I first started going in the mid-90's (I was about 5 at the time), and have been hooked ever since Started going in Kempton towards the end, best bit was I could go down the front just so I could see and that my old man could keep an eye on me too, great days and do miss the atmosphere. Although walking down towards the KC is a good feeling and seeing how far we've come, it still doesn't compare to the buzz of BP, and never will
Once this thread drops off the front page, I'll merge it with the History thread. The Hull City Supporters' Trust is looking at putting together an online museum, it would be good if we could some incorporate some of these memories in a section on there, I'll suggest it if people are happy to have their contributions included?
I started going towards the end of the 97/98 season with my Grandad so am a bit younger than most of the memories on here, but I'll always remember the first game that I stood in the South Stand and someone pissed down the back of my legs!
Not sure about that. From the first Darlington match played to the 5th plus league commitments, 7 matches were played in 19 days.
Reading through some of the stories on this thread seems to be opening up the floodgates on Memory Lane. Many of us veterans of Boothferry Park still remember our wonderful cup run in 1965-66. Uppermost in most minds are the two games against Chelsea. For my money, the best game in our cup success that year was the fourth round tie against Nottingham Forest. It remains one of the finest City matches I have ever seen. Pre-match news was bad as Chris Simpkin was injured and Cliff Britton had to do a reshuffle. Terry Heath was brought in at No 10 and Ken Houghton was dropped back to midfield. The rest, as they say, was served up by the gods. Forest were a good First Division team at that time but City tore them apart that day. Houghton, in his new role, sprayed 20 and 30 and 40 yard passes at will, usually along the ground - as if the old Boothferry Park grass was a snooker table and Houghton was a building a rapid fire maximum break. Stand-in Heath score twice and Forest were humbled. Two rounds later came Chelsea and the rest is history.
My memories of Fer Ark are slightly vague, considering I started going on a regular basis in '99, but the moment that sticks in my mind most is a 4-1 win over Mansfield Town in 2001/02.
I really miss the old place, the KC is sterile in comparison, it was the smell that I miss, I don't know what it was but is had a special aroma which I sorely miss.
One of my fondest memories was the time I was a Ball Boy (we used to move quicker then the current ones too !) with my Senior High school. A drab 0-0 draw but in it amongst my hero's so to speak.
Stood against the red barrier in Kempton as a young lad, 'offering out' the away supporters thinking I was ace, crowd surges, 1 man went to mow....., the legend that is Don Robbo on his horse, drinking tiger cola, going home and listening to 'The Tigers are back' on my midi hi-fi, Emelyn Hughes doing a lap of honour when we signed him (if I remember that right), pitch invasion to say farewell to Brian Marwood, I could go on. Great days, my kids will never understand that cos of the soulless atmosphere at the KC.
I was 15 when we left Boothferry Park. My first game was a 5-1 win against Exeter in April 1994 and my next game was a 0-0 draw against Blackpool. I couldn't work out why we didn't win every game From then I use to go to about 10-15 games a season. After years of badgering my parents to go on my own at the start of the 2001/02 season with my best mate, who I still go with now. I was lucky enough to be given a free pass at school for the half season at the KC and the next full season. My first official season pass was for our first season back in the Championship and had one ever since.
I don't know how you all remember the details, I struggle to remember last week. Some key points stuck though, when Man U dropped into division 2 they came with thousands of supporters. Walking to the ground down Anlaby Road them on one side and us on the other. Same when West Ham came, that could have been a cup game. Liverpool came in the League cup the game might of played midweek but during the afternoon because of the power cuts. When Sunderland came and took all the North and East stands. Those were the big ones but also had a laugh when there were only a few thousand. I have no idea which was my first game but would have been early 70's.
Around 1965 I played on Saturdays and hated missing Hull City games. One Saturday afternoon our own game was called of around 2.30, me and a lad out of our team drove like lunatics and arrived just before kick off to see us play Oxford United. The game was woeful and just before the end my mate said "If we win this I'll ****ing carry you back to the car" soon as he said it we scored & won. I jumped on his back & said "right,let's get going"
Wasn't it fantastic? It kept the FA Cup fantasy going rather than "getting back to the serious business of the league". I don't know about you but when I was younger the fans felt the FA Cup was much more important than the league. I know the situation is a lot different with the money involved but then it was about romance.
I hate the buying tickets in advance and only having 3,000 away fans. In the 60s and 70s you'd have 5,000 10,000 15,000 or even 20,000 away fans at matches. City would take 10,000 to Huddersfield and Sunderland would bring at least 10,000. I remember the police all disappeared against Sunderland and the next match when there was no away fans the City fans and the police fought each other - the police liked to throw their weight around if they could - and I was asking the police where they were against Sunderland. People would go early to make sure they got in the ground. There was a real atmosphere and anticipation.
My main memories :- 1) The Millwall game in Div 3 with over 40,000 in. Sat on the edge of the pitch just by the post where the OG that won the match 1-0 went past Alex Stepney 2) The Stoke FA Cup game that we lost 3-2 after Waggy had put us 2-0 up. The throw in that led to their winner was right in front of us. It was ours not theirs. In the years since I have had the chance to mention this to both Gordon Banks and Jimmy Greenhoff (who was in the dug-out that day injured). They both admitted it was our throw. I`m not bitter mind. 3) Evening pre-season friendlies against European teams. he HDM always referred to the opposition as 'crack'. 4) John Hawley`s goal against Sunlan. Right behind it as it went in. 5) can`t remember the game, but it was just after one of the 'crises'. Not many standing behind the goal at the South stand. 'Liquid' Les Mutrie scored a glancing header right in front of us, Dennis Booth had a direct free kick go straight in from about 40 yards. Glory days
I said Boothferry park made me the passionate fan I am today but looking back there was a lot of miserable times, yes we had some good games and because we had never been in Division one (premier league) then it was always a dream but you never thought it would ever happen. Often when you leave some where/one you tend to remember the good times but never winning much, sometimes having the next person stood next to you been 3 yards away, not been able to talk to class mates about City because no one else was interested. But yes I feel privileged to have those memories because it really makes me appreciate what we have today. The only thing I cannot understand with the KC is that for a few games Cardiff, Liverpool, Leeds and a few others there has been a fantastic atmosphere yet most games its to quiet
Many many happy memories. From standing and sitting in the north end, the well and then the south-bunkers hill stand. From corporate match days from the Needler days to the end under Adam Pearson. Great games....Chelsea - Stoke - Liverpool in the FAC stand out. But the final game against Darlington and the final whistle. No more first team football on that lovely pitch. Took a sqr foot of turf home with me and it is still growing very nicely. Ring fenced in my garden witha Boothferry Park sign above it. Oh yes, wonderful memories of a once great ground.
Pie, Bovril, awesome pitch, wooden seats that banged nicely, cold, wet, losing........loved it Edit- sweets thrown at you by needlers
