Thetownend.com

my god

2 MAY West Ham United Home 1-3 17,004 Hazard

i know it was pre nationwide but fuck me good attendence


we got 18,000 ish against man u in the premiership but what was our biggest gate since the nationwide was built

weird to think it was not built in the premiership season

i was there for that  :soapy tit wank:  i was 9 and there with the cubs, went for a tour around the ground beforehand, went into the home and away changing rooms, cant remember much about it. i do believe that was my first ever match!

Without looking I'd guess the Bolton Semi Final in the first season might manage it?  I'm sure that game was down for our record gate receipts at the time and may still be.

edit: 15341 for that Bolton game which is the biggest since the Nationwide was developed.

I'm clearly wrong on the gate receipts, because we had over 14000 against Brighton, and as a non league game and with our prices it must beat the Bolton one, as prob the Coventry game a few seasons back in the FA Cup did, another 14000+

I was there for that game too.

There was 17,574 for the Newcastle game that season. That was a good game; 1-0 down at half time and with Viveash and Paul Hunt in the side due to injuries and came back to win 2-1.  8)

I was at both the Newcastle and West Ham game, great atmosphere.

The Stratton bank was crammed full and so was the Shrivenham Road terrace.

Brilliant matches .. I was in the graveyard Arkells in those days when I actually had a season ticket :)

And hair.

thats actually very true!  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Season ticket in Shrivvy road - got chucked out by the coppers after both goals against newcastle, I'd sneaked back in after getting thrown out for the first goal! The good old days when everyone near the pig pen steamed down the terrace when we scored, you lost shoes and everything!

I wasnt at either of those two 1993 games, but Ive heard people (who were there) say that the Brighton PO 1st leg atmosphere was easily as good.

Just thought id stick one in the eye of terracing nostalgia for a change.

It's all a matter of opinion I guess, but I would say the atmosphere for that Newcastle game was the best I have ever experienced - It was absolutely electric (cliche I know, but true nonetheless) I would say the home play off game v Tranmere also beats the Brighton game in that respect.

It was definitely the best atmosphere in 'modern' times though no doubt.

Yeah I was at all those games...Newcastle and Tranmere were the best - probably Newcastle because of the endless shit hurled at Andy Cole  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

didn't we get 32000 in the sixties sometimes?

It was quite a good game as well which helped:shock:

I've just remembered something - On the bench that day for Newcastle was some shit hot full back they had paid a shed load of money to Barnsley for - a certain Mark Robinson. Yes that Mark Robinson who we then paid 600k for!

Why??? :?

Yeah, but thats a different era, all crowds were bigger back in the 60s (in general, I'm sure there are exceptions.)  To me, the best atmosphere I have experienced since my first game in 1991 (home to Blackburn) was the Tranmere Playoff First Leg.  I'm sure that this was aided by the cracking start in that game though!  Happy memories.

Yes. For Arsenal I think. It's our record attendance. I expect Reg will tell you all about it, I'm sure he would have been there.

I remember a game against Leeds in the early 90s at the County Ground when leeds filled the Stratton bank and IIRC we won 3-2, Gordon Strachan scoring two pens for them and I can't remember who scored for us?

This was my favourite game ever at the County Ground simply because the sheer size of the away following meant the town fans had to raise their game creating an amazing atmosphere.

32,000 was against Arsenal in the 1972 FA Cup. Alan Ball (and white boots) was playing for Arsenal.

Large contingent of Leeds fans got in the TE as well for that game.

Shrivenham Road was shut by 2pm that day as it was full. The following home match against West Ham I couldn't get in Shrivenham Road at 2 as it was already full up again; those were the days.

I think Steve White scored Swindon's first; Steve Foley got the 2nd early in the 2nd half with a header and Ross McLaren scored a screamer to win it for us.

I also think Lee Chapman got Leed's 2nd but could be wrong.

vinny jones played in that game and there was some good banter with him and the shriivy road.he picked up some of the turf and lobbed it into the stand.

shrivvy road was the best in them days infact my greatest memories of watching stfc are in that era

he started doing some press ups aswell didnt he??

  These were undoubtedly good games.....but it should be noted that the  South Side had its capacity halved by then....so in fact when officially full, there was still plenty of room, relative to when it was really rammed.

 I suppose the last time this happened was for the Wolves LC semi in 80, when 26,000 were in.

You're right there Reg.

I'm sure for the Leeds game when the gates were locked at about 2 the fans were chanting "let them in" and also at one point all the fans moved up just to show how much room there was in the stand.

 I remember that now you mention it...I thought it woiuld have been top just to have got everybody into one half and leave the rest empty, but it was never going to happen.

 Also in typical STFC style....a scaffold thing for TV was erected in the midle of the south side, right in front of where me and few others had been congregating after the TE became pointless because of the fences etc.

 It was set up there because its previous hanging spot in the eaves of the stand had been condemned.

 I seem to recall it made a decent climbing frame though at that Leeds game, when Ross McClaren  smacked in the winner.

I think I remember that game - dog end of the season, we're in the play-offs but no real hope of an automatic spot. Hammers are going for it with a better chance than us. Dicks took the piss out of the right back, Buzzer?, all game, scored (twice?) and was a the heart of everything good about their play.

Pity he was such a fat Bristolian chav git

That game upset Pompey mightily, because a win for us would have seen them to the Prem, and they felt we didn't try properly......think Jim Smith may have been their manager, who would have thought at the time he'd be the man responsible for seeing O*frod to their rightful place in the non-league sector.

Shit yeah I forgot that! That was the year they missed out on auto promotion and finished 3rd but miles ahead on points of the rest of the play off teams. Then pissed it away in the semis.

Smith moaned about the unfairness of it all for months.

Best atmosphere for me was either Brighton or City in the PO season. Having not seen many successful campaigns my good experiences of the CG are limited!

I was lucky enough to have stood in the shrivenham road stand.

Not that I remember it very well at all.

Shrivenham Road was ace.

Talking of Portsmouth, the game against them at home in 93 was brilliant when we won it with 2 mins to go.

I remember that well. We outplayed them all game; Fraser didn't have to make a save I think and then right at the end the ball was being kicked all round the box; Bodin connects and I went loopy  8)

Miklosko letting the ball through his legs-fucking hilarious!

City game in 2004 was average i thought, yes there was 14,500 there but the atmosphere wasn't amazing.

Home to Toon in 93 is still the best by far for me.

Yeah I was at both those games. West Ham had a load of fans there too because they needed to win to get automatic promotion.

newcastle in the prem was ace

 i was only small then and they let us take a beer crate
into stratt bank to stand on with my mate behind the goal.

Disappointed I never experienced the Shrivvy Road but I suppose one day I will eb telling people about the good old times in The Town End, or evenat the County Ground full stop!!

one of the best was when we played Villa in the cup. can't remember the year but we battered them for 90 mins but lost 2.1 in front of the cameras.

i was on the bank then and it was mad. especially when we scored. everyone just rushed forward. thank fuck i was near the back

I was on the bank that day too magic, the one and only time I've watched from there. T'was proper rammed!

1992 wasn't it?  Des Lynham had to apologise for the "idiots" throwing stuff at the pundits commentary box at half time.

how could i forget that.
it was only some little green porta cabin that they had errected on the bank.

the stuff was lobbed because jimmy hill was in there.he had publicly stated that we deserved to be demoted after the play off win in 1990.
and it was after the game that it took place.