[Albion] Which match at The Goldstone?

[GREASED WEASEL]

I think it is the Spurs game

OB in crash helmets

 

[Weststander]

Unfortunately I didn't go up to Newcastle.

I was only about 13 but my Dad took me by inter-city. We got back to Brighton about 10pm, my Dad had a quick pint at the pub opposite Brighton Station and then we went home.

I only discovered about 25 years later, that the Albion players and a packed train of fans arrived back a couple of hours later. To be met by a huge chanting crowd, despite the ungodly hour.

I wish I could’ve been there and absorbed all that. It must’ve been incredible.

Any NSC’ers there?

 

[Weststander]

I think it is the Spurs game

OB in crash helmets

You could well be right.

But dozens of police wearing their motorbike helmets were part of the match-day operation in the late 70’s at every Goldstone game. A very line of Sussex Police Norton bikes parked up in Hove Park.

The 4 Sussex Police horses too, and minibuses full of rugby-playing-type coppers.

The height of hooliganism.

 

[BN9 BHA]

I was only about 13 but my Dad took me by inter-city. We got back to Brighton about 10pm, my Dad had a quick pint at the pub opposite Brighton Station and then we went home.

I only discovered about 25 years later, that the Albion players and a packed train of fans arrived back a couple of hours later. To be met by a huge chanting crowd, despite the ungodly hour.

I wish I could’ve been there and absorbed all that. It must’ve been incredible.

Any NSC’ers there?

I have seen photos of Alan Mullery and the players celebrating on the train with fans drinking.

I was 14 and my dad worked shifts and some weekends, so probably the reason I didn't go.
Not sure my mum would have let me disappear to Newcastle at that age with my mates, we did go to home games though.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

No we won 2-1 against Blackburn, same result against Blackpool the previous season.

that's right

the smoke bomb goal

 

[Mr Bridger]

that's right

the smoke bomb goal

 

[wigman]

Clarky was immense in the first game at WHL too. Just 19 and recently signed he smashed into a Spurs midfield featuring Glenn Hoddle and Neil McNab. And that game featured the worst football violence I ever seen; biblically bad before, during and after the game.

I had a mate who was hospitalised after this game.
He was hit over the head with a fire extinguisher on the underground, he was with the Bosun Crew.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Clark scored at the very beginning of the Spuds match. That was an hour before the pitch invasion, fans wouldn’t have been standing on the ash track on 5 minutes.

If I remember correctly, the game was sold out and absolutely jam packed. I was in the north west corner and remember the Albion fans getting pushed our way into the chicken wire fencing separating the north from North west terrace. It held up but if it had gone, so would have hundreds of our fans down that gap between levels. It would have been the biggest disaster at the ground.
I am pretty sure it was rammed all the way round the ground from the outset.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

Clark scored at the very beginning of the Spuds match. That was an hour before the pitch invasion, fans wouldn’t have been standing on the ash track on 5 minutes.

28th minute

I think the aggro had started by then in the NW corner

that photo of the Spurs goal is in the 34th minute

it looks like fans are already sitting on the track?

 

[drew]

No we won 2-1 against Blackburn, same result against Blackpool the previous season.

Thought Blackpool was 2-0. Ward and Horton.

 

[Weststander]

If I remember correctly, the game was sold out and absolutely jam packed. I was in the north west corner and remember the Albion fans getting pushed our way into the chicken wire fencing separating the north from North west terrace. It held up but if it had gone, so would have hundreds of our fans down that gap between levels. It would have been the biggest disaster at the ground.
I am pretty sure it was rammed all the way round the ground from the outset.

I was in centre of the NS, young ....just a year in secondary school, with my Spurs supporting best friend (he was brought up by WHL, leaving Harringey to move to Sussex 3 years earlier). Half way through the game some Spuds 25 year olds aggressively asked us two 12 year olds “Where do you two come from?”. My mate calmly gave his old London address and the walked off to attack others.

I’ve said this before, those who talk of the chivalry of the old hooligans, are deluded.

What you say is exactly as it happened, Brighton fans migrated westwards to the NW corner.

In the ticket buying week, people like my Dad spoke of minibuses of Spuds fans turning up at the West Stand ticket office, splitting up into ones and twos, each buying the maximum amount of tickets each. Despite football hooliganism taking off in the 60’s, by 1978 clubs were still very naive or lazy.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Thought Blackpool was 2-0. Ward and Horton.

Correct scorers but Blackpool definitely scored 1

 

[AZ Gull]

This is taken from the programme against Charlton Athletic on April 25 1978, the next home game after the Tottenham clash. They don't prove either way whether the Paul Clark pic is from the Spurs game, but the lower photo and text prove that Albion were attacking the North Stand in the first half, adding weight to the likelihood that the Clark photo is showing him after scoring in the north goal against Tottenham:-

 

[BN9 BHA]

This is taken from the programme against Charlton Athletic on April 25 1978, the next home game after the Tottenham clash. They don't prove either way whether the Paul Clark pic is from the Spurs game, but the lower photo and text prove that Albion were attacking the North Stand in the first half, adding weight to the likelihood that the Clark photo is showing him after scoring in the north goal against Tottenham:-

View attachment 123666

Good work as usual AZ.
Fans sitting in front of the hoardings in the lower photo.

 

[Bodian]

I remember that pretty well, was it a warm, sunny day?

The reason I think it's the Blackpool match is the crowd was over 33,000, look at the fans in the photo in front of the advertising hoardings, and the terraces are rammed.

I can't remember what the weather was like TBH.

Definitely a warm, sunny day. I was in the NE corner (where were the away fans?) with my Parker jacket - and it was far too hot. I took it off and hung it on a crush barrier and nearly lost it in a slight surge when the rumour went round that there had been a goal in the Spurs/Southampton match. Isn't it weird the things you remember, and the things you don't. I probably remember this, as I was only 12 and had gone to the game on my own after pretending to my Mum that I was going with some older friends - and would have been petrified about losing my coat!

 

[Weststander]

Definitely a warm, sunny day. I was in the NE corner (where were the away fans?) with my Parker jacket - and it was far too hot. I took it off and hung it on a crush barrier and nearly lost it in a slight surge when the rumour went round that there had been a goal in the Spurs/Southampton match. Isn't it weird the things you remember, and the things you don't. I probably remember this, as I was only 12 and had gone to the game on my own after pretending to my Mum that I was going with some older friends - and would have been petrified about losing my coat!

In 1977/78 from memory, weren’t away fans located in the SE end of the chicken run? The caged NE corner came a bit later.

 

[BN9 BHA]

In 1977/78 from memory, weren’t away fans located in the SE end of the chicken run? The caged NE corner came a bit later.

No, this was the same season as the Spurs match, they were ( supposed to be ) in the NE corner.
The fences went up later, from what I remember there was a wire fence between the North and NE

 

[Weststander]

No, this was the same season as the Spurs match, they were ( supposed to be ) in the NE corner.
The fences went up later, from what I remember there was a wire fence between the North and NE

Thanks.

Do you remember away fans being in the south stand.

When I first went in 75/76, they were given say 40% of the SS (the east side). Which then was a terrace at the front and seating to the rear.

 

[AZ Gull]

Good work as usual AZ.
Fans sitting in front of the hoardings in the lower photo.

Another pic from the Spurs match, this time taken from newsletter no. 36 (Autumn 2008) of the BHACHS:-