I vaguely recall going with my dad and grandad to my first game at Boothferry Park sometime in the early late 1970's /early 1980's against Plymouth Argyle, in the old second division. I think we won 3-1 though I'm not 100% sure. I remember seeing players such as McClaren, Mutrie, Marwood and Hawley. I remember the walk to the ground from Gypsyville, being told about the team from the 1960's, the strike force from then, the railway line to the ground, the only one in England - when was did it stop being used? Then in later years seeing the ground, in part, being turned into a supermarket! .... Again, probably the only one in England! Having moved away from the area as a child, I only went to Boothferry intermittently over the years and mainly for the Christmas fixtures. As my memories are somewhat rose tinted and from when I was a child, I'd be curious to hear others recollection of the atmosphere at the old ground. My folks moved back to the area, so I go to the KC every now and again (lucky enough to see the first game v Hartlepool), which I thoroughly enjoy, but mainly I go to see City's southern adventures. I'd be curious to hear about the atmosphere then and how the teams of the early 1980's were perceived, did City play good football then, or at all? I remember my grandad being very disparaging but.... Cheers.
don't know really - late 80s was when I first took an interest, obviously Stan McEwan in defence was classy..check out boothferry legend's videos on youtube, there's quite a collection.. you might spot some old names.. My earliest memories were Andy Flounders, Leigh Jenkinson who was lightning fast on the wing & Andy Saville up front..
I went to my first game in 83 I think v Scunny, was 18000 there and I was behind the goal in the south stand- I remember Ian Botham was playing for them and Marwood scored the winner, Tony Norman made a great save. Steve Mclaren hit the bar. I became a fan after that match.
BLIMEY!!!! Have you got a few months?? Before Adam Pearson arrived, my experience of HCFC (first game 1971), was one of failure, administration, gradual decomposition and unrealised expectations. This was interrupted by one all too brief period of success under Adam Pearson Mk One (aka Don Robinson). I found home all over Boothferry Park. Started off in the Well with me Dad, went over to the North Stand before having a brief spell in the Best Stand. Then on into the East Stand (known nowadays as Kempton by the youngsters!! LOL!) and finally ending up in Bunkers, first standing then in the seats which was easily the best place in the ground to watch the game. As for style of play, do you know I cannot remember us hardly EVER playing passing possession football. We always used to play through balls, down the channels, counter attacking type of style. I'll think some more on this but your question REALLY is all encompassing!
The first game I have any memory of going to was, I think, The Associate Members Cup northern final in the 1983/84 season. We beat Tranmere 4-1. The company my dad was working for had a corporate box for the game and it was a bring your family type deal. Of course, I just used trusty google to get that info. As I was just turned five years old, my actual memory is we played Tranmere in some cup competition and we won well.
Like Strovolo says ..........where do you start? Early 60'5 my Old Man used to take me in North Stand, so he could slope off for a pint at the then, longest bar in Hull, at half time. I made do with my programme. As a young kid I just remember it being packed going to the ground, in it and coming home, stopping off at Cave St chippy for tea. Waggy and Chillo. 70's - moved to South Stand not sure why. Ahhhh the waft of cig smoke .... the club shop . We started to go to away games as well then, when there were only handfuls of City fans at grounds like Roker Park - scary. FA Cup v Stoke Waggy waltzing past Banksy - twice - the best goalie in the world then. 77 - Punk rock and Orient away condemming us to relegation. 80's - seemed to be pretty successful by and large. Burnley away 2-0. Don Robinson 90's - dreadful decade enlightened at the end by the Great Escape. 2000 to date moving from Boothferry Park a proper name for a football ground. Adam Pearson. The KC. Wembley, The Premier League. Arsenal 2-1. Geovanni. Bullard.Nigel Pearson, back to the Premier League. That's just for starters ............
Hey, Syd, do you remember the Hull Dail Mail seller that used to meander amongst the crowd in Bunkers selling newspapers? : "DAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE MMAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEE" Also, we used to go to the King Eddy (on the corner of Carr Lane and Anne Street - gone now) for our pre-match drinkie and to Yankee Burger (this countries finest Hambergers) after the match.
Oh my giddy aunt Strov,Yankee burger.Youv'e just awakened the memory of the finest burgers i have had the pleasure to have scoffed.Why can't they make burgers like that any more ? I make my own these days,and they're as good as you will find.But those Yankee burgers were Gods own.I want one
Much the same as Arnold for me. Only my dad first took me in 1965. West stand seats. Have had some fantastic days following the Tigers ever since. Plenty of high hopes which often didn't come off. Stood on bunkers and in the kempton from around 69. Stand out goals would be waggys two v Stoke. , K Edwards solo run beating half the other teams players, Stand in the east stand at the KC and often think how everything use to be so much better at BP when we could roam around the ground and only a thin blue line separated rival fans . British rail away day football specials. Beating man utd the season they got relegated to the then second div. Fa cup draws on a Monday we listened to on the radio in class at school .Games v Sunderland , middlesborough , the two Sheffield x Clubs , N Forest and the fun that went with it. Life following Hull City has been many ups and downs but I wouldn't change anything apart from getting hit on the head by half a brick thrown by a west ham fan after a game v city at boothferry park . Maybe I would have avoided being thrown out the ground a number of times as well. Footy ? Hull City ? Don't we just Love it . I know I sure do. .
my first game was 65/66 against Scunny. 3-2 win. My abiding memory was that I had never seen so many people in the same place before. of course that season it got to be more & more. 40,000 against Millwall, over 45,000 against Chelsea. First games were in the West Stand but also tried the North before settling into the - then new - South Stand.
We put some weird stuff on those burgers, all those different coloured sauce dishes to pick from, you had to give it a go. Fluorescent yellow sweetcorn relish for me. What was the bright green one?
1975 i was 10 when my dad started taking me. Blackpool at home my dad had loads of mates that use to meet up in Gypsyville tavern and i got stuck with the other kids waiting for the dads to leave pub. We use to watch everyone walking down and thinking i just want to get to the ground.Then three years later started going on my own with mates from school not that many cause most were liverpool fans that never went and was always takin the piss .(It was funny seeing some of them at wembley all decked out in black and amber.) I remember hanging out around sunspot next to white horse before games going to bun in the oven after games following city all over the country on simon grays conner and graham coaches out side baker st first thing sat morning in the pissing rain lol'.The persil train vouchers .Then moving on to silver cod before and after games .Like scarborough tiger says dont you just love it
I can't remember who my first game was against, but my uncle took me as a kid in the early 70's and it was so full(and I was so short) I barely saw anything. In fact, I seem to remember being more interested in getting my big wooden rattle to make a noise, than I was in what was happening on the pitch. I started going regularly to home games with a mate in the mid to late 70's, walking from home to Boothferry Park and back every other Saturday, chasing coaches up and down Boothferry Road, as was the way back then. The first fixture where I can actually remember the opposition was in October '76 when we played Forest and that one only sticks in my mind because it was Billy Bremner's début and the place was heaving(The only time the atmosphere at the KC has got anywhere close to the noise when he scored in that game, was at the Watford second play-off game). Happy days. Strovolos - There weren't any boxes at Boothferry Park, the corporate area was a filthy marquee outside the ground, where you had to walk on palette's to get to the bar in winter, as the marquee floor was like a swamp(five minutes before kick off, you were all marched en-mass into seats in the South Stand). There was a directors box, but it was just a room at the back of the West Stand and you still went out into normal seats to watch the game(you got a great pie, mash and gravy in there at half time though).
first game mid 70s , with my Granddad Vs Mansfield . I was a regular as a teenager in the 80s , I always remember a good atmosphere Newcastle in the 2nd division springs to mind lol. My favorite game for atmosphere was City v Scarborough 1999 - Biggest WTF moment was the 7-4 result against Swansea in what i think was Hatleys 1st season ,
Strovolos you are right and OLM you are wrong There were boxes at BP---cant remember how many(poss 10) and each held either 10 or 12 seats,there were drink making facilities and each box had a tv. match programmes were provided and you even were given an up to date team list prior to it being announced. the boxes were situated directly above 'The Well' in the west stand south stand side of the half way line Refreshments ie sarnies and drinks were provided at half time in a seperate room were all the box patrons met up I attended several times in the box (for several seasons used by Pinefleet)nearest the south stand but i preferred standing on bunkers for the atmosphere.
