Away Days in the 80's

[FuthaMucker]

This isn't my story as I wasn't born. But I'll tell it anyway.

I'm nearly sure it was in the 80s. My uncle and his mates used to go to matches in a van. One New Year we played Everton away and it had snowed, badly. Anyway, they got to the match no problem and to my knowledge not a great deal happened. Can't remember if he told me the result or anything like that. But on the way back they got stuck on the Pennines, no way of getting home, fkin freezing. They did however make it to a pub who allowed them to sleep downstairs for nowt and I think they got fed and watered for free as well.

Same as I say, not my story so apologies for the bad telling of it. Maybe anyone can shed some light on the score and year. Maybe someone on here is one of his mates.

[parkfieldowl14]

1984/85 season away at Arsenal lost 1-0 to a last minute Paul Mariner goal,But the day is remembered that the Inter City Owl chartered a Inter City 125 High Speed Train to take us to Highbury.

[Guest Banno's Wedge]

Can remember I had a mate up at Stannington around 82 and he also had a mate with a converted ambulance that he used to take us to matches in. Rumour had it he used to syphon petrol the night before and then charge us petrol money for taking us (obviously only a rumour!)

 

We once went to Shrewsbury (or it could have been Cambridge!) and when we came out of the match and got in the van it  was immediately surrounded by coppers and dogs. The back door swung open and we were met with the words  "We believe there are hard drugs being stored in this vehicle"

 

Long story short we all had to get out and the sniffer dogs were sent in but found nothing. I'm sure they had picked up the smells with it being an old ambulance

 

To add injury to insult when we were allowed to leave we found out we had a flat tyre, wonder who'd let that down then!!

[vontemp]

I wasn't born until the 80's but I still enjoyed reading the above

Same here.

[bradowl]

1984/85 season away at Arsenal lost 1-0 to a last minute Paul Mariner goal,But the day is remembered that the Inter City Owl chartered a Inter City 125 High Speed Train to take us to Highbury.

 

I was on that train, what a day for travelling in style....

 

X78 bus to Sheff which was 278 in those days and then jump on a Inter City 125.

 

Pity match was crap. 

 

Oldham riot was most memorable away day until we reached Division One then it was those 2 away wins at Anfield and Old Trafford that were special moments being a young Wednesday supporter back then.

[Prendo's boots]

Best comedy moment was after getting into Mansfield town centre for the 1-1 Andy Mac 'chest' goal game...went on a public service bus and were 'spotted'pretty quickly..we got chased for a good half mile thro the market and town..a big lad in front of me was just screaming like a banshee and tipping over fruit barrows and grabbing veg and just lobbing it as he went as we all jumped n dodged our way out of it..I was pretty quick in those days so could take it all in and my Dunlop 'green flash' made me go even quicker!!  ...the service bus to Barnsley was a bad idea one year..we got everything lobbed at us(mainly bloody glass) even tho we were surrounded by the police chaps for our obvious safety!!

[brian joicey]

Away days in the 80s were epic

I think I went to all the matches listed above

Now I'm just a part timer who rants on in pubs about how big Wednesday used to be

ditto!  went to all of those mentioned some great days ..... old trafford away (new years day?hodge saved strachans pen),car broke down on way home on snake pass and it was snowing !!! eeeee them were t'days   

[Mav-erick]

Swansea away after we'd been banned for three away matches after the Oldham riot (Simon Stainrod's fault but was never held accountable).

We got tickets behind the goal in the top tier and didn't show our colours and made a decision not to celebrate should Wednesday score for the fear of being escorted out. We scored and virtually the whole stand erupted and we all looked round to see the stand full of Wednesdayites , everyone laughing their boobies off!

[vulva]

Anyone remember the vine at Derby back in 89?

I think the picture on the front of the OCS book is from that incident.

I'd be interested if anyone on here was on the early train to Derby, possibly mid 90's. (All the Derby away games merge into one for me)Must have been a good 250 of us that rocked up in Derby at around 10am. We got met at the station by the Chief Super, who stood on an orange box, on the overhead gangway from platform, to station. Anyway, I think the 'turn out' was in memory of someone who had died, and we had some serious faces out. Copper gave us 2 choices. Behave, and stay in the pub they put us in, or f**k of back to Sheffield. His rationale was that they'd had intelligence of serious disorder planned.

Game passed without incident.

Gets back to Sheffield, to be met by the third reich. We got put in the pub next to the crucible. Next thing, pub went quite, and one 'face' announced we were all heading to Dickens Bar, 5 minutes.

The rest is obvious. United had stayed out after their game, and the nights events were all over the papers on the Monday morning.

[Utah Owl]

We weren't mediocre against Everton.

They were the best team in the country.

Agreed, in fact fr the first half we were easily the best side and the game could have been over by half time. Typical Wednesday paid heavily for missed chances.

[lanzaroteowl]

Stories like that make me so glad I started the thread

Any more?

 

On the Wino for one of our trips darn Sarf we decided we need to stop for a P as it would be over an hour before we would get to the boozer and already most of the coach was half cut.

Plod had told all the coaches to stop at Leicester forest, so we stopped at Trowel. Plod aren't always stupid in their planning and as we walked in to services four coach loads of Leeds pulled in and not a Granny amonst 'em.

After several scuffles and intimidation we decided that retreat would be the better part of valour, so we made a fighting retreat through the coach park back to the Bus.

The coach was surrounded by 200 of the Dirty Leeds scum giving it the Big un and laughing at us with big F.O.grins on their kites. The grins soon died on their faces.

For as we had been making our retreat some of the younger lads led by R had been on their coaches and ransacked them.

As we pulled off they held up all their loot, leeds banners,coats, snap, the lot.

The faces of the scum as they chased the coach back on to the M1 with us eating their snap, drinking their ale and wiping our @rses on their flags was a picture to behold.

[Guest Deleted member]

Im beginning to feel like I missed out

[shandypants]

I used to like the fighting back in the 80s. Oh to be a hooligan once more...

[Utah Owl]

Was never one for the hooligan thing but had a run in at Port Vale in one of the early games in the 76/77 season. We'd (me and my friend John Pashley who was a real hard case) gone on the service bus to Hanley.

 

Lost the game 2-0 and after the match had an hour or so to kill before the bus left so we went to a chippy in the vicinity of the bus station and as we were walking back got followed by a group of 8-10 Vale fans some 30 yards or so behind us. Knew we were in trouble so decided to bluff them. As we turned a corner 100 yards or so from the bus station we knew they couldn't see what was happening so we made out there was a big mob of Wednesday round the corner, gestured to them and shouted "Vale fans gerrem" at which point the two of us charged the Vale fans. Luckily it worked, they turned tail and ran whilst we did exactly the same in the opposite direction!

 

Cost me my fish and chips though, they got dropped in all the excitement!

 

John later joined the Para's and was killed in the Falklands at the age of 22. RIP mate.

Edited April 10, 2015 by Utah Owl

[NYCOWL]

The hoolies have never bothered me. Scrapping is not my thing, and over the years I've observed that most of them only want to fight with other likeminded souls.

I once had a very entertaining journey back to London on the train with a bunch of Leicesters chaps after our last premier league game.

Despite being a lone Wednesdayite they were very friendly with me and liberal with their refreshments.

Not too bright though. When I asked them how they'd got on with the scrapping, one of them responded "nothing doing pal, we got lost and couldn't find Hillsborogh. It's dead hilly, Sheffield, isn't it..."

[NYCOWL]

Now Man Utd on the other hand...

[Utah Owl]

Going for games 'darn sarf' and being taunted with chants of:

 

"What's it like to have no job"

 

and responding with:

 

"Giro, Giro

 to work we will not go

 it's up at one

 and then sign on

 Giro, Giro, Giro, Giro!

[asteener1867]

Preston away..dunno if it was the late 70's early 80's...2 of us were getting chased through that park opposite Deepdale...We had been the first coach in parked next to the ground and it all kicked off as soon as we got off...Ran over a little hill....biggest mob of Owls ive ever seen...The Preston lads stopped dead...queue a massive about turn with me and me mate in the lead for 2 minutes...ended up in the biggest football game ever...about 500 a side in the park...We were all a bit miffed when we had to go to the game

[Mountain Owl]

Brilliant thread. Every game away in those days was an adventure, you just never knew what to expect. Having a laugh was the ultimate goal And more often than not we had one even when the boot was on the other foot. I know Dave Jenks has already been mentioned for being stanleyed by the innocent scousers. I was there that night and Stanley Park after the game was full of knife wielding scousers. Dave had a sister called Lorraine who unfortunately died in s car crash early 70,s. Anyway Lorraine was a proper tom boy, hard as nails that lass and wednesday through and through. She once hsd Leeds fans on the run on the kop by leading the charge and wading in to them fists and boots flying everywhere. She went to every away game and got a sentence for doing over a female QPR fan at Loftus Road, most of time she used to just fight blokes. A proper legend was Lorraine its a pity she died so young, I think she was only 19 At the time.

[Shifty Powers]

On the Wino for one of our trips darn Sarf we decided we need to stop for a P as it would be over an hour before we would get to the boozer and already most of the coach was half cut.

Plod had told all the coaches to stop at Leicester forest, so we stopped at Trowel. Plod aren't always stupid in their planning and as we walked in to services four coach loads of Leeds pulled in and not a Granny amonst 'em.

After several scuffles and intimidation we decided that retreat would be the better part of valour, so we made a fighting retreat through the coach park back to the Bus.

The coach was surrounded by 200 of the Dirty Leeds scum giving it the Big un and laughing at us with big F.O.grins on their kites. The grins soon died on their faces.

For as we had been making our retreat some of the younger lads led by R had been on their coaches and ransacked them.

As we pulled off they held up all their loot, leeds banners,coats, snap, the lot.

The faces of the scum as they chased the coach back on to the M1 with us eating their snap, drinking their ale and wiping our @rses on their flags was a picture to behold.

That proper made me laugh.

Some great reads in this thread.