Gate 13

I went to the Spuds game at the Bridge, between Christmas and New Year and it was freezing cold.  We played well and much better than in the 4-1 defeat at WHL earlier in the season, and in which Patesy was sent off - that was an 8pm ko if memory serves me right and the walk back to Seven Sisters tube just after 10pm was lively.  We were the stronger team in this match and bossed it, when King Kerry’s header went in the Shed erupted, whitewall, middle and the T bar all went mental as one - epic.  We gave the travelling Spuds plenty of grief as they departed and there was a skirmish at Earls Court later on.  I was living at Woolwich at the time and celebrated with a few pints of London Pride.  Happy days.

The ‘Cross Route Motorway’ was based on ripping out the Clapham - Willesden railway line.  The lines survives today and carries more passenger traffic than it did in the early-mid 70’s.

The SW game may have been the first time we wore the le coq all red strip?  I wasn’t sold on it, I missed the brilliant yellow strip with horizontal stripes.  Mind you, by the time we played QPR away later in this season, a league cup game in the evening I think, it had grown on me. Incidentally what a night that was, at one stage we had our mob singing one man went to mow from both ends of the ground.  Epic.

Going back to the SW game I am fairly sure it was a 3pm ko, I travelled up on the special to Wadsley Bridge Station, close to Hillsborough.  We were away sharpish after the game, old bill wanted rid of us, and I recall we were back at St Pancras before 8.  Think we wore the all red strip.

The photo taken is looking south with the chimney stacks of Lots Road Power Station in the background.

I think the station was on the Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction line that runs behind the East Stand.  The station was just to the south of Fulham Road, and the remnants of the platforms are just visible if you travel on that line these days.  There was talk of building a station on that line as part of the plans for the East Stand in the early 70s.  All rather a shame, a station there would be handy for those travelling from south of the River.