40 years on … December 1982 …. Rochdale away … The 92nd days

[southside]

15 hours ago, sglosbcfc said:

There is a fair amount of match action captured from 1982-84 but what a shame that there is so little crowd pics/videos. I remember sitting in the Dolman in 82-83, the ground held 35,000 ish and the gates were around 5,000. At some matches you could hear Terry Cooper bellowing instructions from full back.

I remember when the crowd for the Wimbledon 4-2 win was announced as 4,700 and thinking "that's pretty good", it just shows how far we'd fallen

[Open End Numb Legs]

I see that era as very painful having been a young lad in the previous good times. You can't really understand it all as a youth.

Terry Cooper, Player-Manager. You don't hear of many player managers now do you? Are there any in the EFL today?

[GrahamC]

10 minutes ago, southside said:

I remember when the crowd for the Wimbledon 4-2 win was announced as 4,700 and thinking "that's pretty good", it just shows how far we'd fallen

After we dropped down from the second division in 80/81 our crowds absolutely dropped off a cliff.

I remember loads of around 5000 in the third tier & by the time we were relegated the 9000 that had turned up for the Fulham game when we played the kids was down to around 3000.

We lost the majority of games over those years & despite the rose tinted remembrance of some, it was a pretty horrible experience, even the first season under TC was awful & the Bristol public largely walked away.

Edited December 2, 2022 by GrahamC

[Davefevs]

9 hours ago, Norn Iron said:

I think he was on his way to Cornwall for a holiday and stopped off in Bristol to break up the journey. He liked the ground and that was it!

 

7 hours ago, sglosbcfc said:

When/why did he stop going?

Ran out of petrol

[italian dave]

18 hours ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

I used to stand in the Enclosure, with Tony Harling sat in the Williams behind. Towards the back of the Enclosure was a guy called Jack, with a Woodbine or equivalent in the corner of his mouth, who used to moan constantly, in particular about Keith Fear - “‘kin Feary, you’re a ‘kin waste of space …”. It was funny listening to him though (unless you were Keith Fear). A humorous bloke. 
 

Pre-dating him, there was a bus inspector (similar to ‘Blakey’ - long black raincoat and peaked cap) who only ever shouted “Come on the City, come on the Robins, come on the lads”. 
 

Blimey, there were some characters at AG back in those days!

There was something about Keith Fear that wound up many of the (then) older generation, wasn’t there?!

I used to stand in the East End at the time and there was someone there who’d do nothing but moan if Fear was playing. His stock response every time he went on a run was to shout ‘Ahhhh, Georgie Best, Georgie Best…rubbish’. 

[BTRFTG]

12 hours ago, archie andrews said:

Went to aldershot both seasons in 4th...made memorial stadium look like san siro.... 

Not true. For starters Aldershot had the roses and mini garden between the turnstiles and stands with not a hint of canvas or plastic in sight.

Are you sure you haven't confused 'The Wreck' with 'The Rec'?

 

[Sweeneys Penalties]

1 minute ago, BTRFTG said:

Not true. For starters Aldershot had the roses and mini garden between the turnstiles and stands with not a hint of canvas or plastic in sight.

Are you sure you haven't confused 'The Wreck' with 'The Rec'?

 

Alder bloody shot......now there's a memory. Wasn't their ground in the middle of a public park? You rocked up at the turnstiles and took a walk along a public pathway around some shrubbery to whatever part of the ground we were standing in. Top Right from memory

[italian dave]

12 hours ago, archie andrews said:

Went to aldershot both seasons in 4th...made memorial stadium look like san siro.... 

didn’t we go there several times for a cup tie that had endless replays one year. So much so that there was a joke along the lines of “what’s on Tuesday evening every week? Coronation Street and Aldershot v Bristol City”. 

[1960maaan]

1 minute ago, italian dave said:

didn’t we go there several times for a cup tie that had endless replays one year. So much so that there was a joke along the lines of “what’s on Tuesday evening every week? Coronation Street and Aldershot v Bristol City”. 

I went every one of those cup ties, I think it was one game and about 40 replays. I doubt there ws a decent game among them.
Shut got the winner in the end I believe.

[glynriley]

3 minutes ago, italian dave said:

didn’t we go there several times for a cup tie that had endless replays one year. So much so that there was a joke along the lines of “what’s on Tuesday evening every week? Coronation Street and Aldershot v Bristol City”. 

1988. 3 replays I think. Borrowed my girlfriends car to go to the first game down there and it blew up on the way...!!

[BTRFTG]

2 minutes ago, Sweeneys Penalties said:

Alder bloody shot......now there's a memory. Wasn't their ground in the middle of a public park? You rocked up at the turnstiles and took a walk along a public pathway around some shrubbery to whatever part of the ground we were standing in. Top Right from memory

Rose garden. So much nicer than either Memorial or Eastville. For starters, Aldershot never had greenfly infestations nor greyhound turds amidst their flowerbeds.

[Davefevs]

28 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I went every one of those cup ties, I think it was one game and about 40 replays. I doubt there ws a decent game among them.
Shut got the winner in the end I believe.

Still remember the game on 22nd Dec.  We had our work party after hours, in the rest room upstairs of the branch I was working in.  Managers home brew wine….wohhhhhhh….was pissed by 7.00pm when my dad came to pick me up to take me to the game.

[GrahamC]

Remember the “reward” for that Aldershot marathon was an away trip to Hartlepool a few days later & we lost.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Remember the “reward” for that Aldershot marathon was an away trip to Hartlepool a few days later & we lost.

I don’t remember that…maybe the home brew took some time to get out of my system.

[hollydog]

15 hours ago, eardun said:

I was one of the 3k. I remember it solely because I arrived about 3 mins after kick off  and had already missed the only goal of the game! I haven’t been late since! 

Took my girlfriend for her first football game

[Red-Robbo]

On 01/12/2022 at 13:13, Bristol Oil Services said:

3. You was young back then.

 

If I may be so bald ....

 

Happens to a lot of us, with age. If you don't mind me boldly hijacking your post.

I was hirsute back then, but that season might be the only one in the last 50+ years I don't recall going to a single game in. I was in the Army then at Uni over t'other side of the country. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by Red-Robbo

[sugarwray]

2 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Remember the “reward” for that Aldershot marathon was an away trip to Hartlepool a few days later & we lost.

Joe Jordan’s side. North Sea blowing onto the uncovered away end, dodgy referee, 1-0 defeat, what’s not to like?

[Bristol Oil Services]

If I was a billionaire, with billions of quids, giving that Rishi Sunak and his tax gathering chancellor the slip on a little island somewhere between here and all them continentals, what I would do is pay homage not to our greatest goalscorers, not to meself, but to the true heroes of Bristol City FC:

The people that were going on home and away in 1979/80. And then kept going, home and away, in:

1980/81.

And 1981/82.

And 1982/83.

And then the first bleedin game in 83/4 too.

 

In other words, the good people of Coach Number One, Beryl Fudge's Red n White Army of weirdoes, oddballs and City fanatics.

They're the ones who should be immortalised, they're the ones who should be carved in stone.

What I would do if I was a billionaire, with billions of quids, and no tax to pay, and I bought the City off Stevie Lansdown, I would build another stand, just a bit bigger than even Stevie Lansdown's stand, that he called after himself, but I wouldn't call it the "Bristol Oil Services Stand," no, I would call it:

 

"The City Away Travel Service Coach Number One 1980 - 1983 Stand" and in the concourse I'd have an old 1980s Peter Carol coach (maybe the one trashed by Millwall at Earls Court in 1984; there'd be room, cos my stand'd be bigger than even Stevie L's stand which is bInger than Harry's) and the names of all that lot that kept going through that pile of shite/three relegations writ large for all to see. And maybe nip up Frankley Services and pinch the sign and stick that up somewhere (maybe with a mock up of that @GrahamC sat on the remains of the coach reading a copy of the pink Birmingham Sports August perusing all the results with us rock bottom of the pile, whilst berating Lester Shapter for denying us a penaly (plus ca change, and all that) and shredding David Williams' stylish Gas sat 5th in Div 3, whilst the music to "Sports Report" 5 o' clock scores blares and James Alexander Gordon down-tones, over and over, "Bristol City nil").

That's what I'd do.

 

[Rudolf Hucker]

10 minutes ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

In other words, the good people of Coach Number One, Beryl Fudge's Red n White Army of weirdoes, oddballs and City fanatics.

They're the ones who should be immortalised, they're the ones who should be carved in stone.

I think that the BBC has already immortalised them …

 

[GrahamC]

1 minute ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

I think that the BBC has already immortalised them …

 

Harsh, there were at least a dozen “normal” people on what was often the only coach.

Along with, it must be said, some very interesting “characters”. 

In my defence I was only 19 then & hadn’t yet worked out there were far better ways of spending my time than getting a coach to Halifax or Darlington to watch fourth division football.

[Lanterne Rouge]

6 hours ago, glynriley said:

1988. 3 replays I think. Borrowed my girlfriends car to go to the first game down there and it blew up on the way...!!

I went to all of them. I heard an interview with Steve Claridge a few years back and he was asked about it and whether the teams still had the desire come the fourth game.

He replied `No. No-one cared, we both just wanted it to end`

A bit like the fans then!

[Norn Iron]

5 hours ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

If I was a billionaire, with billions of quids, giving that Rishi Sunak and his tax gathering chancellor the slip on a little island somewhere between here and all them continentals, what I would do is pay homage not to our greatest goalscorers, not to meself, but to the true heroes of Bristol City FC:

The people that were going on home and away in 1979/80. And then kept going, home and away, in:

1980/81.

And 1981/82.

And 1982/83.

And then the first bleedin game in 83/4 too.

 

In other words, the good people of Coach Number One, Beryl Fudge's Red n White Army of weirdoes, oddballs and City fanatics.

 

I started going to all away matches from 1982. Beryl was on Coach 2 from 1983.

 

 

 

"The City Away Travel Service Coach Number One 1980 - 1983 Stand" and in the concourse I'd have an old 1980s Peter Carol coach (maybe the one trashed by Millwall at Earls Court in 1984; 

 

UNLESS MILLWALL TRASHED 2 coaches on different occasions, I was on that coach as well. 5 windows were knocked out and the driver insisted on driving back along the M4 at 40mph to avoid air pressure blowing out the other windows. Our incident happened in Brent Cross. The coach was brand new and was all white without any livery. It was owned by a chap in Nailsea. It wasn't a Peter Carol coach that day. I obtained his home address and posted a letter through his door.

 

[slartibartfast]

9 hours ago, sugarwray said:

Joe Jordan’s side. North Sea blowing onto the uncovered away end, dodgy referee, 1-0 defeat, what’s not to like?

Oh, thanks for reminding me !

[sglosbcfc]

12 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Remember the “reward” for that Aldershot marathon was an away trip to Hartlepool a few days later & we lost.

I was there, I think we left on the coaches from Ashton at 7.30am and got back to Bristol about midnight. I left dreaming of a run to Wembley, I returned thinking that was a day of my life I was never getting back. Massive disappointment at a time when an FA Cup tie was one of the biggest highlights of the season.

[Lanterne Rouge]

4 hours ago, sglosbcfc said:

I was there, I think we left on the coaches from Ashton at 7.30am and got back to Bristol about midnight. I left dreaming of a run to Wembley, I returned thinking that was a day of my life I was never getting back. Massive disappointment at a time when an FA Cup tie was one of the biggest highlights of the season.

We drove up in my mate`s new VW Golf because he wanted to give it a blast on a long motorway trip. He didn`t hang about, we were back in the pub in Taunton by 10!

[slartibartfast]

Anyone on here remember the first trip to Hartlepool in Div 4 on coach 1 (the only coach). We broke down on the way back between Michael Wood and the Thornbury turn off. we were stuck on the side of M5 for about 90 mins, whilst we waited for a replacement...........not a great day !

[Bristol Oil Services]

19 hours ago, Norn Iron said:

 

I started going to all away matches from 1982. Beryl was on Coach 2 from 1983.

 

 

 

"The City Away Travel Service Coach Number One 1980 - 1983 Stand" and in the concourse I'd have an old 1980s Peter Carol coach (maybe the one trashed by Millwall at Earls Court in 1984; 

 

UNLESS MILLWALL TRASHED 2 coaches on different occasions, I was on that coach as well. 5 windows were knocked out and the driver insisted on driving back along the M4 at 40mph to avoid air pressure blowing out the other windows. Our incident happened in Brent Cross. The coach was brand new and was all white without any livery. It was owned by a chap in Nailsea. It wasn't a Peter Carol coach that day. I obtained his home address and posted a letter through his door.

 

Pretty sure Beryl was on 2 from '84?

[Bazooka Joe]

On 01/12/2022 at 11:10, spudski said:

One of my earliest memories was standing in the lower Williams and hearing behind me some loud shouting...and me thinking ' Crikey...who's this bloke chanting and singing on his own in such a loud voice'...

Turns out it was Tony Harling mentioned and pictured above. What a character he was. 

Another early memory was some blonde girl who would routinely ger her tits out at most home games...usually after a few lads chanted at her to do so. 

It's funny how the mind remembers such stuff...I can remember so much from back then, yet can't remember nothing hardly from this season

The walk through the turnstile, getting a pie in the kiosk. The toilets to the right overflowing. Walking up the slope into the lower Williams. Leaning against the same crash barrier...the same faces all around every game. 

Such fond memories

 

Probably Annie W - she was everyone's bosom pal in them days.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Bazooka Joe

[Norn Iron]

18 hours ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

Pretty sure Beryl was on 2 from '84?

B.O.S. How about from 83-84 season!