Memory Lane Those Away Trip Pub Stops

[AndyT]

Right, having dissected the match for about 10 minutes in the pub after the game, conversation turned to those great pub stops back in the day.

We talked vividly about the trip back from the 2-0 FA Cup win at Bournemouth in 1982, where we pulled up at what turned out to be The Caxton Arms in Whitechapel on the A13. Two coach loads taking over the pub and even helping out serving behind the bar. The DJ, who was setting up for the evening, was flung straight into action, playing the choons of the day. What a great night.

It got me thinking about whether there were regular haunts that were often "refueling stops" on the way back from those bygone away trips or any great memories people have of them?

They were often the highlight of the afternoon. Especially after a half-decent result and the teddy boy lookalike Supreme Coaches drivers were good enough to let us have a good 90 minutes or so on the way home, often.

Great days!

 

[RHB]

27th October 1987 away to Ipswich in the League cup. A Tuesday evening ko so straight from work, 5 of us in a car. We lost 0-1 but on the way home stopped off in a pub in Copdock to discover that the landlord was a Southend supporter so a few drinks were had after hours which made up for a rubbish result.

 

[McNasty]

Visited the British Arms pub when we played at Rushden and Diamonds.

Top rate pub that seemed to have a top bunch of local Hell's Angels who helped the lovely landlady serve the many Southend fans who really behaved ourselves, for some strange reason.

https://whatpub.com/pubs/NTH/387/british-arms-irthlingborough

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

Dirty Dicks at Liverpool Street was a must after London games in the 70's, and it was bloody dirty in those days. I remember one game piggy back races across the pub against a rugby league team. I'm the rider and decide to scratch SUFC in the grime laden ceiling, seconds later a great big northern brick ********* shouts "What the f*** is this in my beer" I turn around with a black face and white eyes looking for all the world like a chimney sweep. Luckily the brick ********* saw the funny side of it and bought me a beer.

 

[Shrimp and two veg]

West Brom away in the Championship. Drove up to the Hawthorns and found street parking easily. Then went in search of a boozer. Headed away from the ground on foot, to what we thought was toward the town centre. Suddenly heard a voice from a doorway. Couple of big black doormen standing outside what can only be described as a terraced house. The terrace of houses ran a long way up the road. They were inviting us in for a beer, saying its quite safe as its a members bar and we were obviously Southend fans with our colours on, but we'd possibly have more trouble down town than in here. I let my mate go in first, hesitantly. Sheepishly i followed, hoping this was genuine but fearing the worst and prepared to turn and leg it. To our amazement, two houses were knocked into one inside, a massive bar filled the length of the place and even Sky Sports up on big screens adorned the walls. Lots of striped baggies fans in the place, all casting a watchful eye on us. But we actually felt quite at home. What a result. And the beer was cheap. We thanked everybody we spoke to before the 15min walk to the ground and Matt Harold nicking us a point with a header. Happy days !

 

[ozzie]

Dirty Dicks at Liverpool Street was a must after London games in the 70's, and it was bloody dirty in those days. I remember one game piggy back races across the pub against a rugby league team. I'm the rider and decide to scratch SUFC in the grime laden ceiling, seconds later a great big northern brick ********* shouts "What the f*** is this in my beer" I turn around with a black face and white eyes looking for all the world like a chimney sweep. Luckily the brick ********* saw the funny side of it and bought me a beer.

Strange.
Was only thinking about that pub a few days ago.
It was a one off boozer.Quite often,after a local(even up to Bournemouth) game,going home via Liverpool st,it was a must.
You would only "pop in" for a quick pint.but stay there for at least two,looking at the stuff on the walls.
I even remember football tickets,from all over London,even a CUP final ticket..but nobody nicked them,just left them there.
that was the BAD old days!!! Nowadays,within a day or so,nicked and put on E-bay.
Im sure you remember,often ,we would get our photos done in Liverpool st station,in those 10p ,photo booths,maybe three or four of us all piled in,then written on the back,date..game ..and lads.
Dirty Dicks,was a one-off pub,loved by all who went there..now sadly f&cked up by H&S.Been twice since they changed it,but NEVER had a beer there,too depressing

 

[ozzie]

My first ever home game was just over 50 years ago,..v Brentford..
But have seen us play there ,maybe 8-10 times,
First time was,i think..league cup..midweek game..69??
Then being a 12-13 year old,i did not drink,sadly visiting Brentford,its gone from..not drinking,some drinking ,now drinking far too much.
But Brentford had-has 4 pubs on all four corners of the ground,being "sarfend" visited them all,being Sarfend thrown out of them all(we all were,not just me!!).
But nice pubs,good beer...but lets not talk about the Bricklayers Arms!!!:omg:

 

[mattitouk]

Wasn't there a Dirty Dicks around Covent Garden in the early 90's also? not sure if they were connected, but they used to have a "beer menu" about the size of a phone book. I may be getting confused in my old age though.

For me,

Taking the boat over from Tilbury, then drinking in some of the riverside pubs in Gravesend before an away day at Gillingham.

Gathering in Borough Market before heading to Millwall.

And of course The Green Man was always a good atmosphere before Wembley.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

27th October 1987 away to Ipswich in the League cup. A Tuesday evening ko so straight from work, 5 of us in a car. We lost 0-1 but on the way home stopped off in a pub in Copdock to discover that the landlord was a Southend supporter so a few drinks were had after hours which made up for a rubbish result.

Could have been Owen Harding, ex Leighite & Belfairs boy. Heard he was running a Pub in Ipswich back then.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Too many to mention. Remember in 71 Leigh Comm ran a coach to Cambridge, it dropped us off at the Station to wait for more of our fans to arrive. Nearby their was a Pub called 'The Osborne Arms', of which 50 of us piled through the doors around 11.30am!. Only thing I recall about it, was that their was a Pinball machine in it.
Watford away in mid 70's, we used to pack out that dingy Pub opp away end every season.
Bournemouth in 76, R.F & P.C ran 2 coaches from The Elms, we found a pub near ground & 100 of us packed it out. Same year we played away to Exeter in 1st Rd F.A. Cup. 14 of us left The Elms at closing time on Fri night, and headed off to the West Country.
We ended up arriving around 7am Sat morning, had a cooked brekkie in a café, walked round the City & went in a pub around 10ish. Strangely enough, don't remember much about the match!.

 

[LCBB72]

Too many to mention. Remember in 71 Leigh Comm ran a coach to Cambridge, it dropped us off at the Station to wait for more of our fans to arrive. Nearby their was a Pub called 'The Osborne Arms', of which 50 of us piled through the doors around 11.30am!. Only thing I recall about it, was that their was a Pinball machine in it.
Watford away in mid 70's, we used to pack out that dingy Pub opp away end every season.
Bournemouth in 76, R.F & P.C ran 2 coaches from The Elms, we found a pub near ground & 100 of us packed it out. Same year we played away to Exeter in 1st Rd F.A. Cup. 14 of us left The Elms at closing time on Fri night, and headed off to the West Country.
We ended up arriving around 7am Sat morning, had a cooked brekkie in a café, walked round the City & went in a pub around 10ish. Strangely enough, don't remember much about the match!.

The Osborne Arms was the pub that we took over the year before , by the time about a dozen of us got there you had all gone , the place was crawling with old bill for all the trouble that was going off in Cambridge that day .

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

Dirty Dicks was in the film 'Goal' the official film of the 1966 World Cup they film drinkers in a pub during the final. As Oz said it was a real one off pub visited by tourists and sports fans and encouraged people to write your team name or country on the walls and the walls were covered top to bottom. They even had the skin of a dead cat hanging from the ceiling. Public Health would shut it down in 5 minutes in this day and age.

 

[ThundersleyShrimper]

Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s the Supporters Club coaches would always pull into Stamford when we traveled home down the A1, there was a fish and chip shop opposite the pub (The Green Man?) where Alan and Peter Bushell would go to eat and the rest of us would head into the pub, including the coach drivers, the driver who had finished his shift would always join us for a couple of swift pints.

 

[Mick]

Dirty Dicks was in the film 'Goal' the official film of the 1966 World Cup they film drinkers in a pub during the final. As Oz said it was a real one off pub visited by tourists and sports fans and encouraged people to write your team name or country on the walls and the walls were covered top to bottom. They even had the skin of a dead cat hanging from the ceiling. Public Health would shut it down in 5 minutes in this day and age.

In the late 60s, coach parties of tourists were shipped in and out again at regular intervals so the (usually American) visitors could experience a "traditional English pub" which in all honesty was not what this was. They would buy drinks, maybe a pint, have a sip and leave the rest. There was actually a skeleton of a cat pinned up on a wall in the downstairs bar. The barman down there with the bottle bottom glasses used to tell the usually female tourists to stroke it three times for luck. What they didn't know was that it was wired up to a button behind the bar and while they stroked it, it would fling into life. Some amazing reactions and, on reflection, H & S might just preclude that now.