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Post by AlliG on Sept 8, 2021 20:45:23 GMT
The barrier collapsed at the 1-1 draw in March 1970. I was in front of the next barrier down and to the right of the barrier that collapsed. The club "banned under 16s" (well they actually stopped selling half price kids tickets) in The Boothen End at the start of the 1970-71 season, because of the events against Leeds the previous season. We moved to the Stoke End because my Dad couldn't afford to pay full price for me, so for the 3-0 win against Leeds (and the 5-0 v Arsenal) we were in The Stoke End, which is why I remember the details.
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Post by Gods on Sept 8, 2021 21:45:09 GMT
So we beat league leaders Leeds 3-0 on 12 Sept (Leeds finished 2nd) and eventual League Winners Arsenal 5-0 on 26 Sept. Only pausing to lose 4-1 at Man City who finished 11th in between! My mates dad took us to this match, pretty scary I remember. Just reading up on the 3-0 Leeds win, Ritche 20,90, Burrows 47, attendance 22,592 Alf Ramsey was at the game, and Peter Lorimer finished up in goal for Leeds after Gary Sprake got injured!
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Post by dingdongbell on Sept 9, 2021 6:42:01 GMT
My first season following the club as a boy. It's almost inconceivable to imagine the human pressure required to bend those barriers in that way. Spurs, Wolves, Man United, Leeds and West Ham were regular visitors to the Boothen in those bat shit crazy madcap years. Putting to one side the N40, organisation and all that was to follow the simple fact is the 70's were a violent decade in all walks of life. You were never too far from someone punching your lights out. It does make me laugh seeing folks dancing up and down behind a row of stewards these days waving a camera around. This was an altogether different situation, there was a very real chance of getting a fearful beating and no one was going to do a single thing about it. Time moves on, progress, and it's mostly a good thing. Probably my third season (14 y old then ) we were in the Boothen to the left side when it happened . Some away fans used to get in early , Wolves , Man U , Forest , Leeds , maybe it was viewed as a badge of honour to take the Boothen end . If I remember rightly juniors were discouraged from going in the Boothen end after this incident and junior prices were stopped , a small part of the Boothen paddock was made especially for junior supporters. Yes the70’s were very violent times and hopefully those times will never resurface. For me the only good thing about the 70s was the music , plus we had a great team .
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Post by durbanscircus on Sept 9, 2021 8:48:22 GMT
We had a debate about this on this forum about 12 years ago.My understanding is that in the late 60s and early 70s the Boothen was not a designated home stand and the Police were happy for away fans to gather there along side quite a hardened bunch of home supporters- so at this time it was very much like the South Bank at the Wolves. That is given the rise of hooliganism it was semi organised mayhem facilitated by a complete lack of segregation. Im not sure "taking the end" was the objective because sort of no one owned it in the first place. Apparently West Ham had thousands in there for a cup game in 1968 ( by all accounts a horrible day for everyone in the stand) and for one game United brought thousands who turned up early and filled the Boothen before ay one from North Staffordshire could get in.
I think it was only as the 70s progressed and seggregation took hold that we saw organised gangs infiltrate the Boothen to try and "take it"....before that date many innocent away fans would have paid into the Boothen quite innocently along with the travelling beer monsters, and no doubt had a very difficult day out
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Post by butlerstreetbertie on Sept 9, 2021 10:16:31 GMT
I was at the game in front of the surge and was thrown forward. Luckily no injury, just 2 ripped pockets as I'd got my hands in them!
Yes the club did introduce a ban on under 16's entering the Boothen, quite a few 'kids' turned up early in the Stoke End and tried to run across the pitch to get into the Boothen.
The other consequence was that as soon as the Boothen gates opened a mob would leave the Boothen and enter the Stoke End to get at the away support. Great view from the Boothen as of course the opposite end was open and you entered from the top. Seemed to take a fair while for the police to clock this and stop them entering the Stoke End.
Best about the gates opening with about 20 minutes to go as when I played Saturday local football with a 2.00 kick off in winter quite often if someone had a car would drive down to see the last 15 minutes from the corner off the Boothen next to the paddock. How times change.
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Post by simple on Sept 9, 2021 14:48:42 GMT
My memory of the 70s in the Boothen are away fans used to go in block C in the top level or where the high step was,we used to be in Block B with a line of cops in between,depending how many away fans there was if the cops moved them.Worse time was when we got ambushed on the steps by Manure fans.
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