Terraces

[Herbert Anchovy]

It's a funny old thing when I chat to the younger lads at work about the 'old days' at the football, it's almost as if the Terraces in the old style stadiums have built up some sort of mythical status!!

I was telling a couple of lads about going to Stamford Bridge once when Chelsea played Arsenal in the mid 80's and being in the Shed end when it was absolutely packed solid. Of course there were fences up everywhere and the whole terrace was a mass of bodies crammed in together that it almost had a life of its own. You had no control over where you stood and simply swayed along with the crowd. Really scary stuff. It also didn't help that a large proportion of those on the terrace seemed to be more concerned with planning to attack the Arsenal yobs than they were with the football.

Obviously it all came to a head with the horrific tragedy at Hillsborough a few years later.

I know that we weren't often blessed with huge crowds at Belle Vue, but I do remember the odd occasion when the pop side was packed. The FA Cup game against QPR for one, but I don't remember ever feeling scared. With that in mind though, whilst the old Pop side was great when it was full, it was bloody depressing when it was half empty which was more often than not in my day!

The young 'uns I'm talking to now seem to have created a rose tinted nostalgia for something that never really existed!

[drfcsteve]

For people like me, I grew up watching games on the pop side. I’m too young to have experienced the violence of the 80s, so my memories of terraces are being able to turn up when you like and pay on the gate, go and stand with your mates without faffing about with allocated seats. And of course the famous pop side humour, chants that were actually imaginative and funny, the camaraderie with those you ended up standing near. Maybe rising from the conference to league 1 helps with the rose tinted view. 

[roversdude]

Got to admit when I think back to being a young kid the Pop side seemed to go much further back and always seemed packed - didn’t stop me finding my dad in the bar at the top of the terracing and getting a coke

[RoversInSpain]

It's a funny old thing when I chat to the younger lads at work about the 'old days' at the football, it's almost as if the Terraces in the old style stadiums have built up some sort of mythical status!!

I was telling a couple of lads about going to Stamford Bridge once when Chelsea played Arsenal in the mid 80's and being in the Shed end when it was absolutely packed solid. Of course there were fences up everywhere and the whole terrace was a mass of bodies crammed in together that it almost had a life of its own. You had no control over where you stood and simply swayed along with the crowd. Really scary stuff. It also didn't help that a large proportion of those on the terrace seemed to be more concerned with planning to attack the Arsenal yobs than they were with the football.

Obviously it all came to a head with the horrific tragedy at Hillsborough a few years later.

I know that we weren't often blessed with huge crowds at Belle Vue, but I do remember the odd occasion when the pop side was packed. The FA Cup game against QPR for one, but I don't remember ever feeling scared. With that in mind though, whilst the old Pop side was great when it was full, it was bloody depressing when it was half empty which was more often than not in my day!

The young 'uns I'm talking to now seem to have created a rose tinted nostalgia for something that never really existed!

I can relate to your experience HA. I went to a Liverpool v Man U game in the nineties (3-3). The Kop had reduced capacity so they all squeezed up leaving a little empty terrace in each corner. For the entire first half my feet barely touched the ground as the crowd sway went backwards and forwards. You just had to go with it. I’ve never been so relieved when the half time whistle went and everyone took a breather and I put my feet on the floor and relaxed, probably 100 metres from where I’d stood at kick off.
And of course….
Didn’t you just love the popside in the rain with 2,100 attendance with probably 700 huddled under the pitched roof with a mass of wet glistening empty terrace all around you.

[scawsby steve]

I was in Belle Vue when there was around 32000; FA Cup 5th round in 1956, against Spurs.

I was just a little kid, so my uncle made sure I was stood against the wall at the bottom of the pop side terrace, which was huge in those days.

[Nudga]

One of my favourite memories of the popside is the grimsby league Cup match on our return to the football league.
Just the right amount of aggro and abuse going both ways with the away end and the popside being packed and very loud.

Early 90s memories are mainly thread bare attendances but the banter the linos and opposition got was top draw.
Don't seem to get that kind of banter nowadays.
I actually saw online the thought police saying the banter with the tranmere goalkeeper this season was poor and really not nice.
He was getting the piss took out of him for being a bit of a baldy and trying to hide it.
It actually put him off his game a bit so job done from us lot.

[Lesonthewest]

Got to admit when I think back to being a young kid the Pop side seemed to go much further back and always seemed packed - didn’t stop me finding my dad in the bar at the top of the terracing and getting a coke

It did always seem full back in the day, loved it in there,  & the chant to the away fans? 'You'll never take the Belle Vue'.

[philsky]

I remember the night matches which always seemed a bit special.

I've fond memories of our run of 1-0 victories in the 70s; looking up at the floodlight on the corner of the popside terrace.

[Chris Black come back]

Can probably still identify those on Pop Side in 90s. In the boardroom, terrible. On the pitch, even worse. Pop Side, legendary. Privileged to have been there.

[Dougiebulletheader]

I tried all places in Belle Vue apart from the Rosso end. Stood with main stand moaners Town end even in the boxes they put up there towards the end. Actually never sat in the Cow shed. All these mentioned Pop side was still the best especially back in the day before it was decimated. 

[Bollinger]

I’ve great memories of the Pop Side terrace. And great away days on the terraces around the country….first day back in the league at Orient….the 2-1 win at Posh to take us into the top six of the Championship, Kettering the week that Richardson had been sent down and tons more.

Thing was, these were busy and boisterous days out in half filled stadiums and all nice and safe.

I went to the famous Wigan v Hull FC RL Cup Final at the old Wembley and it was pretty scary stuff. It was so full I could not have moved if I’d wanted to. There were times when I literally found it impossible to lift my arms from my sides. It was easy to see how people could be killed had something given way or there’d been some sort of emergency. I refused to go to the old Wembley again after that.

There were two types of terrace experiences I think and to go back to the OP’s point, yes, it wasn’t all good.

[tyke1962]

It's one of the reasons I love going to Wakefield Trinity .

I have a ST on the West Terrace at Belle Vue and it's just brilliant to go back and watch sport like we used to back in the day .

I suppose it's slightly different in Rugby League where the culture isn't like football , Trinity and fans of the Bradford Bulls were all stood together last night with plenty of beers getting drunk and not a hint of any bother .

[Scooter]

My indoctrination into live football happened on the popside. The football was frequently crap but I spent over 15 years in the popside. Happy days. Lots of happy memories and fun.

I would guess if I was to write a book about my football experiences post-2007 would be more focused on the on the pitch events. Pre-2007 would include more memories and events from the popside

[Dougiebulletheader]

Will be off tomorrow to watch the Dons..Tattersfield was a dump but I have fond memories of the old place..

[Colin C No.3]

I remember the ‘famous’ night game at Belle Vue in 1968/69 season when 22,000+ packed into the stadium. I was in the Rosso End that evening & spent the whole match on tiptoe’s.

We needed to win to go top but lost the game 1-0.

My only memory of the evening (apart from the sea of faces) was watching the Darlington No.3 flick the ball into the air during the pre-match warm up, catch it on the back of his neck, balance it there before flicking it up into the air again with the ball landing at his feet. I’d never seen anything like it before. I thought he was definitely as good as Pele!

Where would the Darlington support have stood? The Town End I’m guessing.

We went up as Champions of Division Four that year of course.

[tyke1962]

Will be off tomorrow to watch the Dons..Tattersfield was a dump but I have fond memories of the old place..

There's a Rugby League thread on the off topic section Dougie .

I was hoping someone was a Dons fan on here .

[IDM]

I tried all places in Belle Vue apart from the Rosso end. Stood with main stand moaners Town end even in the boxes they put up there towards the end. Actually never sat in the Cow shed. All these mentioned Pop side was still the best especially back in the day before it was decimated. 

Reading your post made me realise I actually have over time watched the footy from all areas at BV, primarily in the early 80s when the pop side and cow shed were properly in place.

I loved terracing, and as a reflection on the earlier posts, have stood in the shed end at Stamford bridge many times.  I used to get there early so I could stand in front of a crush barrier!

[Sprotyrover]

That was an experience Everton Away in the Cup once in place you couldn’t move !

[ForsolongaRover]

Standing up is the best way to watch any winter sport because you can move around to keep warm and most winter sports are more lively than say, cricket. At the Dons you used to find yourself  standing sideways pointing the direction that we were attacking. At Belle Vue on the Pop side you could move from centre right to centre left to be nearer the goal we were attacking.

I can’t really stand comfortably for a whole match now so I appreciate being able to sit, but the first time I sat in the main stand which was some time after I moved away from Doncaster (and still fairly young) I felt like a very distant observer.

This contrasted totally from the terrace experience where you felt integrated with the action on the pitch. No wonder people stand up when it gets exciting, much as it annoys old fellas like me!

[richtherover]

I was at the Liverpool 3rd round tie in 1969 when Rovers were brilliant but went down to 2 late goals. Alick Jeffrey went close just before the end and the next thing I remember is being given smelling salts pitchside by the SJA, after the forward surge by the crowd. Years later I went to the England v Scotland game at Wembley (1977?) and for the only time in my life left a game early. The terraces were mayhem and I really feared for my life. I think we English were outnumbered about 10 to 1!

[ravenrover]

We ended up in what would have been the Scots away end. Mindst you there were that many all around the ground it might as well have been a home game for them. Wembley  Way was just a sea of cans and bottles. We left just before Tuert scored, have to say the Scots were very generous with their drink  during the game even to us 3 English