Elm Park Years

[East Grinstead Royal]

can recall Northampton (1976) walking through the Tilehurst End with their doctor white coats on, heading towards the Southbank

My recollection is that it was Bournemouth (although could have been both, I suppose). It happened a few days after a TV programme on Millwall supporters. Whoever it was, they even copied Millwall's adaptation of the Ramones' "Beat On The Brat."

I was at Reading Tech doing day release in the mid 70s and the week after the Portsmouth invasion / copper getting kicked, I remember that in one of the open areas, someone had written on a blackboard something along the lines of "Pee-orts-muff took the South Bank." Under which someone else had added "2-0!!!"

Terry Cooper came on the pitch to try and get the City fans to behave, but as he left the pitch some of the home fans tried to attack him. I seem to recall that Reading were fined for having the terraces in such a state that lumps of concrete could be thrown.

[Barney]

can recall Northampton (1976) walking through the Tilehurst End with their doctor white coats on, heading towards the Southbank

My recollection is that it was Bournemouth (although could have been both, I suppose). It happened a few days after a TV programme on Millwall supporters. Whoever it was, they even copied Millwall's adaptation of the Ramones' "Beat On The Brat."

I was at Reading Tech doing day release in the mid 70s and the week after the Portsmouth invasion / copper getting kicked, I remember that in one of the open areas, someone had written on a blackboard something along the lines of "Pee-orts-muff took the South Bank." Under which someone else had added "2-0!!!"

Terry Cooper came on the pitch to try and get the City fans to behave, but as he left the pitch some of the home fans tried to attack him. I seem to recall that Reading were fined for having the terraces in such a state that lumps of concrete could be thrown.

It was Northampton. White coats, maroon "The Cobblers" splattered all over them. Without bothering to look it up, I believe Geoff Barker scored the only (winning) goal for us. Twas the season we went up, along with Lincoln and Northampton.
The Lincoln game later that season drew over 15,000 to Elm Park. Huge crowd for 4th division in those days.

[AthleticoSpizz]

.....and was filmed and screened on ITVs ‘The Big Match’ - my first ever time on tv (in the TE by the wall to the side of the goal....a decent result too)

[East Grinstead Royal]

It was Northampton. White coats, maroon "The Cobblers" splattered all over them. Without bothering to look it up, I believe Geoff Barker scored the only (winning) goal for us. Twas the season we went up, along with Lincoln and Northampton.
The Lincoln game later that season drew over 15,000 to Elm Park. Huge crowd for 4th division in those days.

Ah, right, different season to the one I was thinking of, the Bournemouth one would have been a couple of years later if a Ramones song was involved! I do remember the Northampton game quite well, as it happens. It was my first season as a STH (you could only get STs for the seated stand opposite the South Bank). There was, of course, no segregation of away fans in the seats or on the terraces, and I happened to be sitting next to a middle-aged Northampton supporter (I was 18). It was a tense afternoon and in those days I was extremely vocal and the occasion did increase the quantity and volume of my "contribution" to the noise. At the end of the game, the Cobbler turned to me and said, "Thank Christ I don't have to sit next to you every week!"

Don't forget that Tranmere were promoted that season as well, despite being on the receiving end of "that" goal from Robin Friday.

[LUX]

that season (75-76) is easily my favourite ever season, ahead of the 106 season (which comes second, obvs)

[Zip]

Darren Wood was a whole-hearted if limited central defender who had come through a serious knee injury (iirc) and came to us from Chesterfield??; .

His last game for chestefield was against us, when we sent them down on the last day. They were 2-0 up at half time, and we won 4-2 (and we'd have been down to the 4th if we'd lost).

They had to win and hope other results went their way for them to stay up, and apparently somebody told them at half time the other teams were winning, and they just gave up.

Bit of a niggly day, with pro and anti-Branfoot people having words, as well as some national front recruiters in the away end. Some home fans were in the away end too, but there were fine.

We looked down and out at half time as the other scores were not going our way. Plus we had been on a shocking run from mid table safety to a desperate last day relegation dogfight. I think we had lost something like seven on the bounce.
We started the season as one of the promotion favourites too.

[Platypuss]

Darren Wood was a whole-hearted if limited central defender who had come through a serious knee injury (iirc) and came to us from Chesterfield??; .

His last game for chestefield was against us, when we sent them down on the last day. They were 2-0 up at half time, and we won 4-2 (and we'd have been down to the 4th if we'd lost).

They had to win and hope other results went their way for them to stay up, and apparently somebody told them at half time the other teams were winning, and they just gave up.

Bit of a niggly day, with pro and anti-Branfoot people having words, as well as some national front recruiters in the away end. Some home fans were in the away end too, but there were fine.

We looked down and out at half time as the other scores were not going our way. Plus we had been on a shocking run from mid table safety to a desperate last day relegation dogfight. I think we had lost something like seven on the bounce.
We started the season as one of the promotion favourites too.

Great away day that.

And the Saltergate pissoirs!

[DW Pinner]

Reading v Arsenal FA Cup 1972 was the heyday of skinheads/suedeheads and football violence. As a 14 year old living in Reading - our hooligan following mainly consisted of schoolboy wannabes, like me. Anyone harder (older) in those days supported the big London clubs or Man U/Liverpool.

Elm Park that February day was bursting with the biggest crowd for years, over 25,000. There had been rumours circulating all afternoon that the local Hells Angels, the Wessex Freewheelers had been seen near the ground and were spoiling for a fight.

After a hard fought 2-1 loss (as is usual against Arsenal) the Reading mob, me tagging along, were chased along the Oxford Road back into town. As we got to the bridge at Reading West station, like a scene out of a spaghetti western 4 or 5 tooled up Freewheelers appeared, one I swear had what looked like sawn off shotgun. Bolstered by a contingent of local West Indian hard nuts panic ensued among the Arsenal mob and they turned tail back chased back in the direction of Elm Park by Reading’s finest.

After that I remember it kicking off all over town with Arsenal coming off worse as they headed back to the station.

My day ended in ignominy. Mistaken for a real football hooligan I was arrested on suspicion of throwing a bottle and ended up in the cells at the old Reading Police station in Valpy St until a less than happy dad picked me up.

Those were the days!

[LUX]

lolz, good story.

Makes a change from-and is better than- my Wealdstone away story (also related by Schards and others iirc).

[OldBiscuit]

The replay was during the days of the three-day week and regular power cuts,

Reading v Blyth Spartans took place on 19 January 1972.
The three-day week ran from January to March 1974.

My memory is that it was the National Coal Miners strike was in full flow leading to power cuts and the game was played in the afternoon to avoid using the floodlights .
The power cuts were a real nuisance with one area of the country being powered whilst another wasn’t, and then the reverse. As always, we seemed to fall foul, for example, on Saturdays, our power would go off just an hour before Match of The Day was about to start. Battery operated radios, candles and games of cards formed the evening entertainment.
There was also a National population boom 9 months after the strike.

[Norfolk Royal]

Great memories I must say. Remember all those games from that era although think I wasn't living in Reading at the time of the Bristol City game so missed that one. Being beaten up or at least being in fear of extreme violence while attending a football match as a teenager at that time was very much a rite of passage for many and one that people who aren't psychopaths probably never forget. Bit like the way the older generation always remember the war years.

As an aside and as if to prove the point, I still remember very vividly aged around nine I think, my father taking me to a match at Elm Park, pretty sure it was Bournemouth around 1971. Don't remember anything about the game.

As we were leaving there seemed to be a bit of argy-bargy among the crowd milling around on Tilehurst Road outside the South Bank.
I can see it in my mind's eye now.

A man wearing a checked sports jacket with a roll up in his mouth, longish hair, looked to be in mid-20s, and holding what looked like some sort of cosh in his right hand, strode purposefully towards one of the opposing group from the back and sucker punched the victim on the back of the had with the aforementioned cosh.

The victim of the assault went down and the attacker vanished into the crowd. As a nine-year old that was some event to witness. Amazed I ever went back tbh.

[Millsy]

Reading v Arsenal FA Cup 1972 was the heyday of skinheads/suedeheads and football violence. As a 14 year old living in Reading - our hooligan following mainly consisted of schoolboy wannabes, like me. Anyone harder (older) in those days supported the big London clubs or Man U/Liverpool.

Elm Park that February day was bursting with the biggest crowd for years, over 25,000. There had been rumours circulating all afternoon that the local Hells Angels, the Wessex Freewheelers had been seen near the ground and were spoiling for a fight.

After a hard fought 2-1 loss (as is usual against Arsenal) the Reading mob, me tagging along, were chased along the Oxford Road back into town. As we got to the bridge at Reading West station, like a scene out of a spaghetti western 4 or 5 tooled up Freewheelers appeared, one I swear had what looked like sawn off shotgun. Bolstered by a contingent of local West Indian hard nuts panic ensued among the Arsenal mob and they turned tail back chased back in the direction of Elm Park by Reading’s finest.

After that I remember it kicking off all over town with Arsenal coming off worse as they headed back to the station.

My day ended in ignominy. Mistaken for a real football hooligan I was arrested on suspicion of throwing a bottle and ended up in the cells at the old Reading Police station in Valpy St until a less than happy dad picked me up.

Those were the days!

Haha brilliant!

Beats our stories of Cardiff/Brizzle/Wall tossers throwing stones at us at the Madstad.

One thing stands out though... Crowd of 25000? At EP?

I can't remember exactly but I'm sure it was something like 'Boro and we had a whopping crowd of, I dunno, 13000 or so and I swear we were so tightly packed in we must've either violated the laws of physics, created some neutron stars in the process, or some must've just spontenously combusted. A couple of my friends merged into each other that day and turned into one person it was so packed. I remember not being able to breathe and went 2 hours with no air in my lungs whatsoever. A came out the ground looking like a smurf.

Anyway.... that was with I think 13000 or so.

25,000??? That's like... literally impossible, Shirley?

[LUX]

Think we had 25000 at home to Saints in the League cup in the early 80’s?

From memory Kevin Keegan was supposed to be playing for them, hence the crowd. But he did not play . I was there natch

Edit: it was nil nil and we lost the replay 2-0, big away crowd too.

[Nameless]

Reading v Arsenal FA Cup 1972 was the heyday of skinheads/suedeheads and football violence. As a 14 year old living in Reading - our hooligan following mainly consisted of schoolboy wannabes, like me. Anyone harder (older) in those days supported the big London clubs or Man U/Liverpool.

Elm Park that February day was bursting with the biggest crowd for years, over 25,000. There had been rumours circulating all afternoon that the local Hells Angels, the Wessex Freewheelers had been seen near the ground and were spoiling for a fight.

After a hard fought 2-1 loss (as is usual against Arsenal) the Reading mob, me tagging along, were chased along the Oxford Road back into town. As we got to the bridge at Reading West station, like a scene out of a spaghetti western 4 or 5 tooled up Freewheelers appeared, one I swear had what looked like sawn off shotgun. Bolstered by a contingent of local West Indian hard nuts panic ensued among the Arsenal mob and they turned tail back chased back in the direction of Elm Park by Reading’s finest.

After that I remember it kicking off all over town with Arsenal coming off worse as they headed back to the station.

My day ended in ignominy. Mistaken for a real football hooligan I was arrested on suspicion of throwing a bottle and ended up in the cells at the old Reading Police station in Valpy St until a less than happy dad picked me up.

Those were the days!

Haha brilliant!

Beats our stories of Cardiff/Brizzle/Wall tossers throwing stones at us at the Madstad.

One thing stands out though... Crowd of 25000? At EP?

I can't remember exactly but I'm sure it was something like 'Boro and we had a whopping crowd of, I dunno, 13000 or so and I swear we were so tightly packed in we must've either violated the laws of physics, created some neutron stars in the process, or some must've just spontenously combusted. A couple of my friends merged into each other that day and turned into one person it was so packed. I remember not being able to breathe and went 2 hours with no air in my lungs whatsoever. A came out the ground looking like a smurf.

Anyway.... that was with I think 13000 or so.

25,000??? That's like... literally impossible, Shirley?

Elm Park was literally bursting for that Arsenal game, the wall at the front of the Tilehurst End gave way at one point.
Amazingly it wasn’t even a question of it being pay on the gate as it was all ticket, although I suspect plenty got in by slipping the old boys on the turnstile a couple of quid.
Southampton in the League Cup was also a huge crowd and being a night game the atmosphere was incredible. IIRC there was much more trouble at the Saints game than the Arsenal match.

[South Coast Royal]

Yeah, pre-segregation

Saw lots (and lots) of games in the 70s when fans from either team (and even fans from neither team...maybe a London team/Aldershot/Oxford game had been called off...so they all piled in to EP Northampton fans being one that comes to mind) could stand anywhere....only really recall significant trouble v Portsmouth and Burnley. Natural territories seemed to sort themselves out....Lincoln City in the TE anyone? maybe it’s just RTGs from an oldun tho’ but

Then came the eighties

I was prolly at the same games as you. Restrictng myself to the mid- late 70’s......Do not recall any trouble with Burnley. Pompey, very very bad, twice.

Southbank taken over by Sheff Wed (for a night game). But no trouble at all. Ditto Northampton. Oxford too, but loads of trouble.

Reading v Palace on NYD. Southampton had their game called off and they turned up to support us for some reason.

Massive BHA following for a night game, but in Town End only. 1977? They won 3-2 iirc. First time I saw that end full of away fans.

Lux,
I have tracked that Sheffield Wednesday Friday night game.
We lost 2-0 to Jack Charlton's side (in Div 3) in 1979, one of only 3 home losses with the others being against Gillingham in September and Blackpool in April.
It was December 21st and it snowed.
I took my young kids down to the Curzon Club to warm up before driving back down to rural Hampshire-IIRC Wednesday were decent, got promoted and it wasn't too long before they got back to the top level and won the League Cup.

We finished 7th that season having only been promoted from Div 4 the previous season.

As a matter if interest when we were languishing in Div 4 in the 1972/73 and ending up 7th these teams finished above us:-
Southport (1st)
Hereford (2nd)
Aldershot (4th)!!!

Below us teams included:-
Stockport
Workington
Chester
Torquay
Hartlepool
Darlington

So as we contemplate a fixture away at Leeds this Saturday having played Sheffield Wednesday last week and soon to play Stoke maybe things aren't too bad.

[OldBiscuit]

Think we had 25000 at home to Saints in the League cup in the early 80’s?

From memory Kevin Keegan was supposed to be playing for them, hence the crowd. But he did not play . I was there natch

Edit: it was nil nil and we lost the replay 2-0, big away crowd too.

It was nothing to do with Kevin Keegan, we were doing well and going for promotion that season, and the cup game caught the imagination of the public.
There was loads of violence that day/evening, and I remember some Reading fans taking the day off work in order to give Southampton fans a warm welcome, which they did and it carried on in Prospect Park afterwards with probably some of the most savage violence I have ever witnessed at a football game. The Police in those days were clueless.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yeah, pre-segregation

Saw lots (and lots) of games in the 70s when fans from either team (and even fans from neither team...maybe a London team/Aldershot/Oxford game had been called off...so they all piled in to EP Northampton fans being one that comes to mind) could stand anywhere....only really recall significant trouble v Portsmouth and Burnley. Natural territories seemed to sort themselves out....Lincoln City in the TE anyone? maybe it’s just RTGs from an oldun tho’ but

Then came the eighties

I was prolly at the same games as you. Restrictng myself to the mid- late 70’s......Do not recall any trouble with Burnley. Pompey, very very bad, twice.

Southbank taken over by Sheff Wed (for a night game). But no trouble at all. Ditto Northampton. Oxford too, but loads of trouble.

Reading v Palace on NYD. Southampton had their game called off and they turned up to support us for some reason.

Massive BHA following for a night game, but in Town End only. 1977? They won 3-2 iirc. First time I saw that end full of away fans.

Lux,
I have tracked that Sheffield Wednesday Friday night game.
We lost 2-0 to Jack Charlton's side (in Div 3) in 1979, one of only 3 home losses with the others being against Gillingham in September and Blackpool in April.
It was December 21st and it snowed.
I took my young kids down to the Curzon Club to warm up before driving back down to rural Hampshire-IIRC Wednesday were decent, got promoted and it wasn't too long before they got back to the top level and won the League Cup.

We finished 7th that season having only been promoted from Div 4 the previous season.

As a matter if interest when we were languishing in Div 4 in the 1972/73 and ending up 7th these teams finished above us:-
Southport (1st)
Hereford (2nd)
Aldershot (4th)!!!

Below us teams included:-
Stockport
Workington
Chester
Torquay
Hartlepool
Darlington

So as we contemplate a fixture away at Leeds this Saturday having played Sheffield Wednesday last week and soon to play Stoke maybe things aren't too bad.

Barrow look to be on course for a FL return....I had an RFC v Barrow programme once (at least until until it got ‘moused’ in my vaults.....the shed)...cannot remember the game at all.

[Royality creeps In]

Reading v Arsenal FA Cup 1972 was the heyday of skinheads/suedeheads and football violence. As a 14 year old living in Reading - our hooligan following mainly consisted of schoolboy wannabes, like me. Anyone harder (older) in those days supported the big London clubs or Man U/Liverpool.

Elm Park that February day was bursting with the biggest crowd for years, over 25,000. There had been rumours circulating all afternoon that the local Hells Angels, the Wessex Freewheelers had been seen near the ground and were spoiling for a fight.

After a hard fought 2-1 loss (as is usual against Arsenal) the Reading mob, me tagging along, were chased along the Oxford Road back into town. As we got to the bridge at Reading West station, like a scene out of a spaghetti western 4 or 5 tooled up Freewheelers appeared, one I swear had what looked like sawn off shotgun. Bolstered by a contingent of local West Indian hard nuts panic ensued among the Arsenal mob and they turned tail back chased back in the direction of Elm Park by Reading’s finest.

After that I remember it kicking off all over town with Arsenal coming off worse as they headed back to the station.

My day ended in ignominy. Mistaken for a real football hooligan I was arrested on suspicion of throwing a bottle and ended up in the cells at the old Reading Police station in Valpy St until a less than happy dad picked me up.

Those were the days!

I was at this game as a young lad. Remember standing at the front of the town end behind the goal and standing in awe of the Arsenal team which included Frank McClintock, Bob Wilson and the rest.
I think we scored two own goals.
On the Big Match next day. My first time on TV

[Nameless]

Think we had 25000 at home to Saints in the League cup in the early 80’s?

From memory Kevin Keegan was supposed to be playing for them, hence the crowd. But he did not play . I was there natch

Edit: it was nil nil and we lost the replay 2-0, big away crowd too.

It was nothing to do with Kevin Keegan, we were doing well and going for promotion that season, and the cup game caught the imagination of the public.
There was loads of violence that day/evening, and I remember some Reading fans taking the day off work in order to give Southampton fans a warm welcome, which they did and it carried on in Prospect Park afterwards with probably some of the most savage violence I have ever witnessed at a football game. The Police in those days were clueless.

Any potential disappointment at not seeing a Keegan would have been offset by he fact that IIRC Alan Ball was playing. A genuine World Cup winner.....

[Barney]

Think we had 25000 at home to Saints in the League cup in the early 80’s?

From memory Kevin Keegan was supposed to be playing for them, hence the crowd. But he did not play . I was there natch

Edit: it was nil nil and we lost the replay 2-0, big away crowd too.

It was nothing to do with Kevin Keegan, we were doing well and going for promotion that season, and the cup game caught the imagination of the public.
There was loads of violence that day/evening, and I remember some Reading fans taking the day off work in order to give Southampton fans a warm welcome, which they did and it carried on in Prospect Park afterwards with probably some of the most savage violence I have ever witnessed at a football game. The Police in those days were clueless.

I took a half day off work for both the Southampton home game, and the away replay. The southbank was absolutely rammed about an hour before kick off......and I mean absolutely jammed packed. 25,000-ish for a night game. It was PACKED.

As for the away replay, we took 5000+ plus for an evening away replay. Smiths coaches...transits....you name it.

Lovely memories