Lane Capacities

[Cerberus Blade]

I think it’s about 32,000 now

Minus the cordoned off seats obviously! Eventually the cordoned off seats will outnumber the fans. That’s the plan anyhow. The only way to get to see a derby match in future will be to go in fancy dress, as a cordoned off seat.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Correct. I was there for all three.

Bet thaz got some reight loyalty points Sharra?

 

[Dnblade]

That’s right, Chris Simpkin etc. Ref stopped the match and had a word with both captains. In the late 1990s whilst working at a Magistrates court I got into conversation with the Stipendiary Magistrate, turned out he was a Hull fan who’d been at the same match. I don’t think Hull recovered from the failure of that season until about 10 years ago.

Looked like all Hull fans at the Lane end how did you end up in there ?

Plenty of Blades mixed in...We normally went on the Kop,but sometimes Lane End or John Street.There was always plenty of Blades on the Lane End,often outnumbering away fans back then.

 

[Dnblade]

I think the attendance for a derby game was around 49,000 back in the 1970’s. It was the one after the Boxing Day fiasco. Slightly more (a few hundred neutrals obviously) at Hillsboro for that match I recall.

They all came out of the woodwork for Boxing Day and again for the return...Boxing Day was probably a lot of their fans first game ever...they weren't turning up in large numbers around then were they,even after they went up.

 

[I should coco]

..or dress as an advertising hoarding.

ISC shameless plug for another recent S2 4SU thread:

Cresswell had a trick where he pretended to be an advertising hoarding before scoring against a surprised keeper:

The only way to get to see a derby match in future will be to go in fancy dress, as a cordoned off seat.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Ah, now I am half remembering seeing some sort of stand on the cricket on a photo I saw many years ago ... any photos Jock?

It is difficult to find photos - pictures of the game don't really show it, because it was a long way away from the pitch, and the weather was a bit misty. I managed to find this in my old scrapbook, and I think it gives you an idea of what was built.

 

[Silent Blade]

I seem to remember the capacity in the late sixties and early seventies was stated as being 55,000.

Yes, I remember seeing the figure from the below book

 

[Silent Blade]

View attachment 46024
It is difficult to find photos - pictures of the game don't really show it, because it was a long way away from the pitch, and the weather was a bit misty. I managed to find this in my old scrapbook, and I think it gives you an idea of what was built.

My dad and my Uncle Ronnie had to miss the match cos it was the same day as when my Uncle Tony ( who had no interest in football) got married!

 

[metalblade]

Capacity at the lane was 23,459 in 1994-95 due to there being no stand on John St. By 1996-97 it was back up to 30,138

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

My dad and my Uncle Ronnie had to miss the match cos it was the same day as when my Uncle Tony ( who had no interest in football) got married!

They probably didn't regret it in the end. My unbiased memory is that we dominated throughout, played the better football, couldn't score (is this sounding familiar?), they were supposedly the superior team, but that day they played hoofball, and roughed us up. Unfortunately they scored a couple of decent goals in the first half, and that was that. The fact that Derek Dougan scored 2 goals to knock them out in the semi-final meant he became an instant hero. But I don't think I've ever looked forward to derby matches since.

 

[Silent Blade]

They probably didn't regret it in the end. My unbiased memory is that we dominated throughout, played the better football, couldn't score (is this sounding familiar?), they were supposedly the superior team, but that day they played hoofball, and roughed us up. Unfortunately they scored a couple of decent goals in the first half, and that was that. The fact that Derek Dougan scored 2 goals to knock them out in the semi-final meant he became an instant hero. But I don't think I've ever looked forward to derby matches since.

Just after Derek Dougan scored the winner against Wendy

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Just after Derek Dougan scored the winner against Wendy

One of my favourite photos. Even the kid with the owl seems to be celebrating...

 

[Rob86]

Amazing to think we could get 50k at the Lane. I know seats take up space but even stripping them out I’m not sure how you’d get another 20k additional to last Friday ! I never experienced the terraces though to be fair. Much nicer to watch these days my old man tells me , but that’s because he’s old I tell him !

 

[LS16Blade]

Confirming what many have said above, the 'Encyclopedia of British Football' from 1976/77 season lists our capacity at 49,000, and that was still the case in 'The Guinness Book of Football Facts & Figures' in 1980...

 

[South Bucks]

The attendance of the derby April 1980 was 42526
The biggest attendance I have been is April 1972 v Manchester Utd 45045

I remember being two thirds down the middle of the kop for that 45k Man U night match.

It was so rammed I could hardly breath and a bit scary when the crowd surged and being a teenager it was hard to see between peoples heads.
The smell of beer and baccy all around and the white lights swaying in the roof of the kop and the pitch looking magnificent in the floodlights and singing and noise all around.

There was no chance of going to the bog at half time, you couldn't move and would have no chance of getting back to a decent spot after.
I remember after some rammed attendances I'd let the crowd clear and the kop would be left full of litter and be rather wet and sniffy, can't think why.

I remember some of the crowd singing "Georgie Best, super star, carries a hand bag and wears a bra." Seems very childish now.

Think the score was 1-1 but I might be wrong.

 

[Sharrow Snuff Mill]

Bet thaz got some reight loyalty points Sharra?

A few !

 

[Silent Blade]

I remember being two thirds down the middle of the kop for that 45k Man U night match.

It was so rammed I could hardly breath and a bit scary when the crowd surged and being a teenager it was hard to see between peoples heads.
The smell of beer and baccy all around and the white lights swaying in the roof of the kop and the pitch looking magnificent in the floodlights and singing and noise all around.

There was no chance of going to the bog at half time, you couldn't move and would have no chance of getting back to a decent spot after.
I remember after some rammed attendances I'd let the crowd clear and the kop would be left full of litter and be rather wet and sniffy, can't think why.

I remember some of the crowd singing "Georgie Best, super star, carries a hand bag and wears a bra." Seems very childish now.

Think the score was 1-1 but I might be wrong.

Yes, 1-1. John Connaughton was in goal for Man U. Geoff Salmons, attempting a left wing cross at the Kop End, scored for us. Dave Sadler equalised for Man U

 

[BushBlade]

I remember being two thirds down the middle of the kop for that 45k Man U night match.

It was so rammed I could hardly breath and a bit scary when the crowd surged and being a teenager it was hard to see between peoples heads.
The smell of beer and baccy all around and the white lights swaying in the roof of the kop and the pitch looking magnificent in the floodlights and singing and noise all around.

There was no chance of going to the bog at half time, you couldn't move and would have no chance of getting back to a decent spot after.
I remember after some rammed attendances I'd let the crowd clear and the kop would be left full of litter and be rather wet and sniffy, can't think why.

I remember some of the crowd singing "Georgie Best, super star, carries a hand bag and wears a bra." Seems very childish now.

Think the score was 1-1 but I might be wrong.

I remember hearing my mate from up the road signing the George Best song, around that time. I’m pretty sure he didn’t go to the match (we were about 4 y.o.) so he must have heard it from someone who did. I’d guess it was the first time I’d heard a football song about a player rather than a team as it stuck in my mind ( and it was funny when you’re 4).

 

[Ecco1889]

I remember being two thirds down the middle of the kop for that 45k Man U night match.

It was so rammed I could hardly breath and a bit scary when the crowd surged and being a teenager it was hard to see between peoples heads.
The smell of beer and baccy all around and the white lights swaying in the roof of the kop and the pitch looking magnificent in the floodlights and singing and noise all around.

There was no chance of going to the bog at half time, you couldn't move and would have no chance of getting back to a decent spot after.
I remember after some rammed attendances I'd let the crowd clear and the kop would be left full of litter and be rather wet and sniffy, can't think why.

I remember some of the crowd singing "Georgie Best, super star, carries a hand bag and wears a bra." Seems very childish now.

Think the score was 1-1 but I might be wrong.

Great memories,can remember a great 7-0 home win v Ipswich,and a bit of a footballing lesson from cloughies Derby0-4.. they won the league that season