Your history of our club 50s 60s and early 70s | Page 2 | Vital Football

Your history of our club 50s 60s and early 70s

Bert said:
In the late 50's early 60's we used to walk to the ground from the station. We always bought a bag of peanuts from the shop on the corner of Priestfield Road.

We stood immediately behind the goal at the Gillingham End. In those days the terrace sloped from the Gordon Road side down to the Redfern Road side. A legacy from when the pitch used to slope. There was quite a drop down to the perimeter path and the peanut husks were dropped down onto the path with the pile getting higher throughout the season. We used to think that we would eventually build the pile up until it was the same height as the terrace but never managed it. The pile was always removed for the start of the new season.

There used to be an old bloke (well, if I saw him now I would call him a young bloke!) who walked round the path selling programmes. He invariably had a cigarette hanging from his mouth as if it was stuck to his lip. I don't know if he actually used to smoke it because it always seemed to be the same.
Click to expand...
I remember the old bloke as "Paybee". That's what his cry sounded like. I used to get the paper in the 2nd half as it had the half time scores printed on it. I thought this was great technology. We now get scores almost instantly on our phones. I just could not have imagined that back then.
 
I remember it as
Gills 58 said:
I remember the old bloke as "Paybee". That's what his cry sounded like. I used to get the paper in the 2nd half as it had the half time scores printed on it. I thought this was great technology. We now get scores almost instantly on our phones. I just could not have imagined that back then.
Click to expand...

I remember it as "pepee." Others may like to weigh in. Also the alphabet key system for scores. I could not understand the "buy a brick" scheme even though Dad tried to explain. I mean, if you bought a brick, they wouldn't have it and what could you do with it? They had bands at half time. I mean bands, not bands.
 
Gills 58 said:
I remember the old bloke as "Paybee". That's what his cry sounded like. I used to get the paper in the 2nd half as it had the half time scores printed on it. I thought this was great technology. We now get scores almost instantly on our phones. I just could not have imagined that back then.
Click to expand...

I couldn’t believe that papers were sold by vendors as you waited at the lights in your car. This was 15-20 mins after the game had finished and they had all the final scores on the back.
 
Gills 58 said:
I remember the old bloke as "Paybee". That's what his cry sounded like. I used to get the paper in the 2nd half as it had the half time scores printed on it. I thought this was great technology. We now get scores almost instantly on our phones. I just could not have imagined that back then.
Click to expand...
I think I remember the guy I would have gone in the Gillingham section.As I have said in the past I only went a few times in the late 60s against Watford .My parents were married in Vicarage road.Dad bought a new house in Medway shortly before the world cup finals.i remember hearing it on the radio as we never had a TV for a few years after moving in.Then we got a radio rentals black and white set.I bought our first ever set in the 70s when I started work.Different times .I remember having to cycle miles to get to the nearest shop. Dad never drove.He strangely was a rep but purposely failed his test his company booked.His company wanted him on the road all the time .He preferred to be in the office part time and doing what he could using trains taxis and planes.When I started work for a few years I stood near the old Gordon road stand Rainham end side as Dad knew a Milkman who regularly went to games so I stood with him.Until I met someone I knew at school up at Priestfield when i was about 18 .I still sit with him to this day.
 
OneSirKeefy said:
I couldn’t believe that papers were sold by vendors as you waited at the lights in your car. This was 15-20 mins after the game had finished and they had all the final scores on the back.
Click to expand...

My uncle did a lot of the papers with football scores printed down the back empty band (was actually left blank for said printing of scores). He covered at least all of Strood (maybe more but I only delivered in strood). It was like a military operation

The newspaper was the evening standard picked up from the train station. The final scores came in over the teleprinter and were transcribed onto inking paper which was then put on the print duplicator machine (name slips me) shove on a stack of newspapers and bring the duplicator to life. Distributers (mostly paper boys) lined up with their sacks and dispatched every few minutes, lol.

Off on your round with your book of regular customers and chanting ‘eeevvening staaandard or foooootbaaaallll resuuuuults’ hoping for an irregular! customer and a few extra pence.
My round was elaine, lancelot, etc and then poplar , laburnam, etc.

Once finished back over to my uncles where by that time the real deal had arrived, the pink classified edition of the evening standard that included scores and some reports. Back off over the rounds but this time the chant was ‘clllaaaaaaaassssssiiiiifffied’ lol.
Probably 1960.
 
Jerryattrick said:
My uncle did a lot of the papers with football scores printed down the back empty band (was actually left blank for said printing of scores). He covered at least all of Strood (maybe more but I only delivered in strood). It was like a military operation

The newspaper was the evening standard picked up from the train station. The final scores came in over the teleprinter and were transcribed onto inking paper which was then put on the print duplicator machine (name slips me) shove on a stack of newspapers and bring the duplicator to life. Distributers (mostly paper boys) lined up with their sacks and dispatched every few minutes, lol.

Off on your round with your book of regular customers and chanting ‘eeevvening staaandard or foooootbaaaallll resuuuuults’ hoping for an irregular! customer and a few extra pence.
My round was elaine, lancelot, etc and then poplar , laburnam, etc.

Once finished back over to my uncles where by that time the real deal had arrived, the pink classified edition of the evening standard that included scores and some reports. Back off over the rounds but this time the chant was ‘clllaaaaaaaassssssiiiiifffied’ lol.
Probably 1960.
Click to expand...

I think the place we usually got them was the lights at the bottom of Star Hill (just along from the Odeon I think in Chatham High Street?).
 
OneSirKeefy said:
I think the place we usually got them was the lights at the bottom of Star Hill (just along from the Odeon I think in Chatham High Street?).
Click to expand...

Could well have been my uncles crew lol. They worked out of a little office space at Strood hill/ gun lane traffic lights, some might remember that it was a yellow cab office for a spell.
 
Anyone remember going to away grounds and very early in the evening seeing local papers with a full match reports (both football and rugby). If I remember correctly they were something like the Pink'en and Green'en (Bristol?) ?
 
RotherhitheGill said:
Anyone remember going to away grounds and very early in the evening seeing local papers with a full match reports (both football and rugby). If I remember correctly they were something like the Pink'en and Green'en (Bristol?) ?
Click to expand...
Pinkun in Coventry. I was overawed living in a big City (at Uni from 1976). A touch more exciting than Wigmore. Timed my trips home to coincide with Gills matches so still saw most home games.
 
My first games date to the late 50's when I used to climb over the fence at half time so as to try and collect teacups. Why ?? Because there was a penny deposit on them, repayable on return. Most people would tell me where to go, but there were always some who would hand them over. On a good day I could collect up to 20 cups and that made it a nice little earner, after which I would climb over the fence and walk back home to Fourth Avenue. One Saturday.however, I decided to stay and watch the second half .............. after which I was hooked. Still used to climb over the fence for most matches though, usually 20-30 minutes into the first half. There were a few stewards, but most were more interested in the match by then, and I was never once challenged.
 
Hampshiregills said:
My first games date to the late 50's when I used to climb over the fence at half time so as to try and collect teacups. Why ?? Because there was a penny deposit on them, repayable on return. Most people would tell me where to go, but there were always some who would hand them over. On a good day I could collect up to 20 cups and that made it a nice little earner, after which I would climb over the fence and walk back home to Fourth Avenue. One Saturday.however, I decided to stay and watch the second half .............. after which I was hooked. Still used to climb over the fence for most matches though, usually 20-30 minutes into the first half. There were a few stewards, but most were more interested in the match by then, and I was never once challenged.
Click to expand...

You could have just walked in when they opened the gates at half time.
 
Hampshiregills said:
My first games date to the late 50's when I used to climb over the fence at half time so as to try and collect teacups. Why ?? Because there was a penny deposit on them, repayable on return. Most people would tell me where to go, but there were always some who would hand them over. On a good day I could collect up to 20 cups and that made it a nice little earner, after which I would climb over the fence and walk back home to Fourth Avenue. One Saturday.however, I decided to stay and watch the second half .............. after which I was hooked. Still used to climb over the fence for most matches though, usually 20-30 minutes into the first half. There were a few stewards, but most were more interested in the match by then, and I was never once challenged.
Click to expand...

I wonder if Nobby and his crew can open up a cold case on this heinous crime? 🤔

I remember when some folk used to go to whichever end we were attacking first half, then jump the fence in front of the old Gordon Road Stand, and go up the other end 2nd half. Not sure if it was fully allowed. I remember the odd occasion police turning them back.
 
I've jumped the fences at many festivals and blagged my way into a fair few gigs but I've never got into the football for free.

Apart from the odd complimentary ticket. And the times when I got lifted over the turnstile when I was very small!
 
OneSirKeefy said:
I wonder if Nobby and his crew can open up a cold case on this heinous crime? 🤔

I remember when some folk used to go to whichever end we were attacking first half, then jump the fence in front of the old Gordon Road Stand, and go up the other end 2nd half. Not sure if it was fully allowed. I remember the odd occasion police turning them back.
Click to expand...

Before the violence in the seventies you did not need to jump a fence as it was simpler to just walk behind the old gordon rd stand.
 
OneSirKeefy said:
I remember when some folk used to go to whichever end we were attacking first half, then jump the fence in front of the old Gordon Road Stand, and go up the other end 2nd half. Not sure if it was fully allowed. I remember the odd occasion police turning them back.
Click to expand...
We'd nearly always start in the top corner of the Town End and walk down the side of the pitch and go to the Rainham End for the second half. You can just see me in this photo232AFF1E-0F6A-4BE3-8A9B-CABBD6B484B2_4_5005_c.jpeg
 
Gills 58 said:
Pinkun in Coventry. I was overawed living in a big City (at Uni from 1976). A touch more exciting than Wigmore. Timed my trips home to coincide with Gills matches so still saw most home games.
Click to expand...
green un was also available outside home park and yes did feature rugby as well. can remember being able to get the pink un at corley serices on the m6 possibly up to around 84.
 
Bert said:
In the late 50's early 60's we used to walk to the ground from the station. We always bought a bag of peanuts from the shop on the corner of Priestfield Road.

We stood immediately behind the goal at the Gillingham End. In those days the terrace sloped from the Gordon Road side down to the Redfern Road side. A legacy from when the pitch used to slope. There was quite a drop down to the perimeter path and the peanut husks were dropped down onto the path with the pile getting higher throughout the season. We used to think that we would eventually build the pile up until it was the same height as the terrace but never managed it. The pile was always removed for the start of the new season.

There used to be an old bloke (well, if I saw him now I would call him a young bloke!) who walked round the path selling programmes. He invariably had a cigarette hanging from his mouth as if it was stuck to his lip. I don't know if he actually used to smoke it because it always seemed to be the same.
Click to expand...

If you hadn't bought your peanuts before the game you might have responded to the call of: " Peeeeeanuts, sixpence!...... Freshly roasted peeeeanuts! " wrapped in a newspaper cone of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.