Travelling Away to Watch The Albion - Pre 1975

[HoveHorace]

Sorry if this has been done before but it would be great to hear from some of our older supporters about away day travels to see the Albion. My first away day was at Palace 1975 (by car) and it seemed to take forever to get there. We won 1-0 !!!!!

I started watching the Albion at the Goldstone in season 1969-70 and I cannot remember there being away fans present in those days.

Perhaps people just didn't travel much in those days - anyone enlighten us about their trips or remember big away support turning up at the Goldstone pre mid 70's ?

 

[flint]

I remember an Easter monday trip to Brentford, we had won at home on Good Friday but lost on th Monday. Six of us travelled up in a Ford Escort van. Great pub just outside Griffen Park and we stopped off at a pub in Mitcham on the way back ( what a dump) but one of my mates used to live there and was not a CPFC fan. My guess was some time in 70's as we were part of a pub darts team.

 

[AnotherArch]

In the 60's especially there was always a handful of fans that travelled the long distances, normally by train because the supporters coach (run by Dot Fowler in those days) quite often did not do long journeys - unless it was overnight to Southport or Rochdale. As there was no crowd segregation, it was always hard to tell where away fans were.
Special day returns on the trains were available, publicised by leaflets available at Brighton Station. Easter 1965 - some people travelled Brighton to Stockport & back (£2 5s) on the Good Friday and Brighton to Darlington and back (£3 6s) on the Saturday after - and it snowed. I stayed with my dad in Manchester after Stockport and then travelled over to Doncaster where we caught the same train as those who has started from Brighton that day.
Another trick was to cadge a lift on the team coach. When we played at Oldham, we used to wait outside the team hotel, the Queens Hotel, in Manchester. Between Archie Macaulay and Len Stringer, the only travelling director, they would leave it to the other to say 'yes'.
Plenty more memories where these came from.

 

[pork pie]

In those days going to away matches would almost certainly end in a fight. Brighton used to take a fair few away. Not many away fans came to the Goldstone, otherwise they would be given a kicking by the South Stand crew, or by the North Stand lads when the gates opened.

 

[sams dad]

In the late 60's - early 70's I often travelled to away matches on the Supporters club coach. As the motorway system was far less developed then, this meant that for matches in the North or West this usually entailed leaving on Friday night. The coach would pick us up at St.Peter's Church at around 11pm and we would travel through the night with one stop at a motorway service area. If the game was in the North-west we would be dropped off in Manchester early on Saturday morning and left to wander around for a few hours before getting back on the coach at around midday and being taken to the match. We usually arrived back in Brighton late on Saturday so many away trips took around 24 hours to complete.
Mid-season games at Bury, Rochdale , Oldham and the like, generally attracted few travelling fans, maybe 30 or 40 on the coach with a handful of others making their way by other means. If the Albion were going for promotion or the game was local ( eg Aldershot or Gillingham) this would swell to a few hundred but rarely to the numbers who travel nowadays.
On a couple of occasions I hitch-hiked to matches, I particularly remember going to Mansfield, I left at 8 pm on Friday evening and arrived home at midday on Sunday.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

my dad and brother used to go and he would drive. Watford away in 1974/5 one evening was my first. I think we won ..can't remember. Worst one was Millwall away when we lost 3-1 - fred Binney scored - loads of trouble that day..really unpleasant

 

[seagullondon]

youngsters

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

My 1st few games were on Dot's supporters coach.

My 1st real job was with the railways and this came with thr great perk of cheap (and sometimes free) rail travel.

In regards to teams bringing fans down to the Goldstone, the 1st mob I saw were Luton and it was a match at Luton where took loads in my 1st real experience of Albion hoolies on the road.

 

[Nottseagull]

I started watching the Albion at the Goldstone in season 1969-70 and I cannot remember there being away fans present in those days.

Perhaps people just didn't travel much in those days - anyone enlighten us about their trips or remember big away support turning up at the Goldstone pre mid 70's ?

I also started that season, but you have to appreciate that the nation was nowhere near as affluent as it is now. A colour TV set would cost several week's wages for instance, although ground admission was cheap.
The first significant away following I can remember was Villa in 1971-2, where the gate was around 29.000.

 

[Brovion]

Sorry if this has been done before but it would be great to hear from some of our older supporters about away day travels to see the Albion. My first away day was at Palace 1975 (by car) and it seemed to take forever to get there. We won 1-0 !!!!!

I started watching the Albion at the Goldstone in season 1969-70 and I cannot remember there being away fans present in those days.

Perhaps people just didn't travel much in those days - anyone enlighten us about their trips or remember big away support turning up at the Goldstone pre mid 70's ?

If you're talking about an evening game quite early in the season that was my first away game too! Didn't 'travel' as such as I was staying with my Dad in Sutton and we went together. First time I'd been to Selhurst as an away fan (previously I'd gone there to support Palace). After that I started going on the 'Norris' coaches from the Clifton/Crabtree. Reading the Nigel Erskine thread there's a few others on here who did that as well.

I more remember the collapse in Albion away support once we'd reached the Prem (1st division as it was then). It's amazing how quickly the novelty of playing in the top division wore off, people were happier seeing us go to Mansfield and winning as opposed to seeing us go to Man City and losing.

 

[Return of the Rev]

My 1st few games were on Dot's supporters coach.

My 1st real job was with the railways and this came with thr great perk of cheap (and sometimes free) rail travel.

In regards to teams bringing fans down to the Goldstone, the 1st mob I saw were Luton and it was a match at Luton where took loads in my 1st real experience of Albion hoolies on the road.

that was the day super macs car nearly got turned over,b'muff away 71/72 was also a mob day out!

 

[bhaexpress]

The first away game I saw was Fulham who beat us 4-1 and just about ended our faint promotion hopes. A lot of my earlier trips were on the old Seagull Specials, had to get up at some ridiculous hour to get up to Sunderland but the trip was worth it as we won 2-0 and went top of the old Second Division. I also remember leaving some places with the blinds down in case one of the many stones hurled at these trains had a window broken, something you just don't think about now. I also remember people flushing the train toilets when we passed through Selhurst !

 

[HoveHorace]

Great stuff lads - yeah the Palace game was midweek and played in torrential rain. We arrived 10 minutes late due to traffic and parking problems - missed Barry Butlins goal and watched Palace lay siege to our goal for rest of match.
I was also at the Millwall defeat - I seem to remember Millwall had a large bass drum being beaten throughout game. Went back a couple of seasons later and won 1-0 and Millwall got into seats and attacked us.

I also remember our junior school (St Nicholas Portslade) laying on a trip to Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea vs Leeds - this was a year or so after Famous FA Cup Final. About 10 of us eleven year olds went in minibus with one teacher who saw us in turnstiles at Shed End and then pissed off ! (probably to pub). It was in days when you could do full circle within the grounds. Loads of trouble inside - we kept having to move to avoid rucks . I think Leeds won 2-1. Outside ground we saw a Leeds lad laying in gutter after being bricked. Came home and thought I had a great day out !

What were the School and our parents thinking letting us go .

 

[Gwylan]

Worst one was Millwall away when we lost 3-1 - fred Binney scored - loads of trouble that day..really unpleasant

Remember that - the old Den was really intimidating. I recall that in that game Joe Kinnear gave one of the worst Albion performances I can ever remember, he didn't seemed to be in the game at all - looked like he was half pissed.

The worst fans I remember were Swindon's after the game was abandoned with us losing 4-0. We got bricks chucked us at on the way back to the station and, naturally, had to leave with the blinds down.

 

[HoveHorace]

Remember that - the old Den was really intimidating. I recall that in that game Joe Kinnear gave one of the worst Albion performances I can ever remember, he didn't seemed to be in the game at all - looked like he was half pissed.

The worst fans I remember were Swindon's after the game was abandoned with us losing 4-0. We got bricks chucked us at on the way back to the station and, naturally, had to leave with the blinds down.

Do you remember the slightly simple Albion steward on the train back hanging out of the window at every station shouting out "4-0 Abandoned ! " - funny what sticks in your mind.

 

[bhaexpress]

I find it quite easy to not reminisce over away trips in those days. Mind you they weren't all bad. I have travelled to some games on my own or with one other in the past and have ended up having a very pleasant trip talking to fans of other teams.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I remember a trip to Lincoln. It was an evening kick-off. We went by train and arrived early afternoon - "to give everyone a chance to look around". We spend the afternoon looking at the cathedral and the evening having stones chucked at us by some agricultural types. Graham Taylor was in charge at Lincoln.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

...I remember teh Barry Butlin game, we arrived as he scored. west Brom away in the League Cup where wardy scored two and missed a hatful was also very hairy after the game with bricks being thrown at the Seagull Special train!

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

In those days going to away matches would almost certainly end in a fight. Brighton used to take a fair few away. Not many away fans came to the Goldstone, otherwise they would be given a kicking by the South Stand crew, or by the North Stand lads when the gates opened.

I thought the old Goldstone Southstand was the equivalent of the new 1901 - prawn sandwich munchers - Fighting crew? Surely not !!

 

[Brovion]

I thought the old Goldstone Southstand was the equivalent of the new 1901 - prawn sandwich munchers - Fighting crew? Surely not !!

No, for a time in the days of the SSRA our 'top boys' went in the South Stand.