The old open end

My grandad used to tell me when you all switched ends at half time as well so you was always behind their goal. Is he lying to me Wiz Ciderabroad?

 

the pic says '1950s Bristol City v Birmingham - "Come On You Reds" large crowds at Ashton Gate'

 

1950s Bristol City v Brighton great pic!

please log in to view this image

 

can well remember for whatever reason swapping ends at ht, oh the days of the passout ticket

 

No! Covered End one half, Open End the other. Or boys enclosure where Dolman block F is now, in front of the old Cowshed.

 

Are you in the stripey jumper ROD??

 

Nope, I was about to say who that was but it would left you none the wiser
I'm the other side of the one in the white.

 

gay lord 1988

 

I was there and all the other wembley and millstad finals.

 

We played Birmingham City away in the FA Cup in 1950-51 season so it is probably that game. I saw the win v Brighton in the previous round. It was probably my second or third game at Ashton Gate after the first in April 1950.
That could be the game in the photo of v Brighton in the 50's above. We stood in the East End on the railings just by the current pillar number 4.

 

That's a picture of me not you??

 

I was in the Open End for the 2 cup games against Leeds and Liverpool in 1974 and we were packed in like sardines for both !!
Looking back it's easy to see how disasters like Ibrox and Hillsborough happened with crowd surges/crushes.

 

ROD you look young there

 

Trust me...he ain't looking so young now!
I would only go in the open end at the start or end of the season......when the weather was warm and dry lol.
ROD...did you ever go on the supporters coach from Chepstow back in the old Div 1 days or were you not living in Chepstow then? Myself and my older brother used to for a while..........

 

They were pretty intense surges, especially when the women got on people's shoulders and showed the crowd their tits

I was Probably a few years older than you are now

 

Only stood on the Open End once.

We played Southampton and remember Jimmy Melia pass the ball back from the half way line to his keeper.

Commonplace these days but back then it was unique.

 

Aged 12, went to the League cup semi final v Spurs in 1971. Crowd was 30,002- Proud to say, I was one of them as that sort attendance will not be broken at least until we have a ground capable of that sort of capacity. I was right at the front against the railings. Looking back, its a wonder I wasn't crushed or impaled on the spikes. Didn't bat an eyelid at the time. I just remember seeing how immense Pat Jennings was that night and the euphoria when we took a 1-0 lead.- Always took an interest in Pat Jennings after that. In my opinion, probably the best keeper there has been.

 

Yeah it went from the Forest through Chepstow straight to AG. 50p if I remember correctly. We still have foresters over there but only our age because of that service. They should do it again cheap enough service people will use it and get another generation coming through instead of losing them to Cardiff and the Port

 

Especially when you look at those spikes on top of the railings.
If that were now they would to employ someone just to remove the bodies from the railings after the match.

Still, at least that would keep someone in a job - and maybe its an answer to the growing unemployment problem - Bring back railings