1970"s. Football Special?

[tonytonycurrie]

Any of you older Blades remember that?

 

[benn5712]

Train ?

 

[tonytonycurrie]

Bang on. Correct card

 

[tonytonycurrie]

Happy those days have past. Police dogs waiting for you on the station. Unreal

 

[Silent Blade]

Yes, my first time was Birmingham City on October 10th 1970, then Hull City two weeks later, Portsmouth in FA Cup January 1971, Carlisle in FA Cup February 1973 and my last one was the Leagueliner for the Arsenal match in March 3rd 1973 (photo below and I am the young lad)

 

[Birdwell Blade]

Yes, my first time was Birmingham City on October 10th 1970, then Hull City two weeks later, Portsmouth in FA Cup January 1971, Carlisle in FA Cup February 1973 and my last one was the Leagueliner for the Arsenal match in March 3rd 1973 (photo below and I am the young lad)

View attachment 58525

Great pic. Bet you’ve seen it all following us.

 

[bypassblade]

Oh I remember the specials treat like dirt by filth in

Sheffield ​

then arrive at destination marched out of station and a fair few walloped if

being honest livestock was better treat being moved. Football fans in 70's were the scum of the earth that's how we were perceived, and that's how we were treated, I remember going to Hull in League Cup. We were on side terrace and this copper was riding past just hitting adults and kids with a truncheon, up and down so Blades fans dragged him from horse and he got a kicking.​

 

[BonnyBlade]

Yes, my first time was Birmingham City on October 10th 1970, then Hull City two weeks later, Portsmouth in FA Cup January 1971, Carlisle in FA Cup February 1973 and my last one was the Leagueliner for the Arsenal match in March 3rd 1973 (photo below and I am the young lad)

View attachment 58525

Silent blade is that Alan milburn behind you

 

[Bert]

Bert used to go all over on them, if it was full it was a case of dashing across to Pond St and getting on the SUT bus.
Bert never failed to get there.

 

[Silent Blade]

Silent blade is that Alan milburn behind you

Yes, I didnt know him at the time. About 2 years ago Alan's brother informed me by FB Messenger to let me know that the lad behind me is his brother and we had a nice exchange of memories about that day. He posted a photo of himself with a group in that train.

 

[Topplayersleave]

Remember Carlisle in 1979-80

Everybody got off the train and the police crushed us between a wall and the kerb the whole way down the street

There was a bit of a shove and me being on the kerb side was forced to put one foot on the road

I was hit on the side of the head with a baton that drew quite a bit of blood

I turned around and just stared at the copper, whilst wiping the blood away.

He stood there and said "Do you want another you Sheffield bastard"

I said "Yeah go on then, do it again"

One of his copper mates dragged me away and threw me back kerb side knocking half a dozen people over and forcing about 20 fans into the road.

Now there's a near riot going on which they were absolutely looking for......the bastards

 

[benn5712]

Never used the special. Went to Stoke on the regular train service, won 2-1 early 70's.
Always used the SUT 'Charra' from Pond st.

 

[Seanshoreham]

Went on quite a few worst were Leeds and Leicester where their skinheads waited for us at the station and a nightmare game at Brum at the end of the 1975 season.
Remember one going to Reading where they held the train up in the town to make us miss the kick-off (regular ploy). so we jumped off and ran across the lines.
If you travelled on them you never forget - it was like the old wild west.

 

[Tunstall Fred]

Character building going on a Football Special, you came across some right ruffians.

In the days when you could open train doors whilst on the move by lowering the window,turning the handle from the outside.

 

[BonnyBlade]

Silent blade is that Alan milburn behind you

Yes, I didnt know him at the time. About 2 years ago Alan's brother informed me by FB Messenger to let me know that the lad behind me is his brother and we had a nice exchange of memories about that day. He posted a photo of himself with a group in that train.

Thanks silent blade only I went to school with Alan I remember my first away match it wasn't by train it was the longest journey ever to Ipswich in a ers round cup tie I think we lost 2-1 happy days UTB

 

[Boxer Blade]

Used to pinch toilet rolls so we could throw them towards the cross bar, saved one for when the team came running out towards us, on the way home the amount of damage was immense and people stole light bulbs, on a long journey home the amount of times we were sat in darkness once the 'excitement' had died down, and of course the police waiting for us at midland station.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Oh I remember the specials treat like dirt by filth in
Sheffield
then arrive at destination marched out of station and a fair few walloped if
being honest livestock was better treat being moved. Football fans in 70's were the scum of the earth that's how we were perceived, and that's how we were treated, I remember going to Hull in League Cup. We were on side terrace and this copper was riding past just hitting adults and kids with a truncheon, up and down so Blades fans dragged him from horse and he got a kicking.

Yes but bloody cheap travel £7 Return to Torquay, Bournemouth 81/82 season.

 

[Bert]

Used to pinch toilet rolls so we could throw them towards the cross bar, saved one for when the team came running out towards us, on the way home the amount of damage was immense and people stole light bulbs, on a long journey home the amount of times we were sat in darkness once the 'excitement' had died down, and of course the police waiting for us at midland station.

Bert used to go with a mate whose father was a police chief inspector. The lads speciality was chucking the bulbs out of the windows.

 

[Silent Blade]

Thanks silent blade only I went to school with Alan I remember my first away match it wasn't by train it was the longest journey ever to Ipswich in a ers round cup tie I think we lost 2-1 happy days UTB

Lost 3-2 at Ipswich in January 1974?

 

[Sheffsteel]

Football special’s were trains hired ONLY for football fans.
They were quite common when British Rail knew a club would take loads of fans to an away match.
It was also seen as a solution to deter football hooliganism, to prevent away fans mixing with civilians.

I remember the away game against Bradford in the 4th division, think it was Oct 1981.
I went to that game on the train and there was 2 trains (football specials) hired for our fans that day.

Remember a crowd of over 2000 having a police escort being marched through the Bradford city centre from the train station to Valley Parade.

 

[Trafford]

Remember the Chesterfield put down - 4 on the special, theres only 4 on the special - after the train to Millwall was cancelled because only 4 fans had booked!!

 

[Jon Bon II]

Yes, my first time was Birmingham City on October 10th 1970, then Hull City two weeks later, Portsmouth in FA Cup January 1971, Carlisle in FA Cup February 1973 and my last one was the Leagueliner for the Arsenal match in March 3rd 1973 (photo below and I am the young lad)

You look like a (very) young Ken Furphy.

And that yoof with the curly hair looks like Trevor Francis doing an impersonation of Bruce Forsyth..... "veh veh veh veh veh Good game, good game.. So much better than the crew we had in here last week..." etc

 

[Jolly Buffer]

Cheap fares but very rough.
I'm sure it was about 60 pence return for kids to Old Trafford around 1975.
Hull was a good one on the special, slowly passing the building of the Humber Bridge, what a site.

Can't forget Darlington either. Some great days.
If you went in the special you should expect -
Having bricks thrown at the windows. Fighting at the station after game, very dodgy sausage rolls, stewed cups of tea, guards vans, grumpy violent coppers and on returning back to midland station buying a green 'un.

Some folk on here don't know they're born!

 

[Addison]

Went on the special to Blackpool March 1970, Easter week end. I was the youngest of about 7 from Frecheville. In those days junior train tickets were cut in half diagonally. Got off train in Blackpool and handed ticket to man at gate who didn't give it me back. He was tearing the Adult ones in half giving back the return part and putting the other half in his pocket. Told a Sheffield copper who'd been on train. He got all the ticket stubs out and waded through them till he found my ticket. Gave me a clip round the head and said "Don't do it again ". Relieved I wouldn't be stranded in Blackpool put the ticket in my shoe for safe keeping.

After being helped by the Sheffield Police preceded then to be terrorised by the Blackpool plod for the rest of the day. They didn't want us there for a bank holiday week end and deliberately stopped and searched us 10 times in the space of about a mile. We were told in no uncertain terms they were looking to put us in the Black Maria and were goading Blades all along the prom. We broke away from the few hundred who were on the train and headed for the amusements despite the threat of Plod reprisals for not going direct to the ground.

Eventually got to Bloomfield Road and were told as always the Kop end was no go because they were bad lads on there by the stewards. Went round to the other end where most of the Blades had been herded. Blades were behind the goal and to the side. Blackpools Kop was packed with it being holiday season and it was obvious fans of other teams were on there.

Bumped into a number of lads from Beighton who were from my school at half time. They'd all just had the skinhead and were into clothes. I was still a parka man with long hair, loved soul music but also into Rock. They along with a number of other Blades skins went onto Blackpools Kop for the second half. You could walk round the back of the terracing in those days. Seems there were loads of Man City skins on there along with other teams from the North West, no hassle everyone was talking about the skin head fashion and comparing the gear they were wearing.

Went back to amusements after a 1-0 loss and nearly came a cropper as Blackpool turned up in numbers. Another Blade warned us as he'd had a kicking because he was wearing Doc Martens. You couldn't buy them in Blackpool at the time and the North West teams were still predominantly greasers. It all changed a year later.

After another round of searches, clips, kicks pushes by the Plod all designed to provoke us we got back to the station. By this time Blades were in an ugly mood and we were forced onto the train. Drama wasn't over Blackpool Plod came on train and whacked a Blade who was wearing what looked like a Blackpool scarf. Not much difference between red and white and tangerine and white. They broadcast to the train he was going to spend the night in a cell and would have to walk back to Sheffield whilst forcibly dragging him off the train and laughing whilst they were doing it.

After a 10 minute wait Blade suddenly appears back on train. He'd had his details taken but it seemed the Sheffield coppers had persuaded their Blackpool counterparts to let him come back on. Funny how today North West Police are praised by Blades whereas SYP are the complete opposite. Didn't do many on the train after that because you were easy targets for Plod and away fans. Went mainly by coach and car.

Twelve months later I was going to away matches with the lads from school into the whole skin head scene. It had became obvious to me that you pulled the best birds by getting your haircut and wearing Levi Sta Prest, Fred Perrys and Ben Sherman shirts. Happy days.

 

[sitwell]

Football special’s were trains hired ONLY for football fans.
They were quite common when British Rail knew a club would take loads of fans to an away match.
It was also seen as a solution to deter football hooliganism, to prevent away fans mixing with civilians.

I remember the away game against Bradford in the 4th division, think it was Oct 1981.
I went to that game on the train and there was 2 trains (football specials) hired for our fans that day.

Remember a crowd of over 2000 having a police escort being marched through the Bradford city centre from the train station to Valley Parade.

I was on that remember dolly skilbeck from emmerdale watching from across the road just before 'ointment' turned up

 

[sitwell]

Portsmouth away first game of the season when garner got sent off and we lost 4-1 was the best football special I went on, the reception at Portsmouth was bonkers

 

[Uncle mick]

Yes, my first time was Birmingham City on October 10th 1970, then Hull City two weeks later, Portsmouth in FA Cup January 1971, Carlisle in FA Cup February 1973 and my last one was the Leagueliner for the Arsenal match in March 3rd 1973 (photo below and I am the young lad)

View attachment 58525

Nobody has said but I believe that's Ted Hemsley in photo is that correct silent

 

[MobileBlade]

Football special’s were trains hired ONLY for football fans.
They were quite common when British Rail knew a club would take loads of fans to an away match.
It was also seen as a solution to deter football hooliganism, to prevent away fans mixing with civilians.

I remember the away game against Bradford in the 4th division, think it was Oct 1981.
I went to that game on the train and there was 2 trains (football specials) hired for our fans that day.

Remember a crowd of over 2000 having a police escort being marched through the Bradford city centre from the train station to Valley Parade.

I remember that game. £1 to get in at the u16 door (no turnstile) no matter how old you were. Massive queue to get in. £2 adult turnstile hardly anyone going through. Proper crushing during and after game. Didn't know whether to watch the game or spend most of it dodging the bricks that came over the fence separating the fans right down the middle of the terrace. Think we won the top of the table clash quite easily as well.

 

[grafikhaus]

...and a nightmare game at Brum at the end of the 1975 season.

that was the 0-0 draw where we 'nearly' got into Europe. I got a severe kicking in the ground and found my way back to New Street Station where pools of blood were all over the highly polished floor. (I was at New Street - for the first time since 1975 - just a month ago. Fuck, it's huge!)

In 1977, we'd drawn 0-0 at home to Newcastle in the third round of the FA Cup. Myself and a few equally-mad mates decided to go up for the midweek replay (24th Jan. 1977). The 'football special' was on secondment from cattle transport duties and just about every Blade on board was incredibly pissed - probably to numb the pain of the kicking we anticipated. One lad (somehow) got to his feet and staggered towards the bogs at the end of the carriage, watched by me and a highly-amused copper. The feat of actually making it to the toilet was obviously too much for him to remember to shut the door behind him, so we watched him stand in front of the 'pan', perform a 180-degree turn and piss out of the door and into the carriage!
As we approached Gateshead, the coppers told us to pull the window blinds down as bricking trains was mid-week amusement for the locals. About six of us had got tickets and - outside the ground - we found the correct turnstile but it was closed. Wandering around, we realised that it was the correct turnstile so I hammered on the door. It opened a crack and the turnstile operator (who had obviously been on a customer service course) said 'Fuck off!'. I showed him my ticket, he looked nervously left and right and said 'Geddin! Quick!' Welcome to Newcastle.
We lost a piss-poor game 3-1.

 

[tonytonycurrie]

Can't remember the year but caught the Football Special for Leicester game. Good crack, everybody pissed and having a great old time. Then we approached the station and all went tits up. The train slowed and just about stopped before entering the station for some reason and that's when the bricking started. Just about every window smashed to bits and still the bricks kept coming. Few of our supporters got quite bad injuries. Train continued to the platform where the Leicester police were waiting with their German Shepard's to escort us to the ground. We were treated like animals, pushed and slapped and regularly they let the dogs jump into us. Not nice, but huge adrenaline rush. I can't remember the score, think 1-1 draw, but do remember Woodward scored direct from a corner (second time I saw him do that). Glad those days are no more!