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40 Years ago (Sunday)

DoDTS

The PL League Boss⭐⭐
Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Messages
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Location
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Thought this might be of Interest:

Swansea Town Away 2-2
Saturday 14 September 1968 Div 4


A fortnight later and back to South Wales, strange the tricks the fixture list plays sometimes, a good trip uneventful, having a doze on the way back home when the coach was involved in a serious accident. It was a three vehicle pile up but fortunately nobody in the Southend party was injured. The police arrived, and said it would take some time to get a replacement coach to take us home, but they would arrange transport into the nearest town Bridgend, so in the meantime 20 a side football resumed in the nearest field. The police transport when it arrived was three "Black Maria's" (police Vans) we asked if they minded if we had a "bit of a sing" in the back of the vans they said "why not". Can you imagine the look on the locals when three vans of football fans arrived outside Bridgend Police Station chanting football songs, they let us out we made for the nearest Pub.

It was nearly closing time before our new coach arrived,(it had to come all the way from Romford!) by this time the local lads were getting organised and becoming a bit threatening, not liking their town being taken over by us, thankfully the coach arrived and we drove off into the sunset, not getting home till about 4.00 a.m. My parents were not on the 'phone at the time, so I couldn't let them know I was going to be late, so when I got in that were still up worried about me, I was still only 16.

Although no was hurt on the Southend coach
There were fatalities in one of the other vehicles


Coach Crash
You may remember the accident in which a Y.S. Coach was involved on the way back from Swansea. The police are finally taking action and several supporters are leaving after tonight's game and travelling overnight to Cardiff to give evidence in tomorrow's court case.

Southend V Chesterfield programme 3rd March 1969
 
Thought this was going to say something like Paul Furlong scored his first ever goal in professional football...
 
Thought this might be of Interest:

Swansea Town Away 2-2
Saturday 14 September 1968 Div 4


A fortnight later and back to South Wales, strange the tricks the fixture list plays sometimes, a good trip uneventful, having a doze on the way back home when the coach was involved in a serious accident. It was a three vehicle pile up but fortunately nobody in the Southend party was injured. The police arrived, and said it would take some time to get a replacement coach to take us home, but they would arrange transport into the nearest town Bridgend, so in the meantime 20 a side football resumed in the nearest field. The police transport when it arrived was three "Black Maria's" (police Vans) we asked if they minded if we had a "bit of a sing" in the back of the vans they said "why not". Can you imagine the look on the locals when three vans of football fans arrived outside Bridgend Police Station chanting football songs, they let us out we made for the nearest Pub.

It was nearly closing time before our new coach arrived,(it had to come all the way from Romford!) by this time the local lads were getting organised and becoming a bit threatening, not liking their town being taken over by us, thankfully the coach arrived and we drove off into the sunset, not getting home till about 4.00 a.m. My parents were not on the 'phone at the time, so I couldn't let them know I was going to be late, so when I got in that were still up worried about me, I was still only 16.

Although no was hurt on the Southend coach
There were fatalities in one of the other vehicles


Coach Crash
You may remember the accident in which a Y.S. Coach was involved on the way back from Swansea. The police are finally taking action and several supporters are leaving after tonight's game and travelling overnight to Cardiff to give evidence in tomorrow's court case.

Southend V Chesterfield programme 3rd March 1969

Competing with a novelist

Left the tavern in the town{southend high st**after closing time Friday, overnight trip. First loo stop at Charing Cross toilets on the Embankment around 1.30am. The toilets were full of transvestites, we took the mickey which we thought was funny until they pulled knives on us and we thought it was time to leave. Arrived in Swansea approx. 8am Saturday morning, it was raining, and we did not have a lot of money in those days, so out came the football and we played on the beach. Later on we found a cafe and had a fry up, in the pub at lunchtime and then on to the match. Chico's debut, it was a 2-2 draw. Left Swansea on the coach, in those days they had three lane roads, 1 each way and the centre lane for overtaking both ways. The coach was in the centre lane overtaking, coming the other way, straight at us, was an Austin 1100. Both vehicles swerved but we still collided (the door of the coach was ripped off) and the coach went over a ditch and through a hedge and ended up in a field. The Austin was done in so were the passengers. The ambulance and Police arrived and we all swept the glass from the road. As we had to wait for another coach to be sent to pick us up out came the football again we played in the field. Then the Police decided to take us to Bridge End in black marias, we spent the rest of our money there until the other coach arrived to take us home.
 
Well done mate your memories better than mine for that detail, get writing where's your book?

See you tomorrow

Pete

yeh but our posts !!! so much left out, to much red coming my way if put in . people want to hear about the so called good old days but throw a wobbly at you when you post. wot write a book your avin a larf me inglish ant good isit as im told by geezers on hear!!!!!! like going back to school after 40 years away sad.
 
Shrimpfan has got a memory like an elephant.
I also seem to recollect that the coppers in Bridgend gave us an amount of time to batter the local yobbos without them intervening because they were arseholes.
Had little money though so had to make our beer last waiting for the replacement coach.
Good old days my arse.
 
Nostalgia Alert ...

Forty years ago, season 1968-69 was by far and away my favourite season ever for watching Southend. Goals galore; scored over 100, conceded loads. Great players: Phil Chisnall, Eddie Clayton, Billy Best, Chico Hamilton, Trevor Roberts. Not great, but certainly effective, players like John Kurila, Garry Moore, Sammy MacMillan, Tony Bentley and Johhny McKinven. (will anyone be able to name 10 of our current squad with any affection in 40 years? ...... 40 minutes anyone?)

A great season on the pitch but not the best for Road Traffic Accidents. In fact September saw a number of fans involved in an accident on the way to Wolves in the League cup, less than two weeks before the Welsh prang.

I too was on that coach and enjoyed the delights of Bridgend on a Saturday night as described earlier in this thread.

I also was one of those who returned to South Wales to give evidence in the ensuing court case in support of Steve our driver who was forced to take evasive action to avoid some Welsh tosser in a bread delivery van. Unfortunately avoiding said bread van involved taking out an oncoming vehicle. The other two witnesses, perversely, were not Southend fans but a couple of "bus spotters" who used to travel on the coaches if there were spare seats as a cheap way of getting round the country to indulge their strange hobby. Anyway they gave me a lift down for the court case and I made a killing on expenses.

Steve was acquitted despite (because of?) my evidence not being required. The case was dropped either at the beginning or shortly into the trial. Shame as I had spent ages perfecting my testimony trying to eradicate any overt anti-Welsh bias. All ended well except for the poor sods in the car.

Was Chico's second game Geoff. We'd played Newport, Wrexham and Swansea in successive League games and Chico debuted in the Wrexham one. It was his first goal though.

We beat Swansea 4-0 in the home match ( ... just in case that Swansea guy is still around looking for his programmes!)

And no, I'm not going to write a bleedin' book.
 
.....and the day after,shrimp and two veg was enjoying his 1st birthday!!

Can't tell you too much about it though,i was probably out of it.
 
And still the same age mentally...:dim:

You're right and i still feel i've got youth on my side.I feel for the likes of yourself though who have obviously passed the point of no return:)
:cricko:
:offtopic:
Anyway,superb thread that gets more factual as everyone's memory begins to function!
 
You're right and i still feel i've got youth on my side.I feel for the likes of yourself though who have obviously passed the point of no return:)
:cricko:
:offtopic:
Anyway,superb thread that gets more factual as everyone's memory begins to function!

I think that’s the important thing I have certain memories as do the others but combined with Geoff, Richard and Mick we seem to have the full story between us.

DoDtS
 
Shrimpfan has got a memory like an elephant.
I also seem to recollect that the coppers in Bridgend gave us an amount of time to batter the local yobbos without them intervening because they were arseholes.
Had little money though so had to make our beer last waiting for the replacement coach.
Good old days my arse.

amount of time yeh lets rock and roll good sat night out in the end!!!!
 
Forty years ago, season 1968-69 was by far and away my favourite season ever for watching Southend. Goals galore; scored over 100, conceded loads. Great players: Phil Chisnall, Eddie Clayton, Billy Best, Chico Hamilton, Trevor Roberts. Not great, but certainly effective, players like John Kurila, Garry Moore, Sammy MacMillan, Tony Bentley and Johhny McKinven. (will anyone be able to name 10 of our current squad with any affection in 40 years? ...... 40 minutes anyone?)

A great season on the pitch but not the best for Road Traffic Accidents. In fact September saw a number of fans involved in an accident on the way to Wolves in the League cup, less than two weeks before the Welsh prang.

I too was on that coach and enjoyed the delights of Bridgend on a Saturday night as described earlier in this thread.

I also was one of those who returned to South Wales to give evidence in the ensuing court case in support of Steve our driver who was forced to take evasive action to avoid some Welsh tosser in a bread delivery van. Unfortunately avoiding said bread van involved taking out an oncoming vehicle. The other two witnesses, perversely, were not Southend fans but a couple of "bus spotters" who used to travel on the coaches if there were spare seats as a cheap way of getting round the country to indulge their strange hobby. Anyway they gave me a lift down for the court case and I made a killing on expenses.

Steve was acquitted despite (because of?) my evidence not being required. The case was dropped either at the beginning or shortly into the trial. Shame as I had spent ages perfecting my testimony trying to eradicate any overt anti-Welsh bias. All ended well except for the poor sods in the car.

Was Chico's second game Geoff. We'd played Newport, Wrexham and Swansea in successive League games and Chico debuted in the Wrexham one. It was his first goal though.

We beat Swansea 4-0 in the home match ( ... just in case that Swansea guy is still around looking for his programmes!)

And no, I'm not going to write a bleedin' book.

I think you just did, 68/69 was my favourite season, and the first one I was allowed to go to away games with my mates without having an appropriate adult in tow.

I didn't go to this game but remember the stories of the coach crash, great stories guys.
 
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