Looking at the attendance I don't think there were many more than 300 City there, normal for a London game in the 80's though more went to the promotion party at Brentford for the last game, enough to sing Stanley.. Stanley.. Stanley.. when he scored the pen.
I love the corners and free kicks analysis as part of the game data, and here's me thinking Opta was a 'modern invention'
Thankfully the armchair manager cult was many years away back then, leaving fans to enjoy the occasion.
I was there as this bit from my book will testify, if/when it ever gets published... 10 November 1984 Football League Division 3: Leyton Orient 4 Hull City 5 Brisbane Road: West Stand seats – No ticket; Programme 50p Again eschewing the open away end our group of about thirty odds and sods entered the seats in the old West Stand, where we bolstered the City contingent to something approaching the hundred-mark. With about three times as many behind the goal it constituted a respectable away following. Bad memories of the previous April had given me a sense of foreboding beforehand, which looked spot on as Orient raced into a three-goal lead inside half-an-hour. Barry Silkman was the chief tormentor, setting up all three goals. With memories of the Baseball Ground debacle flooding back, it was all we could do in the seats to keep up our vocal encouragement, while those behind the goal stood motionless in apparent disbelief. Just before the break our support was rewarded when Askew’s corner floated directly in. It was a lifeline. We spent half-time discussing the need to score early if we were ever to get back in the game (while also making a mental note of the significant number of home lads massing to our left in the seated area; a prudent observation as events turned out). Our hopes for an early second half strike were granted – but in the wrong net as that man Silkman made it 4-1 with a 25-yard screamer. The game appeared up. What followed was one of the most remarkable turnarounds I will probably ever see at a football match. Twenty-five minutes left and four-one down, Whitehurst’s cross from the byline was turned home by Steve Massey. Five minutes later, Askew’s corner found Horton whose header was only pushed into the path of Flounders; 4-3. By now I was almost hoarse with excitement and there was a genuine feeling that City were going to do it. In the 77th minute Corbett handled a free-kick in his own box and the Tigers had a penalty. Amidst all the excitement, we’d failed to notice the aforementioned daft lads suddenly come charging across the seats. But nothing was going to spoil our day. As they came to a standstill, we celebrated Stan man up again from the spot. All square. A draw would have been a superb achievement but when Flounders smacked home the winner with just two minutes left, it was simple, sheer ecstasy. The scenes of jubilation at the final whistle were probably unmatched anywhere; with the only disappointment for me being the fact that Whitehurst was the only player who bothered to come across to the seats where our band of brothers had not faltered for ninety minutes. In his programme notes the following week, Horton wrote how Chris Chilton had “said it was one of the craziest games he’d ever seen”. The manager himself later described it as “one of the most exciting games I have ever played in”. He added that it had revealed “the character that we have in the side to come from 4-1 down, although with the players that we have, we should never really get into that situation”. He’s right of course but then, had the players not got themselves into such a situation, I and several hundred other City fans would not have had “Remember Orient” as a rallying call for years to come!
Me and Ray Cowburn ran on the pitch when we scored the winning goal and by the time we'd got in the middle the players were getting ready to kick off so we kept on running until we got to the main stand.
Forty years ago to the day , time sure goes quickly. The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.
