For anyone interested that wasn't there. The Pak was made up of all singers, lads not willing to fight, and lads willing to fight to defend the North Bank. You have to understand that in those days, the taking of a North Bank was a big thing. So it would be talked about for days after, at school for some of us, sometimes years after everywhere through word of mouth. The centre bit was basically The Pak. It was enclosed with metal poles going all the way down to the front, but stopped short of the front wall with a large gap so supporters could walk along the front near the wall. In the late 60s. Kids of about 7-11 tended to sit or stand next to the wall behind the goal. They would elevate to The Pak when older. Ian. L and his mob of older guys would stand the other side of the separating poles, on the left looking down onto the pitch. They would definitely defend the North Bank if it was attacked. Not much later, the Leigh Comm lot also stood that side to defend the North Bank. They were a bigger mob and madder lot than Ian L's lot, and would also go to away grounds to take on other North Banks. even though vastly outnumbered. Ian L's lot were still always there though at home games, and the big away games. Why that side you may ask? Because it was pay on the day at the turnstile. So other teams mobs would come down Victoria Avenue, and head into the car park, and get in our North Bank through the turnstiles on the North/East corner. They would wait until they was all in at the edge of the North Bank, and make their attack heading for The Pak. Usually charging and shouting. Some of The Pak would scatter, some would charge behind the I.L. and Leigh Comm mobs. In most cases like Chelsea the first time, and the Millwall friendly, the opposing mobs were beaten and chased out and were probably not expecting such strong opposition, Those two came back though for revenge with their full mobs and ten times bigger, so it was a different story. I got caught out in the Millwall 0-0 league game, as I covered on here, when they came for revenge, when they turned up with their F troop and dockers, knives and docker hooks, not that they needed them. It was the first time I saw weapons at a football match. On the big games, two more big mobs came into it, the Sutton Arms mob, and the Shoebury mob. And of course the Pak would be packed tight with lads from all over the Southend Borough. Anyway, I know some don't like hearing that sort of thing, but I'm just adding to the history of the North Bank. That's how it was back in those days. When the big games were on, Chelsea, QPR, Aston Villa, or a top of the table clash, the North bank was packed. It was incredibly loud as the sound bounced off the low corrugated roof. It was absolute magic. That's why a lot still talk about the old North Bank from that period and the Pak, and of course the songs from that period.
COYB,UTB
