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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

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Posted

Anybody seen the review of the year on SSN the clip of allardyce getting choked talking about Gartside is worth a watch . Describes what they did together as magical ! Only about 20 seconds like . Nice he remembers it like that . Seemed genuine .

Posted

None of our lot on here, but a classic example of what 80's football and away days was all about.....

 

Crammed in a tranny van, drinking cheap ale and reading a twat mag............happy days.

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/CasualMind_/status/815260064177070080/photo/1

At what point did that sort of thing stop happening?

 

I was 16 in 93 when I first started going away and that never came up as an away day option, which I sort of regret

Posted

At what point did that sort of thing stop happening?

 

I was 16 in 93 when I first started going away and that never came up as an away day option, which I sort of regret

probably ended 1989

 

coinciding with the aftermath of Hillsborough, and advent of warehouse parties

Posted

probably ended 1989

 

coinciding with the aftermath of Hillsborough, and advent of warehouse parties

Or maybe seat belt laws

Posted

At what point did that sort of thing stop happening?

 

I was 16 in 93 when I first started going away and that never came up as an away day option, which I sort of regret

I remember being first on the open terrace at Ninian Park with my mate Keith Makey circa 82 sat on terrace waiting for it to fill up, full view of car park. Was Feb or so can't remember so pretty cold but not bitter, tranny van pulls up in car park and literally 20 Wanderers fans piled out Benny Hill style and immediately piss against all four sides of it clouding it in a huge mist of ale-produced piss-steam. Memories!

 

At this point I have to say neither of us drank and earlier in the day we'd been to Dai Woodham's scrapyard at Barry Island to look at the remaining rusting British Railways steam engines still there waiting to be cut up. SAAAADDDD!!!

Posted

Remember riding shotgun in a white box van to Norwich. Breightmet Jimmy driving.

Opened the back door at the side of the Albion. Load of not rights jumped in.

Can't recall anything of the match , but as we set off home got pulled by the coppers.

They made everyone get out.

Took a rough gestimate of their weights. Then decided how many had to stay behind. About 5 guys had to watch us drive off.

We did go back and pick them up after about half an hour.

Regularly used to head to Moor Lane and load up my Works Marina van on match days.

Great days out.

Posted

Went in a lot of transits with early starts from Moor Lane.....we used to raid the market skips for cardboard boxes to soften the floor & soak up any spilt  errr liquids. Later. we went upmarket sometimes & had transits with benches along the sides. ( i've got a couple of photos from trips in one of them but don't know how to post them )

Posted

Joe Cooke or Maxie Carter in the early eighties used to cram everyone from the Albion in transits or removal vans, ale swirling about everywhere in pitch black transportation.

 

Southend away in a box van springs to mind, left Albion around midnight...

Posted

At what point did that sort of thing stop happening?

I was 16 in 93 when I first started going away and that never came up as an away day option, which I sort of regret

Did countless trips in the early to late 80's.

 

Very memorable ones were Derby, Wigan, Scarborough,Doncaster, Birmingham, Southend, Burnley, Coventry, Orient, Carlisle,and Port Vale when our little posse consisted of six vans crammed with approx 30 lads in each made the trip.

 

Last one I did in a van was Palace away in the 93/94 season IIRC, meant to have been a minibus but ended up in a van. Horrible journey both ways. Rather chilly with no windows after a fracas in Dunstable on the way home, then the clutch went and we were stuck in third gear all the way home from Dunstable, doing 30mph.....what a dire trip that was.

 

The number of vans at away games in those mad 80's days was incredible........ABC, Harrow Road, Mitchell's, Salford Van Hire, Majestic, Little Lever Van Hire, Bobcat, Smryna, Bury Van Hire, Shaw St, Lowndes St to name but a few.

Posted (edited)

Did countless trips in the early to late 80's.

 

Very memorable ones were Derby, Wigan, Scarborough,Doncaster, Birmingham, Southend, Burnley, Coventry, Orient, Carlisle,and Port Vale when our little posse consisted of six vans crammed with approx 30 lads in each made the trip.

 

Last one I did in a van was Palace away in the 93/94 season IIRC, meant to have been a minibus but ended up in a van. Horrible journey both ways. Rather chilly with no windows after a fracas in Dunstable on the way home, then the clutch went and we were stuck in third gear all the way home from Dunstable, doing 30mph.....what a dire trip that was.

 

The number of vans at away games in those mad 80's days was incredible........ABC, Harrow Road, Mitchell's, Salford Van Hire, Majestic, Little Lever Van Hire, Bobcat, Smryna, Bury Van Hire, Shaw St, Lowndes St to name but a few.

 

I remember one trip (in a car) to Leyton Orient, one of the first Sunday games, something like 11:30am kick off, and you couldn't pay on the gate, entry was only via production of the match programme, a rouse to get round the Sunday trading laws I think.

 

Anyway, M1 around Luton we saw snow, driving rain then perfect sunshine in the space of about 30 mins, pottering along in the snow, then a tranny van full of Wanderers fans zooms past at about 60mph, skids, spins around in front of use about three times and ends up on the hard shoulder facing the wrong way.

 

5 mins later snow has all gone replaced with driving rain, same tranny van goes whistling past us about 80mph, those brave boys. Fearless (or pissed)

 

Game was 2-2, think we went 2-0 down, Dave Hoggan scored both, he ended up marrying one of the Routledge twins who I went to school with, Maxine I think. Can't actually remember the name of the other one but they were identical. The twins, not the names.

Edited by stek1961
Posted

Joe Cooke or Maxie Carter in the early eighties used to cram everyone from the Albion in transits or removal vans, ale swirling about everywhere in pitch black transportation.

Took a box van to Notts County 1st game of season early 80s, 45 of us going, 52 on the way back. Had the shutter up most of the way down cos it was so hot, no way you'd get away with it now
Posted

Took a box van to Notts County 1st game of season early 80s, 45 of us going, 52 on the way back. Had the shutter up most of the way down cos it was so hot, no way you'd get away with it now

I remember that game, I was there too with my Dad and Bro (two separate people, not the same one; I'm not a Wigginer) - draw? 0-0 or 1-1? It was a hot day, for sure, can't remember how we got there, must have been in one of my Dad's endless stream of Austin Maxi's and Princesses that didn't last a season..

 

1. Piston rod through engine block Watford away, left car on M6 Rugby turnoff, got to game via train, last something like 3-0 and got a lift back on official supporters coach. Proper supporting that, break down, get to game anyhow, no thoughts of going home, or how we'd ge back after game.

 

2. Clutch failure Notts Forest Away, Cup, 3-3, cracking game, stayed over at a mates in Hucknall, got car fixed.

 

3. Clutch failure again, same car, different match, Threlwall Viaduct, no memory of which game it was.

 

4. Mates car, Triumph Dolomite, broke down outside Pedro's on Halliwell about 200 yrs from his house. I have no memory of which actual mate, the game involved (think it was Burnley away) or whether we ever got there (pretty sure me did).

 

Spoke to some lads once in a motorway service station cadging lifts after a game at Chelsea, they'd clubbed together and bought a scrapper car just to get them there and back, parked up in Chelsea and couldn't find the car after, so bummed it home. None of them was sure even what make of car it was.

 

Those were the days eh, could get away with murder, dangerous vehicles, no MOT, no tax, six pints to help you drive better, can see road through hole in floor, heaters never working, impossible to exceed 60 mph, bald tyres, quick prayer before starting car.

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