palace came in the away end. Remember one of their faces that day turning up at the play off match. Walking down Queens Road .Said hello using his name . Don't think he could quite believe being recognised. Mind you the police did!
Anyway back to that friendly not much happened inside but walk back to the station was eventful.

clive ?
regards
DR

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Yeah remember that. No Albion around at all that day it seemed.

cheers smudge
regards
DR

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I remember late 70s away game when about 10 of us with a 3/4 lifted home scarfs went on a recon mission around their ground with the intention of getting into their end. It was said that we need at least 50ish to attempt it. We spread the word around to meet up outside their end. We seemed we were the only ones so didn't bother. Went into the way end and looked at home end where there were sporatic fighting. They got a bit battered and were escorted out to our end.

mmmm a few of us were thinking of doing the same thing but were unsure of how many others had gone through the turnstiles,like you say Palace scattered but re grouped and run brighton to the bottom of the Holmsdale, remember some Palace on the roof of the AW as well
regards
DR

 

[Titanic]

This is my favourite thread on NSC for months... can it go GOLD please [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] ?

 

[Harry H]

Anyone remember the "Longheads"?

 

[Danny-Boy]

Boxing day 82? Held back after the game because a palace fan had been stabbed. At selhurst.

Is this the game Albion won 1-0? I went to it via East Grinstead where my bro lived, he had married a divorced woman and her ex turned up to see his kid off her, he was a Palace fan and drove me up to the game as there were no trains.

At the time I was living near Eastbourne without a car . I couldn't get back to East Grinstead so decided to smuggle myself in an Albion supporters coach going back to Brighton. The Albion fans were happy and I had no scarf to hide so took a seat at the back and kept shtum. The the OB arrived and wanted to take all the names of supporters because of the knifing, I seem to recall a lot of "M. Mouse" and "D.Duck"'s being ID'd..

There were no buses at Brighton to get me back to Eastbourne so rather than get a taxi for loadsa moola I opted to find a cheap b and b near the seafront, and was it cheap and nasty..

 

[Return of the Rev]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqDr1gXtVvc

 

[Hungry Joe]

Your right it was a nasty day. Albion fans in seating in the Arthur waite with the palace fans below on the terraced part. Albion jumping down onto the terracing. Sporadic fighting going on. After alongside the waite was lively also as we had been allowed to leave at the same time. A few punches thrown. Then as I said held back by the police and everyone had their details taken by the police.Nasty indeed.
For me the worst of the trouble was the night game in 84. The night Gerry Ryan broke his leg. Kin hell what a night.

The Albion who jumped down into the terracing below were the suited and booted Lancing boys I recall (mentioning no names for obvious reasons). They had already had the police dogs on them, it was mad but hilarious when they jumped down as I think there were only half a dozen or so of them, complete chaos ensued. I was with my group of teenage Lancing casuals and I remember thinking as much as I enjoyed the thrill of the mass brawls at the time that this was another level of insanity that was beyond me. I remember our names being taken on the coach and the policeman with the hang dog expression going "ok then, which smart arse is Jesus of Nazareth?". That was the thing about those times, as awful as they were in many, many ways, they were also very entertaining and at times hilarious. Different world now. And yes, the Ryan game was equally crazy, terracing being dismantled and hurled at the Palace I recall. Thinking about it, it's amazing there weren't more serious injuries or worse.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Recall a whole block of 50 brighton sitting up top in the aw stand! Pre-bought tickets and all at a discount thanks to a palace fan collecting up vouchers! The Palace tumbled the Brighton as they came through the turnstiles and it got a bit lively(nobody died) The lengths young frisky males go to for a dance

 

[Hungry Joe]

Have to say that my experiences of the late 70s and early 80s were much the same as oneillco and Harry Wilson's tackle.

It's like the Teenage sex syndrome, lots of talk, lots of posturing and very little action. There were things kicking off, but not on the scale I see described on here. However, just like the teenage sex syndrome, 40 years later, everyone's memory is that they were was right in the middle of it with it all happening to them

I was watching the excellent Nick Cave film 20'000 Days on Earth last night and he talked a lot of sense about how memories become distilled and distorted creating a mythologised version of the past. When I remember those times it's true that the majority of the long hum-drum hours in between the moments of heightened awareness get filtered out, and numbers, exact timings and sometimes even different events can become blurred. What is certain though is that a lot of what is on this thread is pretty accurate, so I'm not sure the teenage sex syndrome analogy holds up. After all, that only works because there's not usually anyone else around to corroborate or disprove the claims when teenage nooky is involved.