Blackpool (A)

[gonzo]

3 minutes ago, woolli said:

Yes me. I think the Spion Kop was half Blackpool half Bolton if i remember rightly, but Bolton where everywhere.

My old man said police were pulling cars in at the Lea Gate pub on Blackpool road in to Preston. Pre motorway days obviously.

 

 

[Dr. Feelgood]

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

My old man said police were pulling cars in at the Lea Gate pub on Blackpool road in to Preston. Pre motorway days obviously.

The M55 opened in July 75.

[gonzo]

16 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

The M55 opened in July 75.

I thought we were on about the murder game mate. 

[masi 51]

way back then very few went away in cars especially to Blackpool....Standard train from Trinity Street or football specials was the way to travel

[woolli]

10 minutes ago, gonzo said:

I thought we were on about the murder game mate. 

The murder game was 1973/74 if memory serves me right?

[Dr. Feelgood]

37 minutes ago, masi 51 said:

way back then very few went away in cars especially to Blackpool....Standard train from Trinity Street or football specials was the way to travel

True. I used to jump on the train in Blackrod.

[Wullie]

41 minutes ago, masi 51 said:

way back then very few went away in cars especially to Blackpool....Standard train from Trinity Street or football specials was the way to travel

Apart from boxing day etc, when trains didn't run on certain holidays...which is why the FA (when it sort of gave a shit), had us playing local matches over Christmas etc

[gonzo]

47 minutes ago, woolli said:

The murder game was 1973/74 if memory serves me right?

Aye August 1974. Hence no M55 and Police pulling all cars in at Lea Gate. 

 

 

[Zico]

mate's mrs put his wallet through the wash

[frank_spencer]

20 hours ago, gonzo said:

He looked ok for the 5 minutes I saw today

He's played about 20 minutes in total for the 1st team, granted he gave away a silly penalty but I'm not sure it's enough to keep him away from a squad already light on strikers.

That said SS aside our January recruitment has been terrible so far.

[Johnnyrotten]

4 hours ago, masi 51 said:

way back then very few went away in cars especially to Blackpool....Standard train from Trinity Street or football specials was the way to travel

I started going to home games late 70s but didn't consider aways until the 80s (just as we were on the decline).  We played Blackpool in the pre-season Lancs Cup in 82 and they put one of those specials on, I thought there must be loads going if there was demand for a special train, I was really looking forward to it.  Turned out there were about 50 of us 😀

Maybe 3 or 400 there in total on the Kop, I remember Jeff Chandler scoring a free kick and we drew 2-2.

Edited March 24, 2025 by Johnnyrotten

[Dr. Feelgood]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I started going to home games late 70s but didn't consider aways the 80s (just as we were on the decline).  We played Blackpool in the pre-season Lancs Cup in 82 and they put one of those specials on, I thought there must be loads going if there was demand for a special train, I was really looking forward to it.  Turned out there were about 50 of us 😀

Maybe 3 or 400 there in total on the Kop, I remember Jeff Chandler scoring a free kick and we drew 2-2.

Aaaah, but Boxing Day 1977 (we won) on the train. Arrived early, drinking draught Champagne from a big barrell on the wall in Yates' Wine Lodge. Chippy en-route down the prom. Squeezed like battery hens into a small side terrace. Whole place was chocka. Some fecker behind us needed a slash & couldn't move so pissed on my nice new Levi's. That led to a scrap & a couple got hoicked out. Back into town & more booze before back on't train.

[Johnnyrotten]

6 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

Aaaah, but Boxing Day 1977 (we won) on the train. Arrived early, drinking draught Champagne from a big barrell on the wall in Yates' Wine Lodge. Chippy en-route down the prom. Squeezed like battery hens into a small side terrace. Whole place was chocka. Some fecker behind us needed a slash & couldn't move so pissed on my nice new Levi's. That led to a scrap & a couple got hoicked out. Back into town & more booze before back on't train.

I can't match the joys of that, but I did experience being squeezed like hens into that small side terrace, no doubt with many off here, in the 89 Sherpa Van semi.  It wasn't all ticket and thousands of us turned up, side terrace and half the Kop, with Norpig inflatables everywhere.  It was a few days after Hillsborough so maybe I was just more conscious of how packed it was (it was just as rammed on Boxing Day 85 but it all seemed pure fun then).  

[Rizlar]

5 hours ago, masi 51 said:

way back then very few went away in cars especially to Blackpool....Standard train from Trinity Street or football specials was the way to travel

Yep most aways then we did on football specials we caused some carnage in out travels .

[Johnnyrotten]

4 hours ago, Wullie said:

Apart from boxing day etc, when trains didn't run on certain holidays...which is why the FA (when it sort of gave a shit), had us playing local matches over Christmas etc

I hadn't realised how much that had changed - we seem to play a combination of Burton, Lincoln and Barnsley these days (without checking).  Between 81 and 86, every year we had a game against either Blackburn, Wigan, Blackpool or Bury on or around Boxing Day (then 87 that infamous Boxing Day trip to Hartlepool!).   

88 PNE, 89 Blackpool and Bury.  It all changed 1990 - between 22nd Dec and 1st Jan we played Cambridge, Southend A on Boxing Day (11am?), Birmingham A and a nice local derby v Bournemouth on NY Day.  But the 80s were great for local derbies at Christmas.  

[batton carrier]

46 minutes ago, Rizlar said:

Yep most aways then we did on football specials we caused some carnage in out travels .

I remember one coming back from preston probably mid 80s . Emergency cord get being pulled Driver gave up and pulled train up just before Lostock junction. I don't think station was open then and cops marched down track to get everyone off. Can't remember much probably because I would have been leathered

[onefinfrandsen]

1 hour ago, batton carrier said:

I remember one coming back from preston probably mid 80s . Emergency cord get being pulled Driver gave up and pulled train up just before Lostock junction. I don't think station was open then and cops marched down track to get everyone off. Can't remember much probably because I would have been leathered

Seem to remember Bolton to Blackburn being stopped, possibly 81.

[TrickyTrotter]

Went to the 77 Boxing Day game in a mates van.

Remember signing “Ray Train, Ray Train going so fast”.

Don’t think he was that fast and was Peter Reid size tall. But did OK for the couple of seasons he was here.

[Dr. Feelgood]

23 hours ago, TrickyTrotter said:

Went to the 77 Boxing Day game in a mates van.

Remember signing “Ray Train, Ray Train going so fast”.

Don’t think he was that fast and was Peter Reid size tall. But did OK for the couple of seasons he was here.

Ray Train was promoted from Div 2 to Div 1 four times. He just then never held his own at the top level. But what a great career he had. 558 league games as a defensive midfield player ... all 5' 5" of him. Exactly what we all cry out for today.

Still with us, living in the midlands at 74 yrs old.

Edited March 25, 2025 by Dr. Feelgood

[paulhanley]

14 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I can't match the joys of that, but I did experience being squeezed like hens into that small side terrace, no doubt with many off here, in the 89 Sherpa Van semi.  It wasn't all ticket and thousands of us turned up, side terrace and half the Kop, with Norpig inflatables everywhere.  It was a few days after Hillsborough so maybe I was just more conscious of how packed it was (it was just as rammed on Boxing Day 85 but it all seemed pure fun then).  

Got very clear memories of Boxing Day 85. It was our first game there since the win in 77 (other than pre-season). Huge away following, far more than the police must have expected. They hadn't opened the Kop, just the side terrace. I remember watching hundreds of ours flooding in and filling half the Kop in minutes. I also have a memory of the Blackpool walking across the pitch to approach BWFC in the Kop but the police being well on top of it. Loads of us were in the home ends including one bloke who was in their main terrace behind the goal and ended up jumping out on to the pitch and all the way to the Bolton end. 

....we were 0-1 up (David Cross header) with a minute to go and conceded in the last minute. The "jinx" could have been killed at birth if we'd held on that Boxing Day! 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

We didn't get in until half time. Cost more because they'd run out of change.

No kick off delay.

Can remember my old man being scared by the crushing and trying to work us away from the worst area.

Fucking dog shit by all concerned in match control.

[Johnnyrotten]

4 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Got very clear memories of Boxing Day 85. It was our first game there since the win in 77 (other than pre-season). Huge away following, far more than the police must have expected. They hadn't opened the Kop, just the side terrace. I remember watching hundreds of ours flooding in and filling half the Kop in minutes. I also have a memory of the Blackpool walking across the pitch to approach BWFC in the Kop but the police being well on top of it. Loads of us were in the home ends including one bloke who was in their main terrace behind the goal and ended up jumping out on to the pitch and all the way to the Bolton end. 

....we were 0-1 up (David Cross header) with a minute to go and conceded in the last minute. The "jinx" could have been killed at birth if we'd held on that Boxing Day! 

Yes a great Cross header at the 'Pool end (we only ever seemed to score at their end in them days).   To be fair even if we'd won in 85, it would still be 40 years since the last one 😀

My mate at Wigan Tech had recently passed his driving test, but didn't have a car.  My Dad for some unknown reason allowed a 17 year old he'd never met to drive his Vauxhall Opel to Blackpool, he was as naive as me.

Relatively huge following inflated after we'd just won our only previous two December games, "Bolton are back!!" - this was a month after the infamous Darlington 0-3 on Bonfire night, and losing at bottom of the the 4th div Wrexham in FA Cup, so it was a mini revival.  Then we played Wigan at home on NY Day (1-2) and it started a familiar run of 3 defeats.

 

 

 

[W.cramp]

'Welcome back bolton'     is that still there ?

[Zico]

2 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Yes a great Cross header at the 'Pool end (we only ever seemed to score at their end in them days).   To be fair even if we'd won in 85, it would still be 40 years since the last one 😀

My mate at Wigan Tech had recently passed his driving test, but didn't have a car.  My Dad for some unknown reason allowed a 17 year old he'd never met to drive his Vauxhall Opel to Blackpool, he was as naive as me.

Relatively huge following inflated after we'd just won our only previous two December games, "Bolton are back!!" - this was a month after the infamous Darlington 0-3 on Bonfire night, and losing at bottom of the the 4th div Wrexham in FA Cup, so it was a mini revival.  Then we played Wigan at home on NY Day (1-2) and it started a familiar run of 3 defeats.

 

 

 

did the car come back in one piece?

[RUREADY2ROLL]

7 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Got very clear memories of Boxing Day 85. It was our first game there since the win in 77 (other than pre-season). Huge away following, far more than the police must have expected. They hadn't opened the Kop, just the side terrace. I remember watching hundreds of ours flooding in and filling half the Kop in minutes. I also have a memory of the Blackpool walking across the pitch to approach BWFC in the Kop but the police being well on top of it. Loads of us were in the home ends including one bloke who was in their main terrace behind the goal and ended up jumping out on to the pitch and all the way to the Bolton end. 

....we were 0-1 up (David Cross header) with a minute to go and conceded in the last minute. The "jinx" could have been killed at birth if we'd held on that Boxing Day! 

I was there; father in law passed away the next day- very sad