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Reading away 80s


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30 minutes ago, RedRock said:

Yep. Even when Millwall came down following their match with us at The Gate the previous Saturday.

 

Know there’s been a bit of a ‘do’ away at Bolton and Millwall in the relatively recent past but was the last big ‘off’ The Cherry Tree incident at Plymouth? Most odd was walking up to the this random pub only to witness a hundred or so City being chased down the road by the owners of a second hand car dealership wielding axes. Undeterred went into the pub and it was like a bomb had just gone off, but bizarely a few groups of stray City lads having a pint. 

The few lads left in the pub were claiming that now the trouble makers had gone it was alright to continue drinking,the landlord begged to differ.

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22 minutes ago, NOTBLUE said:

The few lads left in the pub were claiming that now the trouble makers had gone it was alright to continue drinking,the landlord begged to differ.

Thanks for explaining the reasons for one of the strangest pre-match atmospheres we’ve experienced in a pub.

Didn’t stop us having a couple though! 

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Interesting collection of reminiscence of the reading game.Not sure everyone claiming to be there was.

Because it was a top of the table clash we travelled up in numbers.With terraces we were in early.What sparked everything off was a group of city in the away end(or side of the pitch)as a scrap started ,city fans from other parts of the stadium ran across the pitch to join in.

City fan’s gained the territory and the fighting stopped.When reading team came out it was virtually silent as city fans now in all parts of the stadium.When City came out it was like a home game ,cheering from all sides.Eventually the police started to shift the city fans back to the away end which is when the terrace got ripped up and things got a bit grim,also lots of city attacking the police stood on r side of away terrace keeping fans away from reading side.Lots of split heads from truncheons.

The game itself was a massive disappointment and we were never really in it.

Not involved in any of the above myself, definitely carnage for a time ,certainly nothing to be proud of ,but it was fairly par for the course at that time.

Anyone remember when city fans replaced the padlocks on the gates at back of tote end and entered on mass before the game ,stood in the away terrace looked like large group of rovers arriving until the chant(gas gas got to get rid of the gas )chant went up and the centre of the tote end emptied of blue and white.

Glad I don’t have to take my kids to games like that now,but as a teenager it was definitely a buzz.

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2 minutes ago, Redtrojan said:

Interesting collection of reminiscence of the reading game.Not sure everyone claiming to be there was.

Because it was a top of the table clash we travelled up in numbers.With terraces we were in early.What sparked everything off was a group of city in the away end(or side of the pitch)as a scrap started ,city fans from other parts of the stadium ran across the pitch to join in.

City fan’s gained the territory and the fighting stopped.When reading team came out it was virtually silent as city fans now in all parts of the stadium.When City came out it was like a home game ,cheering from all sides.Eventually the police started to shift the city fans back to the away end which is when the terrace got ripped up and things got a bit grim,also lots of city attacking the police stood on r side of away terrace keeping fans away from reading side.Lots of split heads from truncheons.

The game itself was a massive disappointment and we were never really in it.

Not involved in any of the above myself, definitely carnage for a time ,certainly nothing to be proud of ,but it was fairly par for the course at that time.

Anyone remember when city fans replaced the padlocks on the gates at back of tote end and entered on mass before the game ,stood in the away terrace looked like large group of rovers arriving until the chant(gas gas got to get rid of the gas )chant went up and the centre of the tote end emptied of blue and white.

Glad I don’t have to take my kids to games like that now,but as a teenager it was definitely a buzz.

Was on the Tote that day,but as I remember the padlocks had been cut the night before,problem was they had been replaced and the City fans had to climb over the locked gates to join the rest of us.We got in with forged tickets,with exactly the same serial number on,it wasn’t hard as it was just printed on coloured card,orange if I remember rightly.

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16 minutes ago, Redtrojan said:

Interesting collection of reminiscence of the reading game.Not sure everyone claiming to be there was.

Because it was a top of the table clash we travelled up in numbers.With terraces we were in early.What sparked everything off was a group of city in the away end(or side of the pitch)as a scrap started ,city fans from other parts of the stadium ran across the pitch to join in.

City fan’s gained the territory and the fighting stopped.When reading team came out it was virtually silent as city fans now in all parts of the stadium.When City came out it was like a home game ,cheering from all sides.Eventually the police started to shift the city fans back to the away end which is when the terrace got ripped up and things got a bit grim,also lots of city attacking the police stood on r side of away terrace keeping fans away from reading side.Lots of split heads from truncheons.

The game itself was a massive disappointment and we were never really in it.

Not involved in any of the above myself, definitely carnage for a time ,certainly nothing to be proud of ,but it was fairly par for the course at that time.

Anyone remember when city fans replaced the padlocks on the gates at back of tote end and entered on mass before the game ,stood in the away terrace looked like large group of rovers arriving until the chant(gas gas got to get rid of the gas )chant went up and the centre of the tote end emptied of blue and white.

Glad I don’t have to take my kids to games like that now,but as a teenager it was definitely a buzz.

 

Went in the Tote from the back just before kick off the first derby game after segregation was introduced. Didn’t end particularly well but have the honour, alongside several others, of being the last on the Tote. 

 

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7 hours ago, One man went.... said:

I was there but was only young then. I was hooked for life. I can remember some fun down Plymouth in those days also. We once had a whole train load of City stopped before Plymouth station and sent back the other way. Because some nutjob had carved up a bar with a chainsaw and was wealding it with menace at anyone who cared to have a go.

Thanks for giving the reason why we weren't allowed off the train. I never knew until now!

I was a steward on board that day as well. Beryl would look after the regulars on CATs hence how I got that job!

I'm puzzled as to why I never went to that Reading game. I remember going to the following season's match at Elm Park but for different reasons. I had a cold that was getting worse prior to the game. A steward let me climb back out of the ground via the turnstiles so I could go to the little terraced shop opposite for some flu remedies. Then I had to climb back over the turnstiles to gain readmittance. IIRC it was an early ko to avoid a repeat of the previous encounter.

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On 28/01/2020 at 15:54, swanker said:

I was there as well. Used to get about a bit back in the day. 

Living in Swindon I get to hear a lot of feedback from a Swindon perspective . One work colleague went to the last Swindon v City game where we lost 1-0 under Cotts. He was in the Swindon family enclosure in the Arkells stand with his 2 kids and they ended up being pelted from behind with coins and various other small missiles meant for the City fans in the Stratton Bank. The Swindon fans in the upper seats were throwing them but they weren’t strong enough for them to reach their intended target and fell on their own families below in the same stand. Shocking. 

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On 28/01/2020 at 15:52, Galway Red said:

I remember the away days in the'80s & early '90s like it was yesterday and yet hardly any recollection of any away days since apart from the odd one or two

Same here. Reading away was proper away day for the 80s. 

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On 28/01/2020 at 16:13, Sixtyseconds said:

When you are young you want to see how far you can push things.

How extreme and mad can we be.

Things went too far that day.

Know a few now regret it.

Had a mate who got eighteen months in the big house for the Reading game.

Wasn't a bad lad and it made a mess of his life.

Good point. My mate (RM from Bath) got nicked and did some bird. Fitted up by the OB in court.

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Certainly a mad one, remember distinctly the two teams running out, followed by loads of City in the enclosure on one side crossing the pitch to get in the side opposite.

Made the very bad mistake of wearing a distinctive lemon golfing jumper (it was the 80s?) making me a target for the old bill as a result.

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Must've been working that weekend as that is definitely a fixture I would have travelled to in 1984.  I DID go to the Torquay game spoken of on this thread and can attest that it was quite, er, lively in the vicinity of Plainmoor.

The most insane game I went to wasn't a City fixture but Spurs v West Ham in 1983.  I'll be honest, I ran most of the way back to Tottenham Hale Station (White Hart Lane tube was a right-off!). I'm a lover, not a fighter. 

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I never tire of reading about games like Reading away, it feels like being part of history, all be it a tainted one.

I actually lived in a hamlet on Exmoor that didn’t even have a pub. Now here I was involved in an event so big and mental it made the back page headlines of the nationals  and we’re still talking about it 38 years later.

I can’t be the only one who would find this kind of thing completely unacceptable now and be ashamed to be associated with it……….but at the time it was one hell of a buzz and weirdly helped you deal with unsavoury incidents as life went on.

After all, if you were at Reading, Millwall, Corinthien Casuals, Swindon etc a flare up in a pub, club or whatever would feel like a quiet night compared. 

 

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7 minutes ago, ralphindevon said:

I never tire of reading about games like Reading away, it feels like being part of history, all be it a tainted one.

I actually lived in a hamlet on Exmoor that didn’t even have a pub. Now here I was involved in an event so big and mental it made the back page headlines of the nationals  and we’re still talking about it 38 years later.

I can’t be the only one who would find this kind of thing completely unacceptable now and be ashamed to be associated with it……….but at the time it was one hell of a buzz and weirdly helped you deal with unsavoury incidents as life went on.

After all, if you were at Reading, Millwall, Corinthien Casuals, Swindon etc a flare up in a pub, club or whatever would feel like a quiet night compared. 

 

Reading is a strange one as they never brought many down here when we played them years ago and not sure who their rivals are as it's not us or Oxford maybe Aldershot!

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On 28/01/2020 at 17:12, swanker said:

Think his name was Tim? He drew the plans up for the kitchen extension on my first house. Haven’t seen him for many years. Hope he’s okay. 

Councillor Tim he’s sound living in old people’s home off kellaway ave see him occasionally but likes the scotch too much , seen his mate like up lions last week 

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On 28/01/2020 at 14:41, BTRFTG said:

Yes.

Industrial level 'demolition' of the terrace.

The police dog handler who fell over in the mêlée and was bitten by his own mutt......

Blimey yes- I have a memory of a copper desperately yelling “Cromwell , leave” as his own dog sank its jaws into his arm.

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I can see myself in this photo, I have a copy in my photo album.
The OB wanted to arrest our entire coach as we arrived, there was an 'incident' in the Pub we stopped at. I managed to convince him it was our only way back and that he should let us in the game. Some got the train back, but we risked it and went back to the coach. With the carnage inside the ground, they had forgotten about us so we were fine. I do remember getting threatened with arrest for swearing, which would have been gutting seeing what was going on all around. 

I'm the one in the Nike jacket ?

1313251115_Screenshot2022-01-11at20_20_56.png.2b8a973875b3509d1db8fc9afde62395.png

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4 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

I never tire of reading about games like Reading away, it feels like being part of history, all be it a tainted one.

I actually lived in a hamlet on Exmoor that didn’t even have a pub. Now here I was involved in an event so big and mental it made the back page headlines of the nationals  and we’re still talking about it 38 years later.

I can’t be the only one who would find this kind of thing completely unacceptable now and be ashamed to be associated with it……….but at the time it was one hell of a buzz and weirdly helped you deal with unsavoury incidents as life went on.

After all, if you were at Reading, Millwall, Corinthien Casuals, Swindon etc a flare up in a pub, club or whatever would feel like a quiet night compared. 

 

I know what you mean Ralph. I have literally never had a fight with anyone in my life, but I was always there or thereabouts, in the thick of it at Reading, Dulwich Hamlet, Millwall, Hereford, Cardiff, Aldershot, Torquay, Rovers, Swindon, Walsall, and right there in the Enclosure when West Ham came and had a go. 

Over the years a few of my mates got involved and at times a couple of them got arrested. But not me, I'm a lover, not a fighter...

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2 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

I can see myself in this photo, I have a copy in my photo album.
The OB wanted to arrest our entire coach as we arrived, there was an 'incident' in the Pub we stopped at. I managed to convince him it was our only way back and that he should let us in the game. Some got the train back, but we risked it and went back to the coach. With the carnage inside the ground, they had forgotten about us so we were fine. I do remember getting threatened with arrest for swearing, which would have been gutting seeing what was going on all around. 

I'm the one in the Nike jacket ?

1313251115_Screenshot2022-01-11at20_20_56.png.2b8a973875b3509d1db8fc9afde62395.png

I was stood at the top of the terrace behind you, watching it all going off. The image that has stayed in my memory ever since is pretty vivid... a massive chunk of concrete slung over from our terrace and landed on the head of a copper. Just broke over his head. So shocking. I hope he was OK. 

Good times though :) 

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