1993 Bennett testimonial


Remember scraping behind the roker pie shop with this little mad jock who wouldn’t stop down about a one hour later I saw him sparked out outside the Fulwell. I woke up the next morning with smashing black eye . A couple of lads from our way were stabbed in a bar in the town cowardly pricks
 
Remember getting on the Catch a Bus number 6 from the Nook and seeing an about 5 rangers fans on the back seat with a crate of beers. To be fair they were sound and offered us all one. At least I think that was what they were saying.

I saw no trouble and i remember at the game Rangers were different class to us and Hateley scored a blinder.
 
I was working in the town that day.
Rangers turned up early.
Obviously the two lads were slashed in Digbys (I think it was)
Walked over the wearmouth bridge towards the match and it was full of pipes and sectarian shite.
Didn't see any trouble at the match but they were a good team and played a strong side.
 
We used to drink in the Tavern pre match in Roker Park day. Remember turning up there about 4ish and there were Rangers fans lying on the pavement pissed out of their minds.

The ones still standing weren’t much better and there was a bit of bother inside. Brenda was having none of it and threw a couple out after a scuffle and came back in fuming ‘The fuckin bastard punched me right on me f***ing tit’ :lol:

What a landlady she was. So kind and generous but took zero shit.
 
Rangers had a good team back then, so it wasn’t a bad game.

Didn’t see much trouble but the drunkenness was mental. People stumbling around all over the place. Bottles/cans everywhere.

Mind despite the 25 year gap, it wasn’t much better when the other lot arrived for the SOL friendly a few year back 😂

Hopefully we never have to play either of the old firm again in a home friendly. Both are absolutely riddled with bigotry
 
Walked into the New Derby and it was rammed with pissed up jocks, singing about the pope. Could barely get into the door it was so full. Decided to try the off licence over the road instead. Walked in there and there was literally nothing left to buy, it had been cleared. Rangers fans asleep on pavements as we walked up to the ground.
 
Tbf the old firm are bored out of their skulls travelling to Kilmarnock and Motherwell etc and it’s a chance to have a daft day out coming over the border.

That game was nowt really, we were doing fuck all at the time and testimonials are a pantomime that our fans have never been that boshed about apart from maybe Monty’s against the Mags which drew about 30,000.

Roker Avenue v Rangers was interesting from about 6pm when a full strength Vauxies turned out and years later Seaburn and Vauxies held their own at Ibrox after Ian Ferguson’s testimonial match.

Both games was mainly about the away fans being on the beer and having a laugh apart from a few exaggerated isolated incidents.
Couple o sunlun got slashed in some bar in town ..
Lively occasion .. they brought a mob .
That was Chelsea, who has a thing with Rangers at the time, in Digbys. Unfortunately that happened/happens in many city centres regularly in a non football context too. Pathetic.
 
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Rangers had a good team back then, so it wasn’t a bad game.
They had an excellent team back then. I am sure the season before (1992-93) they won the domestic treble in Scotland and went unbeaten in the inaugural UEFA Champions League where they played the eventual winners Marseille and Leeds in the Battle of Britain. Cannot recall Ally McCoist playing in Gary Bennett's testimonial match - was he injured?
 
Went as a 14 year old. Never seen so many pissed Scots. Nasty undertone throughout. Someone had their face slashed open in Digbys/Idols iirc. Awful.
 
Anyone go ?


Scenes outside .

Was terrible.
Aye, incredible atmosphere created by the Rangers supporters, did they have The Roker and The Clock Stand?

I remember them singing one song and they all had arms outstretched wheeling around like aeroplanes, looked amazing
 
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Tbf the old firm are bored out of their skulls travelling to Kilmarnock and Motherwell etc and it’s a chance to have a daft day out coming over the border.

That game was nowt really, we were doing fuck all at the time and testimonials are a pantomime that our fans have never been that boshed about apart from maybe Monty’s against the Mags which drew about 30,000.

Roker Avenue v Rangers was interesting from about 6pm when a full strength Vauxies turned out and years later Seaburn and Vauxies held their own at Ibrox after Ian Ferguson’s testimonial match.

Both games was mainly about the away fans being on the beer and having a laugh apart from a few exaggerated isolated incidents.

That was Chelsea, who has a thing with Rangers at the time, in Digbys. Unfortunately that happened/happens in many city centres regularly in a non football context too. Pathetic.
Sunderland(seaburn mostly) actually 'done' the rangers lads round the back of allied carpets. Remember roker avenue just being a blanket of glass. Also a few mag 'lads' got knacked outside the roker end.
 
I went and it was bedlam,Rangers had all the Roker end and clock stand end,there fans were great to watch during the game,as in songs and flags and creating atmosphere ect.

Outside the ground they were mostly pissed up thugs looking for trouble.

My mate gut slashed digbys and I had to attend an i d parade at Southwick Nick few weeks later (I recall a couple lads getting jail for it) I could be wrong as was only 17/18 at time, and caught up in all that shite so didn’t take much notice of stuff other than drinking on weekend ect.
 
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I vaguely remember a fan encroaching the pitch and kissing a Rangers scarf and was roundly booed by the Fulwell End. He then produced a Sunderland scarf and kissed that too. As he was led away by the police the whole ground cheered him. Rangers were immense, too quick and powerful for us on the evening and Mark Hateley was almost unplayable, scoring a brace of second half goals and nearly snapping the crossbar with a towering header.
Sunderland(seaburn mostly) actually 'done' the rangers lads round the back of allied carpets. Remember roker avenue just being a blanket of glass. Also a few mag 'lads' got knacked outside the roker end.
The back of the roker was mental .


I was started on constantly .
 

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