I normally was crushed up against the central barrier behind the goal, just to the left, although invariably got shunted around after we’d scored.
Best goal - Mark Taylor from outside the box into the top left corner. I was dead in line with it all the way.
Best support - Sunderland 2-2 with Eric Gates giving it large at a corner.
Best game - 4-0 Bristol city in the playoff reply. Ran on the pitch only for Christie to send us back. Then swamped in the throng at the final whistle.
Mad game. After the euphoria of Ashton Gate, they came and dominated, leaving us with hardly a peep. At 2-0 in the second half they were attacking the Street end, and their player had a gilt edged chance to make it 3-0 - must have been about 85 minutes or so. There was no way we’d have come back from that. But he spannered it miraculously wide right and we hung on.
After that it was the Willie Naughton penalty show, and the elation of that. The tide had turned and I think everyone was confident of the win in the replay.
yeah went with my uncles and couisns we used to move to by the half way line first half and then back again behind the goal for the second half. Used to loff at the dwarf guy sorry dont know his name who would tap us on the head and then pretend he hadn’t done it . Always remember knees up mother brown and if you were in the wrong place you was squashed. I remember a scary experience against chelsea when they were in the street end
There were usually four blokes carrying the blanket, one at each corner, plus a couple of lads whose job it was to pick up the coins that missed. The blanket was carried all round the touchline, and the funds were supposedly for the benefit of the half-time music providers - most often the Bilston Town Prize Brass Band, who marched up and down the pitch playing the standard Brass Band numbers.
The condition of their shoes afterwards doesn’t bear thinking about!
I was always one of the first through the turnstiles at around 2pm - clamber up the railway sleepers set into the Hillary Street mound as steps, and take up position behind the goal, at about crossbar height. Depending on which way we were kicking, I could walk all the way round to the Laundry End if necessary - there were no barriers because there was no segregation of “Home” and “Away” support back in the 1950’s. (The main reason was that there were hardly any away supporters - travel wasn’t easy or routine back then).
I didn’t go every week but used to stand next to the stanchion just to the left of the goal as you stand behind it.
Best goal(s) was Willy Naughton hat trick I think was against PNE.
I was there at the Chelsea game and was right next to where it kicked off. The crowd suddenly parted and there were three or four Chelsea finds having ago. When everyone realised what was happening the crowd swamped them and they got a good kicking before being tossed over the wall to pitch side. Cops didn’t seem that bothered just lead them away. I recall the Ken Bates, Chelsea chairman, mentioned it in the programme at the away leg that they got a good hiding and deserved it.
I also remember the collections with a blanket. I have mentioned previously some girls dressed in stockings doing it one week. I think they were related to Chunkster
It was great you could walk round to near the other end at half time.
The first match I went to I was about 9 I think. I stood with my Dad near the corner flag at the ‘tunnel’. When the players came on they kicked signed plastic footballs into the crowd and my Dad jumped Shilton-like in the air and got hold of one! Good first match to go to. Loved it.
I stood with Acuman the times I went! We were Manor Farm not Leckie, and certainly not QM!
Apart from Acuman ( I was his best man) I vaguely remember standing with a tallish guy with short hair glasses. Sometimes came with his dad and a pretty girl possibly girlfriend or sister. Wore a Crombie? The other chap I remember was er… not so tall, glasses maybe from QM and became a water engineer? Used to bump into him at Bristol Rovers games when I lived down in Devon and at Palace when I lived in Sevenoaks? Sound familiar? I am really dredging the memory banks now!!
That might have been Andy Taylor, I presume the same one who posts on here. I knew Acuman via a Gren Davies who was Leckie. Must have assumed all this time he was too. Don’t recall the other guy at all.
Small world. I went through Chuckery infants and juniors with Gren and occasionally met up at matches as teenagers. Still in touch with him through FB. Moved to Ipswich and now a Tractor Boy!
Doesn’t surprise me. I remember him becoming an Evertonian when he shared a house with some Scousers in Luton. Funnily enough, I was at his wedding in Norwich.
We used to call him traitor. He still supported Walsall then, but Everton were very much his second team. I remember a cup final ,about 89, when Everton played Liverpool long before mobiles and internet. He was stuck at work and kept phoning me all afternoon for a score update
Started off up against the wall behind the goal.
One of the first was the 0-0 against oxford 83-84 season
Think it was main game on star soccer
I was 14
Later progresses to the back behind the goal
Memorable ones for me
5-0 vs blues as I was on crutches and waving them in the air
7-3 vs Preston as mentioned willie naughtons hat trick
5-3 FRT vs derby in the snow , rees’s triple and leap onto the snow pile
2-2 vs Chelsea when it kicked off when them in our end
But generally any crowd 6K plus was always great when we scored , you seemed to float around the street end
