sparkplug

Millwall September 1976 can't say what happened in the ground before KO as I was in the 'shed' mob with B consisting of a Few Fulham lads, us Lewisham lot Nutty, Bulldog, Lighty and Lavenue sadly all no longer with us Rumpole Smiffy Shandy Ernie Tash etc, Slough boys and a few other odds and sods including a coach load from Bletchley. We met in the Swan pub in Lewisham the original plan was for DH to meet at Fulham Broadway tube and make their way to Lewisham unfortunately it nether worked out that way we got the train to New Cross had our first row at the New Cross Inn the windows went through. Found out Plumby and a few others were drinking in the pub as well we joined up and continued on the way to the ground outside the CBL met a few others including Tommy Gloves (RIP) who had already been in the ground they said we was getting done in there and we were mad to go in told them we are going in most of them decided to join us. After going through turnstiles we waited at the bottom of the stairs till everybody had got through then went up the stairs at the top turned right and stood in front of the bar there didn't appear at first to be too many of their firm in there a few of them were up the Ilderton road end after a Chelsea mob who had gone on the pitch and run up that end we started to be sussed out think it was Lavenue and Nutty who led a charge into them they scattered at first but we didn't fall into the trap of chasing after them we wanted to hold the Bar and the back of the Terracing soon they was coming from all three sides a few rows broke out but they seemed a bit wary of coming into us there was a few Old Bill there but not really enough to stop them the onus was on them to get us out the numbers of Old Bill grew throughout the first half so by half time they decided to start taking us out the ground through the second half a couple at a time seeing this a few started making their own way out. I got taken out with a couple of others there were a few Millwall waiting outside decided not to hang about walked up to New Cross and got a bus to Lewisham where we managed to meet up and made our way back to the Swan to await Millwall to come but they nether showed up. None of us got really battered that day apart for some of the the lot on the Bletchley Coach including one who I thinked got stabbed by a screwdriver.

That third picture looks like Ayresome Park before the stand was built behind the goal it's not Arsenal no white sleeves

Yes this Saturday send me a message if you want details

You're right mate being relegated at the end of 74/75 seemed to stir up the interest Sunderland away as first game (another blinding day) saw people going who if it had been the previous season wouldn't have bothered them two seasons down in the second our away numbers shot up

Before we got relegated in 74/75 north of the midlands we hardly took anybody except for big cup games eg remember going to Liverpool 1975 hardly anyone on special two buses met us at Lime St everyone was singing on bus by the time we got to Anfield you could have heard a pin drop we were dropped off outside the main stand no police it was every man for themselves. By 77/78 back in the first division 1-2000 couple of specials which had a police escort but a 100/150 of us used to go by Inter City using Persil Tickets this was our main firm in them days we was tight and grown up together and had learned from the Millwall experience

What a good day out that was

1981 West Ham v Chelsea few familiar faces

Went to Liverpool a few times in the 70s can't remember even having a good mob up there until the league cup game in 1977. Got chased a couple of times before then I was one of the lucky ones getting back to Euston with the clothes I went up there in unlike some others.

Gonna be there

I'm sure yellow paint day was 1973/74 season about March/April time I ws 16 and just about to leave School

Back in the 70s the Slough boys were good mates with us Lewisham lot

I also can't remember Bolton bringing a mob down in the 70s I remember the graffiti though 'Matt BWFC' it was seen at most second division grounds at the time think it was done on the Friday night before they played us. The following season on the Friday night before we played them a few of us had a drink in the Rising Sun hoping to catch sight of him and teach him the error of his ways unfortunatley there was a no show

My old man used go in there most games I don't think he ever sat in his seat he used to go in the bar along the back which used to drop their windows and serve through the game there used to be a crowd of them including ex players like Johhny Boyle. I was lucky enough to go with him a few times spent a lot of time getting autographs from players to Hollywood Superstars great days

I'm planning to be there bit confused how to pay know of of a few others gonna be there

It's one of the biggest groups takes in support from Kent as well

Yeah I knew them well used to stay up there when we played Leeds etc Alan from Pudsey was a top man met him again last year at Nuttys Memorial do in Blackheath hopefully he'll be there at next weeks one

There were lots of northern Chelsea back in the seventies and eighties especially from Yorkshire think it started from the 1970 cup final a few times back then especially midweek games away from home seemed to be more locals than Londoners

No we didn't play them in 1975 and we didn't play them at Old Trafford in 1978 We played them up there in the league in September 1977 and May 1979 and in the FA Cup in January 1979

I remember the Live and Let Live and Clarence they were up the West Ken end of North End Road in the 80s the Live had a firm of Boro drinking in there who worked in London round about the time of the playoffs and ZDS Cup final we had a few tear ups with them

Lots of us old ones who moved down the line most places seem to have a following mainly Old School there must be some remnants of old Hickys firm still living in the Garden of England

I remember the Monday night game at West Ham really well as I got nlcked met in the pub at Bethnal Green got to Upton Park Station West Ham were waiting outside the Queens it went off with BG and others seem to remember there was some roadworks near and a few signs were slung about last thing I remember was the old bill shouting out "get him in the brown suit" which was me cost me £50 at Stratford Magistrates most of the rest were locked out memories of Tottenham 4 years earlier

Sorry to hear about that he was a good laugh Billy

Yeah it was the pub featured in the Panorama program became a Wetherspoons a couple of years before I moved down the line understand now demolished and is a block of flats the Saxon is now Lidls

Knew the face can't remember his name was a bit older than us

Knew most of them as a few of them drank in my local which was called the Squire in them days the lad with the big hair and glasses was Billy Piummer young lad was Gary Roberts usually got on with them well except of course around September 1976 when there was a couple of rows between our pub the Saxon which was Chels and the Squire I remember one Sunday night Little Tommy from Paddington (RIP) and a few others came over for a drink the Millwall lot came up from the squire and ran most of our mob up the road to Lower Sydenham station I got done pretty bad with a glass luckily I had one of the thick wrap round cardigans on which took most of it as they tried to do me in the back funny enough was drinking with them a couple of weeks later as if nothing had happened funny old game football eh!!