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Unexpected encounters with City fans


TedsHeadIs Red

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On arrival at RAF Gutersloh and was put in a transit room for the first night.

Bloke in the next bed was a City fan! After that first night, I never saw him again in the subsequent three years.

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In 1994 I was driving through Hungary & stopped in a car park at Siofok near Lake Balaton. It was pissing down & the car park was very quiet but 5 minutes later a Hareclive minibus pulled up & a bloke got out in a City shirt.

I debated getting out & having a chat but it was far too wet.

I drove off just after wondering if it had actually even happened.

 

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2 random encounters I’ve had over the years: Spotted a guy wearing a City training top in the sports club in my small Yorkshire town. Turned out he was Jon Stead’s cousin and had been given the top.

Back in 2007, I trekked to the summit of Kilimanjaro. As anyone who has completed it can tell you, the final ascent is a gruelling slog. As I queued to get my pic taken with the sign which marks the top, I looked up, only to see a bloke in a Rovers shirt having his snap taken. We “exchanged pleasantries”. Amazingly, he lived in my mum & dad’s road in Downend.

 

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27 minutes ago, East Yorkshire CideRed said:

2 random encounters I’ve had over the years: Spotted a guy wearing a City training top in the sports club in my small Yorkshire town. Turned out he was Jon Stead’s cousin and had been given the top.

Back in 2007, I trekked to the summit of Kilimanjaro. As anyone who has completed it can tell you, the final ascent is a gruelling slog. As I queued to get my pic taken with the sign which marks the top, I looked up, only to see a bloke in a Rovers shirt having his snap taken. We “exchanged pleasantries”. Amazingly, he lived in my mum & dad’s road in Downend.

 

Hope you pointed out that it was the first time Rovers or anybody associated with them had been top of anything.

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On 30/05/2020 at 13:07, BS4 on Tour... said:

Play offs 2008 - I was in a remote part of Spain when the first leg vs Palace took place. Found a small bar in the Spanish mountains and to my delight they were showing the game. There was about 5 people in the bar. Long story short, we scored and I jumped around making a bit of a fool of myself then realised two other guys at the back of the bar were doing the same - they were from Bedminster - small world out there!

I watched that first leg with one other City fan, who I had never met before or since. In a pub in Looe, owned by Neil Warnock!

Met Harold Jarman in Corfu town and Dave Staniforth another Gas player in a grocery shop in Minorca.

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2012 - Bradley Wiggins was about to win the Tour De France. 
It was the penultimate stage. Wiggins had a comfortable lead, as long as he got over the last climb of the day, he was home & hosed.
 

My wife and I went up the legendary Col De Tourmalet to witness this historic moment. We climbed 16km to get to 1km from the summit, set up camp at a lovely spot. Got out my St George flag and lay it on the side of the road. 
 

Half an hour later, I’m looking up the mountain and I see in the distance what appears to be a City shirt. As the chap gets closer, I saw that it was a lad I used to work with many years before. 
He joined us for the rest of the day, including for some beers in a mountain-side bar, where the locals were all doing ‘needle in the arm’ gestures at us, insinuating Wiggins was doping, ha ha. As there was now 2 City fans together, we said to ourselves “these locals better watch themselves, this could get tasty” ha ha. 
 

Anyway, turned out the chap had ridden his bike up from San Sebastián and was riding to Paris the next day and hoping to get there in time for Wiggins to be crowned - which he did just about make it. Fair do’s - helluva ride. 
 

The incredibly interesting part of this story is that when Wiggins came past us in the pelaton, my Mrs was filming it, and totally lost sense of perspective whilst looking through the camera.  Wiggins was riding nearest to the crowd and my wife had no idea he was about to ride into her!! A French bloke next to her just managed to pull her back and out of the way, just as Bradley passed. If it weren’t for that guy, my Mrs would’ve taken Wiggins out, 1km from the top of the last climb of the tour and he’d have lost the race, ha ha. 
So, when 2012 became this wonderful year of sport, my Mrs was very nearly responsible for ruining it all, ?

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Circa November 1975 I had arrived in Adelaide as a 16 year old. One day decided to ring my folks back in Nailsea. Those days the operator connected the call. Turned out she was a City fan originally from Yatton (no helping some). Anyway ended up dating her daughter for a short time (thankfully).

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I lived in Crewe, 20 years ago, and was once in Morrisons. Saw a young lad of about 8 yrs of age, wearing a mid 80s Hirerite shirt. 

Thought about giving him a thumbs up and a "c'mon you reds", but as I was a middle aged man, decided against it!

Always wondered who the young star was.

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two encounters stand out, both quite random. the first was when I was booked into a hotel near Bournemouth about 5 years ago and after a long drive and a late arrival I headed to the bar for a beer and got chatting to the barman and turns out he was an avid City fan and had a great chat about the current form of the team.

Most recent was November last year while in Earls Court in the Jurys Inn and sat in the bar watching football and sat next to a guy. Long story short, he was a city fan and we were both ex managers of junior football teams in the avon Youth league. A great conversation about city's form and being a manager of junior football. Random!

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In Fuerteventura 2016 we played Forest live on Sky, First home win of the season. I was in a sports bar in Corralejo, in front of me, 2 Derby fans, 1 Forest fan and 1 at the time, non football fan. Ended up having a fair few drinks with them and taunting the forest fan for the rest of the night, my partner at the time not too happy about it. They were doing a charity cycle round the country and happened to stop off for the night in the accommodation at the bar. The non fan now considers himself as a city fan and have seen he goes to the majority of away days up north. 
 

The next night at the hotel, on the Karaoke like any drunk Brit abroad. Started singing I am a cider drinker, only to be outsung by a couple at the back, Dolman Season Ticket holders from Sea Mills.

Went into a sports bar in Kraków and seen a Dziekanowski shirt behind the bar. Apparently it was a match worn shirt provided by the man himself but that could have just been the manager trying to sell it to me.

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Bit of an odd one but went to Prague the other month and watched Sparta Prague whilst I was there and spotted several City stickers around the ground. :laughcont:

Did make me laugh, can you imagine seeing another clubs football stickers around Ashton Gate?

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5 hours ago, JollyestOli said:

Bit of an odd one but went to Prague the other month and watched Sparta Prague whilst I was there and spotted several City stickers around the ground. :laughcont:

Did make me laugh, can you imagine seeing another clubs football stickers around Ashton Gate?

There’s a few Sparta lads who know a few City lads. Both sets make regular trips to the others games. 
You might sometimes see a Sparta flag flying in the South Stand. 
Here’s a photo of City flags over in Prague 

 

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58 minutes ago, Harry said:

There’s a few Sparta lads who know a few City lads. Both sets make regular trips to the others games. 
You might sometimes see a Sparta flag flying in the South Stand. 
Here’s a photo of City flags over in Prague 

 

9C6440FD-AC5F-46D4-93BD-7C1969D7F573.jpeg

Superb that mate, had no idea.

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Me and my wife were at a Folk Festival at Butlins Skegnes a few years ago . I was wearing a City hoodie and remarked to my wife that I felt a bit out of place as most others there were wearing band/festival attire but as the words came out of my mouth a old guy appeared wearing a City shirt .The fact that someone else was wearing a footy shirt was one thing but it being a City top was amazing . The guy never took it off all weekend and was pissed every time I saw him ,did have a chat with him and a few pics .Great guy have seen him at gigs at the Fleece since and of course at the Gate .Dont think he remembers me from Skeggy probably doesnt remember much about that weekend at all tbh.???

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I was living / working in Melbourne down under back in late 2008 / early 2009 and got yelled at while having a wander around St Kilda one sunny weekend - you don't hear too many locals shouting out "alright me babber" when passing a bar!
When I turned around it was a City fan wearing a training top, so we had a good catch up over a cold one - I was actually wearing a "Gert Lush" T-Shirt from the Beast Clothing range...... ;) 

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Another unexpected one happened when I was staying in a hotel with my family just by Crystal Palace park South LOndon ,About mid afternoon we left the hotel I decided to wear my City top ,nice to show colors when away somewhere .Just about to cross the road by hotel when a v flash open top sports car drove past ,the driver slowed a bit and shouted " up the City " Completely took me by surprise ,they had past me by then but pulled up at nearby roundabout .and pointed to his passenger and shouted " its Scotty Murray " 

I had recovered my composure then and shouted You Reds or something like that .What were the chances of them driving past that hotel at that very moment ?

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In Lodz, Poland. I was chatting to the night porter guy at my hotel and I asked how come he spoke such good English. (Well, I was being a bit generous TBH, but his English was a million times better than my Polish).  He told me he had lived for a number of years in Radstock. I asked him if he supported an English football team (most Poles in my experience do) and he shot straight back "Of course. Bristol City."  After that, he greeted me every time I saw him with a heavily accented, "Come on you Reds!"

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Whilst at a wrap up party in Germany for General Dynamics, the head of GD Europe gave a speech, as soon as he opened his mouth I turned to my boss and said "He's from Bristol, can recognize that accent", after his speech we were introduced so I asked which part of Bristol he was from, "Blackhorse" he replied,I lived there as a kid and it turned out we went to the same school though he was a year younger, then he asked "City or Gas?" "City of course!" I said so he took me to the bar and told the staff that I could have free drinks for the rest of the night, Top man!

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Whilst on a lads holiday to Benidorm 18 years ago, walking into the bogs of a bar called Cafe Benidorm at 2am, I bumped into a bloke coming out who used to sit near me in the Atyeo Stand. I didn’t actually know him but I recognised him straight away. I stopped him, confirmed it was him and we had a brief conversation.

Nice bloke.

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Personal favourite of mine. 
October 2018. I flew to Dublin to watch wales play Ireland in the nations league. Got there. Dropped my bags off in the hotel before going to meet a few mates who flew earlier in the day who live in Caerphilly. We went into a bar just past temple bar. Not far enough to be close to the ground yet but far enough to get a pint for a euro cheaper. 
turned around at the bar. I saw a friend of mine who is from Brislington. Huge city fan. Had no idea he was around. Had a long chat with him and it turned out he was off to the game too after popping over to visit some of his extended family. Had a great night. Several fruity ciders and Guinesses sunk. Wales won 1-0 which led to a great night out !

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Was on the Isle of Wight for a long weekend a few years back. Got speaking to an old boy in the local pub and it turned out that he’s a City fan and gets the ferry and train to Ashton Gate for every Saturday home game but can’t make midweek evening games. Nevertheless that’s some commitment. 

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20years ago I we t into a bar in Thailand and saw a City shirt and scarf amongst others on the wall. Spoke to the guy behind the bar and turned out he was a city fan. He even let me have some of his personal stash of Blackthorn!

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October 2018. I flew to Dublin to watch wales play Ireland in the nations league. Got there. Dropped my bags off in the hotel before going to meet a few mates who flew earlier in the day who live in Caerphilly. We went into a bar just past temple bar. Not far enough to be close to the ground yet but far enough to get a pint for a euro cheaper. 
turned around at the bar. I saw a friend of mine who is from Brislington. Huge city fan. Had no idea he was around. Had a long chat with him and it turned out he was off to the game too after popping over to visit some of his extended family. Had a great night. Several fruity ciders and Guinesses sunk. Wales won 1-0 which led to a great night out !

We’re you not brought up to be English PeterStyvar but turned all Taff when they finally qualified for a major tournament??
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I was on a military detachment at an American Air force base in Turkey. Got talking to the Wing Commander in charge of our lot and it turned out that he grew up in Bristol and was an Eastender at the same time as me. Top bloke 

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Went on holiday about 10 years ago to Woolacombe and watched us away against Forest in a bar, 1 other City fan and a florist fan, they absolutely battered us all game and we sneaked a 1 nil away win.

The Florist fan was absolutely gutted as we celebrated with a few ciders and city songs.

Turned out the City fan was staying next door to me in holiday park just up the road, small world ?

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Not a city fan ,but in the loire valley,France last year my sons were racing down the water slides with some dutch boys,me and the Dutch boys father were catching our sons at the end of the slides when he noticed my city tattoo,he was a willem II  fan..we talked footie for hours then,top man

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