On the subject of Derby matches …..

[Kelso]

Unfortunately remember that day well, on my way there was some lads hitch hiking, stopped picked them up, and they turned out to be W*******y fans. Bit of banter, offered to take them home after the game, thank god they never turned up. Was stood towards the rear of the lower tier , right in the middle of the goal. Sabella was being kicked off the pitch by Jeff King, and the Mellors goal was a sickener. End of the first half, the miss from who I thought for years was Kenworthy, but it was Mcphail. The rest of the game was a blur. Got home and my new girlfriend was stood at the window waving a blue and white scarf, she had no interest in football, and have no idea where she got the scarf from, Bloody bad day all round

 

[Dkc]

There was a large group of Blades on their kop on Boxing Day. Back then, away fans who had infiltrated home ends would wave to their fellow fans on the away end. The Blades on their kop were waving at us on the Lepps end throughout the game.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Jeff Bourne hit the bar and John MacPhail hit the follow-up straight at Bob Bolder. Mick Speight's injury didn't help either.

The Bourne chip was straight after they’d gone 1-0 up if I remember right .. yep that & Speights injury the pivotal points of the match

 

[Groucho Blade]

I was in the Leppings Lane End. I’m 68.
I’ve had worse days as a Blade, but not many. (Walsall and Wigan at home come to mind.)
Bobby Davison and Mark Duffy have more than made up for that dark day though

 

[Silent Blade]

 

[ChezVegasBlade]

I was there full of expectations now 66

 

[bladesince64]

I was there in the North stand among a group of about 7/8 mates of Blades and Wendys

That day was a mixture of cruel luck and sheer brutality.

That day ended forever our bizarre habit of us mates going to both clubs home games alternate weeks.

Now 71 and enjoying our resurgence under CW and AK.

 

[Pegster]

10k Blades in the sty ?
No chance. We were near top of the league if not actually top.
From memory there were 49k that day , a record for a 3rd Division/ L1 match which will never be beaten.
Those days there was no segregation bollox or fuckin about with tickets in advance unless a game was designated "all ticket" and even then you rolled up and bought a ticket wherever you wanted.
I was in a big group of 12 mates of which half were pigs and half Blades in the North Stand.
I would say 25k pigs & 24k Blades.

Modern derbies are shit with just 3k away fans - old time derbies were real events.

North Stand for us too , 7 in total , 5 Blades 2 Pigs !! Plenty of Blades sat around us that day .

 

[Paisley Blade]

That was my first Derby to & remember it vividly sadly , I was in there South Stand with my brother as we couldn’t get tickets for the Leppings Lane , as an 11 year old it was only 2nd away game the first been at Millmoor when we won 2-1 and the wall came down . Yep & it’s safe to say my hatred for the blue & white c**ts was engrained from thst day forward .
PS a lot more than 10k Blades there that day

We share first and second away games…preferred the first

 

[Bert]

I too Bert was on their Kop with my Wednesdayite brother in law who made it fairly obvious I was a Blade every time they scored, which was how many times?? (I've erased it from my memory).

Still emotionally scarred to this day .

Bert actually had two tickets for the Leppings Lane but he very kindly let two friends from Lincoln have them.

 

[Bladeloyal]

I'd have said at least 18k blades there and similar numbers of midweeks at the lane in the rematch

 

[John Street West Terrace]

We share first and second away games…preferred the first

Ditto !!!!!

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Got home and my new girlfriend was stood at the window waving a blue and white scarf, she had no interest in football, and have no idea where she got the scarf from, Bloody bad day all round

I take it you dumped her?

 

[Eels]

I was there - I'd still rather not talk about it.

 

[Kelso]

I take it you dumped her?

No I married here

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

No I married here

It must have been love, then

 

[Jon B]

Unreliable memory is that the "highlights" of the 1967 0-1 loss at the Lane to the other lot were shown on tv the next day. I seem to remember seeing Ritchie's header. As it would have been Yorkshire TV the footage is probably lost.

The first derby I attended was Gerry Young's testimonial game at Hillsborough at the end of 1969/70 season. It was Young's bad luck that it came just a few days after Wednesday had lost at home to Man City and been relegated.

One odd thing about the 1967 defeat was that although it took Wednesday to the top of the then top Division their good start collapsed to ending up at Season's close with just 34 points in 19th spot, whilst United on 32 points in 21st spot were relegated.

So, with the then 2 points for a win, if the September scoreline had been reversed.....

Oh, and yes, as with so many others on here, on Christmas 1979 I was in the elevated standing quarter next to the Leppings Lane End.

 

[Blackheath Blade]

I played in the 3rd division. You played for Wincobank and Blackburn?

Firth Derihon. Pitch 7 at Concord Park.

 

[Silent Blade]

Unreliable memory is that the "highlights" of the 1967 0-1 loss at the Lane to the other lot were shown on tv the next day. I seem to remember seeing Ritchie's header. As it would have been Yorkshire TV the footage is probably lost.

YTV started in summer 1968.

It was a different tv company that showed the highlights, see below

 

[KenT]

Whilst we are on the subject of Derby matches, the first one I ever attended was the one on the day after Christmas Day 1979 (I still can’t pronounce its proper title) which basically sealed my resentment of Wednesday.

I’m guessing there are loads of Blades on this site that attended that morning and still remember the shit we had to put up with on the first Monday back at work in the New Year. I was a 16 year old apprentice in a training centre full of Blades and pigs.

This got me thinking that ………. the match was almost 45 years ago and many Blades who attended this Sunday will not even have been born back then. Also, my dad attended with me who is now a fit and relatively healthy 86 year old but doesn’t get to many matches now.

So, out of the say, 10,000 Blades in the Sty that day he must be one of the oldest still living. Any examples of older Blades still going strong who attended ‘that fucking match’ ?

I was there with my brother and father God rest his soul. Lucky to be up against a barrier so a good view.

 

[ancientblade]

the 67 derby at the lane was the most violent derby day ive ever attended wednesday were lucky to get on the shoreham that day and even luckier to get off

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Forgot to say I'm 82

Can’t compete with that - I’m a mere 77. Went with my Dad and brother. Sneaked back into Dad’s house afterwards, thinking we had avoided his Wednesday neighbour. He was already sitting in the room, with a large glass of my dad’s Xmas whisky. My mother never understood football…

 

[Addison]

the 67 derby at the lane was the most violent derby day ive ever attended wednesday were lucky to get on the shoreham that day and even luckier to get off

Posted it before. I went with my Dad still being a youngster. We always stood on the Pavilion because he had a bad leg. Pigs were everywhere and the Blades on the Pavilion were being told that constantly by passing Pigs. Ritchie scoring was the first time I'd seen us lose to them.

We walked back to Pond Street bus station after the game, Me dreading Monday at school.

The big gob bully pigs off the estate saw me and ran up taunting saying I bet your bothered about that result. Dad said they aren't and behind them were a sea of Blades fans marching and chanting down Platform A. Cue Pigs doing a disappearing act. I always remember that defining moment. Pigs desperate to rub it in your nose at any opportunity. Blades showing their defiance and pride in their their colours. Nothings changed.

 

[Cheets]

10k Blades in the sty ?
No chance. We were near top of the league if not actually top.
From memory there were 49k that day , a record for a 3rd Division/ L1 match which will never be beaten.
Those days there was no segregation bollox or fuckin about with tickets in advance unless a game was designated "all ticket" and even then you rolled up and bought a ticket wherever you wanted.
I was in a big group of 12 mates of which half were pigs and half Blades in the North Stand.
I would say 25k pigs & 24k Blades.

Modern derbies are shit with just 3k away fans - old time derbies were real events.

This game was all-ticket. It was the first time I ever heard the expression. We were allocated Leppings Lane standing and Blades fans queued for tickets at the South Stand turnstiles on Cherry Street. Obvs it was a lot easier to infiltrate the home end in those days with no membership schemes or loyalty points. It was just Season-Ticket Holders /Shareholders and then General Sale.

 

[Cheets]

QQ A pp

 

[Keen Blade]

This game was all-ticket. It was the first time I ever heard the expression. We were allocated Leppings Lane standing and Blades fans queued for tickets at the South Stand turnstiles on Cherry Street. Obvs it was a lot easier to infiltrate the home end in those days with no membership schemes or loyalty points. It was just Season-Ticket Holders /Shareholders and then General Sale.

Or you just went to the Sty TO and bought whatever tickets you wanted

 

[ancientblade]

Posted it before. I went with my Dad still being a youngster. We always stood on the Pavilion because he had a bad leg. Pigs were everywhere and the Blades on the Pavilion were being told that constantly by passing Pigs. Ritchie scoring was the first time I'd seen us lose to them.

We walked back to Pond Street bus station after the game, Me dreading Monday at school.

The big gob bully pigs off the estate saw me and ran up taunting saying I bet your bothered about that result. Dad said they aren't and behind them were a sea of Blades fans marching and chanting down Platform A. Cue Pigs doing a disappearing act. I always remember that defining moment. Pigs desperate to rub it in your nose at any opportunity. Blades showing their defiance and pride in their their colours. Nothings changed.

they wernt all over on the shoreham just parked up in the top right hand corner they failed twice to get up the kop steps and only got on by going up the old spiral staircase and only stayed there courtesy of s/yorks police surrounding em and in the return game at the sty in january united had 3 times as many fans on the east bank as they had had on the shoreham

 

[RammyBlade]

I was there that day on Leppings Lane . Thought we had a decent start until Micky Speight got carried off.
Typical of their fans I had arranged to go for a drink with a few friends after the match all Pig fans but still I went in the Park Hotel to take my medicine.
Next time we beat them 3-1 at the swinery they didn't turn up apart from one !!

 

[themaninblack]

I was 17 years old and at a house party in Hillsborough on Christmas Day in 1979; it ran through the night and I left at 8 in the morning to stagger home for my ticket. Dem Blades were playing good football at the time while our opponents were all hoof and elbow, just like their manager when he was a player. In my youthful naivety I thought we would play 'em off the pitch and made sure all my porcine pals knew exactly where I stood; of course that turned out to be a strategic error as I did get the piss ripped out of me afterwards.
I was still lagered-up when I got onto the Leppings Lane end but sobered up quickly as the disaster unfolded. What a miserable day!
I left Sheffield the following year and never moved back but the derby will always be special to me. Travelled over to England with my kids for Sunday's game and we loved every minute of it. I'm still in touch with some of my mates from all those years ago (all from the dark side sadly) and I took great pleasure in patronising the brave but limited efforts of their team...
Looking forward to spanking them again in March!

 

[Basing Blade]

My father was an Everton fan. Both my parents were from Liverpool.
So my dad had no allegiance to either United or Wednesday. He took my brother and I to both Bramall Lane and Hillsborough.
On that fateful Boxing Day, I was 15. My brother was 18. He went with his mates in the Wendy end. I went with my United mates in the Leppings Lane end.

After that day, we were permanently split in football terms. I was sealed as a Unitedite. Still am at 60 years old.
Can't abide the blue and white. My brother is Wendy.
Haven't set foot inside Swillborough since.

BTW I once went to a Wendy game against Man U in 1974 which finished 4-4 where the Red Devil fans took over both ends. You can see them celebrating at both ends in this video.
Cant imagine that would have happened at The Lane.