KEYNSHAM NEWS

Been a while-not been to good, never mind, still here-just recalling with me old mate A***s, we came up in three transits in 75, i was 20 yrs old, no fear, never had a hiding yet at football. Had a bit of success in the Anglo-Scottish pre season, seen the bravest Chelsea boy come into a pub and front up the cream of Bristol that day, never forget that as long as i live. But this was the league match, we were lucky, all your main chaps were up the North Stand-flocking round are supporters, thirty of us crossed the forecourt as one getting nervous looks from the home support, up the steep steps-no going back now, heart pumping, this was big-time-BAARISSTALL! CLAP CLAP CLAP-WHAT THE f**k-how did they get on here. We were quickly surrounded by Fulham old bill, they ushered us down to the front and round the pitch to applause from the away support. Ha! you look back now and it was nothing, but it was a dare if you like, none of us got hurt and yet we felt ten feet tall!.........Mike, Peckham, you still out there, hows things, long time.

Hordes of em all with their banners and songs about tims and fenians and the pope. Fireworks on the pitch, damp sweaties off it, too hot, went in the Sun at half time! Lost one nil, went home to the Ship in Keynsham, no one in but Fat Stan-every pubs got one haven't they? Curry takeaway for tea, in this weather, i know! Can you tell im bored-roll on the start of the season, goodnight!

allright Leigh, if you ever come to Keynsham, i'll take you in the Trout on Temple St and lets see how coherent you are after 2 pints of the apple! Or see how your legs work as well! Speak to you Sat.

Evening all! Everyones nicely wound-up for the impending arrival of the sweaties on Saturday at Ashton Gate! The thing is, there's plenty in this city with affection for them and who belong to various Gers travel clubs, BUT, what happens when the Jocks score and 20 or so Hibernians shoot up from their prev concealed positions in say the Dolman Stand-their gonna come second-cause there's 3 generations of football chap out on Saturday-late sixties to present day youth firms from the Catholic club and Totterdown boys boxing club-who can more than hold their hands up! Being a senior supporter, me and a few mates my age (40) ......well you never know, will be breakfasting courtersey of messers Witherspoons n sons.You cant get a hotel room down the waterfront for love or money. Watch this space sat evening.

Evening all-told you, just been confirmed-Glasgow Rangers to play Bristol City on July 13th 12.30 kick off! As if that will stop it-been given 5,500 tickets for the East-End, still that wont stop them going in other parts of the ground. Should be interesting?

Evening, Jim, Mike, Leigh anyone! Just spoke to A down here in Bristol and he reckons all his Glasgow Rangers mates are booking coaches for the 13th July Sat-to play us. Well i've heard zilch, so over to youse and your connections, can you ask around and let us know?

Evening Leigh/Mike hows things/? Think the Wheatsheaf was the pub we attacked in 1975 Anglo-Scottish Cup, when the landlord came out with an iron bar to us! We then got moved along to the Black Bull where your One-armed man confronted us-what a brave bloke he was! This is all documented in another chelsea site- Memories of a non chelsea fan! I know exactly how you have to watch yourself Leigh when you get older at football-a case in point was the near miss in Bristol with some young guns from the Barking rd, they were sizing me up when i turned up alone to meet J and a couple of other mates, but i read it wrong and they started to snipe me with the usual comments. The older lot soon came to the rescue and J in particular warned them off. How the world turns, i make my way to the ground and im stood on the road overlooking the park with literaly three generations of football geezer, there was probably six, seven hundred near the park wall, waiting-who should come up to me but the snipers from before-uh, uh, R can you show us the way into the away end! Well i could have quite easily offered em up but wheres the honour in that! -Mike was the Royal in Southgate, lots of italians n greeks, and did it have a balcony upstairs which you could jump from if you were being chased by italians with knives cause you had been seeing his girlfriend whilst he was in nick? No? not the same club then-Ha!

Anyone there? Leigh-Jim -just been watching the Chelsea v Cardiff ruck down the side streets off the Fulham rd. And do you know what i noticed straight away? The age difference between the two mobs was quite apparent. To the right, Chelsea-very smart, all Belstaff, Barbour n flat caps -could have been Roma, to the left, Cardiff-tracksuit tops and Burberry. But the Chelsea mob weren't there for posing, they wanted a frankie knuckle all right, but a lot of main faces were putting themselves up, and bugger the consequencies.

Allright Leigh-The Gold Mine-was the name of the club in Canvey Island-just this minute came to me as i could see you were reading my post! Robbie Vincent was the DJ, as you can see the old grey matter is not too good now, after all it was 38 yrs ago. Stayed in Rayleigh last year, went to a large pub with A from Bristol, met all the locals and my mates, went on to the large golf/country club for the 50th. Have to go now mate, the medication wears off about 9.30-speak to you again.

Welcome back Yorkley, the Bamboo was, as you know, in St Pauls and strictly members only. It was owned by Tony Bullimore the yachtsman, always getting into trouble around the world in his boat. In all my years in Bristol i've never been in there, western dominoes club -yea-Blue Lagoon, DJ Seymour n his brother Superfly (yea i know) but to my shame, even when the Pistols played there-not my cuppa tea-i wasn't interested. Burnt down one night under suspicious circumstances-alledgedly. Put the Fatback Band on and with 5 pints of Stella in me i'd make a right c**t of meself. Dug-Out on Park Row was better and less risk, you didn't wanna get caught down there at 2 oclock in the morning!

Morning Peckham, as you can imagine at my age the punk scene didn't really grab me. I was still a soul boy frequenting venues in Bristol like the Guildhall a downstairs club/bar-wild dressing for the times. We used to catch a train up for £5 return to Paddington and go to places like Stanley Adams on the Kings rd for our clothes, another place we went was Acme Attractions downstairs in the market. A black guy used to work in their called Don Letts who went on to greater things. We used to drink in the Chelsea Drug-store on the left hand side and move up to "boy" which was McClarens-bit wild for us. We would end up in Johnsons at the top near Worlds End, then on to the 100 club on saturday afternoons. This was mostly black guys and funk music, my mate Alan Perry knew a black guy in there called Bevis, who came down to Bristol in the hot summer of '76. Wonder what happened to him? We went to a few venues in and around London over the years-Royalty or Royal, Southgate, Canvey Island, Crocs, Shagaramas, Samanthas-perhaps some of youse older Chelsea will remember?

wellcome back mate, hows things? Vice Squad had two of our lot playing with them, Shane Baldwin-drums-and my mate from many away game Dave Bateman on bass. They drank in The Crown down the road from Keynsham and the Maypole in Hanham. Thats where i knew Dave-who sadly died in Spain a few years ago. There peak i suppose was supporting The Dammed in Bristol-my mate Timmy Lewis was a sort of roadie for them and still sees Shane now. He says he wrote reviews for various music papers after they split. He says Dave was always up London and knew some of the Rejects/Bushell etc. Afternoon Leigh, yea i get around, invites only, get introduced, never outstay my welcome. Cant answer your question about the mans health as i didnt get a chance to speak to him, not that i would anyway, got a few friends up there over the last 10 yrs and its well known we lost a few-still thats football for you-speak to you later!

Welcome back Cobham, what a tragic storey about a young man who i barely knew, but looked like he was going on to better things in his writing career. In those early days there were lots of young chaps plying there trade in and around the music/football scene, another name i followed with interest was a talented photographer working for Sounds or NME, he flirted with his own combo for a while under the guidance of Garry Bushell, Grant Flemming was his name-i got a feeling he did a shoot on Becki Bondage and Vice squad in the Victoria Rooms in Bristol in the early days. And by chance i was in Portugal in 2003 for the Euros in Albufera with A an all our lot, well we stayed at this large hotel on the strip and who should be in there but the Boys from BARKING. As there was no history between us at the time we seemed to click and started a friendship that lasted Thirteen years. Lo and behold one morning at breakfast, i was sat with W*****H chatting away about my favourite photographer and he says "thats him over there" not ten feet away was this long-haired tanned hippy type aving his scran! Sad thing was by the time i built up the courage to chat he upped an left, didn't see him again till JONO'S 50TH at Rayleigh Country Club, with Bill, Carlton et. al. ps had crap weather first two days on holiday and 14 yr old was "bored" all the time-it gets better doesn't it!

keynsham news is on holiday with family in Majorca, will speak again in a week, ok Jim? oh and Cobham welcome, you are a good read. The original casuals feature was by Dave Rimmer and Kevin Sampson (away days) in 1983 i think, but as you correctly said Gavin Hills was maybe early 1992. I also think he passed away in tragic circumstances. If i remember his article was entitled (Whatever happened to the likely lads).

Afternoon Munich! the site is on the same page as mine-Chelsea memories from a non-Chelsea fan-scroll down quite a way and there's enough storys on there to last till tea-time! As for a book a well known black fella in Bristol who runs a security outfit in IRAQ comes home on 7th June to meet his publisher, and has asked A and me to a meeting to discuss one, so lets see!

Wellcome Munich-I used to have a few posts on "STOREYS FROM A NON-CHELSEA FAN" scroll right down about my memories following Bristol City over the years, and "Rovers v Chelsea night match". If your my age or abouts you may remember THE FACE magazine (circa 1982).There was the first article in there on the new casual scene at football matches by a journo called Gavin Hills (Spurs) and the following months they published some of my letters under "Roger- Dolman Stand". I wrote a little storey about POMPEY at home-first match of the season, we had Andy Cole playing for us, 3-3 draw. Finished work at twelve (Roofing) and drove in the van to AGate. Shorts on - covered in tile dust. Park up near the Coopers/Rising Sun, and as we turn the corner Woah! Pompey had flocked the place-i've never seen a more colourful mob. I enter the Sun and scan round for faces, most are City so i fire 3 stellas down in haste. Fast forward to 2.45 and we move outside into the hot August sunshine. Baa-Baa-Baa i turn round instinctivley at the wind-up and am grabbed by Alan P-a well known face from the club scene in Bristol, "You dont have to prove anything to me Rog" so i let it go and head to the ground. As we turn to the ground theres a sea of new faces trying to blag there way into the Dolman. We take up the high ground in block A, -"what the f**k you looking at long-hair" shouts a young blade from southsea, i didnt need a second invite-he came second to 40 seasoned brawlers and if it wasnt for me would have had his spine opened up! In comes his long-haired mate, denim shirt-whats that black shiny thing, crack-crack-crack goes the starting pistol-we dive out the way as the bloke laughs like a maniac. I grab a black holdall from a St Johns Ambulance man and lunge it at him and he is scattered down the steps, OB at last arrive as we return to the high ground. I cop one round the head as i leave last and on HTV news on Monday night dad says to mum "theres our Roger on the telly" no says Marje "h'es given all that up"

Morning Peckam -can't sleep again-its these damn drugs they experiment on me! Going in to RUH Bath on 7th june for brain scan down the tunnel. Anyways your son is going to a fine University, really old main building from days of Cromwell. The area, Clifton is the Mayfair of Bristol-and Park st and Whiteladies road is called the strip-he'll like it there. Bristol waterfront, down the bottom of Park st, is superb in summer with regattas etc and there's plenty of hotels for mum n dad to visit. If he's in digs around Uni then ouch-better off down to river over to southville/near ASHTON GATE-you can see where this is heading. Can always meet me n "A" in the Pump House on the river (right by where the Millwall coach was ambushed) before a match.

Bloody hell, Peckam-your always right, somthing i read stuck in my mind about a delivery boy type moped, so i rang B- you older lot will know him from England games. Anyway i'm sat in the Ship in Keynsham high st and i rang him-yea he says the official cats coaches (city away travel service-yea i know) were trailed tby two youths on a moped who zoomed on ahead at traffic lights. Next thing -bang the windows go but B's lot were made to get the train home 'cause of the state of the coach! This was Earls court, i remember it in the Evening Post on the Monday. Jim-thanks for the message, no i didnt go on that one, must have been early rounds of FA cup, but i did go to Dulwich Hamlet-F**k me did they turn up with there rolled up newspapers, still thats another story. Yorkley Blue, been going to Swindon since '72 on the old specials from Temple Meads, i remember either your lot or Millwall helping Swindon out as we packed out the Town end. In those days you could walk all the way around from the open end, and thats what this little mob did, two i remember were one in the obligatory butchers coat with a Millwall flag and the second short, blond spikey Bowie cut, USA flag jumper, and silver sprayed martins, (it was the 70's). So this mob comes round the side terrace unaware that an older Keynsham mob were above them. You know the rest-as i said it was ironic that i was in the pub on fri night and two of those blokes were sat with me chatting about that day. They are both 62 now- still game-still going. They let me tag along with them that day so respect to Nigel H and Dickie D.

hello mate, nice to speak to you again-no not to my knowledge-they took us on a route which was miles out nowhere near Earls Court, on the return game they came down with a right crusty crew. 10.35 in the morning and im driving around Temple Meads-woah out they come 200 handed, an im trying to get the capri in reverse. They moved along the river to the Black Horse , no one in there bar a few regulars n the landlord. The pub gets wrecked, n on they move to the ground, inside 3 generations of Bristol boys pack A block in the Dolman stand adjacent to the away end. The game starts and up the steps they come-mayhem-City rip out the wooden seats and throw them at the invaders-they repeat this idea at Luton later. Amongst all the carnage a lone 'wall boy on crutches is left by his panicing mates, and expects the worst but no, i showed him a bit of honour that day n helped him hobble down the steps onto the pitch, his mates never understood that gesture? I wonder what happened to him? Outside a lone milkfloat whirrs along separating 2000 a side by the park (older heads will believe this) it was like Agincourt with milk bottles as my mate Angus said.

As we approach the away end all you can here is the clang clang of metal being dicarded from coats. Nothing prepares you for the first impression of the Old Den, out of a crowd of 7500 most of them are trying to climb the fences to rip your norfun ed off. We ad fuel to the fire when we line up for the football team style photo which are still in my mates scrapbook. Its an eerie sight when the final whistle goes and three quarters of the home support turn to look at you-waiting to see your next move. We get moved en-bloc to the car park, and escorted right round the south circular, miles out of our way, freezing our bollocks off with our new ventillated coches. We arrive back in Bristol around 9 oclock, driving round the centre shouting out the windows "we've all been to Millwall, la la la.........you just would'nt do it nowadays!

One of the most memorable away trips during my younger days following Bristol City was a trip down to "the boys from Bermondsey". These were pre-mobile days so you had to have good luck -or a mate in the know, to catch the two "pirate" coaches leaving the centre on a warm spring morning. Coming from Keynsham i trusted on pot luck and just caught the last coach. Things went well on the journey up the M4 -cans of lager/cider being downed giving some on board dutch courage for what lay ahead." Wouldn't have worn that " said my mate Phil as he stared at the new Armani jumper i was wearing. He could talk-he had on one of those Robin Hood lace-up leather tops-ha! The mood changed drastically as we crossed London Bridge down to the Elephant n Castle. As we slowed to waking pace people in their 50's started making cut-throat gestures outside butchers shops-crack-what the f**k was that, the driver accelerates out of trouble on down the Old-Kent road. After what seems ages we arrive at the Canterbury Arms on the corner where we should have turned, but no, on goes the driver till we come to another pub with a train bridge above, "we'll just stop for this poor bloke with the walking stick and then we'll turn back" says the driver. No no.....the words coming from my mouth fade away as i'm first on the floor as the first dustbin and paving slab comes crashing through the side windows. The bloke with the walking stick has transformed into an Olympic athlete-leaping at the front door of the coach-as Millwalls perfectly orchestrated ambush unfolds. The driver panics but crunches into gear and away to safety, through the archway and up into the bombsite of a car park. The first coach is allready disgorging its content of angry young men as we race to keep up! A reception commitee of Millwall young blades are surprised by the ferocity of the attack by men squirting ammonia into their faces and one character they now as "Fruit-fly" slashing the padding out of the back of a M1 green fying jacket with a cut-throat. He was one very lucky man. (to be cont.)

The year in question was the hot summer of 76 and i was working in a pub on the evenings called the Maypole in Hanham-after my shift on a weekend i used to go down the GUILDHALL tavern with some of the regulars-this was an underground bar that played all the latest funk/dance music from across the pond. To say the dress code was different would be an understatement! Both sets of supporters mixed in here as they shared a love of the music and there was rarely any football trouble. So come the night of the Chelsea game my two mates from the Maypole asked if i wanted to go down with them for the crack, so i said what about my allegiance to the other team in Bristol where im quite well known. Your with us and they come thru us first, was Tony Sk**e's reply. So me Tony and Phil Wa**s made our way down in my capri. We got there late and i was shocked to see Chelsea up at the back by the Totaliser bit (greyhound racing) and a huge gap around them. There was even police horses trotting about trying to stop the trouble-Rovers mobbed up and went forward towards perhaps 150 chelsea but they got scattered by them. Afterwards there was mayhem and i kept out of it. The Chelsea mob were put out by the ob and the cream of Bristol Rovers were there that night, its funny i still see some of them now in cafe's and i reminecse with them about those days.

Thanks for your replies, should have replied last night- but you get good days n not so good. Been chatting with me old mucker in Bristol "A" and he reckons you were right about both events being in the same year-Anglo scottish was pre-season i remember the crowd was only 7,000. Anyway re: the bit about the crowd on the pitch, i remember you had fencing around the North Stand and gates at intervals-when the late arrivals came down the back there was more of a crushing effect n OB opened these gates to let the kids out. Anyone of your lot remember that night game at Ashton Gate when you were all in small groups in different parts of the ground, and you had a crusty little crew in the Dolman Stand, 'bout 25 of you sat down keeping quiet, but we were inching our way closer to you seat by seat. An older blonde-haired bloke in a cream polo neck had the say-he was holding it together for the younger ones, who were understandingly getting edgy, because the mob descending upon them were no mugs. Off it goes n he did very well, slowly moving back, standing his corner-pulling up those from below- stuck in the seats.Game finishes and were all outside-cream of Bristol- all along the stone wall trying to blend in with the civilians leaving by the park. Then out comes this fella with his small mob -brazen as f**k walking in the middle of the road trailed by his lieutenants. Backwards n forwards the two sides clashed none giving any ground, after about ten minutes he reaches the Rising Sun and stops-f**k it he thought, well stop here, and he forms them into an arc and with the help of the OB they held us off. This was the geezer who was calling out to one of your lot "Hazell-Hazell in the Dolman Stand just before it all went. I'll never forget about 100 of us arose as one and started shouting Hazell-Hazell, never found out who he was?

Another time you lot came down was 1988 when we beat you 3-0. I was in Goodies cafe in North st, when i noticed a long haired ginger fella wearing a Drizabone ( those old aussie stockman coats). Me and me mate went outside and he was trying for tkts, so i directed him up to the Hen and Chicken-next thing he's having it with the pub! They come running back to us, whereupon things dont turn out right for him, so were now engaged in a running battle-i look round for me mate and he's in the cafe having todays special! Fast forward to near 2.15 and theres mobs of you milling about by the park , when im pointed out a stocky chap wearing a Chelsea floppy cap strides over to me clapping his hands -his face changes when i caught him with a telescopic hidden inside my barbour, he looked like he was spitting out polo-mints. I'm not proud of it but those were the times, You must of had 4,500 in the open end that day -a huge mob of blokes, things were different afterwards.

You always came down in numbers-i remember the bloke with the black suit and the Bryan Ferry haircut, jump onto the pitch when it got too hot in the east end- but his mate a massive black fella with a shaved head-which was unusual in those days-he took his time and i admit -ha! we gave him a bit of space! does the name "Hazell" mean anything to you or any of your mates? This would be 75- a hot sunny day!