Most intimidating match day experience you've had?

[daveyboy66]

8 hours ago, Utah Owl said:

Here you go. Panorama documentary from 77 (2 years after the Hillsborough game) and some of those characters were definitely there. Pretty sure the Billy Powell guy was their leader (or at least the main protaganist) that day.

 

 

We played Millwall two days after this documentary and there was about 1,000 Wednesdayites on the Lepp waiting for them...they only brought a few and the Wednesday fans were singing " Where's Harry The Dog " non of the crew on tv were there. 

 

[fatzooma]

21 hours ago, Sham67 said:

We left the ground and walked to the tram stop at the cricket ground completely oblivious to any trouble. It was only when other Wednesdayites turned up covered in blood we knew something had kicked off.

It was bedlam, we had to fight our way back to the coach that was smashed up..

[Woodseats Owl]

14 hours ago, Utah Owl said:

The deflected 35 yard free kick with us Wednesday fans behind it on the open terrace?

 

Lashed it down all bloody day and we were as soaked as I've ever been in my life (by the end of the game, my programme - which was in my jacket pocket - was nothing more than Papier Mache and had to be binned). It was the day of the infamous "Slow Train From Portsmouth" anyone else on that?

 

I was on that train too, remember getting back in Sheffield at 2.00am, only a few carriages had heating on as well, remember seeing clothes hung up drying on the luggage racks on the way back. 

 

I'm pretty sure that was the week we played Portsmouth away on the Saturday, Darlington away in the league cup midweek, then Brighton away on the following Saturday, went to all three, in the days before no mortgage, wife, kids bills etc.

We won all three .

Happy Days

UTO's 

[Animis]

9 hours ago, BRUCE LEE said:

 

He nearly got us killed a few times at away games, this was 7 or 8 years ago

 

Loose cannon to say the least 

 

90/91 season at Hull - we were in a pub near the station before the game - he came in and took offence to us or summat, starting offering us out. We said WAWAW which didn't seem to matter to him. Always seemed to be on speed or crack.

[Nut]

1 hour ago, Animis said:

 

90/91 season at Hull - we were in a pub near the station before the game - he came in and took offence to us or summat, starting offering us out. We said WAWAW which didn't seem to matter to him. Always seemed to be on speed or crack.

Sound about reyt. Always seems like he's on summat. He can be a proper nuisance when he's that way out. 

[wakefieldowl]

16 hours ago, asteener1867 said:

Yea ..I know mate....Its all changed for the better but its hard to explain what it was like back then..I have always gone for the football and to follow to the club...During the 70's and 80's..I hardly missed a game home or away...

These days...Ive turned into a virtual homer...always had a season ticket, go the odd away game...but back then...Every Saturday was Wednesday..nowt else to do....We had some bloody awful hooligans back then..I was never there for a fight...but was I grateful some Owls were...Absolutely....

Cos anyone who thinks you could walk down a street anywhere in the bloody country..on yer own..back then..is either totally deluded..or didn't travel away...cos theres many a time ive been grateful for the sorta protection an Owls following gave....you didn't have to get involved....but you were happy some others did

Thats a great summary.

We never went for trouble, but it was everywhere. Our followings back then was spectacular and kept us young uns safe.

I genuinely believed i was part of a huge special family

It was scary as hell at times but utterly exhilerating

 

[wakefieldowl]

17 hours ago, everydays_wednesday said:

Portsmouth in the early 80s me and my missus jumped up in the stand when Gary Mason scored from the halfway line. Turns out everyone in the stand except us 2 was between 40 and 50 and from Portsmouth. They all stood up and threatened us if we didn’t sit down !!!

 

Soon sat down and kept our mouths shut!

 

Won 1-0 so worth it 

We were in that stand too. There were quite a few Owls at the away end of the stand. That megson goal was amazing

[Animis]

I just been reading the police's comments about the Wembley final events, and thought about how they operated in the 80s/90s - different days, to being charged by mounted police at Derby:

 

'Police were "held back" from confronting ticketless intruders before the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, an officer has reportedly alleged. He said fans were "roaming round in packs" and officers wanted to "chase them off properly as we could see that the stewards didn't care".

 

But he and his colleagues "weren't allowed" to take the action they thought was appropriate. Nor were there enough officers along Wembley Way, he said, with only "one line of police holding a sea of people back".

 

"It looked quite a miserable deployment," he told The Times.

[Screen Door Slams]

6 hours ago, daveyboy66 said:

We played Millwall two days after this documentary and there was about 1,000 Wednesdayites on the Lepp waiting for them...they only brought a few and the Wednesday fans were singing " Where's Harry The Dog " non of the crew on tv were there. 

 

 

Got on the football special bus from Pond St hill for that match and there was a Millwall fan sat opposite me who gave the conductor 30p for his ticket...........................his expression was priceless when he got handed 28p back in change.

[parkfieldowl14]

5 hours ago, Woodseats Owl said:

 

I was on that train too, remember getting back in Sheffield at 2.00am, only a few carriages had heating on as well, remember seeing clothes hung up drying on the luggage racks on the way back. 

 

I'm pretty sure that was the week we played Portsmouth away on the Saturday, Darlington away in the league cup midweek, then Brighton away on the following Saturday, went to all three, in the days before no mortgage, wife, kids bills etc.

We won all three .

Happy Days

UTO's 

What stands out for me being on that slow train back to Sheffield is that we played 3 card Bragg with Cards that were absolutely Soggy.

[Groundhopping Owl]

Obviously I’m too young to remember the really dark days.

 

Was on the tram that got trashed by Leeds fans when some idiot had the bright idea of having them play us on a Friday night. Police tried to come on and drag some of their fans off, I dived underneath the brawl and ended up walking to the ground. Thank God Reach scored that worldy, only thing that made the evening worth it.

 

Was also at the game at Burnley when some of our disabled fans got attacked in a pub after the game, there was a horrible atmosphere coming out of the ground.

[Groundhopping Owl]

I landed up stood next to Ricky on a tram back into town after some home game or other a few years ago. Kept throwing his arm around me and shouting WAWAW. The smell was indescribable.

[Utah Owl]

8 hours ago, Woodseats Owl said:

 

I was on that train too, remember getting back in Sheffield at 2.00am, only a few carriages had heating on as well, remember seeing clothes hung up drying on the luggage racks on the way back. 

 

I'm pretty sure that was the week we played Portsmouth away on the Saturday, Darlington away in the league cup midweek, then Brighton away on the following Saturday, went to all three, in the days before no mortgage, wife, kids bills etc.

We won all three .

Happy Days

UTO's 

It was that week and like many I was at all three. No chances taken on the Brighton trip, I had a change of clothing in my bag on the coach.

 

Of course it ended up being Scorching!

 

Also, didn't Lawrie Madden make his debut at Brighton?

Edited July 22, 2021 by Utah Owl

[Screen Door Slams]

West ham away under Wilko think it finished 0-0 but i cant be sure as the carnage pre match was that bad we never got inside the ground.........and they still weren`t finished as our mini bus was attacked as we ploughed through the after match traffic.

 

Outside Oakwell before the first game of the Big jack promotion season wasn`t for the faint hearted to say the least................ditto a game at Bolton that we lost under big Jack a year or so later , the Wednesday fans seemed hell bent on trouble ..............i think it was the last away game of the season ?  and we still had faint hopes of going up?

 

 

[Sham67]

1 hour ago, Screen Door Slams said:

West ham away under Wilko think it finished 0-0 but i cant be sure as the carnage pre match was that bad we never got inside the ground.........and they still weren`t finished as our mini bus was attacked as we ploughed through the after match traffic.

 

Outside Oakwell before the first game of the Big jack promotion season wasn`t for the faint hearted to say the least................ditto a game at Bolton that we lost under big Jack a year or so later , the Wednesday fans seemed hell bent on trouble ..............i think it was the last away game of the season ?  and we still had faint hopes of going up?

 

 

Faint hope? If we had that game we would have gone up.

[alleycat]

That Portsmouth away game that’s been mentioned a few times. After the game the police kept us in while (I think) they cleared the home fans away. My memory might be playing tricks but I’m sure the police took us round to the home end (which was covered). Anyone remember that? The train was so late back because a train in front had broken down so we had to wait for it to be moved.

 

The “dambusters” game. We went in a minibus and parked near Old Trafford cricket ground. Me and me mate were one of the first out of the gate after the game and didn’t see a bit of trouble. Wasn’t till we got back home that we heard about what had gone off. Didn’t only so many Wednesday fans get out of the ground and then the coppers shut that big wooden gate leaving the ones who were outside exposed to a kicking?

 

Was at quite a lot of the games that have been mentioned on this thread. Chelsea away in the 80’s was always interesting. Coaches dropping off then having to run the gauntlet over that crossroads and then walk round the back of their stand to get to the away terrace.

 

Early to mid 90’s used to go on Croftys coach which was always a good laugh and some interesting nights out on the way back. We seemed to always end up in Bedford when we’d played down south. Those halcyon days when we were at Wembley every other week we used to park up in Stanmore, have a few beers then get on the tube to Neesden, drink there then back on the tube to Wembley. One of the games against Arsenal, Ricky was in our carriage and it kicked off with the Arsenal fans. Think we were all still at it going up Wembley way.

 

Funnily enough it’s the places you wouldn’t expect where I’ve seen some of the worst. Port Vale, Preston, Swansea (outside The Vetch) to name a few. Seem to think there was always trouble at Villa as well.

[vulva]

Went to Cold Blow Lane just the once and it was a walk in the park. However, they beat us 2-0 to go top of the old 1st Division so our following of around 300 probably didn’t interest them. IIRC, Sherringham scored. 

[Mike Hunt]

Oldham away in the Jack Charlton promotion season was a bit Tasty .

apart from the usual hotspots back in the day you could get in a scrap nearly anywhere, it was a given.

different times 

 

[Justbeanz]

Once got a reyt kicking at Bury. Anywhere was game.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Justbeanz

[Spion Kop]

2 hours ago, alleycat said:

That Portsmouth away game that’s been mentioned a few times. After the game the police kept us in while (I think) they cleared the home fans away. My memory might be playing tricks but I’m sure the police took us round to the home end (which was covered). Anyone remember that? The train was so late back because a train in front had broken down so we had to wait for it to be moved.

 

The “dambusters” game. We went in a minibus and parked near Old Trafford cricket ground. Me and me mate were one of the first out of the gate after the game and didn’t see a bit of trouble. Wasn’t till we got back home that we heard about what had gone off. Didn’t only so many Wednesday fans get out of the ground and then the coppers shut that big wooden gate leaving the ones who were outside exposed to a kicking?

 

Was at quite a lot of the games that have been mentioned on this thread. Chelsea away in the 80’s was always interesting. Coaches dropping off then having to run the gauntlet over that crossroads and then walk round the back of their stand to get to the away terrace.

 

Early to mid 90’s used to go on Croftys coach which was always a good laugh and some interesting nights out on the way back. We seemed to always end up in Bedford when we’d played down south. Those halcyon days when we were at Wembley every other week we used to park up in Stanmore, have a few beers then get on the tube to Neesden, drink there then back on the tube to Wembley. One of the games against Arsenal, Ricky was in our carriage and it kicked off with the Arsenal fans. Think we were all still at it going up Wembley way.

 

Funnily enough it’s the places you wouldn’t expect where I’ve seen some of the worst. Port Vale, Preston, Swansea (outside The Vetch) to name a few. Seem to think there was always trouble at Villa as well.

Preston, winter night matches and fighting in the park opposite the ground. Pitch black and your mate shouts " we're all  Wednesday",thinking we are about to be fighting each other, oops, there all Preston fans and we are surrounded.