I remember the old man always saying City had the best floodlight pylons and one of the best playing surfaces at the old ground when he came back from a match. Were we the only club to have its own train station back in the 60s.? Before my time that 60 s era but obviously remember the train from Paragon. As a side note did anyone else ever climb the staircase at the back of the old West stand to gain access to the tv gantry at Boothferry Park,not for the faint hearted that climb.
Drove past BP this morning on my way to Wiltshire Rd, slight mist and overcast morning. Reminded me of a Saturday in the early 70s when you walked down North Road half expecting to encounter a running battle between hundred of youths and the sound of chanting from within the ground.
Did any away fan trains go straight to the ground? I remember some football special trains bringing away fans and unloading them at Paragon.
I can't recall any specials going direct to the ground, though a delayed one against Millwall might have in Don Robbie's time.
Are you kidding ?? From memory:- Pompey 85, BHA 84 FAC, Millwall 85, Donny 81, Bradford pre season Anglo Scottish 82, I'm sure the Sheffields had one or two, Burnley had the League Liner (google it) in 73/74 . WHU FAC 73 Bristol R (yes really!) in 78 last game of season I'm sure there numerous others like Bpool and Brentford 71, and other cup ties in the 70s like Lesster 77 Sure BWFC brought one at some stage, even OAFC. In the early years I think the train back was from Paragon. Great idea!
This was about football specials dropping fans off at Boothferry, not Paragon.To be fair, I never rolled up out of the pub until the teams were coming out so wouldn't have seen them if they did.. Seeing fans heading back to Paragon made me assume they had arrived that way. Though Coventry might have arrived in their special with a disco etc on in Jimmy Hill's days mid 1960s.
Watford brought one thought it didn't go direct to BP. Rolled up full of beer and me and my mate thought someone had been recruiting a new mob as southsea stand was full of unfamiliar faces. Turned out it was Watford, whose colours then were almost identical to City not the pale yellow they altered to not long after. They were there because they had a Cup tie with Liverpool and Watford had said first choice on tickets would go to those who had been to City and had a programme. A mate emigrated in 1982 and the programme from that game was only one of two missing from his collection.
