The Leigh Limpet

There's a couple of sites on Facebook, dedicated to fans recollections of the 'good old days' from all clubs. Many focus on Chelsea, with pics from the terrace's as well. I was amazed at the amount mentioned & the 'antics' involved!.

I was at that game, remember the Ref was Norman Burkenshaw ( or something like that! ). He always reminded me of 'Rigsby' from Rising Damp!.

Todays game will be long forgotten, after we've beaten Tottenham in the League Cup on Tuesday.

Tottenham were still in the Park Lane in 72. They were in The Shelf in 73, Paxton & Shelf 75 onwards. When we played there in 78, they even had a crew in the side paddock, by where the teams came out!. Think the only place they never staked out, was the top tier of the stand, above the Shelf terrace!

Presume this was written a few years ago, as if recently, then the guy would surely be 67, not 57??.

By the time our main mob ( which was massive ) got to the ground, they'd closed the turnstiles as it was full. Same thing happened in 79, when our 1st away game was at Upton Pk on a Mon night. We met at The Green Man in Bethnal Green, got there after KO, & they wouldn't let us in again!.

From what I saw in the Sardine packed Clock End, was a Chelsea mob ( Hickey's? ) who got sussed by Old Bill at the back where the open terrace becomes covered. They were then moved down to the front & escorted round or into the paddock. After the game we were walking en mass past their East Stand, when suddenly a gap appeared as Denton & his crew were walking the opp way through us. To be honest they threw a few 'right handers', & I didn't see much resistance as some of ours scattered ( obviously not our 'main guys',) which caused many of us to get split up. I lost my mates, & when I got back to Finsbury Park, I waited over the road outside a Betting shop. Within a few mins who should suddenly walk round the corner with his crony's, yep you've guessed!. Probably because I was on my own & wasn't wearing a CFC shirt, they stared & walked by. Somewhat a reality check as I had been married 6 years ( getting grief for still going to games ) & my eldest son was 3 months old at the time. Had I got home bruised & battered, would never had heard the last of it!.

Empty seats in the background, fast forward 35 years & despite their successes, they never seem to have a full house, when watching highlights on MOTD?. Could understand it if it held 80,000, but 54,000 imo isn't a mega amount to fill each home game. Even West Ham draw in more than them, & when did they last win anything......???

My page just shows the + & quote boxe's, nothing else???

To be honest, I thought the Geordies made as much noise as we did that day.

Def wasn't the Leeds game in Aug 72. We got on the dog track for most of the game, there were loads more on it than what that pic shows. Also the clothes worn were from the 60's, & Old Bills uniforms as well. Not a pair of Braces, Doc Martens or turned up Levis in sight!

That was in April 75, most of us got locked out. Had we all got in, the events on the pitch would have been a lot different from what actually happened. Fast forward to Aug 78, we filled the Park Lane end, which supposedly held 10,000.

Yep, like many ex players loved his booze. Was a Taxi driver in Southend for a few years. He was a winger.

It was the EUFA 2 legged Final in 74, when they got battered in Holland. Remember reading Bill Nicholson went onto the pitch at some stage, pleading with them to behave. Following evening or one after, recall watching local BBC News around 6.30pm & reporters were at Liverpool St when a load got off the train from Harwich. Everyone of them looked like they'd been in the ring with Mike Tyson.

It was also rumoured his 'hampton' was like a Widerbeest's, & he could put 3 of the old tankard pint beer glasses ( empty! ) on it. Sigh, wish I do one!!.