Main Stand Paddocks - Roker Wing

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May16thHelloHello

May16thHelloHello

Midfield
Bit off topic, but on the back of the "Random Away Days" thread, something has just popped into my head from the good old days in the Main Stand Paddocks at Roker which made me chuckle...

Does anyone remember the head steward (who used to patrol the side of the pitch like MacKay out of Porridge in his white coat)? I remember one game he ended up getting the coppers to lift some poor bloke for shouting something out during the game... from then on, every time he walked past, the whole of the paddocks would just go quiet, then everybody would go "ssssshhhhhhhh..... SUPERGRASS!!!" every time he walked past! It continued for about 4-5 years iirc?

Also the Proclaimers lookalike who used to sit on the cinder track next to the hoardings (which was an emergency exit) also used to get dogs abuse anarl...!!

Oh happy days.

Any other good stories from the Paddocks?
 


May16thHelloHello said:
Bit off topic, but on the back of the "Random Away Days" thread, something has just popped into my head from the good old days in the Main Stand Paddocks at Roker which made me chuckle...

Does anyone remember the head steward (who used to patrol the side of the pitch like MacKay out of Porridge in his white coat)? I remember one game he ended up getting the coppers to lift some poor bloke for shouting something out during the game... from then on, every time he walked past, the whole of the paddocks would just go quiet, then everybody would go "ssssshhhhhhhh..... SUPERGRASS!!!" every time he walked past! It continued for about 4-5 years iirc?

Also the Proclaimers lookalike who used to sit on the cinder track next to the hoardings (which was an emergency exit) also used to get dogs abuse anarl...!!

Oh happy days.

Any other good stories from the Paddocks?
Click to expand...
am i right in thinking people made kids seats and took them in for the bairns to sit at the front? like hung on the railings etc? or is my memory failing.
 
May16thHelloHello said:
Bit off topic, but on the back of the "Random Away Days" thread, something has just popped into my head from the good old days in the Main Stand Paddocks at Roker which made me chuckle...

Does anyone remember the head steward (who used to patrol the side of the pitch like MacKay out of Porridge in his white coat)? I remember one game he ended up getting the coppers to lift some poor bloke for shouting something out during the game... from then on, every time he walked past, the whole of the paddocks would just go quiet, then everybody would go "ssssshhhhhhhh..... SUPERGRASS!!!" every time he walked past! It continued for about 4-5 years iirc?

Also the Proclaimers lookalike who used to sit on the cinder track next to the hoardings (which was an emergency exit) also used to get dogs abuse anarl...!!

Oh happy days.

Any other good stories from the Paddocks?
Click to expand...

was he fella of about 5'6"ish? Probably in his 50s by the time we played the last game there? Short fair hair?
 
May16thHelloHello said:
Think he just had blonde (ish) hair, no tache?
Click to expand...

he was definitely stewarding in the early days of the SoL as well like. I have a vivid memory of Andy Melville nearly cleaning him out when he was chasing a loose ball across the back.
 
I remember the fatish ginger steward that used to get dogs abuse for his grassing in the main stand Roker wing seats in the last few years at Roker.
 
May16thHelloHello said:
Think he just had blonde (ish) hair, no tache?
Click to expand...

I stood there for a few seasons. Some blokes claimed he was the one who used to sell "Peanuts, tanner a bag" and lob them up the Fullwell. If the game was dull (which was most of the time in the Buxton, Butcher era), they used to should "Peanuts" at him. He didn't like it!
 
curlypermsareback said:
am i right in thinking people made kids seats and took them in for the bairns to sit at the front? like hung on the railings etc? or is my memory failing.
Click to expand...

No. Me fatha worked for the council, and got a bloke at work to make one for me. Mid 70's (f***ing hell, I feel old now!!!)
 
curlypermsareback said:
am i right in thinking people made kids seats and took them in for the bairns to sit at the front? like hung on the railings etc? or is my memory failing.
Click to expand...
My son was born in 1981. I used to take a seat like a park swing with short ropes on it and hang it over the railings in the Clock Stand opposite the tunnel. Lots of others did it too.

When we went to Sheffield for the cup semi final against Norwich I took a proper plastic stool into the ground no bother at all from stewards or the police. Can you imagine that now?
 
snipes said:
No. Me fatha worked for the council, and got a bloke at work to make one for me. Mid 70's (f***ing hell, I feel old now!!!)
Click to expand...

My fatha made me one. A plank of wood with 2 bits of rope, which hung over the red railings in the paddock. Happy days :lol:

May16thHelloHello said:
Bit off topic, but on the back of the "Random Away Days" thread, something has just popped into my head from the good old days in the Main Stand Paddocks at Roker which made me chuckle...

Does anyone remember the head steward (who used to patrol the side of the pitch like MacKay out of Porridge in his white coat)? I remember one game he ended up getting the coppers to lift some poor bloke for shouting something out during the game... from then on, every time he walked past, the whole of the paddocks would just go quiet, then everybody would go "ssssshhhhhhhh..... SUPERGRASS!!!" every time he walked past! It continued for about 4-5 years iirc?

Also the Proclaimers lookalike who used to sit on the cinder track next to the hoardings (which was an emergency exit) also used to get dogs abuse anarl...!!

Oh happy days.

Any other good stories from the Paddocks?
Click to expand...

I can remember the young Paul Weir (super cop) used to patrol between the Roker and main stand paddock. All the Jarra lads used to shout at him and ask him to get his boots on. Decent bloke until he became our jobs worth safety officer.
 
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I worked at Roker in the dim and distant past of the 70s. The reserves played in the midweek North Midlands League and we only opened the Main Stand and the Roker Wing Paddock for an attendance of a few hundred. The paddock had a door into the area where the gatemen were issued with their keys etc and from there was a door into the dressing room area and upstairs to the boardroom/offices etc.

I was always on duty for the reserve/youth/schoolboy matches along with the Secretary (Ron Linney) and many times we would nip down to the Catering point in the Paddock for a Bovril and pie and watch the game from the paddock. Luxury!
 
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