Fordy62 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 My father falling over whilst cheering a Brian Tinnion free kick against Millwall on Boxing Day, 1997. He was right by the gantry ladder and had to use it haul himself back up. We won 4-1. Rob Edwards scored from flicking on a Greg Goodridge throw in too over a portly and completely past it Nigel Spink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciderhead433 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Season ticket holder in Williams for 2 seasons before moving to East End never known so many moaners in there even in 2007 promotion season people having a go at Johnson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Season ticket holder in Williams for 2 seasons before moving to East End never known so many moaners in there even in 2007 promotion season people having a go at Johnson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex#40 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I took my little boy to his first (and so far only) City match and sat in the Williams. Never had much love for the stand before that but will always love that memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 1st game against Man City, Chris Garland getting the winner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lack of Action Man Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I will miss the old girl, she's a relic from a forgotten era. Williams 1.0 is dead. Long live Williams 2.0! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS4 on Tour... Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Proper old skool footy stand - i'll miss it. First ventured into the Enclosure in May 1980 to see us demolish Derby County 6-2 in the FA Cup - although I couldn't actually 'see' much at all! The Enclosure days were superb! Used to meet up with about 10 mates and we'd go in there, bounce up and down and give the linesmen and oppposition substitutes some honest and open feedback! Great memories of Enclosure/Williams Stand include Rob Newman's long range volley vs Newport, Bob Taylor's hattrick vs Huddersfield, the 3-2 Christmas cracker against the Gas and the great FA Cup wins against Swindon and Chelsea - and so, so many more besides! Another bit of history gone, i'll miss the Williams... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redysteadygo1 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Only times I have been on the Williams side of the ground seems to have been on reduced entrance fee occasions. First experience was back in the late 50s when as a boy I would go in the open end at a cost of one shilling ( 5p in new money) I think the price in the Enclosure was one shilling and sixpence ( 71/2p) far to expensive! But I got a treat when my dad and his mate went to watch the Reserves, which they did quite regularly, and took me and the Enclosure was the only area open and I think half the price of first team matches. Recently, now being an old age git, I watch the U21s whenever I can and plonk myself in the Williams posh seats. Can't recall who my sponsors were but thanks anyway. ST in the Dolman Stand now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.J.Thribb Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 First time in the Williams for me was in 95 vs Chelsea in a pre-season friendly. Ruud Gullit was playing as a sweeper and was probably the best passer of a ball Ive seen down the Gate. Unfortunately for him his perfect long range passes were toward the likes of John Spencer, Mark Stein and Paul Furlong. Only Mark Hughes seemed to be remotely on the same wavelength!! I was sat up in the upper part on the wooden seats near the Atyeo side of the ground. Was also the match where Baird flicked the v's Other memorable Williams recollections are going ballistic when Barnard fired in a perfect free kick against Millwall in November 96, we were pretty much looking down on their lot (who'd been having some pitched battles pre-match outside the Cooper's Arms) so the celebrations were pretty sweet . Seeing John Robinson of Charlton have a shouting match with a few blokes in the lower Williams pre-season 00-01 was a bit of a hoot too Last match I saw from the Williams was in 2001 vs Wycombe, Scotty gave us the lead only for them to score twice late on with that dude who knocked Leicester out of the cup that year...... I'll miss the old girl but she's had her time-looking forward to seeing her transform these next 12 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chessels Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 First memory of sitting in the Williams was as an 8 year old with my Dad for a home game v Millwall (85/86..?). We'd normally stand in the East End but for some reason or other went in the Williams for this game. Had a grandstand view of seats raining down from Dolman Block A into the away end!! Dad thought it was a good idea to leave before the end, remember walking home on Winterstoke and hearing a roar....from Millwall unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted April 30, 2015 Admin Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Just wonder if the club will be selling off any of the fixtures and fittings as they did with the EE seats. I would love to buy a couple of the old wooden seats or a sign of some sort as I have been a Williams / enclosure regular since the seventies. Assume that they, not sure how much before the EE going that is what mentioned that items would eventually be put up for sale. Imagine there may be fixtures and fittings from inside the stand that will be surplus to requirements to - not as simple as just demolishing it like the EE was, this one needs clearing out internally too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted April 30, 2015 Admin Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Just wonder if the club will be selling off any of the fixtures and fittings as they did with the EE seats. I would love to buy a couple of the old wooden seats or a sign of some sort as I have been a Williams / enclosure regular since the seventies. Assume that they, not sure how much before the EE going that is what mentioned that items would eventually be put up for sale. Imagine there may be fixtures and fittings from inside the stand that will be surplus to requirements to - not as simple as just demolishing it like the EE was, this one needs clearing out internally too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Had my first season ticket in the Williams Stand way back in 1976. Sat just to the left of the Directors Box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Used to frequent the enclosure in the late 80s much of the early 90s with the Bountyhunter crew, in the days when you could wander about and chat to someone else when you were bored. However my two best memories of the enclosure are pretty random. Being in it on my own for some reason when we knocked Chelsea out of the FA cup in 89/90 and getting thrown out circa 81 when part of a group protesting how shit we were ( "sack the board") as we tumbled through the leagues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinheadface Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Watching in the enclosure at the clock end was mental in the 80s.great days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semblar Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 My earliest memories of AG are sitting on the corrugated roof of the home dugout, getting a wonderful education from TC's choice of language.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Taylor is GOD Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 To me - The Williams Stand IS Ashton Gate. Enclosure, then those wooden seats. Great memories sat in the old girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrabrewer Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Haven't used the Williams too many times myself, but one of the times I did was for an FA Cup game vs Middlesbrough in our last promotion season- because the rest of the ground was sold out! We started terribly and were 2-0 down after about 15 mins, but fought back very well- that Scott Murray chip was in from the moment it left his boot. It seemed to be in slow motion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EstoniaTallinnRed Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Just 2 1/2 games in 55 years. Swindle this year and the 1 1/2 cup games v Liverpool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glynriley Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Never used it very often, stood in the enclosure for a few seasons mid to late 80's. As I recall there was very often a lad in there with a parka (?) with Echo and The Bunnymen on the back. Every time I hear them now it reminds me of the old enclosure. Maybe it was one of our readers?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOTR Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Hereford FRT,the enclousure was mental that night.As good a night as any at Ashton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo88 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 There is one part of the Williams that went a long time ago - the Ringside seats. This was a long bench that ran along the front of the enclosure, but on the pitch side of the fence. I went there once when at school in the late 60s and ended up sitting next to the dugouts. Being an innocent sort of chap, I expected the managers to shout jolly encouragement to the players, and was rather surprised by the fruity language when things went wrong on the pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thephat1 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Bizarrely, some might remember a regular bit of half-time exhibitionism from a young lady in the Williams in the late 80s. As a regular in the Dolman, I could never quite see what was going on, and the industrial-grade binoculars proved surprisingly unhelpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thephat1 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Never been my favourite place to watch from, although like others used it for "first dates" in the 80's and 90's as it seemed more grown up than the east end at the time, but always loved the fact that it was part of what made Ashton Gate a "proper" old fashioned stadium, where on big match days the atmosphere could still make the hair on your arms stand up. That's gone at places like the Richo stadium MK stadium of light etc etc fingers crossed we can recreate that when all this works been finished. Part of turning up and paying my money is for the atmosphere, for the excitement if it was gone and goes sterile would I still enjoy it the way I do now after 35 years? who knows I just hope the NEW Ashton Gate can hold on to the atmosphere and excitement that hooked me on BCFC all those years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marina's Rolls Royce Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I've been in the Williams as a ST holder for some time. I'll miss the old girl but I'm gonna see if there's a spare bit of metal going, take it back to my gaff and stick it in front of my telly so I only get a partial view, get the GF to spend 15 mins pouring my drink and then I'll feel as if I never left. Bring on the South Stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidered abroad Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I sat in the Williams for two periods; initially 4/5 years in 1960's and again in 1990's to about 2002. I can remember it being built. But my abiding memory of that part of the ground was sitting on a wall alongside the entrance to the Enclosure terracing for the first floodlit game in 1953 against Wolves, the previous seasons First Division champions. We lost of course as we always do against Wolves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityexile Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 My memories are of the enclosure which has sadly long gone - The Williams has served City tremendously well and I will always remember hanging around the old Players & Officials entrance after games in 70s for autographs and the hotel style doormen Exactly this. No real memories of the stand, but the enclosure, loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YorkshireSection Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Mostly of the wooden seats flying towards the away end with the likes of Cardiff, Rovers & millwall in there. Chasing out some unfortunate Plymouth fans, not a stand ive bothered with much, but give me the Williams over the ATYEO anyday, for some reason I hate that stand, I wish they were bulldozering that too, we can only hope.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargent Pepper Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Other than reserve/ youth games I've never been a regular in the stand. But some of my earliest City memories were from the enclosure in the area final games in the Frieght Rover in 86 and 87 & the pitch invasions at the end. I can remember my Dad lifting me on to the dug out to escape the growing crush down the front as the final whistles approached. A few years later & now going on my own I headed for the enclosure for the Walsall game in 1990 so I could take part in inveitable pitch invasion. My last game was in the Doncaster replay this season when the Dolman was closed. The need for a replacement was glaringly obvious after that visit. Still it will be sad to look across on Sunday knowing it will be the last time I'll see the old girl. It fill be a fitting tribute to lift our first Championship in 60 years for the big send off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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