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Memories Of 87/88


ashton_fan

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Were you watching City 25 years ago? This was the season when Terry Cooper started as manager, made big changes to the squad mid-season which didn't work out and was sacked, replaced by his assistant Joe Jordan as acting manager until the end of the season. Joe then took us to the play-offs for the first time in the club's history. I've taken goal highlights I had from games at Ashton Gate for the second half of the season and made two videos showing how the team progressed over that time. There are also some interviews with fans in the Part 1, does anybody recognise them? Here is Part 1, at the end of this there is a link to Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mndJLUnVH0o

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I remeber quite a bit of that season. Terry Cooper took over around 5 years earlier. I think he got sacked and Joe Jordan took over. The team included David Moyes at CB.

Highlights that season for me was the 5-2 home win against a Brighton side that was very strong. The last day of the season against Doncaster was also an experience too. We needed a win for the play-offs and Colin Gordon got the only goal.

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I remeber quite a bit of that season. Terry Cooper took over around 5 years earlier. I think he got sacked and Joe Jordan took over. The team included David Moyes at CB.

Highlights that season for me was the 5-2 home win against a Brighton side that was very strong. The last day of the season against Doncaster was also an experience too. We needed a win for the play-offs and Colin Gordon got the only goal.

The Doncaster game is featured in Part 2

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Frustrating season for the most part cos we'd done so well the season before, we did end up in the play offs mainly through a good run and everyone else falling apart. Hope you don't include the 0-4 disaster at Walsall in Pt 3 !

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I remeber quite a bit of that season. Terry Cooper took over around 5 years earlier. I think he got sacked and Joe Jordan took over. The team included David Moyes at CB.

Highlights that season for me was the 5-2 home win against a Brighton side that was very strong. The last day of the season against Doncaster was also an experience too. We needed a win for the play-offs and Colin Gordon got the only goal.

I remember Paul Fitzpatrick playing a blinder in the Brighton Game...

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Frustrating season for the most part cos we'd done so well the season before, we did end up in the play offs mainly through a good run and everyone else falling apart. Hope you don't include the 0-4 disaster at Walsall in Pt 3 !

I wasn't planning a Part 3 but I do have the Ashton Gate leg of the Sheffield United playoff SF, will be loading that soon

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Get me the tissues, my first full season! First game was York the previous year, come 87 / 88 I was earning enough through pocket money, sticking up skittles and paper round to get on the coach from Cam / Dursley and not rely on my Dad. Went to pretty much every home game, and the odd away game

Great times, although TC going was a sad moment. More so for the fans that had been through thick and thin with him rather than a newbie like me - but sad to see a genuine club legend leave. Although no one could argue with what JJ produced there after

Gonna get some dinner on and have a bloody good watch - good work again, Mr Archive!

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I remeber quite a bit of that season. Terry Cooper took over around 5 years earlier. I think he got sacked and Joe Jordan took over. The team included David Moyes at CB.

Highlights that season for me was the 5-2 home win against a Brighton side that was very strong. The last day of the season against Doncaster was also an experience too. We needed a win for the play-offs and Colin Gordon got the only goal.

Towards the end of 86-87 City lost a penalty shoot out at Wembley when Gordon Owen missed. For the final game of that season, Swindon visited knowing a draw would see them promoted whilst City neded a win to qualify for the play offs.

With 13 minutes remaining, Jordan was brought down in the area and Gordon Owen opted to take the penalty kick. He shot wide.

The following season, Owen ran out onto the pitch for the opening game with a paper bag over his head and won an immediate pardon from the fans. A signing of 1987 worth note was Tony Caldwell who had been Bolton's top marksman for the past four years. Joe Jordan became Player/Coach due to his vast experience. He would not play in every game, but would appear for tough fixtures. An example of this occurred at Christmas 1987 when Brighton visited. They were unbeaten for 17 games, but were 3-0 down at half time. They then staged a come back and scored twice, so Jordan came on as substitute. He scored a goal and laid on another for an emphatic 5-2 win. Brighton went on to win automatic promotion, but this year City did reach the play offs after a managerial change. Results had dipped and in March Jordan replaced Cooper as Player/Manager. Walsall had finished third and played fourth placed Notts. County. City finished fifth and had to play the twentieth club in division two, Sheffield United. City drew 1-1 at Bramall Lane after winning 1-0 at Ashton Gate thus relegating The Blades. May 25th. 1988, a packed Ashton Gate saw Walsall win 3-1, but three days later, City won the return two nil! In the dying moments a shot for a winning third goal passed inches wide of the Walsall post. A penalty shoot out was now held to determine the venue for a third deciding game. Once again City proved inept with spot kicks and had to return to Walsall on May 30th. In a one sided encounter, Walsall, in their centenary season won 4-0 and with it promotion to division two.

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I remember the Brighton game well,although not for footballing reasons

I was a ten year old lad sat on the wall at the front of the family enclosure in the Williams

City 3-0 up at half time and all of a sudden a woman gets up on the wall next to me,whips up her top and flashes her breasts to all onlookers.

A couple of coppers then made an attempt to arrest her as she made her way through the crowd in the Williams ,her escape being aided by many fans blocking the old bills path.(not sure if they got her in the end)

I still remember one older guy saying "have a mince pie my luv you've made my Christmas" as she was trying to escape the law

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I remember the Brighton game well,although not for footballing reasons

I was a ten year old lad sat on the wall at the front of the family enclosure in the Williams

City 3-0 up at half time and all of a sudden a woman gets up on the wall next to me,whips up her top and flashes her breasts to all onlookers.

A couple of coppers then made an attempt to arrest her as she made her way through the crowd in the Williams ,her escape being aided by many fans blocking the old bills path.(not sure if they got her in the end)

I still remember one older guy saying "have a mince pie my luv you've made my Christmas" as she was trying to escape the law

Remember that, and the girls at Wembley vs Mansfield very well!

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Get me the tissues, my first full season! First game was York the previous year, come 87 / 88 I was earning enough through pocket money, sticking up skittles and paper round to get on the coach from Cam / Dursley and not rely on my Dad. Went to pretty much every home game, and the odd away game

Great times, although TC going was a sad moment. More so for the fans that had been through thick and thin with him rather than a newbie like me - but sad to see a genuine club legend leave. Although no one could argue with what JJ produced there after

Gonna get some dinner on and have a bloody good watch - good work again, Mr Archive!

You aint kidding. Bristol City FC owe that man so much for what he did in the aftermath of 82. Can't believe there is no lasting tribute to TC. I would have called 'Harrys Bar' something in recognition of Terry , 'The Cooper Lounge' has a nice ring to it.

We'll probably wait until he's no longer with us though. Shame.

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Ah, the girls at wembley...think i cricked my neck that day :ill:

Wasn't the only thing I cricked that day mate!

You aint kidding. Bristol City FC owe that man so much for what he did in the aftermath of 82. Can't believe there is no lasting tribute to TC. I would have called 'Harrys Bar' something in recognition of Terry , 'The Cooper Lounge' has a nice ring to it.

We'll probably wait until he's no longer with us though. Shame.

That is a great idea GR.....maybe if we get the ground then he can have a stand or a road named after him. As you say, we do owe the man a debt of gratitude

I could be wrong, but wasn't there a game when some of the crowd started the 'Cooper out' chants and it caused a bit of agro within the East End? I think most people knew the game was up for him, but there was still a hell of a lot of people who wouldn't have a word said against the bloke. As I said, sad moment

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as a younger fan (18 to be exact) i am fascinated watching these types of videos, the poor pitches slide tackles and how the gate has developed so much in the last 2 and a half decades. And as for the goal against Doncaster how was that not a foul? he went in two footed, these days it would be a sending off! haha

Also, nothing seems to change on the attendance front, 6,000 for an average game but when it means something 12,000 more fans come out of the woodwork!

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You aint kidding. Bristol City FC owe that man so much for what he did in the aftermath of 82. Can't believe there is no lasting tribute to TC. I would have called 'Harrys Bar' something in recognition of Terry , 'The Cooper Lounge' has a nice ring to it.

We'll probably wait until he's no longer with us though. Shame.

At the Freight Rover 25th anniversary dinner last year I had the privilege of meeting him, I told him how much us younger fans (I'm 31) owe him for the hard work he put in to pick the club up off the floor in the aftermath of the financial meltdown, he shook my hand! As me and my mate left and we thanked him again he said to us "keep supporting the club lads, it's a great club", IMHO he's right up there as a true Bristol City hero, and as you say the club should recognise this, if not at AG, certainly if we do move to Ashton Vale.

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At the Freight Rover 25th anniversary dinner last year I had the privilege of meeting him, I told him how much us younger fans (I'm 31) owe him for the hard work he put in to pick the club up off the floor in the aftermath of the financial meltdown, he shook my hand! As me and my mate left and we thanked him again he said to us "keep supporting the club lads, it's a great club", IMHO he's right up there as a true Bristol City hero, and as you say the club should recognise this, if not at AG, certainly if we do move to Ashton Vale.

1982 was a critical year in the club's history when it nearly went bust. Roy Hodgson was manager at the time and the Ashton Gate 8 left after tearing up their contracts. City played Fulham at Ashton Gate in February and had to field virtually a youth team as all the experienced players had gone. Over 9000 fans witnessed a 0-0 draw, all the young players gave everything and probably the only City game I've been to where not a single person moaned about anything! However we eventually went down and Terry Cooper was appointed manager for the start of 82/83 with the club in dire financial straits, and there wasn't anybody like Steve Lansdown around in those days. We had some terrible results early on in Div 4 including a 7-1 defeat at Northampton, but TC managed to improve the squad through free transfers and we recovered to 14th at the end of the season having been bottom at one point (our lowest ever league position). The following season we got promoted after winning at Chester in the last fixture of the season. TC took us to two Wembley finals which helped the finances enormously and established us as a stron Div 3 side, so he saved us from disaster, I'm sure most younger fans aren't aware of all this. The current side is the most successful since the 1979/80 season (since we've been in the second tier for six seasons, never been done since Alan Dicks left), sp it's not all doom and gloom!

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1982 was a critical year in the club's history when it nearly went bust. Roy Hodgson was manager at the time and the Ashton Gate 8 left after tearing up their contracts. City played Fulham at Ashton Gate in February and had to field virtually a youth team as all the experienced players had gone. Over 9000 fans witnessed a 0-0 draw, all the young players gave everything and probably the only City game I've been to where not a single person moaned about anything! However we eventually went down and Terry Cooper was appointed manager for the start of 82/83 with the club in dire financial straits, and there wasn't anybody like Steve Lansdown around in those days. We had some terrible results early on in Div 4 including a 7-1 defeat at Northampton, but TC managed to improve the squad through free transfers and we recovered to 14th at the end of the season having been bottom at one point (our lowest ever league position). The following season we got promoted after winning at Chester in the last fixture of the season. TC took us to two Wembley finals which helped the finances enormously and established us as a stron Div 3 side, so he saved us from disaster, I'm sure most younger fans aren't aware of all this. The current side is the most successful since the 1979/80 season (since we've been in the second tier for six seasons, never been done since Alan Dicks left), sp it's not all doom and gloom!

The game at chester will be with me till my demise, all the lows, from top to bottom like a lead balloon and then to get promotion, twas a great day, and the start of a new era, and we are still moaning, long may it continue
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We had some terrible results early on in Div 4 including a 7-1 defeat at Northampton, but TC managed to improve the squad through free transfers and we recovered to 14th at the end of the season having been bottom at one point (our lowest ever league position).

I'm pretty sure that's the same for everyone, that's ever been bottom of Div 4!

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I remember Paul Fitzpatrick playing a blinder in the Brighton Game...

I remember this game well, me and my Dad got to the ground late after my Mum get held up in work (it was played just after Christmas so therefore a big crowd turned up !!) with kick off fast approaching and some areas of the ground sold out there only one option left and that was to stand in with the Brighton fans !!!!

Thankfully we were'nt the only City fans in their, and after we went 3-0 up at half-time we were dreading what would happen to us, thankfully we were fine, also i might be wrong but was'nt there a Woman streaker in the Williams Stand ?? I think she attempted to get on the pitch but could'nt get over the railings before the Police nabbed her !!!!

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Wow great memories, thanks so much for uploading. The video quality is still good after all these years.

I used to tape HTV News on a Monday night for the City goals. Wish I kept it!

We had some quality players even back then. Walsh's step-overs and crosses were amazing, Carl Shutt banging the goals in, Ralph Milne looking impressive.

Also nice to see the Walsall game. I was mascot that freezing cold February night :)

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To OP.

Thanks for the upload,

I really don't remember any of those games although I was there. And I don't remember Tony Caldwell playing for us.

Does anyone remember the night game when it rained and I think we were playing Walsall or Chester, and there was one away fan left on his own in the open end at half time. I recall the classic chant of 'your going to get your ******* head kicked in..' being aimed at him from all corners before everyone fell about laughing.

PS Anyone going to fess up to being one of the fans interviewed by Roger the Dodger Malone?

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To OP.

Thanks for the upload,

I really don't remember any of those games although I was there. And I don't remember Tony Caldwell playing for us.

Does anyone remember the night game when it rained and I think we were playing Walsall or Chester, and there was one away fan left on his own in the open end at half time. I recall the classic chant of 'your going to get your ******* head kicked in..' being aimed at him from all corners before everyone fell about laughing.

PS Anyone going to fess up to being one of the fans interviewed by Roger the Dodger Malone?

sure the one with the black jumper lives in clevedon

remember they jumpers well

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remember this beaten 3.1 home by walsall in the play off final first leg bleedin david kelly!

day of the 2nd leg id taken my son to wembley on a coach trip for england schoolboys v italy-

16.00ko.anyway during 2ndhf score comes up on the scoreboard old type thing nowadays.

walsall 0.2bristol city.

only one in wembley jumping around like A F...IN LOON!

BUT being bristol city,it still went tits up!

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ah I'd clean forgotten, was a 17 year old in the eastend behind the goal against Doncaster final home league game of season and remember now thinking why the hell have Doncaster brought so many fans ? Colin Gordon scores the winner and the whole of the park end away section go mental - superb !!!!

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