Wickham Wanderer
Member
- Sep 17, 2012
- 32
It would be great to know how many are in this club. Not sure it would be so many though
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Priestfield experience - For the benefit of Bigtomfu
- Thread starter LowKarate
- Start date
manintheblackpajamas
Active member
- Oct 30, 2006
- 349
I have loved this thread, especially ahead of tomorrow.
Although this post has brought back the acute annoyance that, despite having seen most of the Gillingham games, I did also miss the 4-4 on Boxing Day.
As someone alluded to earlier, there's no snobbery from me about 'new' fans or any of that stuff, but having gone through the late Goldstone period and Gillingham era the Wolves away and then Wigan game last season did feel all the more special for it.
kevo
Well-known member
- Mar 8, 2008
- 9,800
Losing 4-0 at home to Darlington (Darlington!) - ex-Palarse Marco Gabbiadini scored a hat-trick. Witnessing the worst ever player to wear an Albion shirt (step forward, Ashley Neal)... It really was dire.
We were definitely a worse side in 1997/98 than we were in our last season at the Goldstone. We were only saved by Doncaster being in absolute free fall and regularly playing with a side made up of trainees and their youth team.
As a Londoner, the distance travelled to home games was about the same, but it was a mightily depressing experience mainly because Gillingham was such a god awful dump. It was basically head straight to the Cricketers and then get in the ground just in time for Atilla to give 'White Man in Hammersmith Palais' its fortnightly spin over the PA and then trudge back to the station after yet another terrible game. It seems like a lifetime ago now, thank god!
We were definitely a worse side in 1997/98 than we were in our last season at the Goldstone. We were only saved by Doncaster being in absolute free fall and regularly playing with a side made up of trainees and their youth team.
As a Londoner, the distance travelled to home games was about the same, but it was a mightily depressing experience mainly because Gillingham was such a god awful dump. It was basically head straight to the Cricketers and then get in the ground just in time for Atilla to give 'White Man in Hammersmith Palais' its fortnightly spin over the PA and then trudge back to the station after yet another terrible game. It seems like a lifetime ago now, thank god!
Washboard Didgets
Graphic Designer
That was my first ever Albion game... went to Gillingham for most home games after that.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
For some reason, it always sticks in my mind that it took five different motorways (and a few A roads) to get there- M23, M25, M26, M20, M2. That rather sums up what a ludicrous arrangement it was.
[pedant alert] We had some terrible players at Priestfield but Neal wasn't one of them - he played for us in our last season at the Goldstone. And he was truly appalling
Charlies Shinpad
New member
Playing Barnet on Bonfire night midweek and we got stuffed 3-0
Crowd of less than 1,000 ( I think) and the crowd singing "It's just like watching Grange Hill"
That's my abiding memory of being a season ticket holder up there and this photo of my two lads and their cousin
Crowd of less than 1,000 ( I think) and the crowd singing "It's just like watching Grange Hill"
That's my abiding memory of being a season ticket holder up there and this photo of my two lads and their cousin
kevo
Well-known member
- Mar 8, 2008
- 9,800
I stand corrected! He was dreadful but I'm probably thinking of someone else from the Priestfield years...
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
Damian Hilton maybe? Michael Mahoney-Johnson?
Charlies Shinpad
New member
Also the first game against Macclesfield and about twenty of us lads went up on a minibus and had a few beers in town and once in the ground the stewards directed us to our seats and no more than 10 ft away was Bellotti and his Mrs
He got the full force in the first 45 minutes and I remember Sammy McIlroys face as he looked at us as he walked down the tunnel at halftime
Funny enough Bellotti and his Mrs didn't reappear second half
In the Sun on Monday Morning was a piece about a load of drunk 40 something blokes giving him shit during the game !!
He got the full force in the first 45 minutes and I remember Sammy McIlroys face as he looked at us as he walked down the tunnel at halftime
Funny enough Bellotti and his Mrs didn't reappear second half
In the Sun on Monday Morning was a piece about a load of drunk 40 something blokes giving him shit during the game !!
kevo
Well-known member
- Mar 8, 2008
- 9,800
It must be Hilton! God, he was dire!
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
He was indeed. That first season there really did represent a footballing low-point unrivalled even by the infamous Hereford season.
Lawrence Davies. Micky Bennett. Jamie Moralee
He was indeed. That first season there really did represent a footballing low-point unrivalled even by the infamous Hereford season.
Lawrence Davies. Micky Bennett. Jamie Moralee
Gislason was the worst: I think he's even lower than Neal in the roll-call of appalling players ... just below Mahoney-Johnston
kevo
Well-known member
- Mar 8, 2008
- 9,800
Jamie Moralee
More famous for going out with EastEnders 'actress' and celebrity cocaine addict Daniella Westbrook than he ever was for his football skills!
portlock seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 28, 2003
- 17,777
Did most games for our two seasons in Kent. Had a season ticket, and there can't have been many of us with those. Lots of fond memories off the pitch, hardly any on it. Proud to have been part of those God forsaken days looking back. Plenty did desert who shouldn't have. And now when we're marching back a bunch of happy fans...it just means more to those who followed us through whose Times because as the OP states, it's going to be impossible to get mad if we lose to Man City and/or get relegated from the PL! Crisis? You don't know the meaning of the word son, pull up a chair and let me tell you about the day a man called Bill Archer crawled into town...
"It was dark and stormy evening on the south coast, the like of which Hove had not seen before. A large slate-grey coloured car with blacked out windows, unusual for the time, turned into Newtown Road and creeped slowly along, passing an almost hidden 'main entrance' sign before finally stopping in the shadow of the West Stand. The light was fading quickly now, hastened by the coming storm. Suddenly a small man appeared from below the concealed main entrance and after casting a nervous eye at the blackening sky he hurriedly walked towards the car and knocked firmly on the tinted glass panel of the rear passenger window. A tiny gap appeared as the glass lowered electronically, insufficient for the small man to see who was sat inside. "Mr Archer?" the man asked with slight hesitation. "That is correct" came the reply which had collected a sense of menace after an uncomfortable pause. "Please, then follow me, they're expecting you" said the small man before retreating back to the entrance. With this the car door opened and a suited man, his wealthy attire marked by the absence of a coat, stepped out. At precisely that moment an almighty crash of thunder betrayed the eye of the storm was close by . Moments later the first heavy raindrops struck the pavement. There was just enough time for the man to avoid the climatic violence nearly upon them. And yet the businessman simply stood unmoved on the pavement eyeing the West stand like a lion does its prey. Something was wrong, as if thousands of voices had cried out but were suddenly and terribley silenced....
"It was dark and stormy evening on the south coast, the like of which Hove had not seen before. A large slate-grey coloured car with blacked out windows, unusual for the time, turned into Newtown Road and creeped slowly along, passing an almost hidden 'main entrance' sign before finally stopping in the shadow of the West Stand. The light was fading quickly now, hastened by the coming storm. Suddenly a small man appeared from below the concealed main entrance and after casting a nervous eye at the blackening sky he hurriedly walked towards the car and knocked firmly on the tinted glass panel of the rear passenger window. A tiny gap appeared as the glass lowered electronically, insufficient for the small man to see who was sat inside. "Mr Archer?" the man asked with slight hesitation. "That is correct" came the reply which had collected a sense of menace after an uncomfortable pause. "Please, then follow me, they're expecting you" said the small man before retreating back to the entrance. With this the car door opened and a suited man, his wealthy attire marked by the absence of a coat, stepped out. At precisely that moment an almighty crash of thunder betrayed the eye of the storm was close by . Moments later the first heavy raindrops struck the pavement. There was just enough time for the man to avoid the climatic violence nearly upon them. And yet the businessman simply stood unmoved on the pavement eyeing the West stand like a lion does its prey. Something was wrong, as if thousands of voices had cried out but were suddenly and terribley silenced....
Ecosse Exile
New member
Well, im not in the 4 ground season ticket club, bad fan, didn't need one at the Goldstone, and i moved away from the area before the groundwork began for the amex..... But i did do the shit bit, i had a season ticket at Gillingham and for a few years at Withdean.
Abiding memories.... Missing the bus out of conway street, we were gutted (honestly
) but then someone came up and said they always send a spare bus up empty, so we could get on that. Think this might have been a result of the afore mentioned kids bus breaking down.
The cricketers was always good for a pre match bevvy.
Sitting in the new stand (opposite the main stand) early one saturday, the stand was empty apart from 3 of us, some guy came and sat a few rows in front of us and my mate says "scuse me mate, someone's sitting there" the guy got up and moved, we were all pissing ourselves too much to get it across that we were joking. If that was anyone here, i apologize for the schoolboy humour but...... The place was f*#@ing empty!!!
That boxing day 4-4 never mind the goals or the comeback, Paul Emblen hit the crossbar TWICE from one shot!
Abiding memories.... Missing the bus out of conway street, we were gutted (honestly
) but then someone came up and said they always send a spare bus up empty, so we could get on that. Think this might have been a result of the afore mentioned kids bus breaking down.The cricketers was always good for a pre match bevvy.
Sitting in the new stand (opposite the main stand) early one saturday, the stand was empty apart from 3 of us, some guy came and sat a few rows in front of us and my mate says "scuse me mate, someone's sitting there" the guy got up and moved, we were all pissing ourselves too much to get it across that we were joking. If that was anyone here, i apologize for the schoolboy humour but...... The place was f*#@ing empty!!!
That boxing day 4-4 never mind the goals or the comeback, Paul Emblen hit the crossbar TWICE from one shot!
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
Ooooh, excellent
Is this like one of those exercises at school where you write one bit of a story, then pass it on for the next person to write a bit more, and so on until it's finished?Very atmospheric already, by the way. I like it
pishhead
Well-known member
We had a winger on loan from Birmingham and I think he was the shortest footballer playing at the time, he was unsurprisingly awful. Can anyone remember his name?