Memory Lane Origin of the PAK

[E for B and Billy Best]

Anyone remember these two away games, Colchester on easter saturday 1976 hundreds of us got to Colchester before the pubs opened caught them with their pants right down Southend in all four sides of the ground and to top it all Tony Levine walking round dressed as the schoolboy guitarist from AC/DC. Watford in April 1978 both going for promotion and shown on match of the day that night the pub outside the ground packed to the rafters with Southend and to top it all on the way there we run the cockney reds all over Euston station. Loved every minute following Southend in the Seventies.

 

[canveyshrimper]

On the way to Aldershot my Dad was talking about the time we played Wolves away in the Cup way back when.

My old man was standing on the Wolves terrace with about 100 or so Southend fans being chased around at various points during the game, we lost 1-0 and Southend were clapped off the pitch by the Wolves fans at the end, any other old timers at that game??

I was at that game although a young timer then. Wolves were a very good side then, and Blues more than held their own for 88 minutes when John Farrington scored a very late winner and we lost 1-0. And yes the Wolves fans warmly applauded our players at the end. I keep saying it but 1968/69 was a great season.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Anyone remember these two away games, Colchester on easter saturday 1976 hundreds of us got to Colchester before the pubs opened caught them with their pants right down Southend in all four sides of the ground and to top it all Tony Levine walking round dressed as the schoolboy guitarist from AC/DC. Watford in April 1978 both going for promotion and shown on match of the day that night the pub outside the ground packed to the rafters with Southend and to top it all on the way there we run the cockney reds all over Euston station. Loved every minute following Southend in the Seventies.

I was at both. The Watford game was memorable as I think that was the first time a certain song casting aspersions on Reg Dwight's sexuality was sung. The pub prior was amazing as more and more Shrimpers packed, we went by car so missed the Euston incident. I remember in the ground Watford fans were pelting us with coins and bottles, a Watford fan threw a whisky bottle with some scotch still in it, it hit a Southend fan on the head. He promptly retrieved the bottle consumed the contents and hurled it back. Happy days.

 

[Mick]

I was at that game although a young timer then. Wolves were a very good side then, and Blues more than held their own for 88 minutes when John Farrington scored a very late winner and we lost 1-0. And yes the Wolves fans warmly applauded our players at the end. I keep saying it but 1968/69 was a great season.

Leslie, Bentley, Birks, Beesley, McMillan, Kurila, Clayton, Best, Smillie, Chisnall, McKinven

I can remember every single player from that team, vividly and have happy memories of that team. How many of the current shower will I remember in 42 years, sorry I mean 42 days ?

 

[canveyshrimper]

Leslie, Bentley, Birks, Beesley, McMillan, Kurila, Clayton, Best, Smillie, Chisnall, McKinven

I can remember every single player from that team, vividly and have happy memories of that team. How many of the current shower will I remember in 42 years, sorry I mean 42 days ?

So many of my all time favourites in that team. I agree, on current showing none of the current lot will be remembered with affection, more pertinently I'd doubt if any of them would be good enough to get in to that team.

 

[Mick]

So many of my all time favourites in that team. I agree, on current showing none of the current lot will be remembered with affection, more pertinently I'd doubt if any of them would be good enough to get in to that team.

"Doubt" is not the word.

The worst player in that team was at least four times as good as the best of the current hastily assembled apology for a team.

 

[Cricko]

Lawrie Leslie was a nice man.... After Trevor Roberts left/died "sob" I liked Ray White as a good keeper, but Lawrie's experience at wet spam etc was invaluable...he even let me play in some of the youth games. :)

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

I remember the 1-1 draw with Watford.
Alan Moody from a penalty, to wipe out beanpole Ross Jenkins's goal for them. The one we shipped passed through the legs of Frank Banks on the way. He later became a security guard at the Co-Op in Basildon before being rescued to run the Blues youth.
And yeah, MOD - Colin Morris and all that...

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Anyone remember these two away games, Colchester on easter saturday 1976 hundreds of us got to Colchester before the pubs opened caught them with their pants right down Southend in all four sides of the ground and to top it all Tony Levine walking round dressed as the schoolboy guitarist from AC/DC. Watford in April 1978 both going for promotion and shown on match of the day that night the pub outside the ground packed to the rafters with Southend and to top it all on the way there we run the cockney reds all over Euston station. Loved every minute following Southend in the Seventies.

I went to the Colchester one, but not the Watford one.

 

[Mick]

Lawrie Leslie was a nice man.... After Trevor Roberts left/died "sob" I liked Ray White as a good keeper, but Lawrie's experience at wet spam etc was invaluable...he even let me play in some of the youth games. :)

Brighton were quite fond of his keeping abilities too. Just so people don't think us older members think all the old players were great, Ray White was way off the pace and never made it with us or anyone else.

Trevor Roberts' career at Southend went on way beyond Lawrie Leslie's time. The memorable thing about Lawrie Leslie is the number of broken bones amassed during his long and painful career.

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

Loving this thread, my first recollections of the PAK away from the north bank was at Swindon FA Cup 3rd round I was only 11 so had to go on the supporters coaches. When we got to Swindons ground we was walking around outside and from inside all you could hear was a massive chant of Gary Gary Gary Moore, Gary Gary Moore. Southend win 2-0 still vaguely remember Chicos winner, one of them days that will live forever as far as I'm concerned and made sure there was no other club for me.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Loving this thread, my first recollections of the PAK away from the north bank was at Swindon FA Cup 3rd round I was only 11 so had to go on the supporters coaches. When we got to Swindons ground we was walking around outside and from inside all you could hear was a massive chant of Gary Gary Gary Moore, Gary Gary Moore. Southend win 2-0 still vaguely remember Chicos winner, one of them days that will live forever as far as I'm concerned and made sure there was no other club for me.

1968/69 again, Swindon were a good side that season and beat Arsenal 3-1 in the League Cup Final. Did you go to Mansfield in the 4th Round? The 2-1 defeat there really hurt, particularly as they beat Wet Spam 3-0 in the next round.

 

[Pak66]

Aston Villa F.A. cup 1st Round at Roots Hall. Bedlam - we took to the pitch before the players had even come out of the tunnel.
We won 1-0 then got Bournemouth & Boscombe in the next round we lost then had to run the gauntlet of the waiting B & B mob.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

So many of my all time favourites in that team. I agree, on current showing none of the current lot will be remembered with affection, more pertinently I'd doubt if any of them would be good enough to get in to that team.

Agree entirely some really talented players .can you imagine a Clayton or Chisnall coming to league 2 today,poor old Ernie Shepherd how we missed out on promotion sums our luck up over the years.
Another thing about that time was lots of us used to go to Southend on the friday ,and then follow a london club on the Sat .Can you imagine the cost today!
The gates at that time still show what potential this area has,add to that the growth of population and the number of so called london club supporters who cant afford the games

 

[McNasty]

Aston Villa F.A. cup 1st Round at Roots Hall. Bedlam - we took to the pitch before the players had even come out of the tunnel.
We won 1-0 then got Bournemouth & Boscombe in the next round we lost then had to run the gauntlet of the waiting B & B mob.

Remember both games very well.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

On the way to Aldershot my Dad was talking about the time we played Wolves away in the Cup way back when.

My old man was standing on the Wolves terrace with about 100 or so Southend fans being chased around at various points during the game, we lost 1-0 and Southend were clapped off the pitch by the Wolves fans at the end, any other old timers at that game??

Yeah, I was there.Less of the old timer please.:)

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

I was at that game although a young timer then. Wolves were a very good side then, and Blues more than held their own for 88 minutes when John Farrington scored a very late winner and we lost 1-0. And yes the Wolves fans warmly applauded our players at the end. I keep saying it but 1968/69 was a great season.

You didn't mention that Farrington's goal was deflected(which it was).You're right about 68/9 though that's certainly the best I've ever seen Blues play.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Agree entirely some really talented players .can you imagine a Clayton or Chisnall coming to league 2 today,poor old Ernie Shepherd how we missed out on promotion sums our luck up over the years.
Another thing about that time was lots of us used to go to Southend on the friday ,and then follow a london club on the Sat .Can you imagine the cost today!
The gates at that time still show what potential this area has,add to that the growth of population and the number of so called london club supporters who cant afford the games

Good post and thanks for starting this thread. Ernie Shepherd was a real gentleman and we played some great football under him and scored goals for fun. The downside being our ability to continually snatch 6th from the jaws of promotion. I didn't follow another London club, but we used to select a fixture, turn up and pay on the door.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

Aston Villa F.A. cup 1st Round at Roots Hall. Bedlam - we took to the pitch before the players had even come out of the tunnel.
We won 1-0 then got Bournemouth & Boscombe in the next round we lost then had to run the gauntlet of the waiting B & B mob.

Became good friends with a cherries supporters in the 80s who always remembered southend ,due to the fact their supporters could not believe it when a fan in a butchers coat ran across the pitch and dived into them one year.Also remember a similar suicide episode at Derby was it Ossie?.
Remember Villa and so many of these games. Anyone remember C*lchester when they beat us 4-0 sh*t just remember so many fans turned up that night they couldn,t cope neither could the ground ,people hanging out the floodlights.What about Charlton when there mob came through the west stand,just had that thin wire to stop people coming over the dividing wall

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

. Anyone remember C*lchester when they beat us 4-0 sh*t just remember so many fans turned up that night they couldn,t cope neither could the ground ,people hanging out the floodlights.

I was at that one. It was a friday night game in 1968 or 69 and the crowd was over 10,500!!!. If memory serves me right, at half time we all jumped over the wall and walked round the touchline/pitch to the open end for the 2nd half. think it was in oct or nov.