Rob1920
Manager⭐
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2008
- Messages
- 2,654
Strange. I went to both of those Vase away semis at Farnborough in consecutive years (76 and 77), the first at their more quaint but limited Queens Road ground, the second at the newly developed Cherrywood. Can't say I found it even remotely intimidating !
I was also at both. It was the first game at the old ground where they were really up for it, mainly after the game. They were giving abuse all the way through it, and waited outside the exit to the main road trying to get at the Billericay fans as they left. Fortunately there was a lot of police around who got between them & us. Maybe you're just harder than me, but I felt pretty intimitaded! To be fair the following year at the new ground it was a lot quieter. Maybe Aldershot were at home that day..
I also remember seeing the running battles all around New Lodge at the first leg of that semi final, & one mass brawl behind the temporary stand. By that time I'd been going to watch Southend for a couple of years & had never seen so much violence at a game. It shocked me anyway.