The back of the old South Park Stand on 1 1 1990.Funnily enough, the view seems similar to today. Wish the prices were! it was only £3.50 for an adult to access the St Andrews Corner Terrace then!
South Park Stand 13/01/1990 - Memories
- Thread starter Sigiriya
- Start date
The back of the old South Park Stand on 1 1 1990.Funnily enough, the view seems similar to today. Wish the prices were! it was only £3.50 for an adult to access the St Andrews Corner Terrace then!
Last one of this stand. I will create a new thread shortly of pictures of other parts of the "old" ground. By the way, anyone recognise their car!?!
Casperimp
Vital 1st Team Regular
It was indeed they used to bring the away coaches in this way.
It's funny I like a lot of fans my generation have fond memories of Sincil Bank the way it used to be because basically the ground had hardly changed in 50 or 60 years and was pretty much like it was when my grandad was going in the 1930's.
Let's be honest though it was getting pretty shabby by the early to mid eighties when I started going as a young teenager (as to be fair were most football grounds in the country at that time). It took the twin tragedies of Bradford and Hillsborough to shake the powers that be into action and give us the football stadia we have today.
I know places like Grimsby and that are still pretty shabby but nothing like they used to be. Crikey the young fans of today don't know how lucky they are!
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Merthyr Imp
Vital Football Hero
I'm completely confounded by this! In the late 1960s I would often watch one half of the match from the South Park end terracing then move round to the Railway End at half time. If I remember right (could be wrong) you couldn't get through from the South Park end to the Sincil Bank side so had to go round by the St Andrew's terracing. Whether I somehow sneaked through without paying I don't know - I do know that if I'd had to pay I wouldn't have done it!
I wonder if perhaps extra money was only collected up to kick-off time? Then again, I took this photo (which I've put on here before) prior to kick-off at a game in April 1969. I must have been on my way to another part of the ground at the time as I never watched a match from in front of the St Andrews stand due to it being so far back from the pitch.
Merthyr Imp
Vital Football Hero
If there were a lot they would park on the South Common. I think all these had brought Notts County supporters in February 1971:
GertLushImp
Vital Squad Member
For those interested, apparently there were no national newspaper reporters at the game and what I presume is the Echo report, was circulated nationally. The then Millwall manager, George 'i didn't see anything' Graham, had a strange interpretation of events. These are his comments (from the excellent Millwall history website) :
"The first thing I want to do this week is to thank our fans and put the record straight. I was furious at reports following our tremendous win in the Football League Trophy Final at Lincoln of misbehaviour from our supporters. As far as I am concerned it was malicious and unfounded for not only did we see no trouble ourselves but also there was not a single complaint from the home club or the Lincoln Police."
"In fact our supporters were terrific as they have been in recent weeks, getting behind us in our unbeaten run and the Standard Fives as well as that Trophy Final. Over a thousand traveled to Lincoln on a horrible night and I understand that the only aggravation was when a group of them arrived late to find the turnstiles closed."
"It just goes to show how difficult it is to live down an image and how hard we have got to work to put it right."
"The same local journalist who maligned supporters also did our players no good at all in the reports he sent around to the national newspapers who did not have their own men at the game."
"As a result we received no credit for what was a marvelous triumph, winning a competition that had 32 entries including the club currently second in the First Division, Watford. He even managed to get our goal scorers wrong, thus taking away the credit due to Dean Neal who has shown outstanding goalscoring form during our winning run.
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Long suffering Imp
Vital Squad Member
Thats unbelievable
, first time ive seen this, and to be honest i didnt even realise GG was manager. If this is what terrific support is, id hate to have seen them when they were misbehaving.
Merthyr Imp
Vital Football Hero
I have a cutting of the Echo report (by Maurice Burton) but it's too large to scan and put on here.
It's basically a match report and nothing more with no mention at all of the supporters of either side. Here's most of it:
"Three goals in a 24-minute spell in the second half by Millwall whipped the Football League Trophy away from Lincoln City in atrocious playing conditions.
"Though City dominated the first half, they collapsed badly when Millwall applied the pressure straight after half time, and a penalty miss 11 minutes from the end helped the London side hang on to take the trophy.
"With rain falling almost incessantly throughout the match, the pitch was covered in standing water, but referee Neil Midgley decided the match should go ahead, and he told me he would do everything in his power to get it finished.
"Millwall, with no fewer than eight of their newest recruits missing for one reason or another, hit back hard and successfully straight after half time after City had taken a 32nd minute lead through Marshall Burke.
"The visitors levelled the scores two minutes into the second half, went ahead in the 59th minute, and then seemed to have clinched the trophy with a superbly taken third goal in the 71st minute.
"But City, whose resolve seemed to have vanished as the Londoners switched to the attack, found new spirit in the closing minutes, and were close to taking the final into extra time as they put Millwall's defence to heavy pressure.
"The penalty miss in the 79th minute came after Gordon Hobson had been brought down, and though keeper Paul Sansome gets credit for making the save, Burke's shot was too close to the keeper, and not struck firmly enough.
"Though Burke grabbed a second goal for himself four minutes from time, he was disconsolate after the final whistle.
"City's first half dominance with the strong wind behind them brought them only one goal, that coming when Hobson's cross found Burke perfectly placed to volley home from about 10 yards.
"City's defence had little to worry them until just before half time when Carr and Felgate were involved in a mix-up which let in Dave Martin, the City keeper managing to drop on the ball.
"In the second half...Paul Robinson played the ball into the middle, a City miskick created the chance for Dean Neal to stab it past Felgate.
"A disputed corner brought Millwall the lead, for Andy Massey's low flag kick squirmed past everyone to finish in the corner of the net'
"City seemed dead and buried - or more literally sunk - when Neal scored his second with a delightful lob shot over Felgate, the ball hitting the inside of an upright and dropping into the net.
"It might have been four but for two splendid saves by Felgate."
So two goals correctly attributed to Dean Neal.
If there were any further reports in the Echo about crowd trouble I evidently didn't bother saving them.
It's basically a match report and nothing more with no mention at all of the supporters of either side. Here's most of it:
"Three goals in a 24-minute spell in the second half by Millwall whipped the Football League Trophy away from Lincoln City in atrocious playing conditions.
"Though City dominated the first half, they collapsed badly when Millwall applied the pressure straight after half time, and a penalty miss 11 minutes from the end helped the London side hang on to take the trophy.
"With rain falling almost incessantly throughout the match, the pitch was covered in standing water, but referee Neil Midgley decided the match should go ahead, and he told me he would do everything in his power to get it finished.
"Millwall, with no fewer than eight of their newest recruits missing for one reason or another, hit back hard and successfully straight after half time after City had taken a 32nd minute lead through Marshall Burke.
"The visitors levelled the scores two minutes into the second half, went ahead in the 59th minute, and then seemed to have clinched the trophy with a superbly taken third goal in the 71st minute.
"But City, whose resolve seemed to have vanished as the Londoners switched to the attack, found new spirit in the closing minutes, and were close to taking the final into extra time as they put Millwall's defence to heavy pressure.
"The penalty miss in the 79th minute came after Gordon Hobson had been brought down, and though keeper Paul Sansome gets credit for making the save, Burke's shot was too close to the keeper, and not struck firmly enough.
"Though Burke grabbed a second goal for himself four minutes from time, he was disconsolate after the final whistle.
"City's first half dominance with the strong wind behind them brought them only one goal, that coming when Hobson's cross found Burke perfectly placed to volley home from about 10 yards.
"City's defence had little to worry them until just before half time when Carr and Felgate were involved in a mix-up which let in Dave Martin, the City keeper managing to drop on the ball.
"In the second half...Paul Robinson played the ball into the middle, a City miskick created the chance for Dean Neal to stab it past Felgate.
"A disputed corner brought Millwall the lead, for Andy Massey's low flag kick squirmed past everyone to finish in the corner of the net'
"City seemed dead and buried - or more literally sunk - when Neal scored his second with a delightful lob shot over Felgate, the ball hitting the inside of an upright and dropping into the net.
"It might have been four but for two splendid saves by Felgate."
So two goals correctly attributed to Dean Neal.
If there were any further reports in the Echo about crowd trouble I evidently didn't bother saving them.
NottyImp
Vital Football Legend
Thats unbelievable
This is Millwall, so the bar is pretty low for "good" behaviour.
Red Wimp
Vital Football Legend
Not sure if you’re saying only 71-76 could you move sections? I didn’t start going till after that and I definitely moved when it rained into the Railway end
Casperimp
Vital 1st Team Regular
You are correct. When I was allowed to start going in the early 80's I used to stand on the railway end when we were attacking that end and then stand on the Sincil Bank Terrace when we were attacking the South Park end. You were definitely allowed to do it then. Although a few years later I do remember them stopping it although by then I had palled up with a some lads and we generally always stood on the Sincil Bank Terrace together.
The sad thing is those lads I palled up with over 30 years ago we still all sit together in the CO-OP. More than a few grey hairs and wrinkles now though. In fact a couple of them have virtually no hair at all
Imphistorian
Vital Reserves Team
After approximately 1976 the southern section of the open terracing was fenced off for away supporters, so movement would only have been possible from the south-east corner to the home section of the Sincil Bank terracing.
On Merthyr Imp's point moving between the goals via the terracing in front of the St Andrew's Stand was often allowed but it depended on the stewards. If you stayed to watch the match in front of the stand you were expected to pay extra. They didn't always let you through and would probably have allowed a father and son to pass through but not necessarily a group of teenagers.
I will try and locate our records of admission prices and post some examples of the price differentials between the various terraced sections. The price structures changed in the mid 1960s.
Imphistorian
Vital Reserves Team
In the 1980s the short lived 'membership areas' affected movement. You could move from a membership area to a non membership area, but not in the opposite direction without showing your card.
Long suffering Imp
Vital Squad Member
What happened pre 1976 with the away fans?
Merthyr Imp
Vital Football Hero
The South Park End I think, which is where the Stoke fans were when the wall fell down.
On the other hand, as I've said above about going in that end myself, City supporters would be in that end in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
I'm sure I remember a match with Notts County in 1964 when visiting supporters were in the Railway End. That was before the days of hooliganism though - although it's the first time I remember hearing any sort of chanting at Sincil Bank.
A couple of old boys near me who could probably remember Billy Dinsdale playing:
"What are they saying?"
"Sounds like 'Zizzy-zazzy-zizzy-zazzy"
They laughed.
Imphistorian
Vital Reserves Team
There was no formal segregation before 1976. Fans used to mix peacefully for the most part. I can remember talking to some young Derby County supporters on the Sincil Bank terracing at the League Cup tie.
GertLushImp
Vital Squad Member
Fair enough, must have been another source . I didn't find it surprising that there was no national press there for what was a very low profile competition compared to what the roughly equivalent EFL trophy is now.
Chesterimp
Vital Football Hero
Apart from the Stoke match where away support seemed to be predominantly on the South Park terrace, there was no specific segregation, until the away 'pen' was created (in 1977?) between the two Wednesday games mentioned previously.
Home and away used to mix primarily on the West Bank, generally with friendly "banter" if there was a big away turn out, though there were a few "moments". Woe betide any away supporters who ventured into the Railway End though.
Imphistorian
Vital Reserves Team
One of the earliest modern references to hooliganism at Sincil Bank relates to the game vs. Notts County in February 1967. The Imps won 2-1 and after Notts were refused a late penalty a bottle was thrown on the pitch. As a result a visiting fan was ejected from the ground. Correspondence in the Football Post suggests Notts claimed innocence although there were at least two coach loads from their 'young supporters' club' in attendance.
