When I was just a little boy (or girl)

[marinersawan 1]

I lurk from time to time on TWTD for vicarious pleasure - those who like me supported City in the seventies and early eighties might understand, although one could almost wish that the poor long-suffering victims over there be put out of their misery. But occasionally an interesting topic arises. Milk crates at the match has come up over there. I never stood on one - I was fairly tall for my age (9 onwards) when I was first taken to the mostly relatively sparsely populated terraces of the mid to late seventies. (Though I think I was at the game with the last 30000 crowd at Carrow Road). Anyone out there who took them to Carrow Road? - presumably some who were younger than me, or for bigger games? Anyone ever passed over the crowd to the front, as I have heard happened at other clubs. Anyone spilled out of the stand and ended up squatting on the touchline in a big crowd, as I have seen in some photos?

[FenwayFrank 2,459]

Never took one, but people would let me go to the front so I could see properly 

[Hairy Canary 699]

Used to take a little wooden box with me to stand on for a couple of years. About six inches high at most. Always tried to stand in front of a crash barrier so I didn't get knocked off when the crowd moved. Completely forgotten that until I saw your post 🙂

 

[cornish sam 953]

I did both, but not at Carrow road, it was brunton park for me, like hairy always tried to position myself with a barrier behind so didn't get jostled off it... Also used to sit on the boards with legs dangling over, great days (apart from the quality of football, Carlisle in the mid-late 80s were hardly Ajax)...

Edited May 20, 2020 by cornish sam

[Rich T The Biscuit 562]

I remember seeing them but like FF I invariably found myself at the front.

If I wasnt at the front I'd be in someone's shoulders and not always my dads, he told me once that I ended up being passed around like a ball is when it ends up in the stand and no one wants to return it.

When I was old enough I progressed to being in the Barclay cages with one of my favourite memories being the Bruce header vs Ipswich in the semi of milk cup, by that stage I was late teens and around 6ft.

It was quite common in those days to send the little ones to the front.

[Thirsty Lizard 3,162]

Didn't take anything to stand on, but as a young'un just used to get there very early to make sure I was at the front. Wasn't uncommon to get into the ground at 1.30pm for a 3pm kick off. 

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

I started going in 73 aged 11, was allowed by my Dad to travel on Neaves of  Catield bus because he knew a few old boys on the Bus that'd ' keep an eye on YoungPeter'.....is that just a Norfolk thing ....not calling a boy by his own name but  Young+fathers name? 

Anyway , I never took a box but often found myself standing on the anti surge barrier with a random adult holding the back of my jacket.  Also used to ocassionaly go to river end where if I remember rightly there were trees? We could climb for a better view(-could be mistaken here), but I defo remember climbing part way up the floodlight pylons ....and being left alone there, no bother by stewards , cops etc.  Can an unnaccompanied child still get in? 

At the Man u wreck the Barclay stand game I was 15 and it was pretty hairy in the Barclay that day, we (kids) were helped out of the crush and allowed to run accross the pitch to the river end.......great win for City but a scary day all things considered. Funny how so many of the 'Red Army ' knew their way round the City and got home on a train bound for Yarmouth? Is there a direct connection from Yarmouth to Manchester?😉

Edited May 20, 2020 by wcorkcanary

[Uncle Fred 526]

1 hour ago, FenwayFrank said:

Never took one, but people would let me go to the front so I could see properly 

See people in these modern times can still be kind 😉

[sgncfc 1,227]

1 hour ago, wcorkcanary said:

I started going in 73 aged 11, was allowed by my Dad to travel on Neaves of  Catield bus because he knew a few old boys on the Bus that'd ' keep an eye on YoungPeter'.....is that just a Norfolk thing ....not calling a boy by his own name but  Young+fathers name? 

Anyway , I never took a box but often found myself standing on the anti surge barrier with a random adult holding the back of my jacket.  Also used to ocassionaly go to river end where if I remember rightly there were trees? We could climb for a better view(-could be mistaken here), but I defo remember climbing part way up the floodlight pylons ....and being left alone there, no bother by stewards , cops etc.  Can an unnaccompanied child still get in? 

At the Man u wreck the Barclay stand game I was 15 and it was pretty hairy in the Barclay that day, we (kids) were helped out of the crush and allowed to run accross the pitch to the river end.......great win for City but a scary day all things considered. Funny how so many of the 'Red Army ' knew their way round the City and got home on a train bound for Yarmouth? Is there a direct connection from Yarmouth to Manchester?😉

I remember that game. I was in the River End and couldn't believe what I was seeing. It could get pretty bad on occasion but that game was out of the ordinary in terms of threat and intimidation. My Dad described the scenes outside the ground at the end as "like being back at war". All because the BBC were filming for a Nationwide feature on football hooliganism and some Yarmouth Reds wanted their five minutes of fame.....

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,023]

I know Norfolk Police were worried there would be trouble at the game, because of the presence of the Nationwide cameras. For reasons lost in the mists of time my Dad, brother and I travelled on the coach with the Norfolk Police football team to watch them play a team from Kent police (I think) in the latter stages of the police version of the FA Cup, the game was at a Met Police venue, from memory I think it was one of the sites where their mounted unit was billeted because I seem to remember there being stables there. A senior Norfolk police officer on the coach was saying that he thought there was going to be trouble.