[Albion] York City 1996: What was your experience?

[Pevenseagull]

The York fans I met that day were terrific.

 

[HangletonGull]

Remember it all spilling out into Hove Park. Replay behind closed doors mid week, I smuggled a small radio into work so was able to have a listen.

It wast behind closed doors Thursday 10.30 am I bunked off school to go

 

[AZ Gull]

A strange experience watching the replayed game later in the week, with something like a 10:30 kick off , in a virtually empty Goldstone, with just the North Stand open for ST from memory.

No surprise the first game as abandoned, everyone knew what was going to happen, although my was surprised I was home so early.

I went to both matches, so the replay couldn't have been ST - I hadn't had one for years and didn't again until the first season at the Withdean.
I was also angry at the reports claiming to show a confrontation with the away fans. There was superb solidarity from the York fans.

As per the excellent Goldstone Wrap website, tickets for the replayed (all-ticket) fixture went on sale the day before the match.

 

[Clive Walker]

Felt like any other game where literally anything could happen. Loved it and hated it in equal measure.

The importance of knowing where we’ve come from is so so so important to me. I instil it into my children. Premier league is great but so much sweater knowing what we went through.

 

[herecomesaregular]

I don't remember that much about the first game (obviously as it didn't last long!). I was a good boy and stayed in the North and watched as I was worried that getting nicked would affect my job. Was there a clip of a fan on the pitch that was on a tv clip that said an emotional "I LOVE the Albion"? and I was, yeah mate, me too when i saw it on Coast to Coast (?), it really resonated (if it was that game?). I remember the morning rematch mainly for the lad in the Carlisle shirt stood behind me in the North hoping for an Albion win to get them to jump above York. And we were duly shit, of course, and lost and at least he had a laugh with us about it.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

More than a bit depressing to see so many passionate young lads (from all backgrounds) making up the loyal Albion support back then...

Nowadays we have only some of the same blokes, but now 30 years older, and diluted by the rest of The Amex audience.

 

[Johnny Byrne superstar]

I remember barely being able to keep my feet in the packed North Stand before the game. I couldn’t stand in the spot I normally did because I was repeatedly knocked off my feet. I went down the front and sun beat down on the front few rows. I remember Ian Chapman getting player of the season and then 16 minutes of forgettable football. Then on strolled a crowd from the West terrace and Nicky Rust sprinted for the tunnel. Fans leapt the small wall at the front of the North Stand and I stared out at faces hanging from the crossbar until it snapped. Eventually, I walked out onto the pitch and started wrenching up some grass, but was told to stop by another fan because Steve Foster’s testimonial was due in a few days - it was delayed until a pre-season friendly against Sheffield Wednesday - an anti-climax for a great. When I finally left, it was with a heavy heart.

What was your experience of this game?
I’d love to share a range of experiences and stories on a Brighton ‘90s podcast I’m recording next week.

Pretty much exactly the same experience. Remember seeing the illiterate graffiti (we hat palace) and feeling the uneasy volatile atmosphere with a definite contingent of troublemakers who weren’t Albion…

 

[Since1982]

We all knew what was going to happen. It did and we went for beers with York fans in The Sussex on Hove Seafront. A stepping stone to where we are today

Well I didn't know it was about to happen - to be fair I'd been absent from much of what was going on due to other life stuff. So, I decided it would be a good game to take my five year old son for his first taste of the Albion. His mum wasn't impressed but he is now a diehard fan so turned out all right in the end.

 

[cjd]

An emotional day with my eldest son who was coming up to 20 years old. We knew it was supposed to happen , ( I think we all got the info at the albion pub on the corner near the ground) but never thought it would be so succsessful.

Co-incidentally he is 50 years old today and is just as passionate now, about the Albion as we were in those days and follows them up and down the country. It is thanks to him , I still get to see the Albion 8 or 9 times year when I come back to the UK. ( love the 1901 for that extra bit of comfort...ha ha ).

A few times after games we went down to Hove Police Station to register our complaints about police thuggery. Guppy was his name. Complete arsehole.

 

[Pevenseagull]

I had a disposable camera with me.... Took it in for processing in Boots the following weekend and when I went to collect the pictures I was told that they had been passed on to the police...

 

[Invicta]

It wast behind closed doors Thursday 10.30 am I bunked off school to go

I phoned the main club phone line to ask the score for the replay from work in London, was pre Internet, hard to imagine !

 

[Sirnormangall]

Took my daughter to her first match that day. She was very excited when we went on the pitch and asked me if it happens at each match. ……which wasn’t such a daft question because pitch invasions weren’t unusual at that point in our history

 

[oldboyroy]

Was in South stand for a change (and a seat). Watched it unfold and the riot police marching in to the chorus of boos and chants of what a waste of money, with them forming a ring around the west stand directors area!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

One of my very very rare visits to the West Stand seats to enjoy the carnage.

Me too. With middle brother.
Everyone knew what was going to happen.
I worried that we would get points deducted.
How close were we to that?
I vowed to never go on the pitch after watching that.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Remember it all spilling out into Hove Park. Replay behind closed doors mid week, I smuggled a small radio into work so was able to have a listen.

As already mentioned it wasn’t behind closed doors nor STHs only. (And if it was a big prize question on ‘Millionaire’ I’d go for kick off was 11a.m)
I don’t remember much about the match although I do recall someone in the North Stand wearing a Carlisle shirt. (He didn’t get the result he wanted)
I also recall spending the rest of the afternoon drinking in the Hove Park Tavern with a few York fans and playing a lot of Black Grape tracks from Its Great When You’re Straight on the juke box.
When I ran out of money I went into the newsagents opposite and tapped Arthur Speary up for a tenner.
It’s funny what you remember.

 

[Pevenseagull]

As already mentioned it wasn’t behind closed doors nor STHs only. (And if it was a big prize question on ‘Millionaire’ I’d go for kick off was 11a.m)
I don’t remember much about the match although I do recall someone in the North wearing a Carlisle shirt. (He didn’t get the result he wanted)
I also recall spending the rest of the afternoon drinking in the Hove Park Tavern with a few York fans and playing a lot of Black Grape tracks from Its Great When You’re Straight on the juke box.
When I ran out of money I went into the newsagents opposite and tapped Arthur Speary up for a tenner.
It’s funny what you remember.

Indeed

 

[Pevenseagull]

Whilst nothing like as dedicated as most I have passionately participated in the 3 pitch invasions of my lifetime.

At 3 different grounds.

....And I enjoyed every second of them.

 

[Silverhatch]

Was there. Only ever seen the Jocks bring down a crossbar. A backs against the wall, fight or get f***ed response. Archer, Stanley and Belotti certainly understood that we weren’t going down quietly.

 

[The Optimist]

My dad took time off work to go to the rearranged game. He’d wouldn’t let me take time off school. (edit - maybe he would have and my mum wouldn’t).

I remember a back page the next day (after the abandoned game) with a headline of ‘mad crowd disease’ - we weren’t the only crowd disturbance that day.

 

[Eeyore]

Me too. With middle brother.
Everyone knew what was going to happen.
I worried that we would get points deducted.
How close were we to that?
I vowed to never go on the pitch after watching that.

Three points suspended. They took two after the Lincoln City invasion and were very lenient after the Leyton Orient madness. That would have sent us down.