I miss...

[Supa Shrimpa]

...standing on a box right at the back of the old South Stand
...the fireworks displays at Roots Hall
...Chris Powell's..wiggle it, just a little bit !

 

[mattitouk]

Another thing I miss from my young childhood memories, was being taken to Friday night Floodlit games by my dad (we lived in Basildon back then, which meant I got to stay up well past my usual bedtime... although to be fair, i normally fell asleep in the back of the car on the way home as my eyes were strained trying to read the match programme in the pitch black darkness)

Pre match treat for me:
was choosing a "quarter of" boiled sweets from those large jars from that newsagents on Victoria Avenue, served in a white paper bag along with a match programme (for me) and an Evening Echo (for dad)
Note: In my family, both publications were strictly for half time reading along with the difficult decsion to make, whether to have a cup of tea or Hot Chocolate or a mars bar or a twix!

Young memories of the night games themselves that stand out for me, were thinking at the time, how much better and green the pitch looked under the golden glow of the floodlights and the overpowering pungent smell of Deep heat that you could smell from the East Stand when the players came out.

 

[banjo saviola]

At half time watching the subs warm up and see how close they could get to hitting the brass band without actually doing so. Also, never criticising any of our boys as we were all in it together. The total opposite of these days when even after a decent result we focus on who had a poor game.

 

[Voice of Reason]

Giant wagon wheels,6pence programmes,trying to count the steps on the south bank and billy best

 

[Benfleet A1]

Players in the Shrimpers Bar before kick off watching the horse racing with a betting slip in hand. Stan Bowles springs to mind.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

The hot dog trolley at the end of the South Bank.
Swing and hanging like a bat on the crowd railing things on a half empty South Bank while my dad told me that if I wasn't going to watch the footie he wouldn't bring me again.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Royal blue.
The fear, exhilaration and ecstasy as the North Bank erupted when we scored and the Pak first went up.. then tumbled forward.
Brothers Grimm.

 

[spoons]

The lyrics from the song "When it was ours" sums it up for me, don't look back, that's not the way you're going

Revisit graveyards pubs and clubs
But don't go back to the place you love
They quickly return to distant shores
When they're not ours no longer mine no longer yours

It was ours when I was yours
Before this place went on all fours
Now it's under lock and key
it isn't you it isn't me
It's other couples falling walls
It's other couples punctured balls
No wasp filled jars or last hurrahs
Now it ain't ours.
​

:unsure::winking::winking:

 

[SonicShrimper]

Working Saturdays has made me miss watching Final Score. Especially on derby day last week.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Oh and The Park Cafe. The club shop opposite.
The Supporters Club hut outside the North Paddock.
I used to miss going on the coaches after being banned for several misunderstandings at Darlo.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Paul "Chopper" Staines before he defected to Miiiiiiiaaaaallll because they offered him greater respect. Now that was sad.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Old Horace Harris, guy who used to walk round the cinder path selling programmes, with his Blue & white bobble hat. When he walked past the North bank, he'd usually get a few 'bog rolls' aimed at him!.
The Judas then used to do the same at West Ham the following day!

 

[Voice of Reason]

Old Horace Harris, guy who used to walk round the cinder path selling programmes, with his Blue & white bobble hat. When he walked past the North bank, he'd usually get a few 'bog rolls' aimed at him!.
The Judas then used to do the same at West Ham the following day!

Remember him well and jockey Wilson the steward

 

[LCBB72]

Standing in The North Bank with your mates , knees up in the North Bank , going from North Bank to South Bank at half time , Billy Best scoring , a Paul Clark tackle , asking our geography master Trevor Robert if we were going to go up .

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

Old Horace Harris, guy who used to walk round the cinder path selling programmes, with his Blue & white bobble hat. When he walked past the North bank, he'd usually get a few 'bog rolls' aimed at him!.
The Judas then used to do the same at West Ham the following day!

Remember him, always yelled 'programme, programme' in front of the North Bank.
Stuart Brace's jinxy mazes in front of the North Bank and the crush forward when he scored.

 

[Sammy Shrimper]

Old Horace Harris, guy who used to walk round the cinder path selling programmes, with his Blue & white bobble hat. When he walked past the North bank, he'd usually get a few 'bog rolls' aimed at him!.
The Judas then used to do the same at West Ham the following day!

I thought he also used to occasionally wear a claret and blue bobble hat as he passed me on the wall of the paddock.

Buying away programmes from the shop in Vic Ave. Navy shirts in late 60s! Happy memories.

 

[* ORM *]

Old MacDonald had a farm
The original half time challenge. This was seeing if you could have a **** in the toilets in the West without getting covered in it yourself.
The old scoreboard at the top of the South
The South Bank
The old Roots Hall Market
Have I got this wrong. I have vague memories of a bus depot in Fairfax Drive. Do I have this wrong? Was it just a maintenance place. (Nope not the Eastern National Depot where Sainsburys is now. I can remember that vividly.

 

[Floval Flyer]

As a kid Standing in the front terrace in the East Stand as a kid, waiting by the players tunnel on the cinder track before matches, and collecting player signatures...

 

[Mick]

. I have vague memories of a bus depot in Fairfax Drive. Do I have this wrong? Was it just a maintenance place. (Nope not the Eastern National Depot where Sainsburys is now. I can remember that vividly.

No, you're right. Think it closed some time in the 70s.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Old MacDonald had a farm
The original half time challenge. This was seeing if you could have a **** in the toilets in the West without getting covered in it yourself.
The old scoreboard at the top of the South
The South Bank
The old Roots Hall Market
Have I got this wrong. I have vague memories of a bus depot in Fairfax Drive. Do I have this wrong? Was it just a maintenance place. (Nope not the Eastern National Depot where Sainsburys is now. I can remember that vividly.

Nope, the old blue buses used to run out of a bus depot in Fairfax Drive back in the day. The numbers I remember were the No1 and No7 but I'm sure there would have been loads more. Seem to remember a depot up on the roundabout by Nazareth House as well.