Best ever pitch invasion

[Barry the dog]

This apply's to mainly celebrational ones but if anyones got any other then so be it.

I will start with Woking away after Phil Gridelet put us one up in the FA cup a few years back.

I have got the match of the day video somewhere and there are loads of Southend fans on the pitch with a few sliding around on the soaking wet pitch.

Brentford at home when we went up in i think 91 was also a cracker when half of the North bank went on with 5 minutes to go to celebrate {i think} our promotion to the old second division.
The police horses put a stop the that one though for some reason.

 

[Guest]

I wasn't there but I heard a story that Brighton came on to the pitch at there place and the police came on the pitch to stop them reaching the Southend fans.

One Southend fan ran onto the pitch, dodged the police, gave one of the Brighton lads a few punches and then dodged all of the police again to rejoin the southend fans.

 

[Rusty Lee]

I myself found the pitch invasion away at Exter a cpl of season ago when they were relegated from the league quite amusing, also the famous Derby game when a friend of mine got a boot up his harris and cs gas was everywhere, u still see that invasion everynow and again on Police 5

 

[Guest]

A pitch invasion with about 2000 on the field sometime during the 1962-3 season. The object of the invasion was to kill the ref. I don't remember the game or the the name of the bald headed tw*t that was the subject of the intended slaughter.

I do remember the idiot caused us to lose 1-0 and that he compounded his sins by sending off Ray "smudger" Smith, Blues centre foward at that time. The ref blew for full time about 5 minutes early and I swear he was already half way down the players tunnel when he did.

Having failed to catch the sod before he got down the tunnel, the invading army took up position outside the officials entrance at the back of the East Stand, with chants of "we want the ref" and "hang the *******"

Club officials locked the ref in for his own protection and the Blues manager of the day(I think Ted Fenton) made an appeal for calm and pleaded with the crowd to disperse. When this failed the handful of elderly coppers that used to police the ground called in re-inforcements in the shape of dogs and mounted police. Just in the nick of time really, as there were by now determined efforts being made to break down the door seperating the ref from almost certain death. The police finally managed to clear the car park about7;00pm, long after it got dark and the ref was smuggled out of Roots Hall with a police escort.

Given that this happened about 4 years before football hooliganism was invented(apart from at Millwall of course where you could have a good scrap from about 1910), it was strange that the Football authorities took no action against the Club.

Instead at our next 2 home games the ref was "smiley" Dawes from Norwich, a strange bloke who spent the whole game grinning, even when he was sending a player off. I suppose the FA reasoned that whilst you might pity poor old smiley you'ld never want to string him up.

If there are any old codgers like me out there, who can remember what I'm taking about, then I would be interested if you can remember the name of the ref concerned.

Anyway, for me that was the best invasion(and riot) I've seen in nearly 50 years of watching the Blues.

 

[tommytwoholes]

I was at the derby game and just remember running from west to east and diving for cover when things turned nasty. I was only about 14-15 at the time. And the woking game was a pretty good day out. I really enjoyed the gillingham game a while back when we levelled and then won in injury time. You gota love days like that.

 

[Miss Rees]

My best pitch invasion was at Stockport when we got promotion!The stewards stopped us going on the pitch but I said I needed to go to the loo, and ran on the pitch instead! Dave Martin kindly removed his shirt for me and back to the stand I trotted with my prize!! Wore it home on the coach and slept in it that night! The End!

 

[Guest]

The pitch invasion at the end of escape to victory was fantastic.

How the SS guards managed not to spot me, the only black man in Europe at the time as we 'escaped to victory' puzzles me to this day. Bit of a touch, eh?

 

[Westcliff Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (tommytwoholes @ Sep. 02 2004,16:31)]I really enjoyed the gillingham game a while back when we levelled and then won in injury time. You gota love days like that.

I remember that game - we were rubbish with the usual Andy Harris mistake for their goal up to the last five minutes, with Regis Coultbalt (apologies for the mis-spelling) and Joeren Boere scoring from impossible angles. The resulting crowd-spilling-on-to-the-pitch was fantastic. Unfortunately the pub by the railway station myself and a few muckers of mine decided to pop into for a swift half didn't appreciate the Essex accent and the locals got a bit lively.....

 

[Rusty Lee]

I forgot the Wrexham at home last day when we was relegated, southend fans broke the crossbar, what a hard bunch we are...

 

[Barry the dog]

Quote[/b] (Guest @ Sep. 02 2004,16:22)]A pitch invasion with about 2000 on the field sometime during the 1962-3 season. The object of the invasion was to kill the ref. I don't remember the game or the the name of the bald headed tw*t that was the subject of the intended slaughter.

I do remember the idiot caused us to lose 1-0 and that he compounded his sins by sending off Ray "smudger" Smith, Blues centre foward at that time. The ref blew for full time about 5 minutes early and I swear he was already half way down the players tunnel when he did.

Having failed to catch the sod before he got down the tunnel, the invading army took up position outside the officials entrance at the back of the East Stand, with chants of "we want the ref" and "hang the *******"

Club officials locked the ref in for his own protection and the Blues manager of the day(I think Ted Fenton) made an appeal for calm and pleaded with the crowd to disperse. When this failed the handful of elderly coppers that used to police the ground called in re-inforcements in the shape of dogs and mounted police. Just in the nick of time really, as there were by now determined efforts being made to break down the door seperating the ref from almost certain death. The police finally managed to clear the car park about7;00pm, long after it got dark and the ref was smuggled out of Roots Hall with a police escort.

Given that this happened about 4 years before football hooliganism was invented(apart from at Millwall of course where you could have a good scrap from about 1910), it was strange that the Football authorities took no action against the Club.

Instead at our next 2 home games the ref was "smiley" Dawes from Norwich, a strange bloke who spent the whole game grinning, even when he was sending a player off. I suppose the FA reasoned that whilst you might pity poor old smiley you'ld never want to string him up.

If there are any old codgers like me out there, who can remember what I'm taking about, then I would be interested if you can remember the name of the ref concerned.

Anyway, for me that was the best invasion(and riot) I've seen in nearly 50 years of watching the Blues.

That is a classic story.

I wish we could have done the same to that git who reffed England vs Portugal in the Euros and about a thousand others who ref Southend week in week out.

 

[fbm]

Luton at home in the Collymore era after we secured our Div 1 status... Bury away when we got promoted in 1990/1 (but only for the fans who flew up with the team who had seats in the main stand. You could just walk down onto the pitch and no-one stopped us so it was hardly an invasion...)

I didn't make the Derby game but heard about it. A 4-3 cracker too IIRC...

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

Aston Villa in the early 70s, they ran all over the place but cannot remember if they came from the North or South Bank, or both! Pretty scary for one so young.

Also I remember a one man invasion from the North Bank in 1990 when a Blues fan walked onto the pitch to talk to Dean Martin who I think was playing for Halifax at the time. The Blues' fan was pretending the player was the real Dean Martin and started asking him about his drinking habits. Hilarious!

 

[Javea Shrimper]

The pitch invasion at the end of the 1980/81 season, when we won the Fourth Division Championship. People started digging up bits of the Roots Hall turf ... why?!

WS

 

[* ORM *]

Wasn't that the first rumblings of SUFC getting a new ground. Pictures in programmes of what the new stadium would look like etc ? The earliest memory I have of this is in a League Cup programme vs Man City - was this really that far back or have I got the wrong year completely ?

If that's the case we're almost 25 years into the new ground issue

 

[Javea Shrimper]

That would be back in 1986, ORM, some 18 years ago ...

WS

 

[* ORM *]

Quote[/b] (Javea Shrimper @ Sep. 02 2004,18:44)]That would be back in 1986, ORM, some 18 years ago ...

WS

Cheers Mike though that is still a long time !

In which case I have no idea and as I was a good boy I would not have joined in !

 

[Smiffy]

i vaguely remember a sit down protest of about 4-500 in the centre circle for some reason ( probably jobson) back in the 90's, anyone else remember this??

 

[canada shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Smiffy @ Sep. 02 2004,18:55)]i vaguely remember a sit down protest of about 4-500 in the centre circle for some reason ( probably jobson) back in the 90's, anyone else remember this??

I was there for the sit in.

 

[Jaysta]

Col U away when Peter Johnson got that screamer to win 2-1. I can remember me and my mate daring each other to run on, when we finally built up the courage I got on and he got nicked!!!!
Remember having a clinch with richaaaaaarrrd, then grabbed hold of Jonno and said 'Jonno what a goal!', he said 'I know!!!', we then preceded to do what at best can be described as a bit of gay jig. Only downside is I was wearing a Royal Blue leather jacket, you will just have to take my word that it was all the rage at the time!!!

3 games at Col U, 3 wins, do I risk it!!!??!!

 

[TheLittleGazette]

Quote[/b] (Smiffy @ Sep. 02 2004,18:55)]i vaguely remember a sit down protest of about 4-500 in the centre circle for some reason ( probably jobson) back in the 90's, anyone else remember this??

That was against Ipswich. I seem to remember some of their fans joined in too.