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Football Specials (Your Memories)


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In the 70's & 80's football special trains were the norm when clubs were taking

big followings to away games, Wednesday were one of these clubs that had a

massive following travelling on football specials. There was a special atmosphere

on these trains sometimes 15 to 20 carriages long, and sometimes more than one

train was needed. My favourite memories were when the train pulled up in the

city or town where we were playing, the carriage doors would fly open, sometimes

before the train had come to an halt, with hundreds upon hundreds of

wednesdayites spilling onto the platform, then the usual chant of "SHEFFIELD

WEDNESDAYS BACK IN TOWN AGAIN". My other memory was boarding the return train

after the game when it was a free for all to board the train, which was most times

half the size of the original train which took you there, people would clamber

through open windows just to try get a seat on the over crowded train, I spent

many happy journeys back having to stand or sit in the trains guard carriage.

Happy memories, anyone got anymore?

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I remember beating Man U at old trafford and getting the service train back from the station near the ground.

Our coach was the only one with wednesday fans on and one copper sat a t the back.

Next thing a brick comes flying through the window narrowly missing two wednesdayites.  The copper jumps out the door across the track to chase after said scallys. Not sure health and safety would allow him these days. 

 

Went the rest of the way into Piccadilly with no copper thinking we were going to get slaughtered.  Got the train from Piccadilly back to Sheffield, another brick comes flying thru the window.

 

Needless to say i think they were bitter losers.

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I remember the day we got promoted from the Third in 1980 when, in typical Wednesday fashion, we lost at Exeter. I was living in London then and came back on the train with the London Owls though I'd actually gone down there independently with my girlfriend.

 

Spent the whole trip in the bar/buffet with the London Owls.....and also, strangely, the match referee. I remember that for some strange reason he had the signed match ball with him (perhaps it was the last game he reffed) and he got totally bloody slaughtered.

 

And yes when we got back to Paddington it was the "Sheffield Wednesday's back in town again" chant which the ref joined in with....

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Remember a match at Luton , went on a special train with a guards van full of sandwiches and "pop". Cant remember the match but vividly remember standing on the station platform at Luton waiting for our special to pull in for the return journey . An express pulled by a Deltic shot through the station at full chat and several owls fans at the front of the platform were "sucked" almost onto the track in front of us. Much more frightening than the Luton fans on the opposite platform who were giving it "large" while we were waiting for our train.

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One memory sticks out, Carlisle away FA cup 3rd round I think, circa 78/79/80 can't remember which year.

It was flipping freezing and we lost 3-0 I think, and couldn't wait to get back on the train.

Walking back to station in splintered groups when Carlisles mob appear on the other side of the road.

Then the p iss take chant went up from us "we are frightened"...to which they did nothing.

We were all to cold to be concerned.

Great scenery though on the train...

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Best one I recall was the one to Chelsea in the early '80s.

 

Battling with the Head Hunters on the Tube platform at Chelsea then again when we got off the Tube.

 

Chasing them through the streets to St Pancrass, then scattering them in the station with half of London's firms represented to see it

Not that I condone those things nowadays etc.

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Before Steve Woodhead started Inter City Owl trains in 79-80 season British rail put football specials on.

First one I ever went on was to Preston in early 70s, was some right nutters on it, I remember coppers getting on at Blackburn on way back looking for some Wednesday fans that had been causing trouble in Preston.

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Before Steve Woodhead started Inter City Owl trains in 79-80 season British rail put football specials on.

First one I ever went on was to Preston in early 70s, was some right nutters on it, I remember coppers getting on at Blackburn on way back looking for some Wednesday fans that had been causing trouble in Preston.

I remember that one. Thought Prestons Kop was going to fall down with the all owls fans on it. and on way back wasn't they throwing fire extinguishers through the train windows. Also remember going down to Bristol City after that episode. Could not get on SUT coaches and a female fan went to see the Station manger and she talked him into letting a quite large contingent of us catch an holiday special going to Cornwall stopping at Bristol. God bless her we won 2 1

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I remember the intercity owl to Portsmouth 83/84 I think stood on the uncovered away end and it pissed it down all day....think we won 2-1....when the game was over the coppers told us the train had broke down , so we had to wait..i think an hour passed (still weeing it down)...no train...a bit of moaning by the wednesdayites and they moved us to the home end which was covered...I think about half an hour later our train was ready  , when got to the station we found out we had no train heat....which ther trying to fix...another 30 mins passes and the train starts to move . , the train clears the platform and trains stop again...copper tells us a train has derailed at the next single ahead of us.....its now about half 8 on a Saturday night and we are about 100 yards out side Portsmouth station ....we get back to Sheffield at about 2am wet through and smelly ...I gets home to my house about 2.30am and I have to wake my folks up...I get a clip round mi lug hole and grounded for a week for being late home..lol...I was 14...

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I remember the intercity owl to Portsmouth 83/84 I think stood on the uncovered away end and it pissed it down all day....think we won 2-1....when the game was over the coppers told us the train had broke down , so we had to wait..i think an hour passed (still weeing it down)...no train...a bit of moaning by the wednesdayites and they moved us to the home end which was covered...I think about half an hour later our train was ready  , when got to the station we found out we had no train heat....which ther trying to fix...another 30 mins passes and the train starts to move . , the train clears the platform and trains stop again...copper tells us a train has derailed at the next single ahead of us.....its now about half 8 on a Saturday night and we are about 100 yards out side Portsmouth station ....we get back to Sheffield at about 2am wet through and smelly ...I gets home to my house about 2.30am and I have to wake my folks up...I get a clip round mi lug hole and grounded for a week for being late home.. lol...

 

 

 

I was on that one as well. I had a big 80s mohair jumper on that day that weighed about 4st when soaked.

 

Think we won the game though.

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Guest Banno's Wedge

As a 16 year old in 81 arriving in Blackburn with what seemed to be the whole train leaning out of the windows as we pulled into the station singing

 

Bring Out Your Riot Gear, Wednesday's Here, Wednesday's Here

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1st day of the 68 season at west brom train got trashed on the way back by a big black lad(Hubert?) and his mates and we all got kicked off at tamworth which was a bit worrying for a 15year old who had about 10 bob in his pocket......if I remember rightly think they put us all in the last 2 carriages of the next train and had a police escort all the way back .

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