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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

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On A Similar 'who Was There' Theme

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if we're talking coach trips, what about the fully air conditioned fella that came back from millwall, about 86

 

Iwas on that rascal!!!!

 

was hired from Battersby's @ Walkden by our mate Steve now residing in Australia. Some guy from Daubhil brought a base drum!!

jesus i couldnt begin to even start i was a lightwieght mate takes someone with a better drinking/memory set than me .........worst one for me was leigh .fuckign hell fight started in second pub and that was it for the night the whole town turned out into the streets .rough as fuck.........

torquay and colchester both had bans on away fans that season

 

colchester was a friday and i had to work

 

couldn't be arsed going to torquay

 

I didn't go to Colchester, but went to Torquay.

 

Most of us met up in a pub close to the ground & someone had got a load of Torquay membership cards or something so that everyone who went (30/40 ) got in. I can't remember the result but I think we scored , because nobody was sure whether we should celebrate or not.

torquay and colchester both had bans on away fans that season

 

colchester was a friday and i had to work

 

couldn't be arsed going to torquay

 

Torquay as well, Cas ? Can't remember how I got in at Plainmoor then. I know I got a membership for Colchester. Maybe I did the same for Torquay.

 

Talking of Torquay, if anyone has the programme for that game, it's one I'm missing. Willing to pay. :good:

I didn't go to Colchester, but went to Torquay.

 

Most of us met up in a pub close to the ground & someone had got a load of Torquay membership cards or something so that everyone who went (30/40 ) got in. I can't remember the result but I think we scored , because nobody was sure whether we should celebrate or not.

 

Lost 1-2, I think. Long time ago.

I remember the majority of these games being talked about but didn't go to any of them. I think the away games i've been to with fewest away fans were probably Gillingham in the 4th division, late 1-0 win I think and Southend also midweek when we won 2-0, scored a 1st minute goal to set us on our way

southend away, monday night, 1984

 

we had a blaze going in their main stand

 

well, it were cold

 

won 1-0

southend away, monday night, 1984

 

we had a blaze going in their main stand

 

well, it were cold

 

won 1-0

 

Thats proper anorak territory wish I had that one in my locker must have struggled to fill 1 coach, that happened many times in the dark days 2-3 coaches was a big following. :)

Thats proper anorak territory wish I had that one in my locker must have struggled to fill 1 coach, that happened many times in the dark days 2-3 coaches was a big following. :)

 

Seem to recall our second season in the top flight at the end of the seventies struggling to take a couple of coaches worth of fans

  • Author

think the worst ever was 22 on the solitary travel club coach to QPR circa '82

If were on about when we won at Newport in the 80's 1-0 and David Cross scored the winner I was there. I remember a bloke walking around the pitch with A4 in one hand and a megaphone in the other shouting out if anyone wanted to know any scores :)

think the worst ever was 22 on the solitary travel club coach to QPR circa '82

 

The town had really fell out of love with the club at that time and the powers that be need to make sure they don't make the same horrible mistakes, the early warning signs are already there for anyone who remembers them days.

  • Author

The town had really fell out of love with the club at that time and the powers that be need to make sure they don't make the same horrible mistakes, the early warning signs are already there for anyone who remembers them days.

 

i remember getting a bus to morrisons,walking down manny rd to get the coach from burnden at 7ish,and there was only a handful of people on the car park waiting. a couple more were sat waiting in their cars,and bolstered our numbers. really shocking following,nobody at all was interested,yet when we plummeted even further 3 or 4 years down the line,our away following improved immensely and the days were unforgettable

It was depressing times and it changed rapidly from the late 70s loads of interest in BWFC around LH and Walkden with 2-3 seasons the 42 bus was empty on match day even when we got into real Bolton territory around farnworth only the odd soul got on the bus to Burnden, counter that with the experience of the Everton, Newcastle and Sunderland games where there was 40 and 50000 on it was night and day and i must have been completely besotted to stick through that period virtually on my own because all my mates baled out, Burnden Park was only really made for the massive crowds.

  • Author

as a nipper my dad used to park up on lever st near edbros,for the bigger games we'd have to park up much further up probably round the uncle tom's cabin. in the 80's we could park at 10 to 3 next to the iron bridge. walking over the bridge you could see the ground virtually empty. sad sad days indeed

Edited by miamiwhite

i remember getting a bus to morrisons,walking down manny rd to get the coach from burnden at 7ish,and there was only a handful of people on the car park waiting. a couple more were sat waiting in their cars,and bolstered our numbers. really shocking following,nobody at all was interested,yet when we plummeted even further 3 or 4 years down the line,our away following improved immensely and the days were unforgettable

How true, in Div 2 80/81 Bolton had a decent away following and plenty of rucks especially at Cardiff that season, then when it became reality that we was a shite team, support really dropped off, can recall going to Fulham away on the train in 82 when we got beat 4-0 on my own because nobody wanted to go. Picked up big style when we got even crapper in the mid 80s but it was a fun day out.
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i went to the 4-0 defeat at fulham,hardly any whites there.

 

we'd actually started ok that season,drawing at burnley on opening day ironically,then tonking keegan's toon army,i'm sure the fulham game was the week after.

gordon davies starred for them that day along with ray houghton. the welsh bastard always scored against us.

a couple of weeks later we played at grimsby,one way traffic for 90 mins but their goalie nigel batch had the game of his life and we lost 1-0

i think the maddest of all the trips i ever ran was the torquay final in '89.

 

2 coaches were booked from the stag on daubhill by myself and brixton,whilst brixton booked one for 50 lads from the rupert(i had better judgement,as you'll discover)

 

the coaches took up up the 62 then down the M1.

First coach was overheating by Clickheaton,so both coaches pulled in the services. the drivers gave strict instructions that it wasn't a scheduled stop and no-one should leave the coaches.it was just to get water for the radiators etc.

brixton did get off,but we assumed he was on the other coach and vice versa.

 

we eventually got to wembley without further delay,brixton was still nowhere to be seen. his dad and brother were on the other coach and assured us he wasn't on there,whilst we knew he definitely wasn't on ours.

 

after the game,we went to the coaches which had vanished without us due to our boisterous behaviour,understandable considering some lads had climbed out of the rooflights and were running up and down the coach roof on wembley way,thus leaving 100 lads to make our own way home.

 

we blagged our way onto the train,6 of us hiding in a bog for most of the way home,still no sign of brixton though.

amazingly we got back to the stag for last orders and who was sat there ?

 

yes,it was brixton. we'd left the poor sod at cleckheaton services at 7ish in the morning. he'd got for a bite and a dump,then missed the coaches.

even worse,he gave me his money to look after,so he didn't have the fare to get down to wembley on the train.

when things couldn't get worse,they did. the driver from the coach from the rupert turned up looking for brixton.

it seems one of the lads,had booted a window in and was demanding ?400 for a new one.

 

you couldn't script days like that

 

 

s iwas on said coach Fitzroy Barnes,RIP put the window in,remembering Derby in cup when our coach got trashed how cold it got,I went to back and put all the bin bags on.I got laughed at till watford when I sold 2 to Kempy and Bicky.

jesus i couldnt begin to even start i was a lightwieght mate takes someone with a better drinking/memory set than me .........worst one for me was leigh .fuckign hell fight started in second pub and that was it for the night the whole town turned out into the streets .rough as fuck.........

 

It was Atherton.

come on C,enlighten the masses with the classic rupert outings to wigan and oldham.......over to you 'young man'

 

Oldham,I was on works Do Mini bus from Aerospace got in wine lodge when a coach and half of Ruperts finest came trundeling in.,,Mayhem ensuded the pub was shut for 6 week after,running battles all night.Me and Big Al T got lucky with a couple of Floozies on Market outside Candlelight,Got grassed up to fianc?e off her brother thing is the cunt was not even there.

It was Atherton.

IT WAS LEIGH!

Edited by fellman

  • Author

s iwas on said coach Fitzroy Barnes,RIP put the window in,remembering Derby in cup when our coach got trashed how cold it got,I went to back and put all the bin bags on.I got laughed at till watford when I sold 2 to Kempy and Bicky.

 

Didn't Fitz put the window in because he thought someone had nicked his cigs ? Then after putting the window in,he found the cigs in his pocket !!

Remember our coach had to turn back and pick up what we could. Wouldn't happen these days. Also remember Newport County were very good with us and let use their social club until the new coach arrive. And how did we repay their hospitality? After getting tanked up we went on their pitch took the nets down, got the roller out and Meldrew and Casino tryed to get into the changing rooms (batty boys) - happy days.

Edited by Underpants

Didn't Fitz put the window in because he thought someone had nicked his cigs ? Then after putting the window in,he found the cigs in his pocket !!

 

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