4 on the special......

[Trafford]

Won't be at Chesterfield but hope one of my favourite put downs from the late 70s / early 80s is resurrected. Think they were playing Millwall but stand to be corrected.

 

[dkc Blade]

Ah the good old days of the football special. They inevitably gave us the shittest rolling stock. Imagine 800 or more Blades on a train, all getting rat-arsed on the way to a game (many without tickets) accompanied by a few unlucky coppers

 

[Peezablade]

Ah the good old days of the football special. They inevitably gave us the shittest rolling stock. Imagine 800 or more Blades on a train, all getting rat-arsed on the way to a game (many without tickets) accompanied by a few unlucky coppers

I've still got most of my football special train tickets, including my first away game, York (won 4-3); perhaps I should put them on Ebay! The best bit was always getting off at the other end usually in full voice and then being escorted to the ground by plod with the home fans always pretending they were interested in having a pop. It never happened. Walsall away springs to mind when for some reason everyone started running to the ground whilst plod desperately tried to keep us all together.

 

[Grecian2000]

Ah the good old days of the football special. They inevitably gave us the shittest rolling stock. Imagine 800 or more Blades on a train, all getting rat-arsed on the way to a game (many without tickets) accompanied by a few unlucky coppers

In the days of the "Football Special" I would say no-one would have had a ticket for the match. You didn't need one until all seater stadiums and "ticket allocations" became the norm, you just turned up and paid at the turnstile.

 

[dkc Blade]

The away fans would often lob bricks at the train though.

I seem to remember taking a footy special to Wadsley Bridge one year for a pig match. Younger fans may not know that Wadsley Bridge used to be Wednesday's local train station, and football specials would take away fans directly there, thus keeping them out of the city centre.

 

[sitwell]

The worst one I went on was Portsmouth ,it was 1st game of the season ,6 hour journey.Garner became the first player sent off for a professional foul and Conroy had a mare , we lost 4-1. Pommpey fans were waiting outside the station , always remember one huge black guy with a bald head squaring up and one well known Blade walking calmly up to him saying 'It started with a kiss' and landing one on him ,all hell broke loose ,with coppers and fans jumping over cars stuck in a jam. Darren will probably come along and correct my match recollection ,they all mingle into one now.

 

[grafikhaus]

I went to Newcastle in the late 70s for a FA Cup replay after we drew at the Lane. The Special was full of totally pissed up Blades and a few coppers. One Blade asked permission (true!) to get up and go to the bog at the end of the carriage. The cops let him but told him to leave the door open so they could 'keep an eye on him' (Yes, officer.) Trouble was, everybody nearby in the carriage could see him as well.

He was so pissed that he couldn't make out which way he should be aiming but, after a couple of 360° turns he decided he was approximately facing the general direction and let go. He was a mere 180° out and proceeded to piss into the carriage!

About 20 miles south of Newcastle, we had to draw all the blinds as we were definitely in 'bandit country'. Lost 4-1 if I recall.

 

[Eckingtonian]

Always a good away trip to Hull on the old special.Pulling up at Boothferry Halt behind the side terrace and running down the ramp to the ground.Joining the thousands of Blades already on their kop[Bunkers i believe they called it]or on the side on the wrong side of the segregation fence.Good old days.

 

[alcoblade]

The away fans would often lob bricks at the train though.

I seem to remember taking a footy special to Wadsley Bridge one year for a pig match. Younger fans may not know that Wadsley Bridge used to be Wednesday's local train station, and football specials would take away fans directly there, thus keeping them out of the city centre.

I remember Bolton away on the special in the early 80's, i think. The Blades were "on form" that day and our train got royally bricked on the way home. Memories.....

UTB

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

Darren will probably come along and correct my match recollection ,they all mingle into one now.

It's not just me then....

UTB

 

[Tuns]

I remember Bolton away on the special in the early 80's, i think. The Blades were "on form" that day and our train got royally bricked on the way home. Memories.....
UTB

Was that the game Blades infiltrated their side of ground and afterwards there was the bizarre sight of Blades chasing a traffic cop in a white coat round the streets?

 

[alcoblade]

Was that the game Blades infiltrated their side of ground and afterwards there was the bizarre sight of Blades chasing a traffic cop in a white coat round the streets?

Quite possibly, it was tasty inside and out. I remember one Blade getting arrested and the fans surrounding the police van, and the coppers were truly shitting it.

UTB

 

[Darren]

The worst one I went on was Portsmouth ,it was 1st game of the season ,6 hour journey.Garner became the first player sent off for a professional foul and Conroy had a mare , we lost 4-1. Pommpey fans were waiting outside the station , always remember one huge black guy with a bald head squaring up and one well known Blade walking calmly up to him saying 'It started with a kiss' and landing one on him ,all hell broke loose ,with coppers and fans jumping over cars stuck in a jam. Darren will probably come along and correct my match recollection ,they all mingle into one now.

All accurate!

IT was 28/8/82. We went 1-0 up through Edwards before collapsing. It was Curran's league debut and Garner was sent off for handling a through ball.

---------- Post added at 01:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 PM ----------

I went to Newcastle in the late 70s for a FA Cup replay after we drew at the Lane. The Special was full of totally pissed up Blades and a few coppers. One Blade asked permission (true!) to get up and go to the bog at the end of the carriage. The cops let him but told him to leave the door open so they could 'keep an eye on him' (Yes, officer.) Trouble was, everybody nearby in the carriage could see him as well.

He was so pissed that he couldn't make out which way he should be aiming but, after a couple of 360° turns he decided he was approximately facing the general direction and let go. He was a mere 180° out and proceeded to piss into the carriage!

About 20 miles south of Newcastle, we had to draw all the blinds as we were definitely in 'bandit country'. Lost 4-1 if I recall.

3-1 actually Garner got the goal (bit of a Garner theme going on here).

 

[alcoblade]

All accurate!

IT was 28/8/82. We went 1-0 up through Edwards before collapsing. It was Curran's league debut and Garner was sent off for handling a through ball.

Any stats for games at Bolton, 80 - 85?

UTB

 

[Darren]

Any stats for games at Bolton, 80 - 85?

UTB

The only one was that famous 3-1 defeat on 7/5/84. We were 3-0 down and Edwards put his head amongst the boots to pull back what seemed a meaningless goals. As we ended up going up on goals scored a week later, it turned out to be VERY meaningful.

 

[alcoblade]

The only one was that famous 3-1 defeat on 7/5/84. We were 3-0 down and Edwards put his head amongst the boots to pull back what seemed a meaningless goals. As we ended up going up on goals scored a week later, it turned out to be VERY meaningful.

Hmmm. The week before Burnley V Hull ? Possibly. I'm sure we got stuffed, but what's new there. We played them around 1977 (75 - 80...)at Burnden and lost 2-1. I was there. Can you remember tht one?

UTB

 

[Grecian2000]

We played them around 1977 (75 - 80...)at Burnden and lost 2-1. I was there. Can you remember tht one?

UTB

Was that the one where Edwards broke the record for scoring in consecutive matches and Paul Garner took a fall down that lethal banking they had all down one wing (a young and not so fat Peter Reid scored for them).?

Loads of bother that day with running battles going up and down that long road that ran outside the main entrance side of the ground.

 

[alcoblade]

Was that the one where Edwards broke the record for scoring in consecutive matches and Paul Garner took a fall down that lethal banking they had all down one wing (a young and not so fat Peter Reid scored for them).?

Loads of bother that day with running battles going up and down that long road that ran outside the main entrance side of the ground.

Bloody hell, they've really have all merged into one. I remember the battles on the side street and I'm fairly sure that was an early 80's game (I was quite interested in that stuff by then, and too young in the 70's). The other one I can't remember much of - just Blades in one corner around a big flood light, and I was sat in the home seats with my dad. And the obvious stuff - we lost etc.

UTB

 

[Darren]

Bloody hell, they've really have all merged into one. I remember the battles on the side street and I'm fairly sure that was an early 80's game (I was quite interested in that stuff by then, and too young in the 70's). The other one I can't remember much of - just Blades in one corner around a big flood light, and I was sat in the home seats with my dad. And the obvious stuff - we lost etc.

UTB

2 ganes are getting mixed up here

(1) 9/4/77 - W2-1 - Edwards and Hamilton (pen) scored. It was the 7th consecutive game Edwards had scored in . He broke the post war record in the next game, getting the goal in the 1-5 defeat v Blackpool at the Lane.

(2) 27/8/77 L1-2 scorer Woodward.

We did then not play at Bolton in the League until 7/5/84 (though we lost 0-1 there in the Alglo Scottish Cup on 8/8/78).

 

[dkc Blade]

Did / does any other ground have its own station (separate from the town's main station) as well as the Pigs and Hull? (London clubs and tube / tram don't count).

 

[Darren]

Did / does any other ground have its own station (separate from the town's main station) as well as the Pigs and Hull? (London clubs and tube / tram don't count).

Watford used to.

 

[oaklandrdblade]

Bloody hell, they've really have all merged into one. I remember the battles on the side street and I'm fairly sure that was an early 80's game (I was quite interested in that stuff by then, and too young in the 70's). The other one I can't remember much of - just Blades in one corner around a big flood light, and I was sat in the home seats with my dad. And the obvious stuff - we lost etc.

UTB

The one in 84 was one of my first away games and it was certainly a bit tasty round and in the ground. As I remember they tried to squeeze us all in one half of the away end (practising for when they built the supermarket perhaps) and some Blades forced the gates to the other half. In the second half seemed like half a dozen Blades went down from the seats into the side terracing and most of their fans fled to the other end of the ground, I seem to recall the 'intrepid' few then had a good go at moving onto their kop.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

Did / does any other ground have its own station (separate from the town's main station) as well as the Pigs and Hull? (London clubs and tube / tram don't count).

There are plenty of clubs where the nearest station is not the town's main station, but that doesn't mean it's a station which is only there to serve the ground. As far as I know there is only one UK station which exists purely to take people to a football ground, and that is 'Manchester United Football Ground' station at Old Trafford. Its only trains are arrivals before a kick off, and departures afterwards. There are turnstiles on and off the station.

 

[Silent Blade]

My first time on a football Special was away to Birmingham in October 1970 (won 1-0 with Tudor scoring and highlights of the game was on MOTD) on the way back to the train station we learned that Wendy lost 5-1 at home to Luton (McDonald scored 4, I think) so there was a lot of cheer and laughter. Also went on the special to Hull two weeks later (drew 1-1, Ken Wagstaffe scored for Hull and TC equalised for us with a soft shot in which the Hull defence stood and watched the ball go in off the post). The third time was the FA Cup game at Pompey in January 1971 and we lost 2-0 (Ray Hiron and Mike Trebilcock the scorers). Others I remember were Carlisle in the FA Cup game in february 1973 and in the leagueliner for the Arsenal game a month later

 

[blade too long]

On the subject of specials , my brother worked on BR as it was then on the buffet car and I went on a freebie with him , as it turned out Wednesday were going to London and theyd added 2 cattle trucks for their fans , as he wasnt due back till the overnight 2315 train , we tagged along , glad we did as wednesday got thumped 8-2 at QPR, turned out to be a good trip