Buzzcock
Striker
TBH marra I think at the time the photo was taken the game was the last thing on anyone's mind .
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safctommie
Winger
Incorrect.I've already commented on the mags signal ( the United chant) to set it away.They were in amongst us and 'escorting' us down to the station.Check the photo again.I'd heard of the bother that took place before the game but as I never witnessed any,I haven't commented on it.
Vauxie
Striker
Then you are confused.
The bother referred to as the Battle of Bath Lane took place before the game right at the petrol station
safctommie
Winger
Lol.To be honest,it was frightening.Nowadays plod tend to have the situation under control regarding keeping home fans looking for bother away from away fans.This wasn't the case on the day in question.TBH marra I think at the time the photo was taken the game was the last thing on anyone's mind .
D
Deleted member 6830
Guest
urwrong me ould mucker. I saw one of the copies. @HU16 Mackem for one will confirm I am right as will @The Fulwell
They were mainly handed out in the RE a week or two before the skunks game - FACT
safctommie
Winger
I stand corrected then.That photo is regularly produced when the Battle of Bath lane is discussed.
Elephant
Striker
The bath Lane game was played February 1979. Would it not have been dark after the game ?
safctommie
Winger
My dispute was the timing of the Battle of Bath Lane.Sorry for any confusion.
wrong me ould mucker. I saw one of the copies. @HU16 Mackem for one will confirm I am right as will @The Fulwell
They were mainly handed out in the RE a week or two before the skunks game - FACT
Clearly it wasn't
D
Deleted member 6830
Guest
Think we are getting hung up on "planned". No calls were made to the mags etc it was the 70s after all.
Obviously the skunks would be waiting as they always did, but this time, instead of the game lads being split up and going on different time trains, they all congregated on the same train. That's all I am saying.
However this congregation of Safc's frisky lads only came about because the lad I'm on about, dished out the cards in the RE etc so it was in part organised.
Vauxie
Striker
Nee probs man.
The mags came at us and at first some of the mob backed off till somebody shouted stand, then some mags ran at us, one in particular had a mask on.
We sorted them and they ran then the police moved in.
I believe some of the lads at the back of the mob had a hard time getting picked off, but in the main we stood and the mags ran
buster
Striker
So it was you then ?
D
Deleted member 6830
Guest
The Battle of Bath Lane (Sunday Sun headlines) happened before the game.
After the game it was just a free for all.
I wasn't present in the escort before the game as I went thru early with some pals, but after the game, we were in what supposedly passed for an escort down to CS.
We had around 8000 there that day as had the LE and, a big section of that large paddock to the right as you faced the GE. I can only assume many came by car or bus as the escort had no more than 2500 in it. When we got outside, there were thousands waiting.
No more than 30 cops in escort, no horses iirc, and no vans. Went down Barrack Road, turned right in to Corporation road and it kicked off big style by the Shell garage. They just came piling in.
100 yards further on took a left down Bath Lane. Hundreds of them standing on the old city walls ( separating Bath Lane from Chinatown) and hundreds more on the grassed area in front of the walls. They kept running in and out and the coppers were spread too thin to do owt.
We got halfway down when you could hear a rumbling sound and a lad shouted f***ing run there's thousands of them. We legged it down to the bottom of BL, across Westgate rd and down Pink Lane (??) to the station where the police were thankfully just keeping the skunks back on either side so we could get through the gates.
It was fecking mental. That sf night at Chelsea 85 was my worst supporting Safc away, but skunks Feb 79 wasn't far behind.
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That Photo is outside of the Waterloo. As Sunderland were going past some skunks ran out & Sunderland got stuck into them, they backed off but stood when they couldn't run back into the bar. (The Mags inside had locked the doors as they thought the bar would be rushed.) The lads further up at the front of the escort turned back to get involved. Hence the photo. Not sure if that's the battle of Bath Lane but that's what's going off in the photo.
D
Deleted member 6830
Guest
That photo was used by the Sunday Sun with the caption Battle of Bath Lane. Neither set of fans called it that.
Btw are you MM
?So it was me what ??
A lad I know, and who a canny few on here know, put the photocopied small leaflets out/ cards in the RE. Nowt to do with me. Never ever got involved in those shenanighans as I detest the sight of my own blood being spilled
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Goldie read your thread on Poland.Travelled all over with England since the 80's and cold write a book myself and it would be only one trip. Poland/ England 93 Katowice there's a clip on YouTube hairy stuff.Being on the dole at the time my mate bought a old Honda Civic. For £60 yes I did say £60 and off we set 3 from Peterlee and a mate from Blyth called longhair never seen him for 20 year anyone know him. Got told two lads were arrested by Police took by landrover to a field and were given a good beating and all their stuff nicked.
I know I'm sounding like a right old fart but it was a different world. Going round the town on a Friday & Saturday night you'd be guaranteed to see a fight in the Greens or the Black Bull & probably both. Going to a match was the same. I've seen just as much bother in the after match drinks session at away games, than at the actual game. There was always some locals who took exception to a group of lads in a transit van turning up for a drink in their town. Had bother at Accrington, Chesterfield, Wakefield, Gloucester, Rhyll, Blackpool & Doncaster on the way back from games. I can honestly say we never went looking for bother, but it was an occupational hazard for anyone who wanted a decent night out after the match.
safctommie
Winger
It was taken further up Bath Lane ,probably where the Japanese restaurant is now.I was in the escort.It was definitely taken after the match though.
SAFCDurhamFTM
Winger
No, they were called that.
We went to France 98 and toured about a bit. Our base was in Paris because one of my mates, originally from southwick had become a merchant banker over there working for some like the Rabobank. He had this upstairs flat way near Haueseman (sp) Boulevard and there was about 8 of us kipping at his place. One of the games we went too see was Argentina v Jamaica at the Parc Des Princes. We were very popular with the Argentine fans when we turned up with our England tops on and there was nearly an international incident
anyway after the match we were absolutely f***ing mortal. My mate who had the flat and a lad called Robin Bond from Framwellgate moor went back to the flat before us. We went round about an hour later and found that the outside door to the block was shut. We pressed a few buttons and someone pressed the buzzer to let us into the apartment block. his flat was in a courtyard outside - separate building - and we tried the door to that bit and it was locked. We decided that the best bet was to try and wake them so we started - at first - to throw little pebbles up at the window to try and wake them. didnt work. We next decided that we would throw half bricks at the window - didnt work. By this time the residents was beginning to cotton on what was going on and lights were going on all over the place. People shouting at us in French no doubt to fuckoff.
over in the corner was a fire hose, used to water the plants in the garden with. I remember distinctly us all rolling around on the ground, pissing ourselves as this fire hose was unleashed on the building.
fuckall would wake them mind and so we settled down to kip back in the main block on the stairs wrapped in Union Jacks. About 7am we went back to try and rous them again and this time, after just about putting the f***ing window out, they awoke and let us in.
the garden was f***ing ruined.
what a night.
Belting lad is Bondy, haven't seen him for years. Is he still living in Prague?
The caption for the same picture on another image library site says it was in Neville Street. Not that that means anything necessarily, it could easily be wrong.
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safctommie
Winger
Let's agree it was in Newcastle somewhere
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