Your Worst Experience With A Police Force When Watching City Away

[cockneyrobin]

Had a similar discussion about this with a few guys in a bar the other week and thought i'd post it on here to hear your experiences.

The usual suspects (West Midlands Police) tend to crop up quite frequently though Derbyshire Constabulary are in my hall of shame

My own personal worst experience was back in season 92/93 when we travelled to the Baseball Ground to play Derby County.

We were stood on the terrace next to a bunch of County neanderthals who were making cut throat gestures at us throughout the match and once we nicked the game in the last minute to win 4-3 then things took a turn for the worse!

City fans were getting bricks and stones thrown at us from over the fence separating the two sets of fans outside in full view of the police who stood by and did nothing and then loads of Derby thugs ambushed City fans at the train station with no police in sight as they were running around like Keystone cops up the road.

We actually saw one copper nodding and winking at some of the 'Derby lads' as they walked away from the carnage!

[TRUEBRIT66]

Walsall play offs 1988, I dont think any car/mini bus/train or coach went back to Bristol that day with the same number of people on it who went there.

Police were trully awful that day, any one who went will know

[Br 1st ol]

Walsall play offs 1988, I dont think any car/mini bus/train or coach went back to Bristol that day with the same number of people on it who went there.

Police were trully awful that day, any one who went will know

This.

After david kellys hat trick it was the police saying:

"wasted your time coming here...wait til the dogs get you. etc etc."

"Only another hour and then it will really kick off..."

As a policeman's son, i was shocked...

That whole afternoon was caused 100% by the police and their attitude.

[westonred]

Walking back to our coach at Liverpool in the 70's i picked up a broken bottle top at the enterance to Stanley Park and gave it to two Mersyside Coppers and said to them this could be used as a weapon they took it off me chucked back into the park and said to me "We dont worry about things like that up here"

Then to top it off i was mugged at knifepoint in the park by a gang of scum while another two Coppers less than 20 yards away turned a blind eye. Apparently it happened all the time to away supporters walking back to their coaches and nowt was ever done.

[Robbored]

Back in 70's City played at Swindon and filled the open end or the Stratton Bank. There were about half dozen coppers in a group just to the side of the goal staring up at us City fans. They stood like that for ages. Then crowd surged forward and tumbled down the terracing which was a common occurrence in those days. I don't know what caused it but the police sergeant drew his batton and leaped over the hoardings into the City fans with his mates after him. He pushed and shoved his way up the bank and then whacked a City fan across the upper arm and when he went over whacked his legs yelling ''come on then, you ****''. The guy he whacked was out of it and showed no resistance and the sergeant stood over him like an ape challenging everyone to a scrap. They then arrested the guy would been assaulted by them. No idea what he had done wrong.

It was common place for the police to behave like that at most away grounds. No-one thought much of it but we all had some sympathy for the guy who been beaten and arrested.

[Avalonred]

Definitely the Walsall playoffs in 88, bloody disgrace to the uniform, dirty b******s, they were the catalyst that triggered the whole thing (along with David 'cock' Kelly).

[Mr Gow]

Walsall away, the wmc had so many complaints, one even by a off duty City supporting pc, that they held an enquiry a while later at broadbury rd nick. (play offs)

[Portland Bill]

I've had a few! Got beaten up by the Police behind there main stand at Swindon,we had gone in there seats by the Town end that day.

West Brom away, got dragged out of a mini bus and got slapped about by wmp because I smiled at them ( I kid you not!).

Numerous other times in the late 70's and 80's things went on.

Coming off trains at away games and OB were spoiling for it.

Remember at Chesterfield a lad getting badly beaten behind there stand in full view of all of us.

You still get the odd incident nowadays, like QPR away about 3 years ago, but it's handbags now compared to 20 years ago.

[Kenn Loyal]

Walsall play offs 1988, I dont think any car/mini bus/train or coach went back to Bristol that day with the same number of people on it who went there.

Police were trully awful that day, any one who went will know

Did not go all plods way, dont think they were to keen on there dog van getting turned over at the back of the open end, and a transit plod carrier being put on its side on the railway bridge.

[southside]

Back in 70's City played at Swindon and filled the open end or the Stratton Bank. There were about half dozen coppers in a group just to the side of the goal staring up at us City fans. They stood like that for ages. Then crowd surged forward and tumbled down the terracing which was a common occurrence in those days. I don't know what caused it but the police sergeant drew his batton and leaped over the hoardings into the City fans with his mates after him. He pushed and shoved his way up the bank and then whacked a City fan across the upper arm and when he went over whacked his legs yelling ''come on then, you ****''. The guy he whacked was out of it and showed no resistance and the sergeant stood over him like an ape challenging everyone to a scrap. They then arrested the guy would been assaulted by them. No idea what he had done wrong.

It was common place for the police to behave like that at most away grounds. No-one thought much of it but we all had some sympathy for the guy who been beaten and arrested.

City always went in the Town End at Swindon in the '70s.

[petehinton]

Wolves away for me - the same game Liam Fontaine scored THAT goal! came out of the ground to have sticks and rocks thrown at us, chased through a few gardens, saw a wolves fan get hit in the face with a batton and saw his nose spurt out with blood instantly...during all of this we remembered we parked outside 'The Wanderers' pub...was a fun half an hour or so!

[Robbored]

City always went in the Town End at Swindon in the '70s.

Definitely did not. The home fans were there because it had a roof. Away fans were and still are stuck down the other open end. The Stratton Bank.

City tried to 'take' the Town End many times but the police always intervened. We got 'escorted' out of there on at least two occasions by the police that I can remember.

The County Ground and Griffin Park are the two away grounds that I've visited most over a 40 year period. In fact I think the County Ground was the first away trip I ever made in the late 60's. Have been there many times since.

[Jordan Tansley]

Not being from the same era as most of the posters on this thread means my experiences aren't quite as savage as they used to be.

However my worst memory was a few seasons ago at Plymouth. We were kept inside the stadium for about half an hour and people had trains to catch to get home so the entire city section forced their way out pushing back stewards, police and horses in an attempt to free ourselves. I remember walking towards the front of the "charge" and seeing a policeman pick out a random city fan and pepper spray him in the eyes from pointblank range. Never heard screams like it.

Nasty buggers that day, though they did save my friends younger brother when a hoard of six fingered pasty munchers got lairy. Dread to think what would have happened of the dogs hadn't been set on them.

[Jesus]

I got told to walk the long way around the stand. Barstewards

[dafarms]

Millwall last season, getting nicked for entering ground drunk. The worst part being locked up at Lewisham. The desk sargent was a total ****. First he was asking if I was Bristol R****s, then going " ohh arr" all the time. Then I was stripped searched, " For entering ground drunk" ????????. Locked up for seven hours, refused Duty Solicitor, not given anything to eat or drink. Then the **** of a desk sargent coming into my cell, and repeating what he said earlier, and then walking back out of the cell. Then when being booked out, told my old man had came to the station and had collasped and was in hospital, and basically told to **** off out of the station.

Now the case has been canceled twice, and the next appearence is on 29th Sept.

[Avalonred]

Millwall last season, getting nicked for entering ground drunk. The worst part being locked up at Lewisham. The desk sargent was a total ****. First he was asking if I was Bristol R****s, then going " ohh arr" all the time. Then I was stripped searched, " For entering ground drunk" ????????. Locked up for seven hours, refused Duty Solicitor, not given anything to eat or drink. Then the **** of a desk sargent coming into my cell, and repeating what he said earlier, and then walking back out of the cell. Then when being booked out, told my old man had came to the station and had collasped and was in hospital, and basically told to **** off out of the station.

Now the case has been canceled twice, and the next appearence is on 29th Sept.

Has your solicitor (or anybody else) suggested contacting the *PCA? Sounds to me you were treated like a terrorist rather than a 'normal' person? Human rights, UK laws, etc.

*PCA, now IPCC

[cockneyrobin]

Millwall last season, getting nicked for entering ground drunk. The worst part being locked up at Lewisham. The desk sargent was a total ****. First he was asking if I was Bristol R****s, then going " ohh arr" all the time. Then I was stripped searched, " For entering ground drunk" ????????. Locked up for seven hours, refused Duty Solicitor, not given anything to eat or drink. Then the **** of a desk sargent coming into my cell, and repeating what he said earlier, and then walking back out of the cell. Then when being booked out, told my old man had came to the station and had collasped and was in hospital, and basically told to **** off out of the station.

Now the case has been canceled twice, and the next appearence is on 29th Sept.

Have you made a complaint to the IPCC about this?

[bringbacktherobin]

Sounds to me you were treated like a terrorist rather than a 'normal' person? Human rights, UK laws, etc.

Your forgetting, footballs fans are not "normal" people in the eyes of the law.

[Robbored]

Millwall last season, getting nicked for entering ground drunk. The worst part being locked up at Lewisham.

I have some sympathy for the way you were treated but if I was planning to turn up even half pissed at an away ground the New Den would be the last place I do it. You need all your wits about you at that place.

[dafarms]

Have you made a complaint to the IPCC about this?

The FSF passed me onto the solicitor I'm using now, and also they have put me onto a Solicitor than specialises in dealing with the Police, who has said It's best to wait until after the court case.

[dafarms]

I have some sympathy for the way you were treated but if I was planning to turn up even half pissed at an away ground the New Den would be the last place I do it. You need all your wits about you at that place.

I'm not guilty Robbo, I did not have anymore than any of the other 60 supporters I was with, but understand where you are coming from.

[Avalonred]

Your forgetting, footballs fans are not "normal" people in the eyes of the law.

Sorry! My bad! I forgot who I was for a minute.......

[southside]

Definitely did not. The home fans were there because it had a roof. Away fans were and still are stuck down the other open end. The Stratton Bank.

City tried to 'take' the Town End many times but the police always intervened. We got 'escorted' out of there on at least two occasions by the police that I can remember.

The County Ground and Griffin Park are the two away grounds that I've visited most over a 40 year period. In fact I think the County Ground was the first away trip I ever made in the late 60's. Have been there many times since.

You may have been in the open end, but the Town end was packed with City all game, every game from '69 - '73, even in the 'School's out for Swindon' match in '72 when City kicked in the gates early and ran across the pitch into the Town end only to be turfed out by police with dogs, everybody went straight back in when the turnstiles opened.

some may have been escorted out but most City stayed put, Swindon lads making futile attempts to get their end back., their best effort was the night match in '73. We didn't play 'em again in the league till '81 - '82 when the terraces on the side were ripped up.

Swindon away in those days was always a huge day out for us,, early train up, round the town, have a chat with the Swindon Town aggro girls (STAG written on their arms in biro!), then back to the station for the next train- load etc. then onto the Town end.

If you still wanna dispute, which I'm sure you do! , have a chat with AN or some of the older City lads.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

You may have been in the open end, but the Town end was packed with City all game, every game from '69 - '73, even in the 'School's out for Swindon' match in '72 when City kicked in the gates early and ran across the pitch into the Town end only to be turfed out by police with dogs, everybody went straight back in when the turnstiles opened.

some may have been escorted out but most City stayed put, Swindon lads making futile attempts to get their end back., their best effort was the night match in '73. We didn't play 'em again in the league till '81 - '82 when the terraces on the side were ripped up.

Swindon away in those days was always a huge day out for us,, early train up, round the town, have a chat with the Swindon Town aggro girls (STAG written on their arms in biro!), then back to the station for the next train- load etc. then onto the Town end.

If you still wanna dispute, which I'm sure you do! , have a chat with AN or some of the older City lads.

Yes you are quite correct, I remember probably 1969, my mates and I hitch hiked up over night and about midday went to the railway station, 2 trains arrived in quick succession. On the escort to the ground I looked backed and I could'nt believe my eyes, the whole road width and length jammed packed with City fans, the noise was deafening. At the ground we were directed to the Stratton bank and we just ran straight around (you could walk fully around the ground in those days) and fully took over the Town end and when I say fully took over I mean it you could hardly breathe in the end the old bill just gave up. in fact a load of other City fans who arrived later came around from the Stratton bank and jammed the Swindon fans into one small corner.

I remember it well I was thrown out twice by the same copper, but still managed to get in for the game.

[Robbored]

You may have been in the open end, but the Town end was packed with City all game, every game from '69 - '73, even in the 'School's out for Swindon' match in '72 when City kicked in the gates early and ran across the pitch into the Town end only to be turfed out by police with dogs, everybody went straight back in when the turnstiles opened.

some may have been escorted out but most City stayed put, Swindon lads making futile attempts to get their end back., their best effort was the night match in '73. We didn't play 'em again in the league till '81 - '82 when the terraces on the side were ripped up.

Swindon away in those days was always a huge day out for us,, early train up, round the town, have a chat with the Swindon Town aggro girls (STAG written on their arms in biro!), then back to the station for the next train- load etc. then onto the Town end.

If you still wanna dispute, which I'm sure you do! , have a chat with AN or some of the older City lads.

I think our wires might be crossed.

The Town End is and always has been the designated home of the Swindon fans with the opposite end being the designated away end. I'm not saying that City fans never entered the Town End because to 'take' it was always the idea and as I said earlier I remember being escorted out of the Town End by the police at least twice. They forced us down the central exit right behind the goal. We weren't allowed to stay there and they herded us out and marched us straight back into the ground and down the passage of the stand opposite the tunnel and into the Stratton Bank. A copper told us that it was safer because the Swindon lads were waiting outside to ambush us.

Its so long ago and I was still a teenager and its difficult to remember the actual year let alone the date or what division it was. Swindon was back then always a tear up. They used get some impressive crowds with gates 14/15k back then.

[DOLMANDAN]

Has to be Walsall away horse charges at woman and children indescriminate baton charges then they wondered why it kicked off !!!! brain dead morons

[slartibartfast]

Definitely did not. The home fans were there because it had a roof. Away fans were and still are stuck down the other open end. The Stratton Bank.

City tried to 'take' the Town End many times but the police always intervened. We got 'escorted' out of there on at least two occasions by the police that I can remember.

The County Ground and Griffin Park are the two away grounds that I've visited most over a 40 year period. In fact I think the County Ground was the first away trip I ever made in the late 60's. Have been there many times since.

Sorry, you obviously weren't there then!

As others have said, from 69 to when we went up in the mid 70's we always were in the Town end, the best Swindon could manage was hiding in the right hand corner of the Shrivenham (double deck ) Stand.

[RedRock]

Swindon away - remember the two special trains and those gates going in. Swindon on their toes but we didn't shift some burley East London dockers from the bottom right corner of the Swindon end I recall. First and thankfully last time we met that lot two weekends on the trot.

Wolves away in the cup around that time was pretty hairy from what I recall, mainly due to the lack of police.The WMP absence on that occasion more than made up for by their abundance and heavy-handedness at our frequent visits to Fellows Park in the early 80's.

[Northern Red]

I was too young to be at Walsall in '88, but my Dad was there and has never forgiven WMP, or David Kelly (the fact that he seemed to score against us each time he played didn't help). More recently, there was a load of bother at Walsall where the WMP were nicking City fans for allegedly being drunk. This is a common WMP tactic, their officers at other grounds on their patch have done it to fans of various clubs

My worst experience was at the hands of the South Yorks plod. It was the game at Sheff Wed in 2004, where we were on the back of 11 straight wins and took 5000 up there. The away end is 2-tiered, and they only had the top section open. We got in around 40 mins before kickoff, but it quickly became clear that this section woudn't be enough to house all of us. They didn't open the lower bit until kickoff, leading to a mad rush to get in to that section. Without wishing to get into a debate, it seemed they'd learnt bugger all from 1989.

However it was after the game that the fun started. As you'll recall, City lost 1-0, conceding the winner in the last minute of injury time. As we left the ground, a load of Wednesday were winding our lot up, and there were a few scuffles, but nothing major. A load of City queued up for the tram back to town. We were herded on and crammed in like sardines, there were kids in there struggling to stand up. The trams in Sheffield use the road as opposed to a separate track, and it took ages to get away. The tram was supposed to take us direct to the station, but instead stopped somewhere in the centre, and the police made everyone get off and escorted us to the station on foot. Anyone daring to speak out of turn or not comply was getting whacked, the plod were saying stuff like "this is our town, you'll do as you're ******g told". Their attitude was arrogant, heavy-handed, and could have caused a major problem with a group of already irritated fans who'd seen their team beaten so late. Even at other grounds such as Barnsley & Donny, even though I saw no trouble, their presence seemed way over the top for the amount of people there.

[HIGHRIDGE BCFC]

Definitely did not. The home fans were there because it had a roof. Away fans were and still are stuck down the other open end. The Stratton Bank.

City tried to 'take' the Town End many times but the police always intervened. We got 'escorted' out of there on at least two occasions by the police that I can remember.

The County Ground and Griffin Park are the two away grounds that I've visited most over a 40 year period. In fact I think the County Ground was the first away trip I ever made in the late 60's. Have been there many times since.

Robbo,I think City were only in the Town End legitmately once. That was the game when Bent ran from deep in his own half and slotted for a 1-0 win in the early 90s I reckon.