Sitting in the home end.

[Winthorpe Blades]

Two Wednesday fans sat in front of us behind the goal at the Wembley semi final right where Chris Waddles goal went in - they started jumping around and my sister who was 16 at the time piled into them and it ended up with the finest taking them out and not saying a word to our youth.

 

[Greystones Blade]

Chris Simpkin not Chris Chilton

50 years ago today

Me too. Can you believe the school let us have the afternoon off to go. (Can't remember if we actually got free tickets). I too was disappointed with Pele, but the Santos no.9 , Edu , was outstanding. I was at school at the time and they let the Pigs at our school have the afternoon off We...

www.s24su.com

Yes it was Chris Simpkin. Tho as I recall the Chris Chilton / Ken Wagstaff partnership was very good for them.

I found the Hull City view of the game in their magazine - find it in this mag

Tigermag issue no 41

Read Tigermag issue no 41 by Hull City OSC Austrailia on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!

issuu.com

 

[billyblademan]

There were 2 Sunderland fans sat behind me when we played them on Boxing Day a couple of seasons ago. They were very very quiet, and rightly so as they were absolutely gash (Blades won 3-0)

 

[Silent Blade]

Yes it was Chris Simpkin. Tho as I recall the Chris Chilton / Ken Wagstaff partnership was very good for them.

I found the Hull City view of the game in their magazine - find it in this mag

Tigermag issue no 41

Read Tigermag issue no 41 by Hull City OSC Austrailia on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!

issuu.com

Cheers for the link

 

[tyke1889]

Sat in the chezzy stand 2014 and got sussed pretty quickly, probably after their 1st went in

There were a few grumbles that weirdly got worse as they carried on scoring. We decided to call it a day at 3 0 and missed our goals. Probably a good job

 

[guancheblade]

Had a Scunthorpe fan with me on the Kop for Adkins final game. He could have been covered head to toe in Scunthorpe tattoos none of the home fans would have given a crap that dreadful day.

 

[cooperblade]

When we played Manchester United at home in 06/07, there was a bloke with his wife or girlfriend sat near us in the South Stand. When Rooney equalised, he jumped up and cheered. A few threats were hurled in his direction and he chose flight rather than fight. He leapt the fence into the exec section and ran off down the stairs under the stand.

A Blade leaned over and shouted after him down the stairs "Excuse me mate, you've forgotten your missus"

She very sheepishly left to go and find him. Wonder if they're still together?

 

[SuperSonicBlade89]

My dad took me to my first United game at Bramall Lane against Nottingham Forest. He is a Forest fan and we sat right in the middle of the kop. Forest scored first as I recall and my dad jumped up out of his seat ready to celebrate, as soon as he stood up he realised where he was and sat straight back down

Also anyone remember playing pigs about 10 or so years ago? Well "apparently" there was a Wendy fan sat on kop with a pig tattoo on his leg and trouble started, I ended up being pushed at least 10 rows down the kop in the melee. It was funny in a way because the stewards did NOTHING, just watched, then the police only came when the fighting had actually stopped.

 

[Yellarbellyblade]

Taken plenty of mates over the years to games at BL. Never had any issues as they all behaved barring one Wolves fan who couldn’t hold it in at one point
On a similar note I’ve been with them to the reverse games and always had good banter when I’ve been twigged.
That said I was always more circumspect how I behaved back in the day so to speak.

 

[benn5712]

That’s a coincidence, I was on the United end in 79 and I was fairly quiet as well!

It’s all season-ticket holders where we sit but a number of our neighbours had clearly sold their tickets to Man Utd supporters for the home game last season. It has to be said that the infiltrators were good as gold (even kept quiet when they pegged us back) and there wasn’t any bother.

The bit that puzzles me is why a Blade would flog their ticket, especially for such a big game; we were finally back in the Prem, unless you were absolutely desperate for the money why would you do that? To compound it I don’t think I have ever seen us play better football than we did in the first 60 minutes of that game and when McB scored (or rather when VAR couldn’t find a reason to disallow it) there was pandemonium. I would have hated to have missed that.

De Gear kept them in the game that first hour, we should have been out of reach.
Visiting goalies always have their best game at BDTBL. Annoying.

 

[pudseyblade]

I’ve a mate who’s a Watford fan who’s come to lane and sat on kop a few times. No trouble what so ever.

I’ve seen more scrapping with us sens on kop than owt else!

Absolutely this! I saw a lad getting his head kicked in and then ejected from the Kop vs wendy just for being accused of being a pig (think his initial crime was not singing GCB or something daft like that). Thing is, I'd seen him a few times before sat there with ST holders so he was actually a Blade, or at very worst a sympathetic neutral.

I've sat / stood in the home ends myself to watch United at the Sty, Crawley, Cov @ Northampton, Carlisle, Burton Albion, Bradford City, Stoke, plus was meant to be in the home end at Newcastle for that first of covid cancelled games. The Sty was the worst just because the lad next to me kept talking to me and I know f all about Wendy!

 

[Gimli]

I’ve been to quite a few grounds in the home end, Wednesday, Rotherham, Donny, Coventry, Wigan, Derby, Oldham and there’s probably others - I don’t mind being in home end as it’s nearly always with a mate who supports the home team, I’m respectful though and don’t celebrate when we score etc so it’s never a problem. I did celebrate when Billy scored his record breaking goal against Wigan a couple of years ago, nobody seemed to mind.

 

[Jon B]

The Hull horror show in 71 was a game where the 40k+ crowd meant that even the terraces round the cricket pitch seemed full.

After being kicked from pillar to post by Hull, the following Saturday looked like being a continuation of the nightmare.

Me and my younger bro went to S6 to watch Wed v Norwich. With fifteen minutes to go Norwich were 2 nil down and the home crowd were cheering even more when the scoreboard showed United losing 2 nil at QPR (2 Rodney Marsh goals from memory).

Disconsolate, it was one of the very few times we've left a football ground early. As we went behind the Kop we heard a groan as Norwich pulled a goal back, so we'd even missed that!

Sadly, we walked up Herries Road to home in Southey, only to find when we got there that United had scored twice late on and won a precious point. Hull meanwhile were managing to lose at home to lowly Oxford.

 

[Ralph Blade]

Man Utd all around me to the front of the South Stand for the first ever Premier League match. They got a lovely view of Brian Deane’s goal. It got a bit tetchy for a while, enough to take your attention off the game.

In fifty years of going to football, they are the team’s supporters who I have witnessed doing this the most. Problem is they don’t appear to want to do it quietly, usually the stewards threw them out.

Nowadays, with away allocation being what it is, I can’t get tickets for the limited number of games I can physically attend. I’m not a youngster so I just go in the quieter of the home stands and shut up, I get enough pleasure from just going to a match so little do I get the chance.

One exception, I did get an invite to the Port Vale VIP suite with my then girlfriend in my younger days, I think it was the promotion season. When Bryson scored the equaliser we just had to celebrate. We then kept our heads down for the rest of the game, the people who took us were Vale fans and they were ok with it because we got asked back.

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

I was born and bread in Sheffield but now live in a little village near Pontefract hence the username.

My lads best mate who's a pig fan goes with my lad if I can't attend for whatever reason and has no issues whatsoever although he's very respectful, plays semi pro, loves football full stop and grew up round here so doesn't have the hatred that proper Sheffielders have towards the other lot as hasn't grown up with the rivalry all the way through school. In fact I'm not quite sure why he supports them as everyone else born and bred round here supports Leeds.

In case you’re not aware , Upton is the place where Joe Shaw played his football before joining the Blades .

That alone entitles anyone living in that fair village to be proud to be a resident .

 

[wak1889]

I Don’t want this to turn into a “during the 70’s we used to take a firm into their end” kind of thread, but I’m sure the odd post will be inevitable.
I’m wanting to know if you’ve ever had an away fan infront of you at Bramall lane, were they friendly? Did they get sussed out? Did they get thrown out by other blades or stewards?
If an away fan was discreet infront of me and didn’t start showing off it wouldn’t bother me. When I was a kid sat on the John street I remember a Norwich supporting couple probably mid 20’s at the time, no trouble whatsoever but they did get sussed out and a little banter nothing too serious was thrown their way.

When we played Sunderland in championship around Xmas time, the season they went down to where they are now, I was on my own in bramall lane upper , ended up sat next to a Sunderland fan, I sussed him after a few minutes, got talking at half time , he said it was worst Sunderland team in 30 years we had a good chat about their issues , chairman , mis management etc , at the end of the day allegiance aside we are all football fans and all have the same ups and downs

 

[wak1889]

When we played Sunderland in championship around Xmas time, the season they went down to where they are now, I was on my own in bramall lane upper , ended up sat next to a Sunderland fan, I sussed him after a few minutes, got talking at half time , he said it was worst Sunderland team in 30 years we had a good chat about their issues , chairman , mis management etc , at the end of the day allegiance aside we are all football fans and all have the same ups and downs

Actually it may have been the league one promotion season now I think about it, either way they were awful we won comfortably , and we had a decent chat about football

 

[Coily]

Man Utd all around me to the front of the South Stand for the first ever Premier League match. They got a lovely view of Brian Deane’s goal. It got a bit tetchy for a while, enough to take your attention off the game.

In fifty years of going to football, they are the team’s supporters who I have witnessed doing this the most. Problem is they don’t appear to want to do it quietly, usually the stewards threw them out.

Nowadays, with away allocation being what it is, I can’t get tickets for the limited number of games I can physically attend. I’m not a youngster so I just go in the quieter of the home stands and shut up, I get enough pleasure from just going to a match so little do I get the chance.

One exception, I did get an invite to the Port Vale VIP suite with my then girlfriend in my younger days, I think it was the promotion season. When Bryson scored the equaliser we just had to celebrate. We then kept our heads down for the rest of the game, the people who took us were Vale fans and they were ok with it because we got asked back.

That was the case in the 1993 cup game too with a bunch of ManUre fans from Rotherham and per the form when Giggs scored they were not only vocal but started taking the piss.

Sadly for them, they went to the concourse at half time and didn't make it back to their seats which in a way was a shame as it would have been sweet to see them when they missed that penalty late on!

 

[LudlamBlade]

If they behave, then I'd have no issue with it (unless it was a sell out and they'd got tickets that Blades could have had).

I heard two lads chatting about getting the train back to Manchester after City came to BDTBL last season, which was sold out upon sold out...they said their uncle was a blade and "had got tickets for them so they could watch City"...

Me and mi mate asked the steward to chuck em out but apparently there's nowt they can do

One good thing about relegation...cant imagine someone's uncle getting tickets for a sold out game just so two lads can come and watch Birmingham

 

[LudlamBlade]

There were 2 Sunderland fans sat behind me when we played them on Boxing Day a couple of seasons ago. They were very very quiet, and rightly so as they were absolutely gash (Blades won 3-0)

That same game, about 8 of them ended up in the Railway, they were a great laugh!

(In a LOUD and PROPER BROAD Sunderland accent...)

"Eeeee if we keep wer heads down they'll never nertice us, all wearing red and white aren't we"



Absolute great craic that. I even seem to recall Lundstram scored 2 that day?!

 

[billyblademan]

That same game, about 8 of them ended up in the Railway, they were a great laugh!

(In a LOUD and PROPER BROAD Sunderland accent...)

"Eeeee if we keep wer heads down they'll never nertice us, all wearing red and white aren't we"



Absolute great craic that. I even seem to recall Lundstram scored 2 that day?!

Was also in the Railway that day before the match, and there was some good banter with the Sunderland fans. Mostly as they had an utterly awful team and were in the 'if you don't laugh, you'll cry' mindset. As wak1889 above says, they were friendly folk just wanting an Boxing Day beer, and had travelled knowing they were likely to get beat. One summed it up by saying something akin to 'We're that wank, even Chris Coleman has got us to play better'.

 

[Karaoke Blade]

I went to a few matches at the sty in the 70s/80s, usually after being persuaded by my Wednesday mate after a few pints in the Dove and Rainbow.
Never had any bother as I kept quiet, but I remember one match against Chesterfield where ex-Blade, Geoff Salmons smashed in a goal in the last minute. Stood in the middle of the kop I instinctively jumped to celebrate before realising where I was. Thankfully, most of the Pig fans were busy seeking the exits at that point.

 

[Boxadan]

when we played Norwich in the championship it became apparent that the two lads next to me on the kop were Norwich fans. To be fair to them they kept their heads down and were discreet but my lord it made Sharp’s injury time winner that little bit sweeter having them sat muted next to me while the rest of the kop exploded.

 

[Upton_Blade]

In case you’re not aware , Upton is the place where Joe Shaw played his football before joining the Blades .

That alone entitles anyone living in that fair village to be proud to be a resident .

I didn't know that. You really do learn something new everyday.

Do you know what the team was as we have quite a few semi-pro teams around here but none actually in the village anymore?

Frickley Athletic are probably the highest in the pyramid at the moment and where my lads best mate played for a few years but he's now moved to the newly formed Wakefield AFC who have just received massive, for their level, investment. The main goal is to make it up the EFL within a few years. Would be good as it might stop the next generation from automatically being Leeds fans if they have their own football league side.

 

[kevreedy]

I remember being on the kop toward the white wall. against Hull,1971. we got in the ground around 7.15.my dad Uncle Mike and me.
got a lovely view of the pitch. then just a min before kick-off.to big men got in front of me so I asked if I could stand in from of them.I was 12 by the way.
got told to fuck off. and my dad and uncle told me don,t talk to em. they were built like gorillas. and from Hull. so i tried to move a bit managed to move about a foot to one side and I could see. Hull were very dirty and they would have not got away from it these days. we all got our own back. we got promotion and they din,t

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

I didn't know that. You really do learn something new everyday.

Do you know what the team was as we have quite a few semi-pro teams around here but none actually in the village anymore?

Frickley Athletic are probably the highest in the pyramid at the moment and where my lads best mate played for a few years but he's now moved to the newly formed Wakefield AFC who have just received massive, for their level, investment. The main goal is to make it up the EFL within a few years. Would be good as it might stop the next generation from automatically being Leeds fans if they have their own football league side.

He played for Upton Colliery and must have been very young to do so since he was only 16 when he made his debut for the Blades in a wartime match .

He played then as an inside forward , a role which was reserved for players with good ball skills and creativity , which would explain why he always looked so comfortable on the ball later in his career when he moved to half back and finally centre half .

Having watched my local team play against colliery teams in the 1940’s , I shudder to think what kind of treatment he would have been subjected to as a slightly built teenager , but he obviously survived it with flying colours and went on to become one of the greatest defenders I’ve ever seen .

“ Joe Shaw - easily the finest centre half I ever played against “. Nat Lofthouse — The Lion of Vienna .

 

[dublin 10 blade]

12 arsenal fans stood right in the middle of our fans in the 5 - 0 fa cup defeat at the lane in 78 led by the biggest black guy i had ever seen just blended in with our lot till just before kick off when they all chanted arsenal needless to say they were swamped immediatly and led to the lane end

Down the front of our kop in front of me and my mates

 

[WeltonBlade]

Down the front of our kop in front of me and my mates

As a 9 year old, used to stand on the concrete wall clinging onto the white iron picket fence railings at the front of the kop. As these Arse fans we're forcibly escorted to the front and then along to the exit gate - all us little whippersnappers were merrily sticking the boot in . The joy of youth.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

I ended up in the home end at Northampton on 8th April 2017 for an hour, kept my mouth shut, no trouble whatsoever, then Leon Clarke scored the equaliser and I was straight on the pitch celebrating and in the away end before you could say "Johny Fleck is our Scottish hero ... "

 

[cahill]

At the risk of going all ‘good old days’, until sometime in the early 1960s it was normal for supporters (as we were called then) to go where they wanted in the ground. It was good fun, and it is a sad reflection on football fans (as we are now) that we cannot be trusted to mingle.

Great post. I often wondered whether the segregation over the years has made the problem much worse