Jump to content
IGNORED

Eastender or Parkender?


Top Robin

Recommended Posts

Just reading through these posts makes you realise what an apprenticeship/journey Ashton Gate was for many of us.

I also started out in the East End as a young kid who was skint, the old man then bought me a season ticket when in the old 1st Div for the Dolman. Was then addicted to Bristol City. He got fed up when we got relegated from Div 1, Div 2, etc, so I then went in the Parkend for a year or two until I nearly died of pneumonia one game. It used to get bloody wet and when it was backed by a Force 9 gale from the East End/Dundry hills direction, it was bloody wet and freezing cold.

Met the legendary Ricky M from Bath (also now passed - RIP Ricky) in there a few times (too many stories to tell on here about Ricky who was a well known character down AG) and then ended up in B Block Dolman for many years with him watching some great City teams. Used to love how Dolman B Block would quietly fill up prior to kickoff, the away fans would be singing there songs thinking “where are there lads?”. At 2.59pm, the whole of Dolman B Block would stand up in unison and sing “Baaaristol”. Quite often, the look on the away fans faces was one of white fear when they realised what was waiting for them post match. 

Great thing about Dolman B Block is you always had a great view of the Parkend when it kicked off!

They were brilliant days - always remember how quite often the Parkend would start a song, followed by the Dolman, then followed by the East End & Enclosure. On a big game, quite literally the whole ground would be singing.

Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up just thinking about it here in 2020. Loved the old ground!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

East End just to the right of that enormous hole in the roof that the rain poured through like a waterfall. It always looked weird when it was chucking it down and the whole end was rammed except for a big empty space in the middle! Rare forays into the Park End, the most memorable being the night Peter Cormack scored to effectively relegate Spurs - they weren`t happy! I also recall one game v Coventry where their fans had liberated all the rolled up newspapers from the station and were setting light to them before lobbing them over the fence.

Tottenham ripped up the away end that night. They brought a load down to Bristol and and caused havoc outside. Big mob!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember being in the park end for a match in the mid eighties when i saw the police come through with a suited Gentleman. The said Gentleman then served some kind of warrant in a brown envelope onto a unsuspecting City Fan. Not surprisingly the City fan was having none of it until plod intervened and server the notice for what we now know was a bailiff .

I remember the city fan shouting and moaning that it was unacceptable to be serving a warrant while he was at football and the bailiff replied "we have trying to serve this on you for weeks and you have been one step ahead until today. We knew you would be on this terrace because you never miss a match" !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Parkender with dad and bruv in with the away fans - when we could afford it

Dolman with dad when my own games got postponed

Long gap

Atyeo tin shed with Joe (ST)

Williams tin shed with Joe (ST)

South Stand corner with Joe (ST)

Lansdown corner / middle section with a Joe (ST)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Red beard man.... struth remember him! RIP fella.

There was normally a group at the top on the pen near to the dividing fence with a guy called ‘Tank’ I recall. Loads of South Bristol lads though, so us ‘Northerners’ seemed to be few and far between on the Park End in those days. The Southmead lot, who seemed to be sizeable in the earliest East End days, appeared to have thinned out a bit or at least didn’t transfer in large numbers to the Park End.    

Also remembering Clive, who died way to young. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Harry said:

You must’ve stood in the same place as me. 
 

Was originally in the East End but moved over to the Open End in 90/91. We stood up in the top corner next to the away fans. 
Same faces every week. All superb blokes and great camaraderie. 
 

The guys you mention, Little Ronnie - what a guy! Sadly died a few years ago. 
And the ‘red beard’ man was indeed Kev (aka Springer). And yes, he sadly died in late ‘18. 

When I first went up there as an impressionable kid, Springer and his group were looked up to and respected. I felt privileged that they became good mates. 
 

The ‘bants’ with the away fans was great. Often aggressive but also often very funny. Was always much better when the middle pen was open and the away fans were only 5 yards away from us. 
 

After the East End, and then the Open End, I progressed to Dolman B, then the Williams for a couple of years next to the away fans when they were first put in the EE corner. I recall some interesting games in there vs Millwall, Stoke & Rovers!! 
 

Then back to the East End after its reopening. Then Williams for the Cotterill promotion year, then both sides of the Atyeo, then back to the East End corner and now up in the family stand. 

Haha, I'd be certain I'd know you by face in that case as not only did I stand on the same spot in the Open End, after that was demolished i relocated first to B Block and then to the Williams corner by the EE!

Unfortunately, moved abroad in 2000 and that was pretty much the end for me barring my one or two trips back each season to AG. Lovely memories mind, especially of the Open End which had such a fantastic mix of older characters / terrace legends / cider monsters and us young uns. Very happy days, and it's a privilege to have caught the tail end of the terraces. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started out in the Dolman with my dad when I was a young child. Then as a teenager I migrated to the East End in between those two central pillars. I loved it in there.

I only stood in the open end a couple of times for novelty value once the EE was made all seater (it was never quite the same once that happened). 

1 hour ago, CotswoldRed said:

East end. Just loved the noise off that roof. 

Absolutely. The noise in there could be incredible. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Getting all misty-eyed with this thread, so started skimming through the photos on the Ashton Gate Through The Ages fb page: found this corker. Not my picture, but bloody hell, it brings back memories of walking onto the terrace before a match and making the way to the top corner, craning over the fence to see if the away following was any good, the stench of stale fags, cider and last night's curry hanging thick in the air :D 

 

10344196_10153172007622514_576821397598197012_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, poland_exile said:

Getting all misty-eyed with this thread, so started skimming through the photos on the Ashton Gate Through The Ages fb page: found this corker. Not my picture, but bloody hell, it brings back memories of walking onto the terrace before a match and making the way to the top corner, craning over the fence to see if the away following was any good, the stench of stale fags, cider and last night's curry hanging thick in the air :D 

 

10344196_10153172007622514_576821397598197012_o.jpg

A health and safety / jobsworth's wet dream!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mostly stood in the enclosure, next to the East End, for about my first 15 years from mid 70s until they sadly installed the seats. But I remember a few forays into the East End and the Park End on the odd occasion, which was pretty exciting. The 2-1 win over European Champions Liverpool comes to mind, my feet hardly touched the ground in that crowd.

And then for a short time around 1979/80 we formed a little teenage mod/rude boy/2Tone crew in the schoolboys enclosure.

As young kids from our position in the enclosure we could watch the shenannigans with invading cockneys or mancs trying to get on the East End, without any danger of being involved ourselves. Then a few years later we were joined on our bit of the enclosure by the CSF, which was...erm...eventful, particularly when West Ham came to visit.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, poland_exile said:

Getting all misty-eyed with this thread, so started skimming through the photos on the Ashton Gate Through The Ages fb page: found this corker. Not my picture, but bloody hell, it brings back memories of walking onto the terrace before a match and making the way to the top corner, craning over the fence to see if the away following was any good, the stench of stale fags, cider and last night's curry hanging thick in the air :D 

 

10344196_10153172007622514_576821397598197012_o.jpg

She’s a beauty. 
Yep, in that pic, top corner, past that last yellow gate, behind the last railing, up next to the away fans. 
I’m sure I must’ve stood next to you for a couple of seasons. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry uf already mentioned but am sure the Parkenders used to come in the East end if they got wind of an away team mob going to take the East End. The Parkenders used to group high up just after the entrance and pile into any away fans. Think this is what happened when Spurs came into the East End....that ended up in carnage! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Schoolboys, enclosure (with my dad), then Crackers corner for me, especially in the first division days, before I migrated to the Dolman. Moved back across to the enclosure in the early 80's. Tried the South stand corner when it first opened but back in the Dolman now, where I'll stay. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Harry said:

She’s a beauty. 
Yep, in that pic, top corner, past that last yellow gate, behind the last railing, up next to the away fans. 
I’m sure I must’ve stood next to you for a couple of seasons. 

H was it you smelling of fags,cider and curry?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Top Robin said:

Sorry uf already mentioned but am sure the Parkenders used to come in the East end if they got wind of an away team mob going to take the East End. The Parkenders used to group high up just after the entrance and pile into any away fans. Think this is what happened when Spurs came into the East End....that ended up in carnage! 

Ha ha,spot on,I Remember the Spurs fans almost begging to be let back out,too late..........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, pillred said:

My abiding memory from the open end is the tiny segregation channel between the two sets of supporters what was it 4 foot wide and the mass snowball fight that broke out during one game, who it was against can't remember I'm sure someone will remind me.

I think it was Huddersfield

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, poland_exile said:

ergh, and I recall with embarassment how many people and shirts I must have singed with my own fags when we scored :D 

Never forget buying a showerproof jacket,the latest fashion back then,it was red,black and white with two stripes down the sleeves,looked the ‘dogs’ in it,after wearing it about two or three times someone burnt a hole in the back of it,was it you??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, NOTBLUE said:

Never forget buying a showerproof jacket,the latest fashion back then,it was red,black and white with two stripes down the sleeves,looked the ‘dogs’ in it,after wearing it about two or three times someone burnt a hole in the back of it,was it you??

the amount of times I'd have to inch away from someone after realizing, oh b***ks, I've burned their clothes :D but it all evened itself out over the course of a season! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, poland_exile said:

the amount of times I'd have to inch away from someone after realizing, oh b***ks, I've burned their clothes :D but it all evened itself out over the course of a season! 

I have never smoked ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Norn Iron said:

Best memory I have was standing in the EE watching us play Sheffield Wednesday in the snow early 80s. However, what makes this stand out was the barrage of snowballs thrown from both sides in the Park End. It wasn't a few at once hence barrage!

If it is the same game, the snowball 'fight' was quite good-natured to be fair.

What I recall most, though, was an announcement over the tannoy at half-time (obviously, @Robbored wouldn't have heard it) that, due to the prevailing weather conditions, the last train to Sheffield would be leaving at? 16H30?, meaning the Wednesday fans would have to leave immediately or spend the night in Bristol - cue the chant: 

One Bed & Breakfast, there's only one Bed & Breakfast....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like others moved around a bit. Early days Grandstand enclosure with me 'uncle', East End up until promotion to Division 1. Then onto the Parkend. 

Oh what fun. Some of our lot took a brolly in, which apart from the obvious was dead handy if the coins, spit, food or drink (even darts) got a bit heavy! I was always amazed what an absolute battering the doors at the back took but amazingly I don't think they ever gave way. Always remember one fat, obnoxious, ginger Leeds fan over a couple of seasons who constantly spat at us but it always seemed to cover his own face. 

Later moved to enclosure, Grandstand then Dolman. 

A different world today. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, freezer said:

Like others moved around a bit. Early days Grandstand enclosure with me 'uncle', East End up until promotion to Division 1. Then onto the Parkend. 

Oh what fun. Some of our lot took a brolly in, which apart from the obvious was dead handy if the coins, spit, food or drink (even darts) got a bit heavy! I was always amazed what an absolute battering the doors at the back took but amazingly I don't think they ever gave way. Always remember one fat, obnoxious, ginger Leeds fan over a couple of seasons who constantly spat at us but it always seemed to cover his own face. 

Later moved to enclosure then Dolman. 

A different world today. 

Nothing better than a spitter covered in his own spit,vile barstewards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, poland_exile said:

It's strange how things go. From the two or three years I spent on the Open End there were some legendary figures that, due to living abroad for quite a while now, that I had forgotten about only to unfortunately learn of their deaths via this page / the papers, etc.

For instance, there was a little fella me and my mates used to call 'Nutter' who turned out to be a quite legendary fan by the name of Ronnie / Para. I remember with a smile seeing him chucked down the skittle alley of the Rising Sun for some reason or other by other City (I'm led to believe this was a regular occurence! :D ). Then, another bloke we used to look up to who we knew of as Red Beard Man - turned out to be Kevin Hardiman who passed last year I think it was. As young teenagers, lads like that made a real impression and made watching City the colourful adventure it was back then. 

 

Kevin (Springer) Hardiman was a great bloke. Looked like he'd kill you rather than look at you, but he was a real nice bloke.

Ronnie was good for a laugh. He spent a lot of time in the 3 Lions 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

If it is the same game, the snowball 'fight' was quite good-natured to be fair.

What I recall most, though, was an announcement over the tannoy at half-time (obviously, @Robbored wouldn't have heard it) that, due to the prevailing weather conditions, the last train to Sheffield would be leaving at? 16H30?, meaning the Wednesday fans would have to leave immediately or spend the night in Bristol - cue the chant: 

One Bed & Breakfast, there's only one Bed & Breakfast....

remember that particular episode well. I'm not sure the Wednesday fans got that much notice though....iirc it was a case of "the last train has already left". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...