First or funniest away trip

My first was a cup game at Donnie in the 70's loads of City there & about two turnstiles,so fencing got tore down & most got in for nothing, that foggy u couldn't see the halfway line. Think we won just but couldn't see!..Funniest was at Sunderland, we'd Beat Plymouth 4-1 away after a 1-1 draw at BP. Dad had promised me a my school mate he'd take us to Roker Park for the next round, set off with 7,000 other City fans only to get turned back at Pocklington because the game to have called off due to snow. After a further postponement me & my friend ended up up going with my Grandfather on one of the 2 coaches that set off on a Tuesday night. The 3 of us got a bit lost around the ground but paid at a turnstile & entered up some stairs with levi jackets coved in City badges & scarves tied around our wrists straight onto the back of the rocker end kop (**** myself 'I was about 13') massive gap appeared then a couple of cops grabbed us & marched us round the pitch to the hundred or so City fans at the other end to be greeted like hero's...never forget & we lost 1-0..great memories

 

Funniest trip away was probably Northampton. Drew 1-1. Went in a Luton van whose tail door kept opening on the motorway. God knows what other drivers thought to see 15 lads sat in the back doing 80 mph. Oh yeah and after the match a City fan started on me thinking I was from Northampton. Got to smile.

 

1st away. Last game of 64/65 season vs. Carlisle. I didnt get there due to special train been full. Think it ended 0-0.
1st actual. Scunny at Old Show Ground. Won 4-2.
Funny. Coventry FA Cup Won 1-0. Group of city fans got back in to take part in a home fans protest against the Cov boss Noel Cantwell.
Remember tv commentator Gerry Harrison being shouted down trying to do his post match analysis and having a hissy-fit.

 

Was in a pub in some town for an end of season game, and a group of ours came in in fancy dress. Some locals took exception to out of towners, and a fight ensued, which left the delicious memory of Mickey, Minnie, Nuns and lord knows what swapping knuckles with the home towners.

 

Very Similar to me.
First away game, that same Scunthorpe v City, Old Show Ground. 65/66. 4-2 City.
Funny one, away to Newcastle, Premier League, forget which one but I was driving the mini bus and walking around the city centre trying to stay out of the pub.
I came across a large group of Newcastle fans protesting about Keegan ( I think) outside one pub and the local radio was there doing interviews.
I stood and watched for a bit then the radio presenter asked if anyone else would like to go on air, so I stepped forward.
I said something on the lines of 'Who do you all think you are ? You've won nowt since 1966, and your all moaning because your not top of the league, try following a club like Hull City who have never won anything, were proper fans not you lot,...etc etc etc' Honestly you could cut the atmosphere with a knife for a few seconds before they all realised I was from Hull. Then it was 'get that **** off air'
Then we went onto beat them on the pitch too.

 

Rochdale? Early 80s?

 

I can't recall the place, but that time frame certainly fits with my recollection.

 

I can't remember my first away trip but it will have been a bus from Ferensway.

A memory that always sticks is Sheffield Wednesday away sometime in the seventies.

After the match we were on the coach (at the top of the park area) waiting for it to fill up when we saw some Wednesday louts chasing a city fan across the bottom of the park. A couple of lads jumped off the coach and ran down the hill to help him (join in?). They got over half way down when South Yorkshires finest spot the lads and start chasing them back up the hill.

What a laugh we had, hanging out the windows encouraging them to make the coach before getting nicked. They made it back on, ran to the back and tried not to breathe too heavily whilst the local sergeant paraded up and down the coach trying to identify the culprits. They were **** coppers even then.

Not laugh out loud funny but Man city away when we got hammered and the famous Brownie half time team talk. At the time we car shared with the guy who wore a Tiger suit. Some of you might know of him (don't ask).

Pre match we called in the Corner Shop public house for a pint or two at his suggestion. It was a bit like Shameless on the estate around the pub. It seemed to be the the only thing still open as most houses were boarded up. I was dreading walking in, having the piss taken or being cuffed for being matey with a twat in a tiger suit. But it turned out to be completely different.

If you don't know it, I have to paint the picture. The entrance to the pub is a side door at the front left. Max and Paddy on the door let us in with the obvious no animals allowed jokes. As you walk in all the home fans (to your left and facing you) are watching the early kick off on the tv above and to the right as you come through the door. That day it happened to be their arch rivals on the tv and my god could you feel the venom as the pub door opened. The atmosphere was a little intimidating to say the least. That is until our car share Tiger suited mate walked across their line of vision and straight to the bar to order the beers. They couldn't believe what they were looking at and to a man they burst out laughing. Atmosphere improved no end and what a great lunchtime we had in there talking to one and all. Friendly bunch them Blue Mancs.

 

Can I tell you all about Simon Gray's Blackpool weekend in '95? Oh look, i'm going to anyway.

Last game of the season, Simon books a hotel, fills the coach. Not everyone is going for the football though, and Simon has used this hotel for years. Arrived Friday teatime, quick change, explicit instructions from the hotel owner how to use the keypad to get back in later, 40 of us pile on a tram into the centre of Blackpool. Everyone gets split up, but a great night is had, and by sheer luck just about everyone converges on the hotel at the same time (2 in the morning). Not one person can remember how to get back in. Stones are thrown at the windows. Hotel owner lets us in. She's not very happy.

Saturday. Breakfast was probably ****ed into by the chef. Everyone is out early, banging on the doors of The Manchester at 10 o clock. They let us in. Lots of drink consumed. Place is packed with City fans. Middlesbrough fans show up. Fisticuffs ensue. Glasses flying, general chaos. Escape to the ground. Watch game. Back to hotel, suited and booted, back into town. Exactly the same scenario as the Friday night occurs when no one can get back into the hotel. Owner is seriously pissed off. During the night, vandalism takes place. A door is kicked off, a fire extinguisher let off and someone ****s on the floor in the foyer.

Sunday. Lots of hangovers. While waiting for breakfast, 8 cop cars and 2 riot vans turn up. Plod march purposefully into the dining room. Tell us that we either cough up for the damage or we're all going down the station. Wallets empty. Owner probably ends up with double what the damage will cost. Owner then tells Simon that he's no longer welcome at her establishment. Simon is angry. Several of us take Simon into hotel bar and start plying him with vodka slings. Simon ends up completely twatted, and needs carrying onto the coach home. Simon sleeps all the way home.

Not a bad weekend, really.

 

Slightly OT, a former work mate followed Grimsby. They were playing Everton away in FA Cup. After the game two Scouse gits started on a young Grimsby lad. A few Grimsby collared the hollies and dragged them into their van.
Eventually let them out about five miles outside of Grimsby.

 

My first away game was probably Stoke in the early seventies for a FA Cup tie.
(or it might have been York)

 

Someone should write a book collating these stories, we need to capture these memories.

I know I would buy it. Loving this thread!!

 

Good match Coventry away win 1-0 got off coaches early walking to the town , turned back and went in open end. Stood watching then about 2-230 saw loads of city skins piling in their end . Loads of us climbed out over the turnstiles paid and went in the other end with them
As for Rochdale in the egg ties loads of Hessle lads went in fancy dress - one well known smallish city fan dressed as Freddie Starrs Hitler climbed on the dugout at full time an d did his Freddie impression think the coppers grabbed him
We used to go on Danby’s and Simon Grays to most matches
Once went to pre season friendly at Grimsby
Got a Bovril with a huge spider in it nearly drank it , then got into a bit of bother with locals on cleethorpes rd who’d spotted us - then found an easy chalet to access on Fitties camp for nowt and managed a drink chips and some had some fun with some Sheffield gals - oh those Beighton girls

 

First away game for me was early seventies against Cardiff, I think it was a night match. I lived down Kimberley Street at the time and my late cousin lived next door, we were both City mental and there was an old fella and his adult son that lived down Wenlock Street that were just as City mad as us. Turned out we got an invite to go with them to the Cardiff away game but once inside the ground we lost them, I was about 12 years old at the time, my cousin was a year older. Anyway we somehow found ourselves in amongst a load of home fans and got sussed, a group of teenagers made there way towards us and my cousin made the worst attempt at a Welsh accent that I’d ever heard, we spent the rest of the game being ****ing chased around Ninian Park, ****ed if I know what the final score was, or how we survived!

 

****kkk….. how times have changed. My son is 12, there’s no way I would let him do that trip alone lol

 

When I was 13, I was arrested at a match in Lancashire, and rather than **** about with paperwork and charging me, plod kept me in the cells to piss me off, and plonked me on my own on the very last train back to Hull.

 

remember going by train to watch City play away at Oldham in March 75 -I think there was only a few of us as most had gone by coach - we won the match 1 0 - I think Roy Greenwood scored - we decided to go for a drink in Manchester after the match and get a late train back to Hull - we went for a drink in a Yates's Wine Lodge and got pissed on white blob - I remember we were talking to a couple of girls in the bar when one of them decided to take her glass eye out and drop it in one of our drinks - class - anyway when it was time to go we decided to give it Hull City at the top of our voices as we entered the train station only to be greeted by the arrival of the Man U special from Bristol I think, with the massed hordes on the platform, as soon as they heard us we got chased all over the place - I remember jumping into a taxi and going for a quick circular drive before returning to the station - all quiet and everyone in one piece - all very quiet on the way back until another city fan decided too let off a smoke bomb in one of the corridors and gassed everyone out - most away games at that time used to involve meeting up in somewhere like Scamps for a sort of roll call and update of how the task force had engaged with the opposition

 

Climbing the stairs at Sid James Park to the away end. Half of us, me included, had to stop halfway for oxygen. I was half expecting to be carried the final way by a Nepalese bloke.

 

I remember some disgruntled mini bus driver walking around town with a cap on that day.
I met up with a couple of his mates and got pissed in the pub

 

Macclesfield away march 2003 raises a smile.
Chilly boring Tuesday night match.
Had too much hot ribena.
First half injury time raced to the "toilets" to try and beat the crush... (may have been as many as 40 away fans!)
Second half very dull.
Everyone seemed very happy with a point.

Journey home it became clear Stu Elliot had scored in the last second of that first half so we had actually been playing out a boring 1-0 victory.

People laughed at me missing the only highlight and I have never walked away before the refs whistle since....