I was there (stolen from the mag- not my words but could of been) Millwall (away) August 1978 Relegated in a truly abysmal fashion the season before, Newcastle were back in Division two for the first time since the early sixties. The only thing in a worse state than our football club was the actual country itself. Those who were around at the time will remember that football grounds were not a place for the faint hearted to spend time in. Newcastle’s first game in the lower division was at Cold Blow Lane. This was the home of Harry the Dog (try looking him up on youtube) and the most infamous firm in England. The train from Newcastle arrived in Kings Cross and a very loud, very drunk and very scary bunch of lads got off. For anyone on that train who wasn’t going to the match, it must have been the journey from hell. After a few beers at the station, we all set off for Bermondsey and an hour or so later arrived outside a ground that made the open terraces of St James Park look like the Nou Camp. It really was a hideous dump – but what a very intimidating dump it was. We were given half of one end and were separated from our hosts by fencing that I think had spikes on the top. Newcastle’s players wouldn’t fetch the ball from in front of the home fans and we had the pleasure of spending 90 minutes having various pieces of concrete hurled at our heads. You would also think that our new striking partnership of John Connolly and Jim Pearson were wearing concrete boots for all the threat they had on the Millwall goal. Newcastle were dire and despite actually going ahead, it was no surprise to lose in London yet again. The team that day was made up of 11 men from the British Isles. Not one Johnny foreigner in sight. It made no difference, we were still crap. Plod decided to keep us in for an age, which only seemed to be done to allow the home fans plenty of time to set up their ambushes. Even as a pretty fit teenager, being chased by hairy arsed dockers while wearing my best brown baggies and my platform soles wasn’t a lot of fun. Once out of Millwall’s patch, we then had the added pleasure of being attacked by West Ham fans, who were also at home that day. What a bloody nightmare. If you ever saw a film that came out around this time called ‘The Warriors’, it would neatly sum up the journey back to the station, although if I’m honest I don’t remember actually being chased by a gang dressed in a New York Yankees baseball kit, We finally got back to Kings Cross to find the train was long gone, meaning many a lad spent the next few hours +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ one other thing I do remember from this game was that I found a Fiver as I walked through the turnstiles little did I know this time next year I would be a millionaire
we did trust me we did remember also standing at Kings Cross station where i was confronted by 3 West Ham fans asking me if I was wanting a 'ruck' I wasn't sure if I was hearing correct but was later told they were wanting to fight me i thought it was something else they actually didn't want to fight but said that they had heard that we gave Millwall a good going over
I was there in 1965 when Jim Iley scored the winner against Bolton Wanderers to clinch promotion to the first division.
It was the corporate bit so there was zero risk of a slap from locals of Royston Vasey. please log in to view this image
Or go in by yourself, stay quiet and look local, which was my tactic back in the day. As I lived just outside London in the late 1970’s going to Uni I developed what I thought was a pretty good Cockney accent. It seemed to work as I never got spotted outside the ground before a match.
Remember going to see us play Chelsea and getting in the away end and after the match sticking with the Toon fans as I had to go to Kings Cross anyway to get home. The tube train was a special packed with Newcastle fans and with the Railway Police on. Was chatting to the RPO by the door where ”worst” fans he had come across where from Bristol, can’t remember if it was City or Rovers, and that he had been on a “special” with them about 3 weeks previous. He told me about how they had pulled up at Earl’s Court and Chelsea had been waiting mob handed and that the tube train had stopped, opened its doors and all he’ll had broken loose. We were just then coming up to Earl’s Court and he said not to worry as they’d learned from the last time and that the train would just go straight through without stopping. Hey presto we came in to Earl’s Court and again Chelsea were there mob handed. The train slowed, then stopped and then opened its doors. The look on the RPO’s face was a picture. Before he or the Chelsea fans could do anything half the fans on the train were off the train and piling into the Chelsea fans who quickly disappeared allowing everyone to get back on the train and continue on to King’s Cross. The RPO turned to me with a shocked expression and said “The Bristol **** fans didn’t manage that” and shook his head. As an aside I stayed on the train as I could see the RPO was frightened and someone had to keep him safe.
