Leicester 1990

[diplomat]

Leicester was brilliant. I went to the game on a double decker bus from the white hart in greenhill dressed as a gorilla!!. There was a game of football amongst the fans before we set off with pints of beer in hand and running round trying not to spill any.
I missed the last 5 mins as I received a 50 p coin in my forehead thrown by the Leicester fans in the corner on the bottom tier of the stand behind the goal!!. I was led away on the touch line to have the wound stitched up. It was still a hell of a great day. UTB

I hope you kept it and bought a green un!

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Darlington just about shaded it for me. We'd had years of slide since the Currie era of the early 70s, never looked like winning owt. So even though it was the 4th division, the sheer joy/relief of that season made it very special. Besides, jumping up and down with a baby, a gorilla and Zorro was just weirdly great.

Yes up until Billy lifted the trophy 2 season ago the 4th Division title was the only proper silverware any of us have see lifted by a Blades captain in living memory.....So Darlo has it’s merits too.

 

[Game_of_Throw-Ins]

I was happy to get home alive from that match - We left it too late to get tickets but at the time I taught Dave Bassett kids and so he said he'd organise us some tickets and to just collect them from the Leicester Box Office. Got there really early and tickets in an envelope as promised and took our seats in the empty stand... As time went on and more fans arrived it dawned on us we were smack in the middle of the Leicester end with our red and white scarves and everybody else was in blue... When our first went in - we erupted and jumped up and were strongly advised by a group pf 50 Leicester fans to sit down and shut the F***up ... My Father in Law who was with me was a scrap man told everyone where they could go and said he'd do what he wanted... I was more for being a bit reserved as a couple of hundred more Leicester fans made their way over to pretty much circle us and give us dogs abuse, but not my Father in Law - Loud and proud - Mixed feelings as we scored FIVE and the threats got more real and serious - FIVE times he jumped up... We tried the stewards for a bit of protection and even two police but only got "Your fault for sitting in the away end" and wouldn't let us move.... Apart from getting shoved and a load of verbal threats about what they would do if we stood up again, we didn't actually get a beating, but its a match I'll never forget for many reasons !! The icing on the cake was hearing the score from Hillsborough too after full time confirming the double....plus relief at actually making it back to the car with all our limbs..

 

[Darlington82]

Darlo for me as first away match with mates and not my dad, on the train at 14!

Filbert street meant me driving down the week before and buying 10 tickets, no questions asked, in upper stand. We were in our seats early and these young home fans kept telling us how were were going to get it when the baby squad saw us. when the teams came out and they realised it was all blades in there, they vanished.

Got home and straight out to the West End to meet my Sat night drinking mates, 3 blades, 4 pigs. Walked round corner raised my arms and just laughed. My mates shut me up as, there was only us 7 there plus the whole OCS.

5 mins later a car comes past with a blade stood up through the sun roof with a flag, about 50 pint pots get thrown at him. Luckily for me, they all pissed off down London Road for a good hiding soon after, so I could let my mates have it.

Great day. 2nd best, Darlo first, Bobby Davison night third and bounching day 4th. Could not get to Northampton unfortunately.

 

[INTAKE BLADE]

Darlo was amazing, I watched part of the game sat by the post at the away end, if I remember right the ref blew for a foul and the blades fans ran on the pitch thinking it was full time. Happy days

 

[alehousekid]

Didn't have much cash, no ticket but met up with my drinking pal early saturday, ended up sitting outside Sheaf and then sat on wall on Cherry St listening to game on portable radio. When team coach finally arrived up Shoreham St CW was stood at front of coach next to driver, Chris looked rather emotional

 

[Liverpool blade]

I hope you kept it and bought a green un!

Yeh I’ve still got the green un from that day as well as the 50p piece. UTB

 

[Hague Blade]

One of the all time great days out as a blade topped only by the ridiculous goings on and amazing, never to be repeated day out at Darlington. Anyone else in the pub full of blades whose windows were put through by Leicester fans before the game?

Don’t always get to join in these threads, but yes, I was in the pub that had its windows put through. And I was on the pitch after the game and got close enough to slap Bassett on the back. Best day out I’ve ever had following United,

 

[Red Hot Currie]

I was a student in Leicester at that time. Went down to Filbert Street ticket office about a week before the game. Asked for two tickets in home end.... bloke heard my accent and asked where I was from... I said I was a Leeds fan (darkest moment of my life) who couldn't get to their game (think they were away at Brighton that day) so wanted to watch Leicester v Blades as they were neck and neck with us. He fell for it thankfully and sold me 2 tickets (lower tier behind the goal where we scored 4 in 1st half). As I was leaving the ground a car pulled up and the bloke driving shouted "Nash then mate! Duz tha know Weeer ticket office is? Want a ticket fo' Card I...!"). I pointed him to the ticket office but said "for fucks sake talk posh... or tha'll get nowt!"

Hope he got one... plenty did as there were loads of us in that part of the ground. Leicester fans weren't appee though!!! Great day.... best ever!

 

[Red Hot Currie]

He didn't say "I want a ticket fo' Card".... he said "I want a ticket fo' Satdi"....

Fucking predictive text!

 

[Sean Thornton]

He didn't say "I want a ticket fo' Card".... he said "I want a ticket fo' Satdi"....

Fucking predictive text!

Too late. Ruined the story for me........

 

[Patient Bus]

Hard to believe it's nearly thirty years ago..
Best bits were going on the pitch after match(still got corner flag somewhere).
Remember walking back to bus to be informed pigs relegated and looking back down road with a sea of blades filling the entire street looked like London marathon.
Still my best ever football day

 

[Fraggle Blade]

I was sat down the side of the ground.......I remember the heat going down the motorway and the traffic hold ups, with blades sat in the sun on the coach roofs as they were stood in the traffic.

 

[Gateford Blade]

My eldest lad and i went with the wadsley bridge supporters club run from the new bridge inn.
When we got back pigs were waiting for our 2 buses with a vast arsenal of rubble and bottles. We were on the 1st coach which had all the famillys on so we didnt stop at the bridge but got off up the rd at the white horse.
The other bus did stop and was dropped off there. The bobbys were there by then tho.
Anyone else go with the bridge?

Me and my mates were on the New Bridge bus. My memory is that the bus didn’t stop at the New Bridge or White Horse and we eventually got off at Chaucer School. From there we walked into Ecclesfield and spent the night in the square ( having been warned by Eddie the landlord of the Griffin) to keep a lid on it so as not to upset the pig fans who were out.

 

[Goody]

I think you may be correct gateford blade.
Was living on avisford rd wadsley bridge at the time.. we ended up in the phesent at the lane top with loads more blades off the cross.
Still live in s5 and there are still loads of blades live ont cross.

 

[Bookers Mullet]

Best day ever, 16 year old at the time and I was convinced I wouldn't be able to go, but then my dad surprised me, a wagon driver at his work had been to Leicester on a run and got tickets

They were in the Leicester end lower tier behind the goal and when I got there I was proper scared, however I stood next to this big lad covered in blades tattoos and he told me I'd be fine, strangely all the Leicester fans gave us a wide berth.

The euphoria will live with me forever, I'll be reliving it on my death bed, I can't imagine anything beating it.

 

[metalblade]

This one?

Arrrrrrgh given me a ear worm that. You're down Ron Ron is going round in my head

 

[Klanger]

At the final whistle, The Blades fans invaded the pitch (as they had done after every goal) The stadium announcer said that the team would like to do a lap of honour but not whilst they were on the pitch. The fans duly began to troop off as the announcer read out the days football results.

As the result from Derby was announced and it became clear that the pigs were down, there was a collective ‘F*ck the lap of honour, we’re going back on the pitch.’

There was no lap of honour and amidst the gorillas cartwheeling for joy, no one cared.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

You're not the only one. I was unemployed at the time after leaving uni and didn't go but if I really made an effort I could have went. That and the 3.1 at Hillsborough are the two biggest Blades games I didn't attend although I was at Darlington. I wonder if Chris Wilder was at Leicester? But he said a while ago it's time to create new memories for all the younger fans and those that weren't at those games for whatever reason. And he's right. And then we won 4.2 at the Piggery. I think right now is a good time to be a Blade.

He played , number five.

 

[Camden Blade]

He played , number five.

I know. I was just running a little test. Walthamstow Blade won spotting the deliberate error first.

 

[Booker4]

I was only just 11 on this amazing day and sadly didn't come from a football family. I like others wish there was a time machine to go back. My memories of the day were still fantastic though. I didn't listen to the Radio because I was unaware that Radio covered football! So I waited anxiously for the vidiprinter on Grandstand to break the good news! I can vividly remember Des Lynam ending the Grandstand show with "Well Sheffield doesn't know whether to laugh or cry"! I just burst out laughing!

For those two young to remember the vidiprinter then watch this! Great times - skip to 9 minutes! Highlights were the sound of the typing of the results, the frequent delay when it would say as an example Oxford United 1 Sheffield United ...... the square would just keep flashing until you eventually got the correct complete score, and finally if your score was a late score the result wouldn't feature at all in the results or the vidiprinter, you had to wait right till the end for all the other results to come through until it showed the late results! Incidentally on the video below we beat Chelsea 2 - 1 away in the old first division!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

You know what, Man U, Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool etc. can have their quest for silverwear every season. But I doubt any fan of their club celebrated quite as hard as we did that day. I close my eyes and I can remember the smell of the burger van outside the ground, the lads from Handsworth that were ejected twice during the game but still got back in for the pitch invasion at the end, Bassett hoisted high with a tear in his eye, the walk back to the car feeling like the richest man in the world and then the news that the piggy cunts had fallen and taken our spot in Division 2. Fuck me what a day. On my death bed I will look back at my kids being born and how they have grown and made me proud, then this. For me the most single most satisfying memory in my time supporting the Blades(so far).

 

[Patient Bus]

Almost brought a tear to my eye. Handsworth blades forever

 

[OldBillBlade]

I struggled to get a ticket, but was good friends with Stan the Mans brothers. (One was a pig the other a Blade). Through them I got a ticket for the side stand full of Blades.
Aside from the atmosphere and the goals, the distinct memories I have are as follows. 1. Thinking we had a realistic chance of the title as the scum were at Bournemouth. The cherries weren't a push over and to this day I still think the threat of violence in the seaside town was a factor. I've no evidence but I can't help thinking they were instructed by the authorities to let them win to ensure less problems.
2. After the game walking to the coach park. We were slow setting off. As we waited to go, Bob Booker walked through and was dancing a jig. He then went to a car where an old couple were, possibly his parents and was hugging them both!!
3. Drive g very slowly back up the M1 due to road works. At one point only the fast lanes of both sides were open. The traffic was almost stationary. We passed a lot of Forest cars and coaches. We were all waving at each other with big smiles and the tooting of car horns.
4. When I got home I went straight round to my Piggy mate to console him!!! Alas all the curtains were closed and there was no answer to knocking. Poor lad must have been Ill?

I had to work on Darlo day and couldn't get a ticket for the bouncing day massacre. I was there for Bobby Davidson Day though. I recall a bloke near me on leppings lane missing two of our goals because he went for a pee. The following day i went to New York with another piggy mate and made his life misery for four days. Humming and singing ,"We beat the scum 3-1", to Blue Moon.
Great days!

 

[Goody]

Old bill blade.
I was in the same class as steven stancliffe and was good friends with paul during his apprenticship at rotherham and used to go fishing on the sundays.boy could he knock the pints back. He was a pig fan at school and i think he still is tho not seen him for a few years.

 

[OldBillBlade]

Old bill blade.
I was in the same class as steven stancliffe and was good friends with paul during his apprenticship at rotherham and used to go fishing on the sundays.boy could he knock the pints back. He was a pig fan at school and i think he still is tho not seen him for a few years.

He owned an hotel in Rotherham a few years ago, although I suspect he's retired now. Steve is alive and well in north Sheffield, I think. Dave went to live down south. Paul prob was a pig originally, Dave was def a Blade though.

 

[grafikhaus]

Joe Irish. Still lives just down the road from me:

 

[Greenwich Blade]

Upper tier behind the goal, in the Home section.

I'd had the discussion with my then-girlfriend before the game about showing restrain if we scored but that all went out of the window when i) we realised there were more Blades in there than Leicester, and ii) when Paul Wood scored our first. Not longer after Deano's pinball goal, the Leicester fans who were in there starting pinging coins and hot cups of tea at us, so I asked stewards and the police for a move, and was shown to a corner in the lower tier that was almost entirely United, The first thing we saw when we settled down in our seats was Tony Agana lashing in our third.

The fact that they had just cleared the pitch of Blades when they announced the Derby - Luton score added to my enjoyment as the pitch was invaded again, with the first Unitedite to reach the middle doing a little jig of delight on the centre-spot. Afterwards the sight of coaches parked double down the middle of the road and a mass of seething lime-greeny-fluorescent-yellow added to the sound of "Ooh-ah, Bob Bookah," is an experience that will live with me forever. And a day.

On our way back to Brackley in Northants, one of the lifts we received was with a Luton fan on his way back from Derby. It couldn't get any better than that, and it still hasn't.

 

[BanbridgeBlade]

He owned an hotel in Rotherham a few years ago, although I suspect he's retired now. Steve is alive and well in north Sheffield, I think. Dave went to live down south. Paul prob was a pig originally, Dave was def a Blade though.

Played football with his son John for Wickersley Youth.

Paul used to come & watch him most sundays, as 1 of the few Blades in the team I was delighted to see him.