What Year?

[Old Timer in Cyprus]

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Is this what you mean?

No, it's the entrance in Gordan Rd at the Rainham End.

 

[Steve347]

My Dad is 87 and was in that crowd of 21,002 against QPR

 

[brb]

Has the town end always been the away end? There is a good away support in this pic if that is the case, cant see any segregation, maybe there wasnt any back then??

COYG

All through the 70's and 80's the Town End was indeed used for both home and away fans with little or no segregation. Sometimes a line of police separating the away fans if it was a large or volatile following.

Typically the away fans would be in the corner next to the Main Stand. IIRC They did finally fence that corner area off from the rest and it became the official 'away bit'.

Was in the RE on numerous occasions when the away team scored and parts of the RE erupted in song then violence. Particularly v Palace, Millwall etc. Different era.

Exactly as SirKeefy states there never used to be any segregation unless separated by a line of police. Such occasions occurred during Millwall games as just one example, where they would turn up early, invade the pitch and occupy the Rainham End...(not condoning violence, just stating how it was).

Particular memories for me would be Palace, Brighton, Wall, Pompey...where you used to be allowed to mix in the Town End, it was a volatile environment but an exciting one for young men to wind up the opposition if not always a safe one.

In my early days I used to be able to walk from the Town End to the Rainham End via the back of the Gordon Road Stand for each half. Even managing free tickets in the old main stand from friends back in them days. My favourite times were in the Town End...nothing like scoring in front of a 5,000 following and seeing it wind them up face to face...lol...good job I was a young kid otherwise doubt I would have lived to tell the tale. 5,000 in the BMS imagine the uproar if that happened today.

However, I remember one occasion with a Southampton coach parked outside Priestfield overlooked by Gills fans in the away end of the Town End during a so called friendly...was not nice and made me realise there needed to be change. The violence that sadly SirKeefy refers too. As he states...different era.

 

[Dave70]

Definitely 1979, as I am the lad crouched to the right of Inthebook (and facing the correct way!)

 

[brb]

1935 ?

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