Memories of the York "riot"

[Harty]

It was quite simply a landmark day in the history of BHAFC.
As has been touched upon in this thread, it was supposedly the last ever league game at the Goldstone, Gulls Eye had been due to sponsor it but Bellotti pulled the plug on that after the protest at the Carlisle game the week before.
We still met up with a number of our party in Newtown Road, Paul Whelch came dressed as a undertaker, and we took the GE throng down to the Hove Park Tavern for a pre-match snifter.
Everyone knew what was going on, although the original plan was that it was going to be a half-time.
I was invited on to SCR at 2.30 to talk to Leesy in the press box about the ongoing situation and the possiblity of this being the last Goldstone league game.
I won't deny that whilst talking to him I filled up a couple of times, just looking round and seeing what those crooked c****s had reduced us to. Then John asked me a direct question about the possiblity of a planned disruption, for one of the few times in my life I delcined to comment just stating that 'For a lot of people the Albion is their life, and if you start playing with peoples lives you have to be prepared to accept the consequences.'
Then 13 minutes it happened, to say the protest was hijacked by militants, Combat 18 or the Baader Meinhof gang was complete bollocks, the protest was our collective way of saying 'We've had enough'. even now 9 years down the line I'd do it all again. it was upsetting, I make no bones that I've shed a few tears over the Goldstone over the years, but we had to do it, we had to show the footballing world that we'd had enough. In hindsight perhaps we should have done it 6 months before when we played Fulham live on Sky in the second round of the FA Cup.
But even in despair there was a supreme comedy moment....
Pciture the scene, its carnage, the goals have been ripped down, the closest thing to footballing anarchy most of us will ever see and Tony Millard gets on the mic and says...
" Whilst we have this break in the play can I remind you all this Tuesday its Steve Foster testimonial kicking off at 7.45pm"
PRICELESS

 

[John Boy]

I was 8 at the time, and I had no idea that it was going to happen, although my dad said he did to me later.

I remember it was a lovely day and there was a great atmosphere. Suddenly, fans ran on from the North Stand and started to jump onto the bar and within a few minutes it had snapped.

The announcer was going 'GET OFF THE PITCH. THIS IS NOT HELPING YOUR FOOTBALL CLUB. GET OFF THE PITCH'

About ten minutes later, the announcement was 'THE MATCH HAS BEEN ABANDONED. VACATE THE GROUND. THE MATCH HAS BEEN ABANDONED'.

I don't remember the Steve Foster bit, which Harty has just mentioned.

I bled blue and white from then on.

 

[Turkey]

"Ladies and Gentleman you are doing nobody any favours. PLease leave the pitch. Thank you."

"This is no way to save your club. Will you please vacate the playing area."

Anyone got any pictures?

 

[Alby]

I am glad that there are only a few comments (still too many) about combat 18 and thugs, that is the type of crap we had to endure from parts of the media. The crew that lewes Cliff is commenting on were lads that normally stood in the North stand. They were and are passionate about the club.
What happened that day was so important to the fight we were having to save our club. After York not many people hadnt heard about us.
Such drastic action needs to be taken in life occassionally and i for one would do the same again if the circumstances dictated.

The York fans i spoke to after that game and a couple i spoke to before the rearranged game accepted what we had done and wished us every success.

 

[Hiney]

"Ladies and Gentleman you are doing nobody any favours. PLease leave the pitch. Thank you."

"This is no way to save your club. Will you please vacate the playing area."

Anyone got any pictures?

There are some in Build a Bonfire - can't put them up cos my scanners broken

Paul Camillin: "Everyone said there was a hooligan element there, but that was bollocks! There was a lot of Brighton fans that hadn't been there in a long time, sort of got the call, as it was. We also gained one hell of a lot of respect with what happened at the York game. I think a lot of people, regardless of of what the media saw, saw what was going on and read between the lines. Most people could say it was a riot, and troublemakers, and people still come up to me and say, "that big riot at Brighton". I just say it wasn't a riot, we stood up and said, "you are not taking the f***ing piss. Sort it out".

 

[Sorrel]

I can't say I enjoyed it in any way, but I think it helped the club, so it was worth it. The next season at the Goldstone, which wouldn't have happened without it IMO, was both awful and wonderful at the same time - and that was down to the invasion at the York match.

To be honest, I don't really recall the business with the points, but didn't we have some deducted that contributed to the league position of the season after?

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

I remember my mates brother moaning about paying 8 quid for 15 minutes.

 

[balloonboy]

I drove down from Somerset....as I left my wife asked me to promise that I wouldn't go on the pitch....!!!

 

[daveyboybhafc2]

That was my fist brighton game, i thought the game was abandoned after 16 minutes not 8?

 

[Goring Gull]

Crickey that long ago i'd have only been 19, remember getting the train over to Hove with a couple of mates one who'd never been along before, think he said he was bored and it beat knocking around Worthing for the afternoon, holed up in teh Hedgehog by Hove station, had a few too many along to ground ran around on the pitch abit back to the pub got chatting with aload of York city boys who wished us luck. funny how far apart York and ourselves are now, even after the dismal events against Wigan at least we are still in business and along way from Yorks predicament.

 

[dougdeep]

I remember that we started quite brightly, which was unusual in those days. It seemed a shame to stop at the time. History proved otherwise of course.

 

[saafend_seagull]

That was me.

i was sitting right next to that.

remember one bloke in particular leading the chants up on it.

marvellous scenes

 

[plymouth nige]

Drove up from Plymouth for a couple of minutes of football - would do it again, and again for the Albion.

The Stewards just opened the safety gate in the North Stand and invited us onto the pitch. I just went on and wandered around.

A very tearful day

wcnige

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Spare a thought for York City still struggling in the Conference.

 

[Bwian]

funny how far apart York and ourselves are now, even after the dismal events against Wigan at least we are still in business and along way from Yorks predicament.

You're not wrong-they said on Sky Sports on Monday during their game with Halifax that they have managed to buy their ground back. They look like they're dropping out of the Conference but they at least have a ground which they can plan for the future with. Makes them better off than us in many ways....

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

I thought it was on 13 minutes?

I was in the North Stand (as always) with mates, and what I remember is a couple of nutters saying to one another in front of me "there late, there late"!!! (referring to the exact minute fans were meant to come onto the pitch from the West Stand)

They were late as it happened, by about 1 minute

 

[ShorehamGull]

A sad day, I was stood in the north east terrace with two of my mates. when the riots started we just stood there and could not believe what we were seeing. After about half hour we left.

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

It was extreme, but it only happened becuase it had to. Won't ever forget it - as much of horrible thing to have had to have done, it was a turning point.

 

[Brovion]

I hope reading this that people like Seagullible now feel suitably chastised.

 

[Caveman]

Was in the west when a crew i had never seen before said there was going to be a pitch invasion,i had my three young kids with me so stood right at the back.I thought it was 3-15 WHEN IT ALL KICKED OFF AND REMEMBER LOOKING AT THUGS JUST THERE FOR TROUBLE AND A DAY OUT wreck our pitch and thought talk about shooting ourselfs in the foot.

No they were Brighton fans.

I remember running across the pitch (think against Carlisle) and climbing up into the directors box to try and get at Bellotti, the next morning the Argus lands on my dads door step and there was a picture of me right in the middle of the picture on the front page.

Must admit I was expecting a visit as like a few from the Lincoln game who weren't so lucky.

The York game (if you can call it that) was sad to watch and I remember feeling gutted as the cross bars were snapped but at the same time knew it was the best thing to happen to get us the media coverage.

I still have all the old TV coverage on video and will one day convert it all onto DVD.