I found myself on a transit van with Orchard Lads questioning me if l was from Boothferry. Truly a mad weekend with all the shenanigans.
I've mentioned this on here before but a bloke who goes in my pub was in that stand. Not a youngster at the time, he is in his sixties now. Saved by the quick thinking and bravery of a copper. He got separated from his mate thought his mate had perished but a copper dragged him out as well. Horrifically burnt. He was saved by a foreign doctor who used a pioneering technique which meant he didn't spend the rest of his life as a cripple. I remember the bloke getting time off work to go to Bradford as that doctor who helped his mate and many others was being honoured at the ground. He said he had never he had never such thunderous, sustained applause as the doctor was greeted with when he stepped on the pitch. He used to be a bit of a lad but won't have the police criticised after what they did that day.
A few of us that day found ourselves in the Bradford End (to the left on this clip). Like the main stand it was Edwardian, wrought iron and tiles like King Billy's bogs in town. Made Boulevard (built 1892) look quite modern. But the fire was more down to sweeping all the rubbish under the wooden stand rather than its age. Connoisseurs will enjoy the Les Mutrie flick on for Gareth Roberts to score..
Not foreign, I don’t think, but I once went to a talk from Professor Sharpe who was the duty plastic surgeon who led the burns surgery after Valley Parade. Amazingly he’d just given a talk on the techniques used in Bradford when Piper Alpha happened so he offered to help and was flown up there and ended up doing surgery for that too Incredible man, and considering he’d been involved with two of the worse burns disasters in the UK he was unbelievably humble too ‘just doing my job’ attitude.
Valley Parade is older than the Boulevard. Valley Parade has the longest established home record crowd, set in 1911. The stand behind one goal was the narrowest stand in the football league. The only stadium which has been home to teams that have won the rugby league and the FA Cup. The first floodlit game there was against Hull City. As was the first game under the new lights when the original lights were replaced.
One of those horrendous tragedies where everyone can remember exactly what they were doing at the time they first heard the news about it. RIP.
When I saw on TV that stand on fire, that is the worst images I have ever witnessed. Horrible, RIP all those who perished.
A moving tribute to the 56 occurred prior to the Bradford v Leeds rugby league Challenge Cup match held at the Odsal ground yesterday. Against all odds it was a fitting result that Bradford won.
I am well aware of the age of both the Boulevard and VP. The first time I went to Boulevard I thought I'd gone back in time with the 'Stardrops 1/6d' washing up liquid ad on the fascia of the main stand, and the state of the Frepney stand. Main stand at Boulevard was built post war as I'm sure you'll know, whereas Frepnies was original late 19th century. Manningham Rugby Club played at VP from 1886. The main stand burnt in fire was built in 1908, as were the other stands. You're welcome.
Archibald Leitch designed the stands. Hecwasn't involved at the Boulevard, hard as that may be to grasp it being world famous and all that. You're welcome.
Leitch designed the Midland Road stand.(the one opp. the main stand) which was very tricky as there was steep decline at the rear of it, as well as a slope from one to the other. He didn't design the main stand but was involved in extending it. He was involved with the kop end, with the terraces, recessed stairways and crash barrier etc - a simple task of enlarging a terrace and putting in some proper steps and barriers, as well as extending it. The only stand I haven't been in there was the one that got burnt down.
Went in there when we played a preseason friendly in 1970. How much we had to drink can be judged by at about 1am I woke up in the back of a van somwhere near York, to hear a copper saying "Bloody hell there is another one in here". Saw blue lights flashing everywhere. I had slept though us hitting a container lorry and ending a ditch, everyone getting out and loads of coppers and a tow truck arriving. Amazingly, as it was obvious the container lorry, fortunately the container on the back was empty, had swung wide on a bend and was at fault, they never breathalysed the lad driving. Though his problems started at work on the Monday as it was a new works van he had picked up on the Friday and he hadn't bothered asking permission to use it. Or, more importantly if he was insured for non works use, which he wasn't.
