Friday 21st October 1977, 11.00 PM approximately, outside a country pub near Basingstoke. Myself and three others piled into my mates Hillman Minx, not the best car for a 660 mile round trip, but beggars can't be choosers. And so we set off, heading for Newcastle where our heroes Chelsea were due to kick off against the geordies at the customary time of 3pm the next day. This being 1977 the roads at that time of night were virtually empty and we made good progress despite the drivers inebriated state, stopping in a layby somewhere near Silverstone a couple of hours later for a kip. Our shut eye was soon interrupted by a local member of the boys in blue, tapping on the steamed up window and ordering us to move on, apparently sleeping by the side of Her Majestys' highway was not allowed in his neck of the woods. We drove on until we reached a motorway service station somewhere near Leicester. As dawn broke we were again confronted by the local constabulary, ordering us off their patch. As we proceeded on our journey we saw some men, seemingly dressed in bedsheets, on their knees headbutting the tarmac in the carpark, a sign of things to come perhaps? We were making good time but the inevitable happened close to Nottingham, the cars clutch cable gave up the ghost. A couple of hours later after a tow we located a garage but were told the repair wouldn't be done until late in the afternoon. We got a lift back to the motorway and decided to attempt hitchhiking the remainder of the journey, to this end we split up into pairs. Me and my mate managed to get three lifts which took us as far as Ferrybridge in Yorkshire on the A1. A truly dismal place surrounded by power station cooling towers we struggled to get a lift and around 1pm had to abandon the effort. Upon crossing to the southbound side of the road we almost instantly got a ride all the way back to Nottingham. We met up with the other two back at the garage, they had given up hitching fairly quickly and spent the day in Nottingham getting pissed.

the car was fixed so we made our way back to Basingstoke stopping off in Towcester in the evening to drown our sorrows, if I remember correctly they eventually banned us from that particular pub for being a bit to boisterous! We arrived back home in the early hours of the morning. Not one of the better experiences of following Chelsea, we even lost the match 1-0.

As a footnote to this story; my brother is a Newcastle fan and went to the game by train. After the match he was standing on Newcastle Central Station waiting for the Intercity back to the smoke when the Chelsea special pulled in on his platform and stopped. ' Oh f*ck' he thought as he saw five or six hundred Chelsea fans hanging from the train, he was dressed in a Newcastle shirt and scarves adorned his neck. 'Hi mate how are you doing?' TS leapt from the carriage right in front of him and slapped him on the back, 'he's alright I know him' to the other fans disembarking hoping for a scrap. TS was a friend of mine who used to drive us up to London in his old van. He asked my brother to join him on the train, he would ' look after him'. After careful consideration of his kind offer my brother declined and the special pulled out.

I'm pretty sure my brother would have got a pasting that day but for that stroke of luck!

Nice story.  I love reading these stories about away trips in the 70s.    Please keep them coming.

That brings back memories...I had a Hilman minx estate. Built like a tank.....Took me all over the place for no maintanance...Think i bought it around 75 for a hundred quid....Took me ages to get used to the handbreak being on the RIGHT of the drivers seat

Edited July 2, 201313 yr by Mike Carefree

That brings back memories...I had a Hilman minx estate. Built like a tank.....Took me all over the place for no maintanance...Think i bought it around 75 for a hundred quid....Took me ages to get used to the handbreak being on the RIGHT of the drivers seat

 

You sure you weren't sitting facing the back, Mike?

 

By the way, when you headed for Hastings?

HAHA....It was prob rigged up by last owner then if it wasnt the norm....Hastings is mid august now due to workload....I shall ride around on the little train through town singing carefree wherever we may be............

Away day that didnt go to plan.....Im never sure anymore about the years as my memory is so set in the 70s i feel everything i did happened then....Anyway...In the 70s i went to one particular foray to Birmingham.....I remember chelsea going into a corner part of the ground opposite the jungle end...I remember Brum steaming the Blues and everyone dissipating......I remember as some of us were walking around to the side i turned around to a bloke that was behind me and had a large earlier placed bandage around his head and said that i hoped this large group of blue n white behind us were not Birmingham.. I thought wrongly he was one of us...well the guys following WERE Brum and kicked us down the terrace to the pitch....I jumped on the pitch to be grabbed by a cop.. This cop then through me and others out....We walked back sullenly to the station and got an early train home...This was an away day that certainly didnt go to plan

An awayday at forest....this time in around 73....Went with sheff weds with my sheff weds kopite girlfreind.....Sheff weds got silver booted all over by the Trent boys...not a happy girlfriend or awayday

Arsenal......70s......Few young chelsea , as i once was, decided that we would take the arsenal boys bit at the left hand part of the ground from looking outward from the noethbank.....seats at the back and arsenal boys standing area at the front of these.....Nope....It seemed like every Greek arsenal boy in Britain was in this bit and ...Well..hey ho

Away day that went wrong but was the best fun ever......Getting late to spudland.....getting locked out...S.H leading hundreds of Blues in a tour round WHL trying to break INTO the ground via the turnstyles.....spuds outside were petrified.....Everyone sat in the high rd for a while and i remember a goal being scored and someone saying it was us.....Madness ensued on tott high rd....Police then moved all chelsea away...Some did other things than be forced back to the station

HAHA....It was prob rigged up by last owner then if it wasnt the norm....Hastings is mid august now due to workload....I shall ride around on the little train through town singing carefree wherever we may be............

Then i shall do what i always do when visiting Hastings...There is a bit i always climb up on the cliffs.....No no...I take no sherpas...

Away day that didnt go to plan.....Im never sure anymore about the years as my memory is so set in the 70s i feel everything i did happened then....Anyway...In the 70s i went to one particular foray to Birmingham.....I remember chelsea going into a corner part of the ground opposite the jungle end...I remember Brum steaming the Blues and everyone dissipating......I remember as some of us were walking around to the side i turned around to a bloke that was behind me and had a large earlier placed bandage around his head and said that i hoped this large group of blue n white behind us were not Birmingham.. I thought wrongly he was one of us...well the guys following WERE Brum and kicked us down the terrace to the pitch....I jumped on the pitch to be grabbed by a cop.. This cop then through me and others out....We walked back sullenly to the station and got an early train home...This was an away day that certainly didnt go to plan

 

Not me personally, but a good CFC mate no longer with us (Ollie from Tilbury, later of Leigh on Sea) went to Birmingham in the early 70's, and was in the police escort to St. Andrews when the law stopped them, as the Brummie mob were walking across the road ahead. Ollie reckoned it took about 5 mins (possible exaggeration?) before they had cleared the junction. 

It turned out to be a very bad day for him, as he got a kicking and had his shoes nicked whilst on the ground!!!!!!. Maybe this could have been the same game you were at Mike?

Mike Carefree & Leigh Limpet, I wonder if you're talking about the game in October 1972, which ended in a 2-2 draw, so I'm told? I've mentioned this before, but fukkit, I'm gonna do it again...

 

Two Chelsea specials left Euston for Brum, I was on the second one. The poice apparently stuck the first lot in the Tilton End behind the goal, but the old bill weren't expecting a second train. We all piled out of New Street and made our way to the ground, naturally thinking that the first trainload would have gone in the Brummie end, the Spion Kop along the halfway line, so we all went in there. As soon as we hit the terraces we realised we were seperated from the first train, and were therefore totally outnumbered on the Kop. Nevertheless, as we were Chelsea, we steamed into them, but sheer weight of numbers forced us back. They steamed us down the terraces, and I got a good kicking, along with quite a few others. Our mob just disappeared, the old bill either chucking most of them across the pitch into the Tilton End or nicking them, while a few like me and my mate Keith (MKBlue knows him well) tried to mingle with the home fans.

 

We did OK, but then half time came and we were walking along the top of the Kop and got stopped by some Brummie c*nts who asked us the time. They were battering anyone who answered in a London accent, but luckily I was able to answer "it's about ten to four, mate" in a brummie accent - thankyou, Amy Turtle (of Crossroads fame), you saved us another kicking!

 

After about another fifteen minutes, with no sign of any other Chelsea in the Kop, me and Keith decided it was probably best to make a tactical withdrawal, and head back to the station. Unfortunately, a large number of brummies had anticipated that a few Chelsea stragglers would be doing this, and we had a hell of a job reaching New Street intact. Once there, we found at least a couple of hundred Chelsea who had also been seperated from the main mob, which was just as well - hundreds of Birmingham fans steamed towards the station, which resulted in a huge battle which even the old bill avoided. We managed to stick together, which was pretty unusual for a Chelsea mob back then, and the brummies backed off.

 

Meanwhile, the game was still far from over, and later we had to steam out of the station to help out the main Chelsea mob who were getting chased down to the station. With two train loads of Chelsea mobbed together, eventually the brummies backed off and melted.

 

Strangely, this wasn't the end of the days events. The old bill stuck as many of us as they could onto a train, which then headed for London - only for it to start reversing back up the track, straight back through New Street station towards Wolverhampton (apparently it had engine problems).

 

Imagine our joy as we slowly reversed through New Street to find that the platforms were full of Man.Utd fans who had been at WBA! We were smacking the b*stards through the windows, some of us jumped off and battered them on the platform then jumped back on the train, the manc c*nts didn't know what hit them!

 

Basically, a disastrous day out, but saved at the last by battering United - not a bad day for a 15 year-old, thorougly enjoyed myself - eventually!

 

 

I'd just like to add that when Birmingham came down to the Bridge later in the season, a hell of a lot of scores were settled. And whenever we went up to St.Andrews after that season, we were far better organised and always had the upper hand. Fair play to them though, in 72/73, they done us!

Edited July 3, 201313 yr by BlueBeard

I dont know if the storys are related,but youve put me right Bluebeard.....I thought their lot was the Jungle end , i didnt know it was the spion kop

I dont know if the storys are related,but youve put me right Bluebeard.....I thought their lot was the Jungle end , i didnt know it was the spion kop

I think the jungle end is Celtic.

That brings back memories...I had a Hilman minx estate. Built like a tank.....Took me all over the place for no maintanance...Think i bought it around 75 for a hundred quid....Took me ages to get used to the handbreak being on the RIGHT of the drivers seat

could have been a wolsley

An awayday at forest....this time in around 73....Went with sheff weds with my sheff weds kopite girlfreind.....Sheff weds got silver booted all over by the Trent boys...not a happy girlfriend or awayday

Always rated Forest at home, but poor in numbers when travelling on the road. Recall a trip there early 70's when we were on Trent Bridge, and all the Trent End appeared. Mr. DH gave a Field Marshall Montgomery rapid speech, which was basically that if anyone ran, he would remember them, and deal with them at next weeks home game!. If memory serves me right, it was probably like 'Custers last stand' for a few minutes, before the Old Bill appeared in numbers to disperse the rival factions.

Also at Highbury in 74 or 75, and i'm sure it was Boxing Day. Very poor Chelsea turnout for whatever reason, and in the Clockend there were hoards of 'Zorba the Greeks' around us. before the end the guy in front of me took his Levi Denim jacket off, got out a thick marker pen and scrawled AFC on the back of it. Everyone knew he was one of us, so no way was he going to get a right hander from the few of us around him, but a couple of fans asked him  what the f--k was he doing?. His reply was 'better to be a sh*tter than have a sore head'!. Possibly some will agree with this, some wont, but after the game it was a case of blending in with the masses en route back to Finsbury Park.

Always rated Forest at home, but poor in numbers when travelling on the road. Recall a trip there early 70's when we were on Trent Bridge, and all the Trent End appeared. Mr. DH gave a Field Marshall Montgomery rapid speech, which was basically that if anyone ran, he would remember them, and deal with them at next weeks home game!. If memory serves me right, it was probably like 'Custers last stand' for a few minutes, before the Old Bill appeared in numbers to disperse the rival factions.

Also at Highbury in 74 or 75, and i'm sure it was Boxing Day. Very poor Chelsea turnout for whatever reason, and in the Clockend there were hoards of 'Zorba the Greeks' around us. before the end the guy in front of me took his Levi Denim jacket off, got out a thick marker pen and scrawled AFC on the back of it. Everyone knew he was one of us, so no way was he going to get a right hander from the few of us around him, but a couple of fans asked him  what the f--k was he doing?. His reply was 'better to be a sh*tter than have a sore head'!. Possibly some will agree with this, some wont, but after the game it was a case of blending in with the masses en route back to Finsbury Park.

You're right about the Boxing Day one Leigh, I was only  14 then so didn't have too much trouble melting into the crowd, shocking turnout from ours that day and I don't think the goons could believe how easy they had it. Also remember there being a lot of Westham at Finsbury Park hunting around when I got off the tube, bad day all around and probably the last decent result Arsenal had over us for a fair few years.

I think the jungle end is Celtic.

The jungle wasnt an end at Celtic it was the covered terrace across from the stand ... and it was a right cesspit of mean buggers lol

Stoke away 95/96 League Cup drew 0.0.

 

My trip started off with me spending 4 days down in Brighton with one of my ex's, we done the usual couples thing, out for meals Zzzzzz

boozing & shagging, i'd already planned to go to Stoke with my usual lot in a mates motor, i got back from Brighton about midday & got picked up to go to Stoke about an hour later, banter was flying around the motor, the journey was going great with not much traffic, we got to the turn off for Stoke when the car broke down, we got out & pushed it to the hard shoulder & rung a garage from a nearby services, couple of hours later a pick up truck turns up & tows the car to a local garage & to be fair to the fella he gave us a lift to Stoke's ground, by now its about half six/seven pm, we then get told the car wont be ready to be picked up until the following day, we jump out much to the bemusement of both home & away fans, we go in the nearest pub which is filled wall to wall with Stoke's firm, we quietly order our drinks, we'd just got to drink some when a coach load of CFC have a pop at the pub everyone incl us goes outside, we ended up being held back by plod with Stokes firm chomping to get in to Chelsea who are trying to get in to Stoke..& us!!

I whisper to a copper that "we're Chelsea mate" he says "tough sh*t, f**k off" once plod moved CFCs firm on to the ground we manage to get away & make our way to the ground.

 

I used to love going to the Victoria ground, a proper old English ground amongst terraced houses with stands & floodlights standing tall & overpowering the cobbled streets, this time we're behind the goal unlike in 88/89 when we were along the side, the game was pretty even & a bit drab finishing 0.0.

 

After the game we try & find a b&b or pub with a b&b, couple of the lads were skint while a few of us had dough but not enough for all of us to crash somewhere, we find a boozer & were told there was nowhere local with a b&b, so after a few pints we try & find somewhere to crash, we ended up sat at the side of a 24hr garage eating pasties & drinking cans of coke, hour or so later plod pull in & question us, when we told em we had nowhere to go they leave us alone & f**k off, by now its into the early hours & on a nearby dual carrigeway we see the same plod speeding along in their motor, we thought no more about it when they come back along with another plod car & they were racing each other, we stand & watch wondering what we'd do if they crashed this race went on back & forth for a good 20mins or so.

 

It started raining so now we're thinking f**k this we need some shelter, we finally found an NCP car park where we dossed about on a stairwell, we stayed there until about 6/7am where we then try & find the garage, eventually we find the place & were told the car wouldnt be ready until about 2pm, so more hanging about & we find a cafe & have a scoff, we finally got the motor back & i walked indoors about 7pm totally knackered.

 

From a nice hotel room with my fit bird gagging for it to a NCP car park stair well with my mates, it could only happen to a football fan.

 

 

 

 

The jungle wasnt an end at Celtic it was the covered terrace across from the stand ... and it was a right cesspit of mean buggers lol

Well I'm right about the jungle being park head didn't know it wasn't behind the goal. Cheers

Left london at midnight to hitch hike to cardiff (innnn ttthhheee 70s)........It oured with rain....I got small journey lifts as i suppose people would be rightly worried about some foreign looking fellow hitching a lift in the night....i dont know where but i was dropped in a small village off of main road...I felt sick and ill due to the fact that this period was when my menieres syndrome came to pass..The dizziness n sickness was torturous......I tried to fall asleep in the doorway of a church....I remember shaking severely......Got to cardiff late morning..it was a horrid journey...I went to the match feeling like the walking dead.....Luckily i was able to bunk a train back....This was a time i wished id never gone to footy and didnt enjoy one moment of it....Torture from start to finish

That wasnt a good away day...Who remembers the  date of that match at forest where we got absolutely killed 6 or 7 goals against us...poured with rain....A rotten day

That wasnt a good away day...Who remembers the  date of that match at forest where we got absolutely killed 6 or 7 goals against us...poured with rain....A rotten day

Not that long ago, Forest 7 Chelsea 0 19th april 1991, i was there our support was first class that day.

We got tonked 6-0 at Forest in the 78/79 season too, got vague memories of that one