Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2010 15:12:33 GMT
Walking towards Plainmoor from Babbacombe last night I was struck by the number of coaches parked along Cary Avenue near the bowling green. Bloody hell, I thought, Reading have brought a few. Of course I was wrong for these were holiday coaches rather than footballing ones. But it made me speculate about the days when the surrounding streets would have been full of coaches bringing visiting supporters to Plainmoor.
This, in turn, begged the question: what was the largest away following ever seen at Plainmoor? You can bet it was long before our capacity dropped to just 6,000 – in other words twenty or more years ago (barring a couple of popular side “handovers”). How about those 20,000 cup crowds of yesteryear? Spurs in 1965 and 1971; Birmingham in 1956. How many did those clubs “bring”? Most likely harder to say because of the lack of segregation or a designated “away” area.
As for league games, I wonder what sort of numbers have travelled in the past from Exeter or Plymouth? I’d hazard a guess that visits from Argyle in the late 1960s and early 1970s might have featured particularly large numbers of visitors. And then there must have been a few occasions when clubs visited Plainmoor needing the points for promotion.
And, if we reverse the coin, what about our following to big away matches? Wembley aside, I can think of a few examples of 2-3,000 but does anything greater spring to mind?
|
|
|
|
Post by stefano on Aug 12, 2010 15:25:16 GMT
Walking towards Plainmoor from Babbacombe last night I was struck by the number of coaches parked along Cary Avenue near the bowling green. Bloody hell, I thought, Reading have brought a few. Of course I was wrong for these were holiday coaches rather than footballing ones. But it made me speculate about the days when the surrounding streets would have been full of coaches bringing visiting supporters to Plainmoor. This, in turn, begged the question: what was the largest away following ever seen at Plainmoor? You can bet it was long before our capacity dropped to just 6,000 – in other words twenty or more years ago (barring a couple of popular side “handovers”). How about those 20,000 cup crowds of yesteryear? Spurs in 1965 and 1971; Birmingham in 1956. How many did those clubs “bring”? Most likely harder to say because of the lack of segregation or a designated “away” area. As for league games, I wonder what sort of numbers have travelled in the past from Exeter or Plymouth? I’d hazard a guess that visits from Argyle in the late 1960s and early 1970s might have featured particularly large numbers of visitors. And then there must have been a few occasions when clubs visited Plainmoor needing the points for promotion. And, if we reverse the coin, what about our following to big away matches? Wembley aside, I can think of a few examples of 2-3,000 but does anything greater spring to mind? Spurs sold 4000 tickets for the Plainmoor FA Cup game on 9 January 1965 and although there was no segregation most of them congregated together in the Popular side. We took I think over 3000 for the replay at White Hart Lane but it was postponed and a smaller number went a second time when it was eventually played. Big away league followings I was involved with was 1000 at Darlington in 1966 and at Middlesbrough in 1967. |
|
|
|
Post by loyalgull on Aug 12, 2010 15:34:21 GMT
coventry away fa cup 1988? was a good following
|
|
|
|
Post by stefano on Aug 12, 2010 15:42:57 GMT
coventry away fa cup 1988? was a good following ... and you can add me and Miac and two others to however many were in the away section. We were roughing it on the home terraces!  |
|
|
|
Post by loyalgull on Aug 12, 2010 15:55:42 GMT
coventry away fa cup 1988? was a good following ... and you can add me and Miac and two others to however many were in the away section. We were roughing it on the home terraces! me and 3 mates went from watford where i lived then,now i am the only one alive from our day out,a frightening thought  |
|
|
|
Post by stefano on Aug 12, 2010 15:57:23 GMT
As for league games, I wonder what sort of numbers have travelled in the past from Exeter or Plymouth? I’d hazard a guess that visits from Argyle in the late 1960s and early 1970s might have featured particularly large numbers of visitors. The Devon derby games regularly attracted 13000 to 18000 even at Plainmoor and I would guess that the away following would not have been far short of the average home attendance for that club. |
|
|
|
Post by Budleigh on Aug 12, 2010 20:09:28 GMT
We've had some big away support at games that I've been to and which would be interesting to know figures for, but probably none are near to a United 'away' record.
The 5-1 loss at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup;
Barnet last day 'relegation' scrap;
Swansea in the first play-off final;
Leyton Orient in the 'need to draw for promotion' last day game;
Cardiff away in the League Cup in the eighties (Oh, I know that, it was just the two of us!)
Does anyone have actual figures?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2010 11:10:03 GMT
We've had some big away support at games that I've been to and which would be interesting to know figures for, but probably none are near to a United 'away' record. The 5-1 loss at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup; Barnet last day 'relegation' scrap; Swansea in the first play-off final; Leyton Orient in the 'need to draw for promotion' last day game; Cardiff away in the League Cup in the eighties (Oh, I know that, it was just the two of us!) Does anyone have actual figures? In a word "no", not I anyway. Wasn't at Swansea so can't comment on that one - was in a pub car park near Darwen listening to snatches of commentary on Radio Wales and attempting to be semi-sociable at the same time. Guessing: Sheffield Wednesday "up to 1,500"; Coventry, Barnet, Leyton Orient and Southend "2-3,000" (although I did see a lower figure for Southend which wasn't convincing). I'm prone to maintain the "specialness" of that Coventry trip - our first big outing for donkeys' years. But, saying that, we'd played at Spurs in the league cup earlier that season (1,500 there? And how many in 2001? The memory is hazy). Late 1960s/early 1970s trips to Bournemouth (as well as Argyle of course) must have seen sizeable followings. And how about my first away match - Reading May 1968? |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2010 13:45:48 GMT
Rags, sorry to have modified your earlier response beyond repair (hence the deletion). That’s the perils of having “moderator” powers on the history board and pressing the wrong bloody button. You asked if my estimate for Barnet included those outside the ground. Well, I’m tempted to push it over 3,000 if we count those outside (but see below). Mind you there was a story on the train home that night saying that 2,000 Torquay supporters had been locked out. That may have been an exaggeration I suspect. In the absence of official figures (which are something of a rarity) it’s all guesswork and we do like to bump up our own numbers don’t we? 100,000 marchers say the organisers; 10,000 say the police….with the participants "sexing up" the figures in years to come? And, if you haven't already seen my telling of the Saga of Underhill, go to www.torquayfansforum.com/index.cgi?board=tufchistory&action=display&thread=2093 (where, on careful re-reading, I seem to be suggesting 2,200 of us inside Underhill) As for Leyton Orient in 1998, a newspaper–reported figure of 2,500 sticks in my memory. Would that have been about right?
|
|
|
|
Post by dazgull on Aug 13, 2010 14:22:42 GMT
Apart from teams nearby we have had Barnet, Orient (that was 2500), southend (2000), sheff wed was 1500, birmingham in the fa cup was around 2000, most recent spurs away match was just over 1000, blackpool (facup) 1200 odd, burnley playoffs (  ?), qpr (fac) over 1000 My lowest: 13 at hartlepool..... |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2010 22:22:21 GMT
Apart from teams nearby we have had Barnet, Orient (that was 2500), southend (2000), sheff wed was 1500, birmingham in the fa cup was around 2000, most recent spurs away match was just over 1000, blackpool (facup) 1200 odd, burnley playoffs ( ?), qpr (fac) over 1000 My lowest: 13 at hartlepool..... Thanks for this, Daz. Hmm...Burnley and Preston play-offs. Nothing remarkable from what I remember but certainly respectable given the distance in the middle of the week. Back to the 1970s and a good turn-out from Nuneaton Borough in the FA Cup at Plainmoor and from Hereford and Lincoln in end of season promotion/celebration games. |
|
|
|
Post by dazgull on Aug 16, 2010 12:20:55 GMT
Started going in early/mid 70's and as a kid then didnt take any notice of how many away fans were about.
However do remember Pompey taking over the ministand and having fans everywhere else one night. Absolute bedlam when they equalised and the Pompey chimes started up, thought we were in for a hectic night then but about shortly after a stunning goal from Murphy and they all shut up again ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Budleigh on Aug 16, 2010 12:39:42 GMT
I was walking outside the ground after the game and a crowd of Pompey 'bovver-boys' stood in front of me and demanded my scarf...
Just as I was about to meekly hand it over my girlfriend at the time stepped in front of me, pointed her finger at the crowd of skinheads and stated that she'd knitted that scarf for my birthday present and if anyone touched it or me she'd deal with them!
I remember just standing there thinking... 'Oh bugger, you don't know what you've done!' when the ringleader shrugged his shoulders and went 'fair enough, catch you later' and they walked past looking for the next victim. I just stood there shaking.
Tough lass that Tracey...
|
|
?), qpr (fac) over 1000