Off Topic HKR Having a fantastic day

He owns the club. I'm not writing a list!

 

Amusing to see this tale referenced on a Hull KR fans forum last night. I bet many Rovers fans - and indeed Hull FC fans - are blissfully unaware of it, unsurprisingly perhaps given the era. Many probably think that the perceived anti-Hull FC feelings seemingly expressed by a lot of City fans stem from much more recent times. Obviously a trawl through here - or perhaps even a read of my book (shameless, absolutely shameless!) - would enlighten them further!

As for some of the other points made on here, re. the crowd on Thursday, the official figure sounds about right given the Upper West was sparsely populated (last season half of it was Rovers but they were limited to 3,750 this year after the 'bottle throwing incidents' last Easter) and there were smaller gaps elsewhere in the ground. What I would say is that given the prices last night (£30 for Rovers fans in the North Stand, £32 and even £34 I believe in some of the home stands?) to attract 20k actually wasn't a bad effort. And on last night's evidence it probably won't be repeated until Rovers go back there in July.

Re. the perennial argument as to why some rugby fans fail to see the contradiction in following, say Hull FC and Leeds/Liverpool (or in the case of a couple of my Rovers mates - HKR/Spurs?!) I'll never get my head around it. Unless pehaps they followed City and Rovers regularly in the early/mid-90s - that was enough to drive anyone to look for more successful alternative ways of spending your sporting weekends

 

Good weekend of last minute winners for the inadequates

 

And yet I have never come across a City fan who also supports St Helens, Wigan or Leeds Rhinos because Rovers or FC were doing nothing compared to them at the time.
I have said before that I used to go to FC games when City were not playing as I lived in West Hull at the time but that stopped after the Brentford game. As it did with others I know.

 

Apart from Rovers were in RL cup final at Wembley on the same day as City v Massive.

 

It says first game of the season ie first game of football season compared to first game of League season- both at MKM - absolutely nothing to do with Wembley

 

What did the Brentford game have to do with it?

 

Don’t you remember what was going on in those dark days? City were in danger of relegation to Div 4 for the first time in our history. One of the remaining games was at home the same day as the FC v Rovers Final and the FA would not let City alter the date so Hull’s chairman, Waudby a decent bloke, asked FC fans to turn up to support City as Harold Needler had in the past helped FC (and Rovers) when they were struggling. About 500 of them turned up and stood in the North Stand. Far from supporting City they were having a lot off about City and all celebrated when Brentford scored. We were stood near some Brentford fans we had been talking to in the pub and they looked a bit nervous as a load of City fans piled ou of the East Stand. We said to them don’t worry they aren’t after you. The Brentford fans noticed some black and white scarves and asked if they were Newcastle and what were they doing here. We explained they were Hull FC fans and would be playing Rovers at Wembley when we had our next game. They looked puzzled and asked what that was. We told them it was the Rugby League Cup Final. They were completely unaware of what it was. And just have wondered about us when we fell about laughing when one of them asked where these Rovers were from that Hull were playing. World famous indeed!
Anyway, that is why a lot of us cite the Brentford game as the start of our antipathy towards FC.
Maybe those of is in the 3,200 at the Southend game whilst tens of thousands were going to their first, and for many last, rugby game should get extra tickets for the draw for the Turkey trip. There won’t be too many of us left.

 

Nice story but ancient history….let it go….move on…..city have moved on, but you seem rooted in the past. Why?

 

He asked why and I replied. You are too young to have been around then or your feelings might be different.

 

im 48….honestly…look forward… not backwards…

 

Some things remain with you. Same as people hate Sheff Utd for things that happened even further back. I am not the only one whose views were coloured by what happened then. Especially as some of those jeering City were ones who went to City before jumping on the FC bandwagon.

 

Back then I used to go occasionally to the Boulevard and also to Rovers so was toying with a trip to Wembley even though I would be missing City play Southend . The behaviour of the FC fans meant no trip to London and a wry smile from me when I heard Rovers had won . However it was Keith Edwards who made me happy that day as I watched us beat Southend and avoid relegation .

 

Sheffield utd. Grrrr them I do not like . Fully agree Citizen

 

Yes, great day. Remember jumping about with a gentleman of colour, quite a bit older than myself who I had never seen before at a City match and never have since, when we scored. And dancing on top of the top of the protective metal covering coming out of the players tunnel with Dave Dewberry abandon a few more.

 

Brains abandoned us years ago, optional meanings available.


The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.

 

I know. Last time I saw him he had no interest in what City were doing. Which was strange given his previous obsession.

 

My memory of the Brentford game was this... Fc were at home in a BBC televised early kick off at the Boulevard. City were at home, ko 3.00pm v Brentford, which was a relegation battle for us at the foot of the 3rd division. I thought it was Don Robinson who offered free admission to any Fc fans who wanted to come along, wearing their colours ( which was odd)? and support City as we kicked off about an hour after they finished.
About 500 turned up ( could have been a lot less too) and stood together in the North Stand with the Brentford fans. They were obviously supporting Brentford.
The May 3rd 1980? Southend fixture was the same day as the 'All Hull RL Final' at Wembley. You had to around the city at the time to realise the hype surrounding this game. Plus a lot was being made of the contrasting fortunes of City and the RL clubs because we were fighting for our very lives. In a nutshell the RL media rubbed our noses in it. City tried to get our fixture switched to the Friday night and the FL didn't want to know, so we kicked off as usual on the Saturday at 3.00pm, whilst 'all of Hull' also kicked off at the same time in a Final at Wembley.
Again much was made in the media of a deserted city and the last one out turn off the lights etc. I even remember media coverage of coach trips of blokes from places like Castleford and wakefield to Hull on the Saturday night to take advantage of 'all the lonely Hull girls' It was as tacky as that.
City gave free admisssion to under 16's, and we got a reported crowd of 3,200, which was near enough our average gate at the time.
It was a game we had to win, and we did 1-0, Keith Edwards, North stand goal.
There was a pitch invasion at the end and one lasting memory for me was seeing a group of young lads on the pitch unfolding a banner saying 'Loyal fans don't go to Wembley'
It may seem trivial now to those who were not around in those dark days but if City had of dropped out of the league then, and it was a real possibility, the RL lot, and most of them bandwagon jumpers, would not have batted an eyelid.

 

Good story and I do remember those times just not in the detail that you do! I'd been gone from Hull 10 years by then and when this game took place (1980) I'd been working in the Middle East for a year or so, no internet, no not606, no HDM, local news didn't stretch as far as Humberside

 

Don Robinson can’t have offered FC fans nothing he did not buy City until 2 years later.
I do remember Cyril Lea saying the Southend game is our Cup Final. A remark which makes me cringe as much now as it does then.
City fans surrounded a Calendar camera crew on North Stand aiming their cameras at the empty bit between East and South Stand which was always empty then as it could not be used. A lass with them said that is what they had been told to do. A volley of 4 letter words from those around them every time they switched on the cameras limited what could be recorded.