What Away Fans Must Have Thought Landing At Bolton In The 70S.

[leigh white]

Coming off that train at Trinity Street station for supporters after seeing how bleak the area was passing the ground, then deciding to have a mooch into town or going straight to the ground. Northern rivals would be used to the surroundings, but anyone from far afield would have been mumbling lets get in and out of this place as soon as the game ends.

[bolty58]

I can answer some of this from lads of a particular vintage I know down here mate (Palace, Millwall, Spurs, Leeds, Newcastle in particular).

 

To a man, they describe Burnden Park as 'intimidating'.

 

Millwall lads loved the Wood Street Social Club (familiar surroundings for them I suppose). One in particular always mentions 'Bolton and Preston are the only places we have ever been given a really good slap'. The Preston bit always amazes me as I don't ever remember them offering any resistance to us. We used to run the place ragged every year and fond memories of running them off their Kop for Roger Hunts debut. By the fuck we had a mob there that day. It was getting towards that invasion we mounted for 'that' night at Ewood.

 

Quite a few of them mention intending to head into town but confrontations with 'mad locals' put paid to that. A few mentioned being attacked by nutters from The Trotters but not the pub by name just 'that first pub on the right after turning left at the bottom of the hill from the railway station'.  Others mention smaller pubs down back streets so I assume they must mean the Alma etc.

 

"Wasn't a place to go taking liberties" according to one of my Palace mates (I have about 7 of them down here).

[Underpants]

To be fair most towns and citys were bleak in the 70s.

[Carlos]

You think it was bleak then you want to go now!

[Mounts Kipper]

It's surreal to look back now and remember the welcoming committees we turned out week in week out back then. Truly different times now.

[RONNIE PHILLIPS]

Burnley in 88 & Manure in 95 were pretty impressive as welcoming committees go too.

[MancWanderer]

Drove up from the new Carr's place towards town last Saturday - was pointing out to my daughter the pie-shop, the King Bill, that metal bridge on the left, the bit where the banking curved round near to the Manny Road entrances to the embankment, and was trying to explain to her what it used to be like on match day - found it really difficult to actually put it into words

 

I was Burnden Terrace so most of the time approached the ground from The Haulgh where my Auntie lived but the times I came in from town it was the numbers of people flooding out of the pubs in the mid/late 70's that sticks in my mind and the away fans marching down from Trinity Street - they must have come out of the station and felt suddenly engulfed by Wanderers from all directions

[RUREADY2ROLL]

I can answer some of this from lads of a particular vintage I know down here mate (Palace, Millwall, Spurs, Leeds, Newcastle in particular).

 

To a man, they describe Burnden Park as 'intimidating'.

 

Millwall lads loved the Wood Street Social Club (familiar surroundings for them I suppose). One in particular always mentions 'Bolton and Preston are the only places we have ever been given a really good slap'. The Preston bit always amazes me as I don't ever remember them offering any resistance to us. We used to run the place ragged every year and fond memories of running them off their Kop for Roger Hunts debut. By the fuck we had a mob there that day. It was getting towards that invasion we mounted for 'that' night at Ewood.

 

Quite a few of them mention intending to head into town but confrontations with 'mad locals' put paid to that. A few mentioned being attacked by nutters from The Trotters but not the pub by name just 'that first pub on the right after turning left at the bottom of the hill from the railway station'.  Others mention smaller pubs down back streets so I assume they must mean the Alma etc.

 

"Wasn't a place to go taking liberties" according to one of my Palace mates (I have about 7 of them down here).

I was at Preston for the Roger Hunt debut in their kop. We must of outnumbered Preston 2-1 that day - wasn't it 4-1 to us?

[Rizlar]

We had a great mob in them days nobody took liberties home or away .

[Burndens Bogs]

For an away supporter, unless you knew were you were going it was pretty much one road in and one road out - Manny Road.

Some of the stuff that happened along there in the 70's and 80's was fairly brutal.

It mustn't have been one of the most pleasant away days for visiting supporters back then.

But it was ours and we loved it.

[Smiley]

Remember the white outside walls of the Embankment having "Welcome to your deaths" painted on it in huge letters. That must've shit a few folk up.

(That was my recollection from the 80s)

[MickyD]

1976 FA Cup 4th round at Huddersfield. That was a day to have your wits about you. My first away game I think and what a cracker. I reckon we had half the ground. Very little, if any, segregation and it kicked off right in front of me and my mates as a few Huddersfield fans came through the Bolton lot. Carnage!

[leigh white]

The first time we had played Burnley in 12 years in a league match in 76 and walking under the railway bridges after the game, a mob of Dingles silent, a roar went up and the noise was echoing, BOLTON,BOLTON,BOLTON. Never seen such a panic stricken set of away fans that night.

[Happy Wanderer]

70’s when the away train arrived The Trotters pub emptied out into the road fro around the Queens cinema, must have been a welcoming sight for them as they headed down Trinity Street. On the odd occasion The Painters lot would be behind them. Heading further down Manchester Road and licking their wounds only to find a few waiting at the Rose Hill Tavern. Having rushed past them they were met by the Waggon crew and then finally safety, well not quiet as the crew from King Bill walked across to shake their hands before entrance to the Embankment End for a delivery from the Warbies boy’s.

[leigh white]

70’s when the away train arrived The Trotters pub emptied out into the road fro around the Queens cinema, must have been a welcoming sight for them as they headed down Trinity Street. On the odd occasion The Painters lot would be behind them. Heading further down Manchester Road and licking their wounds only to find a few waiting at the Rose Hill Tavern. Having rushed past them they were met by the Waggon crew and then finally safety, well not quiet as the crew from King Bill walked across to shake their hands before entrance to the Embankment End for a delivery from the Warbies boy’s.

A Cardiff fan came in the Waggon & Horses once near the ground, looked liked he'd been in a car crash, even my dad got him a pint and said you lot give it us over in S Wales when we play you.

[bolty58]

I was at Preston for the Roger Hunt debut in their kop. We must of outnumbered Preston 2-1 that day - wasn't it 4-1 to us?

 

Yes mate - that is my recollection of the final score. At least 2 to one and possibly an even higher ratio.

[bolty58]

1976 FA Cup 4th round at Huddersfield. That was a day to have your wits about you. My first away game I think and what a cracker. I reckon we had half the ground. Very little, if any, segregation and it kicked off right in front of me and my mates as a few Huddersfield fans came through the Bolton lot. Carnage!

 

 

1-0 to us. Peter Reid.

 

Massive away support. Met Mike Summerbee outside the ground and cheekily asked "Coming to watch a decent team for a change Mike?" He just laughed and walked off.

 

We were on that big side terrace with their Cowshed to our right. Only saw a few minor skirmishes TBH.

 

Put me in mind of that old Lever End favourite:-

 

Fuck em all, fuck em all,

The long and the short and the tall,

Fuck Huddersfield Town and their beautiful blondes,

Fuck Preston North End and their bleedin' songs

 

Cos we're saying goodbye to them all,

The long and the short and the tall,

Cos we've got a notion that we'll get promotion

So come on the lads - fuck em all.

Edited September 29, 2017 by bolty58

[bolty58]

70’s when the away train arrived The Trotters pub emptied out into the road fro around the Queens cinema, must have been a welcoming sight for them as they headed down Trinity Street. On the odd occasion The Painters lot would be behind them. Heading further down Manchester Road and licking their wounds only to find a few waiting at the Rose Hill Tavern. Having rushed past them they were met by the Waggon crew and then finally safety, well not quiet as the crew from King Bill walked across to shake their hands before entrance to the Embankment End for a delivery from the Warbies boy’s.

 

 

Spot on - especially for a big game. Must have been intimidating looking back. Never really thought of it at the time - just a welcoming committee as we faced in other towns.

[MickyD]

1-0 to us. Peter Reid.

 

Massive away support. Met Mike Summerbee outside the ground and cheekily asked "Coming to watch a decent team for a change Mike?" He just laughed and walked off.

 

We were on that big side terrace with their Cowshed to our right. Only saw a few minor skirmishes TBH.

 

Put me in mind of that old Lever End favourite:-

 

Fuck em all, fuck em all,

The long and the short and the tall,

Fuck Huddersfield Town and their beautiful blondes,

Fuck Preston North End and their bleedin' songs

 

Cos we're saying goodbye to them all,

The long and the short and the tall,

Cos we've got a notion that we'll get promotion

So come on the lads - fuck em all.

 

Must admit that by the time I started going regularly in 73-74 it had become

 

Fuck em all, fuck em all,

The Chelsea the Spurs and Millwall

We'll never be mastered by no Cockney Bastard

So come on you whites fuck em all.

[MancWanderer]

Was never into the hooliganism thing and I was too young anyway in the 70's but it sticks in my mind that as the away fans walked down from Trinity Street to Burnden their "escort" grew larger in numbers the closer they got to the ground

 

That walk in those days must have left an impression on older away fans these days looking back

[Casino]

Also saw summerbee

 

Was leaving the car park in his merc

[leigh white]

In 71 when Bolton played Chelsea in a friendly game, loads of Salford and L/H reds came expecting a ruck, and no Chelsea turned up.

[fatolive]

My old fellas mate used to run the Rose Hill in late 70’s and early 80’s, for an afternoon of paid ale, he used do “ match day security” in there, which was basically helping him keep trouble down to a minimum. He has loads of tales he told me in my older years, but for a man who doesn’t really take that much interest in football as such, and for all the stories of various teams fans and trouble they caused/ got in to, he absolutely detests Nottingham Forest and by default, people from Nottingham, won’t say why, even though he’s told me things that happened in that pub that are pretty bad, ( from a graphic description point of view ) but just says Nottingham are pure filth and still to this day hopes they lose everytime he sees their name and goes off about what a set of filth scumbags they are.

Not sure why, but does anyone else have any recollection of them doing anything particular bad round there in those days?

[Mounts Kipper]

My old fellas mate used to run the Rose Hill in late 70’s and early 80’s, for an afternoon of paid ale, he used do “ match day security” in there, which was basically helping him keep trouble down to a minimum. He has loads of tales he told me in my older years, but for a man who doesn’t really take that much interest in football as such, and for all the stories of various teams fans and trouble they caused/ got in to, he absolutely detests Nottingham Forest and by default, people from Nottingham, won’t say why, even though he’s told me things that happened in that pub that are pretty bad, ( from a graphic description point of view ) but just says Nottingham are pure filth and still to this day hopes they lose everytime he sees their name and goes off about what a set of filth scumbags they are.

Not sure why, but does anyone else have any recollection of them doing anything particular bad round there in those days?

Only really can remember the game with Forest when lever end was split 50/50 plenty of bricks and slates chucked across the divide and plenty marched out of the ground with split heads would have been 76/77.

[MancWanderer]

Mid/late 70's. That couple of years where we were close to getting promoted under Ian Greaves but didn't quite make it

 

Remember Forest fans in the underpass under St Peters Way causing grief towards Burnden Terrace/Stand families and kids leaving the ground. Boxing Day game?

 

I know my Dad wasn't happy when Forest won the European Cup and told me to be "careful" when I got a job with Boots who were based in Nottingham