Memory Lane Life as a football supporter in the 60's.

[OAJS]

Really appreciated all the help from everyone. Have got some great bits and bobs to add in now. Will donate to the Zone once the student loan comes in, I'm sure you'd rather that than me heading down the pub with your hard-earned money. :net:

Cheers again!

 

[Cockle43]

Hmmm, 60's, as a kid.

9d (4p) to get in the ground for South Bank (open terrace) and North Bank (part covered) could change ends at half-time and no segregation in those days, home and away fans mixing, and, occasionally, fisticuffs on the terrace;, 3d (1 1/2p) to transfer to the West Stand under cover, never did, rain only makes you wet and, anyway, 3d was my bag of crackling on way home, see below.

Letters of the alphabet around the pitch where the advertising hoardings are now in two corners of the ground (NW and SE IIRC), at half time staff would come out and put numbers against the letters, you could then check these against the fixtures in the programme for the half time scores; A = Spurs v Man U, 3-1, B = Bury v Darlington 0-1.....
Always borrowed the programme from someone, they cost money y'know....

Standing on the terraces and hearing some proper 'grown up' curses; the officials haven't got worse, they've always been this bad. :smile:

Travelling up to the game with my mates, sans parents, we were 8, 9, 10 years old, on the bus with ex-SUFC hero Jack French, don't think he had a car but he had a hardware shop 5 or 6 doors down from me, he'd played in the days of the maximum wage and like most ex-players had started his own business, knew Jack quite well, used to buy all our paraffin for the heater from his shop and I went to school with his daughter. :thumbsup:

3d bag of 'crackling' on the way home; 'crackling' was small bits of crispy chips and the broken off bits of crisp batter from the fish at the chippy soaked in fat/oil, very unhealthy.... the health police or Jamie Oliver would've given us 10 years these days......:nope: But on a cold winter afternoon. :thumbsup:

2/6, (12 1/2p), a week pocket money and a day out with the mates for a game of football, bus fare and bag of crackling with, probably, a 'Jubbly', strange pyramid shaped orange drink, all for 2s (10p). :clap:

Hard old days really, nobody had much money, but I loved it and would go back tomorrow.......

And that's where I started and why I still love the Shrimpers, that's what we were then, not The Blues, that came a little later because someone in the boardroom didn't like Shrimpers but I'm still, and always will be, a Shrimper. :winking:

 

[OldBlueLady]

I also remember sitting on the South bank wall legs pitch side and the stewards would on their rounds ask you to sit with your legs the stand side which you did only to revert back once they had gone.

I also remember lads coming round the pitch with big trays selling sweets/crisps etc.

Lads???! :omg: I had friends that used to do this in the 70s and I did it a few times as well and we were definitely NOT lads!!

 

[Firestorm]

Transfer from the paddock to the seats 6d, I think

The cushions available in the seats, again 6d, which invariable would end up being lobbed onto the pitch in disgust at the ref / opposition

"Program and 'andbook !!"

The supporters club shop at the corner by Priory park

The trend for women "of a certain age" to to knot massive scarves with the names of the players stiched into them

and in the early 70's those awful silk scarves with the club crest screen prnted onto them, the printing came off and the blue scarves turned mauve after being worn a few times (particularly if worn in the rain)

 

[Firestorm]

I know it was the 70's , maybe even the early 80's , but I recall cars being driven round the track at HT in some advertising thing.
Also the Charity collections where groups walked round the pitch carrying abig sheet and people threw their money in, The Northbank were, in the main, not aiming at the sheet !

 

[Napster]

3d bag of 'crackling' on the way home; 'crackling' was small bits of crispy chips and the broken off bits of crisp batter from the fish at the chippy soaked in fat/oil, very unhealthy.... the health police or Jamie Oliver would've given us 10 years these days......:nope: But on a cold winter afternoon. :thumbsup:

Still had these in Huddersfield in 1993!

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Hmmm, 60's, as a kid.

9d (4p) to get in the ground for South Bank (open terrace) and North Bank (part covered) could change ends at half-time and no segregation in those days, home and away fans mixing, and, occasionally, fisticuffs on the terrace;, 3d (1 1/2p) to transfer to the West Stand under cover, never did, rain only makes you wet and, anyway, 3d was my bag of crackling on way home, see below.

Letters of the alphabet around the pitch where the advertising hoardings are now in two corners of the ground (NW and SE IIRC), at half time staff would come out and put numbers against the letters, you could then check these against the fixtures in the programme for the half time scores; A = Spurs v Man U, 3-1, B = Bury v Darlington 0-1.....
Always borrowed the programme from someone, they cost money y'know....

Standing on the terraces and hearing some proper 'grown up' curses; the officials haven't got worse, they've always been this bad. :smile:

Travelling up to the game with my mates, sans parents, we were 8, 9, 10 years old, on the bus with ex-SUFC hero Jack French, don't think he had a car but he had a hardware shop 5 or 6 doors down from me, he'd played in the days of the maximum wage and like most ex-players had started his own business, knew Jack quite well, used to buy all our paraffin for the heater from his shop and I went to school with his daughter. :thumbsup:

3d bag of 'crackling' on the way home; 'crackling' was small bits of crispy chips and the broken off bits of crisp batter from the fish at the chippy soaked in fat/oil, very unhealthy.... the health police or Jamie Oliver would've given us 10 years these days......:nope: But on a cold winter afternoon. :thumbsup:

2/6, (12 1/2p), a week pocket money and a day out with the mates for a game of football, bus fare and bag of crackling with, probably, a 'Jubbly', strange pyramid shaped orange drink, all for 2s (10p). :clap:

Hard old days really, nobody had much money, but I loved it and would go back tomorrow.......

And that's where I started and why I still love the Shrimpers, that's what we were then, not The Blues, that came a little later because someone in the boardroom didn't like Shrimpers but I'm still, and always will be, a Shrimper. :winking:

Yup, all of the above - and rosettes. Ribbon-woven jobs now worn by winning gymkhana horses, then worn by fans and sold for 1/6d (7.5p) in a supporters club hut high to the east of the West Bank.
I had a couple: one for away (red) and one for home (blue, of course).
Away fans were also scarce.
Searched in vain for one other Blues fan in a 2-0 away defeat to Millwall on New Year's Day, 1966 - and that was only south London. Was I also, apart from dad, the only Blue to witness the humbling 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Yeovil in November, 1963?

 

[Ex-Member1]

Hi Burnham Shrimper, I have PM'd you a response to your last. COYB

 

[1966 and all that]

And in those days, if you travelled by car and parked in side roads, didn't you have to leave your parking lights on or fit those mini lights on the door, failing which you got booked by the police?

 

[dshrimp]

Also remember the programme shop at the top of the South Bank and the grassy/Muddy area on the East Side of South Bank

 

[Ex-Member1]

And in those days, if you travelled by car and parked in side roads, didn't you have to leave your parking lights on or fit those mini lights on the door, failing which you got booked by the police?

Quite right, crazy as it seems....I was one of the Bobbies who was sent out to book unlit parkers. We hated doing it, I can assure you. One of the bad things about the 'good old days!'

 

[DoDTS]

Here's a few snippetts from my memories of the 60s.

The seats in the East Stand were basically wooden benches, but fans could obtain cushions to sit on to make it a bit more comfortable. If it was a bad performance or result, these respectable supporters were known to hurl the cushions on to the pitch in disgust.

24 August 1964 QPR away my first away game
I saw the advert in the Southend Standard, an Eastern National coach excursion to see QPR v Southend, "please Mum let me go? I'll be back for 10.30 p.m." 10.30 for an evening away game in London was she gullible or what? Either way me and a mate were allowed to go on this trip. We were only 12 and it was quite trusting of my parents but as said before people weren't as cautious, or perhaps the world wasn't such a bad place then, certainly the "Shrimpers Trust" wouldn't be allowed to take two youngsters like that unaccompanied.

The Coach party was a mixture of people young and old, but one I remember was the compulsory old man with a big hat and a bell, every club had one. Loftus Road was then open on one side and behind one goal, the Southend fans didn't stand together in a group but generally went to the same part of the ground, in this case the open side. Alas the result didn't go our way we lost 0-2. A lot of traffic in London, and a stop at a Pub on the way home, meant we didn't get back to Pier Hill till nearly Midnight and well past Midnight by the time I got home. "Sorry Mum!" "Can I go to Reading next Saturday?" "No".

At this time the club didn't organise away travel, they left it to Eastern National, who arranged trips to selected, but not all away games. They left from the top of Pier Hill roughly where the entrance to the Royals is now, opposite the Pier. I don't remember them making pickups at other points but they may have done.

The Supporters Club which had done such a good job over the years also moved in a new direction forming the Youth Section for the under 21s, they eventually took over the running of away travel.

Southend United Supporters' Club Youth Section
Stockport will not leave such happy memories. After the game an unruly collection of home fans found it necessary to daub the Southend Coaches and private vehicles with slogans and to hurl bricks towards the windows. Our fans however, acted wisely in driving them away as peacefully as the situation allowed. One does not like to reflect on what would happen if a visiting side won at Stockport. Let's hope there will not be a repeat of this behaviour in the return game on May 13
From ; Southend v York Programme 31st March 1967

The people on the "Youth Section" coaches were considerably different to the "Eastern National" coaches. The E.N. coaches had been a mixture of all ages, the Y.S. coaches were almost exclusively teenagers and early twenties. The coaches were generally full and everybody soon got to know everybody else, it really was a club atmosphere. Travelling was expensive and coach travel was the only economic way to get to games, few if any would make their way to games independently, and as the reception at away grounds were often hostile people tended to stay together in one group, rather than splinter off.

Admission prices were very reasonable in the 1960s. In fairness I was getting in for concession prices, but even adult prices were generally in line with the cost of a pint of beer whereas now you would be talking about the cost of six or seven pints. Added to this with not many fans travelling away, if you hung around outside the player’s entrance, players would often dish out complimentary tickets to the fans. The cost of getting to games was expensive, getting in wasn't.


The throwing of lighted fireworks was commonplace at grounds in the lead up to November 5th. It wasn't usually done with malice just high spirits. Generally someone would light a "banger", at the back of the North Bank, shout a warning to others, who would move away to form a circle and the banger would go off with deafening noise. Obviously it was dangerous and the club and police were keen to stamp out the practice.

Action had to be taken at the match v. Workington last Saturday against persons caught throwing lighted fireworks amongst spectators. We repeat that this is a dangerous practise and can result in prosecution of offenders caught doing this.From Southend v Exeter Programme 18th October 1969
(The Workington match was nearly a month before bonfire night)

The North Bank could be a lively place:

It was with deep concern that details of the disturbances in the North Stand at our match versus Colchester United were received. The culprits were apprehended and proceedings were taken against them. The club will not tolerate this sort of behaviour and the police will be given every assistance in their efforts to stamp out this sort of behaviour.From Southend v Oldham Programme 21st March 1970

 

[Colchester Shrimper]

Lads???! :omg: I had friends that used to do this in the 70s and I did it a few times as well and we were definitely NOT lads!!

Apologies OBL and other young lasses it was usually Friday night games and it was dark!

 

[rararblue]

Whenever I had no money, I still went to the game and often ' bunked in' over the wall, from the path that went round the back of the west stand - seem to remember pretty scary chunks of glass embedded into the top of a tall wall. Failing that waited til 20 minutes or so from the end when the large exit gates were opened up by the North Bank.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Here's a few snippetts from my memories of the 60s.

The seats in the East Stand were basically wooden benches, but fans could obtain cushions to sit on to make it a bit more comfortable. If it was a bad performance or result, these respectable supporters were known to hurl the cushions on to the pitch in disgust.

24 August 1964 QPR away my first away game
I saw the advert in the Southend Standard, an Eastern National coach excursion to see QPR v Southend, "please Mum let me go? I'll be back for 10.30 p.m." 10.30 for an evening away game in London was she gullible or what? Either way me and a mate were allowed to go on this trip. We were only 12 and it was quite trusting of my parents but as said before people weren't as cautious, or perhaps the world wasn't such a bad place then, certainly the "Shrimpers Trust" wouldn't be allowed to take two youngsters like that unaccompanied.

The Coach party was a mixture of people young and old, but one I remember was the compulsory old man with a big hat and a bell, every club had one. Loftus Road was then open on one side and behind one goal, the Southend fans didn't stand together in a group but generally went to the same part of the ground, in this case the open side. Alas the result didn't go our way we lost 0-2. A lot of traffic in London, and a stop at a Pub on the way home, meant we didn't get back to Pier Hill till nearly Midnight and well past Midnight by the time I got home. "Sorry Mum!" "Can I go to Reading next Saturday?" "No".

At this time the club didn't organise away travel, they left it to Eastern National, who arranged trips to selected, but not all away games. They left from the top of Pier Hill roughly where the entrance to the Royals is now, opposite the Pier. I don't remember them making pickups at other points but they may have done.

The Supporters Club which had done such a good job over the years also moved in a new direction forming the Youth Section for the under 21s, they eventually took over the running of away travel.

Southend United Supporters' Club Youth Section
Stockport will not leave such happy memories. After the game an unruly collection of home fans found it necessary to daub the Southend Coaches and private vehicles with slogans and to hurl bricks towards the windows. Our fans however, acted wisely in driving them away as peacefully as the situation allowed. One does not like to reflect on what would happen if a visiting side won at Stockport. Let's hope there will not be a repeat of this behaviour in the return game on May 13
From ; Southend v York Programme 31st March 1967

The people on the "Youth Section" coaches were considerably different to the "Eastern National" coaches. The E.N. coaches had been a mixture of all ages, the Y.S. coaches were almost exclusively teenagers and early twenties. The coaches were generally full and everybody soon got to know everybody else, it really was a club atmosphere. Travelling was expensive and coach travel was the only economic way to get to games, few if any would make their way to games independently, and as the reception at away grounds were often hostile people tended to stay together in one group, rather than splinter off.

Admission prices were very reasonable in the 1960s. In fairness I was getting in for concession prices, but even adult prices were generally in line with the cost of a pint of beer whereas now you would be talking about the cost of six or seven pints. Added to this with not many fans travelling away, if you hung around outside the player’s entrance, players would often dish out complimentary tickets to the fans. The cost of getting to games was expensive, getting in wasn't.


The throwing of lighted fireworks was commonplace at grounds in the lead up to November 5th. It wasn't usually done with malice just high spirits. Generally someone would light a "banger", at the back of the North Bank, shout a warning to others, who would move away to form a circle and the banger would go off with deafening noise. Obviously it was dangerous and the club and police were keen to stamp out the practice.

Action had to be taken at the match v. Workington last Saturday against persons caught throwing lighted fireworks amongst spectators. We repeat that this is a dangerous practise and can result in prosecution of offenders caught doing this.From Southend v Exeter Programme 18th October 1969
(The Workington match was nearly a month before bonfire night)

The North Bank could be a lively place:

It was with deep concern that details of the disturbances in the North Stand at our match versus Colchester United were received. The culprits were apprehended and proceedings were taken against them. The club will not tolerate this sort of behaviour and the police will be given every assistance in their efforts to stamp out this sort of behaviour.From Southend v Oldham Programme 21st March 1970

The Workington game that you refer to was of course the 7-0 game.IIRC,wasn't that Eddie Clayton's first home game too?:unsure:

 

[Ex-Member1]

Clayton scored from way. way out with a fantastic header....one of the great goals. COYB

 

[canveyshrimper]

The Workington game that you refer to was of course the 7-0 game.IIRC,wasn't that Eddie Clayton's first home game too?:unsure:

It couldn't have been the 7-0 game as that was near the end of the season.

 

[DoDTS]

The 7-0 was in 1967-68, the firework match was in 1969-70, on 11th October a 3-1 win with two goals from Mickey Beesley and one from full back Keith Lindsey in front of 5,320.

DoDtS

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

The 7-0 was in 1967-68, the firework match was in 1969-70, on 11th October a 3-1 win with two goals from Mickey Beesley and one from full back Keith Lindsey in front of 5,320.

DoDtS

Thanks DODTS.Knew I should have checked before posting.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

Barnathemeltbluegetsitwrongagain