sandpit724,686 is a fairly small attendance but I was fairly convinced the attendances were much higher than the official numbers given.
We always used to laugh about the official attendance figure, someone was trousering cash.
Back then St Andrews really was still like a war zone, the "car park" outside the Kop down to the Railway was literally nothing more than just a piece of wasteland. The only hot running water was the piss rolling down the kop and what about the broken glass embedded on top of the walls to prevent people climbing over.
Today it is luxury in comparison, that said I did love my youthful days standing on the Kop about where the Directors seats are now.
roger hyndAs crap as those days were I loved em, home and away every game on the beer, gallows humour in abundance.
The mention of Colin Robinson did make me shudder though😀
Robinson was like Maradonna compared to Carl Richards! And, whilst it was totally out of character, he did score one of the best goals I'd ever seen early in the 1988-89 season in a 3-2 win at home to Sunderland. It was an unbelievable scissor kick from the right-hand edge of the penalty area at the Railway End. I'd say that was a bigger surprise than John Gayle's winner at Wembley!
Fairy sure this 'adjustment' of attendance went on right into the early 90's. On one occasion I attended with a friend who supported the opposition so I decided to go in the away end and stay (reasonably) quiet.
What it does do is give you a good view of the overall ground and home kop area, on the way back to New Street we both agreed that the attendance was somewhere between 12k-14k, so shocked to learn later that officially it was given around the 9k mark.
I can't believe I am saying this, but that is unfair on Carl Richards. Robinson was just as bad.
Sale, Richards, Robinson, Moran - they all made Lee Novak look like prime Ronaldo.
number8I can't believe I am saying this, but that is unfair on Carl Richards. Robinson was just as bad.
Sale, Richards, Robinson, Moran - they all made Lee Novak look like prime Ronaldo.
You've missed Trevor Aylott.
Which is somehow fitting.
Moran was the worst of a bad bunch. But that wasn't his fault.
I don't think he'd played anywhere higher than about 3 divisions below the Conference in England.
W saw him playing in Hong Kong somehow and signed him. He was just out of his depth in league football.
The others all had professional careers with other clubs as well.
Whitton and Wigley in that era were as if they had wandered in from a different team. So out of kilter with the rest of the filth on the pitch. Must have been dreadful for the younger players, for some of them being forced into the first team at such a time basically finished any career they may have had (Neil Sproston, Ronnie Morris, Micky Burton). There were a few - Frain, Taity, even Dean Peer - who kind of kicked on through it.
Tilton sharkthe broken glass embedded on top of the walls to prevent people climbing over.
i remember my sad telling me that it was to stop people trying to get out midway through the game 😂
I will always excuse Aylott because of heading that corner on to Studge for the goal at Brentford that took us to Wembley. He was rubbish but at least he did something useful.
Tilton sharkBack then St Andrews really was still like a war zone, the "car park" outside the Kop down to the Railway was literally nothing more than just a piece of wasteland. The only hot running water was the piss rolling down the kop and what about the broken glass embedded on top of the walls to prevent people climbing walls
Very different times, watching football through 12ft fences was normal, fairly sure Chelsea actually had electric wires along the top of the fences with Ken Bates holding a powerpack to switch on should he see any sign of trouble.
Most grounds were semi-derelict.
Ken Bates claimed to want an electric fence,
I don't think it was ever actually installed.
He was a pretty awful man.
Sheep2Ken Bates claimed to want an electric fence,
I don't think it was ever actually installed.
He was a pretty awful man.
Installed with 3 power strands but Bates never got the authority to switch on apparently