Were you at the Bristol Derby in May 1990?

[archie andrews]

3 minutes ago, Robbored said:

NTTDS should have pointed that out! He certainly had me guessing.

I went to Trumpton about three times I think but  the memories of 30 odd years go are well faded.

As I said earlier may 1990 Derby in the title bit of a giveaway don't you think.... 

[Kingswood Robin]

24 minutes ago, Miah Dennehy said:

City running away with it, Rovers sold their two star players halfway through the season, City's best player was injured in the run in. It all came down to the penultimate game, Rovers were up for it, City weren't.

Can't argue with Rovers being more up for it, and that was the disappointing bit. Strange feeling though as the following night I watched us get promoted, via Ceefax!

[archie andrews]

3 minutes ago, Kingswood Robin said:

Can't argue with Rovers being more up for it, and that was the disappointing bit. Strange feeling though as the following night I watched us get promoted, via Ceefax!

Couldn't we have still been champions if they lost at Blackpool? 

[Kingswood Robin]

2 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

Couldn't we have still been champions if they lost at Blackpool? 

Yes we could. I remember a rumour spreading around the crowd (on the touchline) on the final day against Walsall, that they were losing. Alas, not the case.

[Robbored]

3 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

As I said earlier may 1990 Derby in the title bit of a giveaway don't you think.... 

Not to me.  

As I pointed out earlier fans of my generation have seen numerous Bristol derbies and I certainly find it difficult to isolate one particular match. I do remember the pitch invasion at AG and a similar event at the tented village when they beat us 1-0 with a Ricky Lambert goal. The police horses had to break it up.

Other than those two all other derbies I’ve seen just blur into one.

[Bristol Oil Services]

27 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

Couldn't we have still been champions if they lost at Blackpool? 

We could, but we couldn't be any more promoted.

[The Gasbuster]

4 hours ago, ooRya said:

Couldn't get a ticket, so watched it looking over the wall at the back of the away end.

My worst ever memory of football. walking back to the car afterwards to the constant rendition of "Goodnight Irene"

Yep, mine also.

Second place behind it being the Gary Smart game three years before.

[Miah Dennehy]

1 hour ago, Moments of Pleasure said:

So, that's Nigel Martin, and, er, .... remind me?

Our leading goal scorer

[The Bard]

My 19th Birthday. Easily the worst.. Remember the atmosphere being ferile. 

We bottled it unfortunately.  

[pillred]

4 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

I think I have somewhere.

I can remember when they got relegated to the conference I had a split second feeling a tad sorry for some of my gas supporting mates.....

.....then I went and found that ticket and laughed my socks off

Years earlier me and 3 mates went to watch city play up at Mansfield we lost the game 2-1, after the game we went for a pint in a local pub, as a souvenir I kept a beermat had it for years glad I kept it it must have been fate the day rovers lost to them and were relegated I took it down to the Duke where there are a number of gasheads, I then proceeded to gleefully show them my beermat it proudly states not much matches Mansfield they didn't seem to see the funny side. 

[Miah Dennehy]

1 hour ago, Kingswood Robin said:

Can't argue with Rovers being more up for it, and that was the disappointing bit. Strange feeling though as the following night I watched us get promoted, via Ceefax!

I was friendly with a few of our players and whatever any City fan thinks of the Rovers squad at that time , it was full of the kind of players you wanted 'on your side'. To a man, they couldn't wait for the game and were convinced that they would out battle City on the night. I had to meet one of them outside the ground about an hour and a half before kick off, I was eating fish and chips and he grabbed a handful of chips and had a big bit of the fish,  when I questioned whether he should be eating that just before the biggest game of the season, he said he could wash it down with a couple of pints and he would still have a certain player in his pocket.

That may well seem a daft thing to say now, but I think he just showed that the players were absolutely brimming with confidence and were convinced City 'didn't like it up em'

Over half a lifetime ago for me, how times have changed.

[pillred]

13 minutes ago, Miah Dennehy said:

I was friendly with a few of our players at the time - and still am with one- and whatever any City fan thinks of the Rovers squad at that time , it was full of the kind of players you wanted 'on your side'. To a man, they couldn't wait for the game and were convinced that they would out battle City on the night. I had to meet one of them outside the ground about an hour and a half before kick off, I was eating fish and chips and he grabbed a handful of chips and had a big bit of the fish,  when I questioned whether he should be eating that just before the biggest game of the season, he said he could wash it down with a couple of pints and he would still have a certain player in his pocket.

That may well seem a daft thing to say now, but I think he just showed that the players were absolutely brimming with confidence and were convinced City 'didn't like it up em'

Over half a lifetime ago for me, how times have changed.

He who laughs last and all that.

[Portland Bill]

2 hours ago, Sir Geoff said:

Remember it clearly....wish I couldnt. Worst away experience ever. I remember trying to leave the ground at 3-0 but the 'old bill' refused to open the gates. Being locked in 10-15 minutes after the end of the match just added to the misery. If only Super Bob had been fit for the run in this result would have been immatreial.

That was the worst part for me, we had to try and force our way off the terrace and couldn’t as we were being kept in, this, after seeing us outplayed by ‘them’. Horrible night, one of the worst as a City fan. 

 

[BanburyRed]

1 hour ago, The Gasbuster said:

Yep, mine also.

Second place behind it being the Gary Smart game three years before.

That Gary Smart game was proper kick in the teeth, battered them for the whole game, one shot on target.....spawny gits!

[archie andrews]

3 minutes ago, BanburyRed said:

That Gary Smart game was proper kick in the teeth, battered them for the whole game, one shot on target.....spawny gits!

Especially feeling dog rough with a hangover from night before and having to endure that.... 

[ralphindevon]

Our form going into what should have been the match on February 3rd was - (not including L Daf cup which we could have done without that season)

Beat Preston

Beat Swindon FA cup

Beat Birmingham away 4-0 famous win

Beat Bury

Beat Chelsea 3-1 famous FA cup win

Beat Chester

Then we should have played Rovers - postponed

Then we beat Cardiff

So we were in the form of our lives 

As it was we went into it with the title hanging on it and on the back of two draws and a defeat at Bolton. Plus we'd lost the best striker in the league to injury. 

To anyone who says it didn't matter as we got promoted anyway wasn't there and/or doesn't understand Bristol football 

 

[ralphindevon]

13 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

Especially feeling dog rough with a hangover from night before and having to endure that.... 

Yes wasn't it new years day? I think there were 20,000 hangovers that day not that you'd feel it if you were  in the away end at full time

And it was 11 or 11.30 am K.O.

[The Gasbuster]

10 minutes ago, BanburyRed said:

That Gary Smart game was proper kick in the teeth, battered them for the whole game, one shot on target.....spawny gits!

Yep. I was sharing a house with three assheads (mates !) at the time. An absolute living hell for weeks after.

[GrahamC]

Yes, I was.

Everything about the entire day was truly effing awful. Rovers played the most basic route one football on a dreadful pitch very effectively, were cynical, dirty & we were very poor.

Their manager (Francis) & many of that team, Alexander, Jones, Holloway & White will never be anything less than figures of total hate to me.

On the way out I saw a guy I knew quite well who was walking back to his car with his old man.

I found out later his Dad died of a heart attack not long after I saw him.

It always put the dreadful experience into some perspective for me.

[Bristol Oil Services]

5 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Yes, I was.

Everything about the entire day was truly effing awful. Rovers played the most basic route one football on a dreadful pitch very effectively, were cynical, dirty & we were very poor.

Their manager (Francis) & many of that team, Alexander, Jones, Holloway & White will never be anything less than figures of total hate to me.

On the way out I saw a guy I knew quite well who was walking back to his car with his old man.

I found out later his Dad died of a heart attack not long after I saw him.

It always put the dreadful experience into some perspective for me.

Graham (C) is back, Graham(C) is back, hello, hello ...... every cloud, and all that 

[slartibartfast]

6 hours ago, weepywall said:

I was actually in the Rovers end that night, only ticket I could get, not a pleasant experience I can assure you. 

So was I, got chucked out after the second went in !

[zider_drinker]

A bitterly disappointing night. I think Mark Gavin had a half chance early on and from that point we were never at tha races.

A tough one to get over, and heading into the Walsall game I thought the celebrations may be a bit muted as we had ended up being promoted due to other results going in our favour. Couldn’t be more wrong, great atmosphere and scenes. So proud to be a City fan that day.

[Vespa Red]

I was living in London at the time and got the "London branch" coach down to Bath.  We met in a pub opposite Charing Cross station at opening time, had a few, got loads of cans for the coach (although Police had powers to stop and search football coaches back in the day, they weren't going to stop a coach going to Bath from London on a day when none of the London clubs were playing away), stopped at a pub just outside Bath and got to the ground just in time for kick off.  

I have absolutely no memory of the first half.  And when I did start to register what was going on, it was all a bit of a nightmare and pretty toxic.

At the end of the game, it took us for ever finding our coach (walking round the back streets of Twerton), and when we did get back to London, it was after all of the trains had stopped running.  So, night bus back to Edmonton feeling dehydrated and deflated.

I think I went the following year on the train from Bristol but that might have been a Gloucester Cup game (it was warm).  ******* shit hole!

[Paulton Red]

I was there, had the potential to be a great day...my reality was a little different.

searched approaching Temple Meads so missed train! When finally got in the ground some **** was trying to rip down the advertising hoarding  above the terrace causing a surge and I was one of a few people crushed (cider and heat didn’t help things). Finally got over the wall (police tried to come over to get me but kept getting attacked by our fans) got stretchered to the first aid facility (a garden shed!) 

Left the shed at the end of the game and walked to the small station down the road (Oldfield Park?) and waited for 20 minutes till a chap walking his dog told me the station was closed!

finally got on the train at Bath Spa which was now full of celebrating gas, kept my head down, chatting to another city fan, till ticket chap came along, my new friend had no ticket and not enough money so I gave £1 for his ticket, which meant that instead of taxi had to get bus. Was a shit day, can we talk about Bradford away league cup quarter final please, now that was a great day!

[Lanterne Rouge]

3 hours ago, The Bard said:

My 19th Birthday. Easily the worst.. Remember the atmosphere being ferile. 

We bottled it unfortunately.  

Happy Birthday for Saturday fellow Taurean!

It was my 31st birthday and it has to be said, I`ve had better ones! I imagine you, like me, got totally pissed off with their rag of a fanzine being called the 2nd Of May for years afterwards. We got our own back when they got relegated to Division 4 for the first time in their history in 2001 though - on the 2nd of May.

One of many things I remember vividly about the game is, after the third went in, the blue few singing `We`re going up with the County`, and thinking `Please no, that mustn`t happen`!

Of course, a far more important date in early May will always be the 3rd and will be celebrated by 95% of Bristol for many more years to come!

[Sweeneys Penalties]

I remember that night all to clearly. Sinclair was shaking like a leaf from the time we trotted out, and I felt the evening could only be bad news from that point onwards. I remember Big Dev's goal that started to put the skids under us, them singing "will you ever beat the Gas"....and when the Advertising Boards went flying nearly got the beating they were anxious to query. Like many other fellow Reds I did a fair bit of ranting that night, and towards the end someone tapped me on the shoulder and passed me a piece of paper...I looked at it, and was assured it was Holloways home address,,,,and it was to be torched after the game. As vile a mood as I was in, I recognised this was going waaaaay to far, and left the ground a minute or so before the end. As I left a cop looked at me and asked "had enough?" I passed him the paper I was given and told him what I was told....then left. I drove back to Bemmy and hauled myself into the Hen and Chicken. A girl at the bar casually asked "how did it go"? "We got cuffed" she was told and swallowed more and more and more lager. The pub eventually filled, and I swear I have never been to a pub before or since, that was so crowded, and so quiet. Absolutely nobody wanted to talk. 

[NickJ]

8 hours ago, Malaggro CNF said:

Plenty of fake ones of these were flying about.

Horrible night.

I think Bath are still trying to tidy up the aftermath. 

Yes I had one, from a lad at Bolton the week before.

Was rather lively there as well.

6 hours ago, Buster Footman's T shirt said:

Still at school. Had fake tickets. Remember it being a hot day. Drove over to Bath from Knowle with my mates older brother in his yellow Cortina. Remember Bath road being chokka with city cars on their way. Arrived not long before kick off. Horrible tense atmosphere.  Remember a police cordon around the ground and outside away turnstiles checking tickets. Needless to say ours were found to be fake and we didn't get in. My mates brother had a real ticket and got in so we could not get home. Got taken outside the double decker police bus and asked where we got the tickets. Just said off a bloke at Ashton gate. We made our way around to the hill above Twerton where we could only see about half the pitch. Loads of other City Fans up there. Enough said about the game...clearest memory of what I could actually see of the pitch was I think John Bailey being treated after swallowing his tongue?...awful memories of partying ahead singing that Irene dirge. Took hours to get home.

Me too. Was pissed of not getting into the ground but had to see the funny side when the coppers told us it was easy checking because all the fakes had the same number.

The hill was packed.

One of several memorable Gas derby days, so many of them seem to have unusual memories. The farcical "all ticket" lockout a few years later at Ashton Gate was one, but another lockout not so many will know about or remember was pre all-ticket days, Easter 1975. Or there was the FA Cup Sky televised spectator pincer movement on the pitch of around 1998(?) was it? Or the FA Cup 2-1 win at Eastville of around 1985? I recall being in a large group of City lads being marched from that pub by the Hippodrome to Easville for that one. Or the "whoosh" game at Ashton Gate, Rovers lumping it up to Devon White at every opportunity, piss taking at its best from City. Or a Gloucester Cup at Eastville when I was a lad and my dad whacked a Rovers bully who with his mates was having a go at a lone City fan wearing a red scarf.

All great memories.

[AshtonOldBoy]

Yes I’m afraid I was at trumpton on that lovely sunny evening I would have to concede that the city players completely froze on this occasion I remember rob Newman and glen humphries looking up to the city fans behind the goal and looking absolutely petrified and someone shouted it’s alright for you ...........s you don’t have to go to work with them tomorrow!!!!!!! On this night the gas wanted it more than the city players but one thing both sets of fans were unanimous on was “we all agree roger malone is a W.............R!!!!!!!!

[Bristol Oil Services]

23 minutes ago, Sweeneys Penalties said:

I remember that night all to clearly. Sinclair was shaking like a leaf from the time we trotted out, and I felt the evening could only be bad news from that point onwards. I remember Big Dev's goal that started to put the skids under us, them singing "will you ever beat the Gas"....and when the Advertising Boards went flying nearly got the beating they were anxious to query. Like many other fellow Reds I did a fair bit of ranting that night, and towards the end someone tapped me on the shoulder and passed me a piece of paper...I looked at it, and was assured it was Holloways home address,,,,and it was to be torched after the game. As vile a mood as I was in, I recognised this was going waaaaay to far, and left the ground a minute or so before the end. As I left a cop looked at me and asked "had enough?" I passed him the paper I was given and told him what I was told....then left. I drove back to Bemmy and hauled myself into the Hen and Chicken. A girl at the bar casually asked "how did it go"? "We got cuffed" she was told and swallowed more and more and more lager. The pub eventually filled, and I swear I have never been to a pub before or since, that was so crowded, and so quiet. Absolutely nobody wanted to talk. 

Yes, that "will you ever beat the gas?" was a good question that I'm not sure we ever answered appropriately. It was the ninth of a run of ten unbeaten games for them (not including Glos cup stuff) so the answer to that question, that night, might have been: "Yes, next season. Thanks for asking. Just the one more game without a win."

I believe, since that night, we have played them 24 times, winning 12, drawing 5, losing 7. 

 

[BS4 on Tour...]

7 hours ago, Robbored said:

NTTDS should have pointed that out! He certainly had me guessing.

I went to Trumpton about three times I think but  the memories of 30 odd years go are well faded.

The title of the thread seems pretty clear - especially the bit that mentions ‘May 1990’...