Old Cricket Field Stand

[longsidetrumpet]

My mind got to wandering the other day about the old CFS stand, more exactly how did you get into it?
I started going in there mid-60s, when all the singing/chanting really began taking off.
Living up Brunshaw I used to go into the ground opposite the Park View, or up the steps from Bee Hole Lane, and then make my way round to the CFS via the Longside.
However the turnstiles near the gym (Belvedere Road side entry) led to the steep steps up to the back of the Longside, then I think you could again access the CFS, with metal railings on your right as you dropped down.
Were there turnstiles at the Brunshaw Road end of the CFS, I'm wondering, and was there access into the space under the stand from the Belvedere Road side?

[tim_noone]

Brunshaw road access...or over the toilet wall in that corner from the cricket ground! To get to the long side you walked through the cf. end

[Leisure]

It used to be lively in there when the end was being shared with away fans and no segregation! And not a copper in sight!

[piston broke]

The steps up from the bogs by the cricket pavilion took you to the Longside gable(if you will) but the terracing from the Longside was continuous around into the CFS. You could stand at the top in April, May, August and Sept. and watch the cricket pre game or at HT.

[longsidetrumpet]

It used to be lively in there when the end was being shared with away fans and no segregation! And not a copper in sight!

I remember games against Man U, Liverpool and Stoke as being ones when we 'lost' the end.
My best memories in there were the European games against Naples and Eintracht Frankfurt

[Silkyskills1]

Remember it being 'lively' v Man Utd.Liverpool,Everton and Leeds but never Stoke.

[longsidetrumpet]

Remember it being 'lively' v Man Utd.Liverpool,Everton and Leeds but never Stoke.

Forgot about Leeds! Yes I remember Stoke fans being particularly feisty. I can remember standing among Everton fans at the Bee Hole End. It was the first time I saw someone (an Evertonian) relieve himself on the terraces, using a rolled up programme as a sort of funnel!

[tim_noone]

Always stoke silky...and against man city 67/68 was carnage. With crush barriers bent and twisted.

[Leisure]

Remember it being 'lively' v Man Utd.Liverpool,Everton and Leeds but never Stoke.

Same here and remember Leeds being at the back and us at the front and plastic bottles of pi** being thrown down on us! The good old days, eh!

[joey13]

When did football hooliganism start ?

[bob-the-scutter]

Apart from Man U, Pool, Everton there were no more who could take the end. As far as I recall only Wolves once got near in a cup game back when Dougan was playing. You could walk right around the ground a full 360 degrees right round the terrace sections and through the Brunshaw Road Stand enclosure.

[Leisure]

When did football hooliganism start ?

1882.

[tim_noone]

When did football hooliganism start ?

67 on the cricketfield end. Boothen end stoke..67 Maine rd .....67 elland rd Leeds 67 bramhall lane Sheffield utd 67.always remember a massive "The Blades" banner I'm sure you remember leisure. They were my early memories of trouble.

[Silkyskills1]

Throughout the 60's I always stood on the old Cricket Field End but I've mentioned on here before that the 2 clubs I never saw from that end were Liverpool and Everton. Always on the Longside for those fixtures.

[joey13]

1882.

Hadn’t realised you was around then Leisure

[RammyClaret61]

Hadn’t realised you was around then Leisure

He was running Charabangs to away games!

[Leisure]

He was running Charabangs to away games!

Nah, we were on Penny Farthings in those days!

[Claretforever]

When did football hooliganism start ?

Hooliganism has been around since the start of football, and before. It only became a ‘thing’ because of the TV in the 70’s meaning the assumption was it’s a 70’s issue. My grandad tells me that our fans were always battling with Everton in the 50’sinside the ground and close by.

[FCBurnley]

Throughout the 60's I always stood on the old Cricket Field End but I've mentioned on here before that the 2 clubs I never saw from that end were Liverpool and Everton. Always on the Longside for those fixtures.

I remember Everton having the back of the CFS and throwing full opened cans of paint on the Burnley fans at the front. Dont know how somebody didnt get killed. Dont know the year but early/mid sixties

[piston broke]

Football violence started for me in the mid sixties. When telly went mad for Liverpool, because of the Beatles, and then the kop. Other clubs fans started singing and chanting and it soon got tribal. Then it went from supporting your club to abusing the opposition. After that it got violent.

[basil6345789]

In the 60's the CFS end was known as 't Covered End. I discussed with historian Ray Simpson, when the Longside was Christened same, as it didn't ring any bells in my memory. He had a sniff around and came back with about 1971. I do know that it had been called The Star Stand but not in my time ie 1960 ish onwards.

[elwaclaret]

1882.

Not far off if I remember rightly the first recorded "Football Fisticuffs" were thrown in the 1870's Blackburn Olympic v Blackburn Rovers.

[Vino blanco]

My dad told me about fighting in Blackburn with the Rovers fans before the war (ww2). The first time I saw real mobs of fans fighting in the old cfs was when Forest got on early and then when the Burnley boys came on it kicked off in fine style, bovver boots the lot. That I think was in 1965 or 66.
Regarding the entrance to the old cfs, there were two big green gates in the same place that the away fans go in now. That was a real crush coming off.

[piston broke]

Nobody has yet answered the OPs question about the tunnel under the CFS.
Did it go all the way through or was it bricked up at the Pavilion end?
I can't ever remember accessing it from Pavilion end via the tunnel.

[tim_noone]

Nobody has yet answered the OPs question about the tunnel under the CFS.
Did it go all the way through or was it bricked up at the Pavilion end?
I can't ever remember accessing it from Pavilion end via the tunnel.

Looking back.... The toilets were at the Brunshaw rd end. I can't ever remember catering facilities where they are situated now.

[ClaretTony]

The one game I’ll never forget in that end was the Napoli game. Unbelievable atmosphere.

[longsidetrumpet]

I do remember the big green gates now, and the crush coming off... in semi-darkness. I think there toilets under there and a tea/coffee/Bovril bar. Selling Wagon Wheels of course

[Claretforever]

How many did that end actually hold. Going as far back as the current Cricket Field Stand (different take of course) as all terracing, and in days where they’d really squash them in, it must have been over 10,000?

It also crept out and round towards the Longside too, so I don’t know whether that was classed as the Longside or the Cricket Field End?

[Pstotto]

Legions of the depraved... Stoke The Green Party. No, they really are green men. Everton, blue skins. Probably the most sub-human a species I've seen at the Turf. No, they really do have blue skin, heroin cocktails for breakfast etc. Others of note, Nottingham Forest, Sheff United and Middlesboro. Leeds, Man U (but not City) and Liverpool the others, but I have no memories of any Southern mobs of evil distinction.

[Guitargeorge]

I was grabbed by the throat by a Liverpool fan. As he lined his fist up, another fist shot out of the crowd and laid him out. A scouse voice said “I hate violence!” Phew, thank goodness for a pacifist.

[tim_noone]

I was grabbed by the throat by a Liverpool fan. As he lined his fist up, another fist shot out of the crowd and laid him out. A scouse voice said “I hate violence!” Phew, thank goodness for a pacifist.

[ashtonlongsider]

Surprised nobody has mentioned Villa. They always appeared to come mob handed and take residency in the CFS.

[ClaretTony]

How many did that end actually hold. Going as far back as the current Cricket Field Stand (different take of course) as all terracing, and in days where they’d really squash them in, it must have been over 10,000?

The official capacity when I first started going was 52,000. The Bee Hole terrace dropped down to next to nothing at what is now the police box end and the Brunshaw Road stand and enclosure couldn't have held that many. So the Longside (or popular terrace) as it was called then, and the cricket field must have been sizeable in terms of capacity.

Having said that, back then, I used to go through turnstiles close to where the club shop is now and could walk all the way round to the cricket field so it wasn't split into three separate areas as such. A lot of people used to move at half time so they were always behind the goal Burnley were attacking.

[mikeS]

Some good books on the origins of football hooliganism, which, depending what era you look at was in different forms. In the 1880s you had incidents of crowds invading the pitch the thump the referee, or particular players. But little in the way of supporter to supporter trouble until later. In the early 20th century there were reports in the local Burnley press of 'people throwing lumps of clinker' at players, but rarely at each other. In more recent times, at the Turf, the earliest reports in the national press of hooligan problems was with Everton fans as early as 1963 causing problems in the ground. Theres also early instances of a trains being smashed up by Everton hooligans around the same period.

[basil6345789]

The tunnel under 't Covered End was open at both ends. I once went to buy a cup tie ticket for a Liverpool tie (early 60's) with my Dad. We had to go in on Belverdere Rd, past the Cricket Pavillion, into the ground and under the length of the tunnel to get back to the old ticket "hatch" on Brunshaw Rd. It was cold and snow blown in everywhere, even in the tunnel. In protest Dad refused to buy a ticket as we'd been buggered about. He lost interest when Mac went - pronounced his name Ma Kill Roy, as some did. Also once had my scarf knicked from behind when coming off in the tunnel . Turned 'round and a gang of scrotes had passed it between them. One was smirking so I wacked him in the gob/nose region, causing a good measure of damage. They backed off but my scarf was gone and these were fellow Clarets. Bastards!

[ClaretTony]

He lost interest when Mac went - pronounced his name Ma Kill Roy, as some did.

He once told me he could never understand why Burnley folk pronounced it that way, but he certainly didn't like it. He also always called himself Jim and not Jimmy as you can see from his signature.

[houseboy]

Apart from Man U, Pool, Everton there were no more who could take the end. As far as I recall only Wolves once got near in a cup game back when Dougan was playing. You could walk right around the ground a full 360 degrees right round the terrace sections and through the Brunshaw Road Stand enclosure.

That Wolves game was when we were in the Longside. The CFS as it is now was built and there was no access. The Longside that day was a sea of black and gold and I'm not sure I have ever seen so many visiting fans at the Turf (possible exception of Celtic). You couldn't get into the Bob Lord either by then.

[houseboy]

When did football hooliganism start ?

There are reports of a discussion in parliament, so the story goes, back in the 1890's about trouble at a Blackburn/Burnley game. I thought that might be the first recorded incident of football crowd trouble. Not sure where I read that but it does apparently carry some grain of truth. Other than that I think we are looking at around the mid 60's when it became a major 'sport'.

[ClaretTony]

First I can remember was early 70s. It was a bit lively at Ewood for 1970/71 friendly but nothing too bad and there was no segregation.

In the following season I had to do some running to get back to our coach safely at Charlton.

[houseboy]

Just a light hearted tale.
Back in '71 (I think) we played away at Spurs and got hammered 4-1 or 4-0 and we had a spot of bother after the game. Our coach got attacked by Spurs fans and we 'defended ' it with empty milk bottles which were fortunately placed in a shop doorway in several crates. We successfully repelled the onslaught but 6 of us were arrested when the police boarded the coach, they were quite arbitrary but amazingly 5 of the 6 were guilty (yes me as well). We were put in the cells and charged but the coach driver waited for us (ah Central Coaches - I will never forget them). We appeared in court the following Monday (my dad was cheesed off as I was a juvenile and had to be accompanied) but we were all acquitted through lack of evidence due to the only guy whose dad had got a solicitor (the innocent one as it happens). I remember one of the said group was the famous (or infamous) Illy (Steven Illingworth?).
Oh how we enjoyed our football in those days.

[Silkyskills1]

The official capacity when I first started going was 52,000. The Bee Hole terrace dropped down to next to nothing at what is now the police box end and the Brunshaw Road stand and enclosure couldn't have held that many. So the Longside (or popular terrace) as it was called then, and the cricket field must have been sizeable in terms of capacity.

Having said that, back then, I used to go through turnstiles close to where the club shop is now and could walk all the way round to the cricket field so it wasn't split into three separate areas as such. A lot of people used to move at half time so they were always behind the goal Burnley were attacking.

Always remember the match programme from those 'heady' days in the 60's where it said on the front 'Covered Accomodation for 40,000'. Cricket Field End was on two levels. Always towards the back when my dad went, always nearer the front with my mates.

[ClaretTony]

Always remember the match programme from those 'heady' days in the 60's where it said on the front 'Covered Accomodation for 40,000'. Cricket Field End was on two levels. Always towards the back when my dad went, always nearer the front with my mates.

It did, so that would mean the Bee Hole and enclosure holding 12,000 in total.

[mikeS]

Possibly the worst example of hooliganism at Turf Moor. 40 years ago this year.

[houseboy]

I was there and remember them using the broken segregation fence as spears. The police quickly cleared off after they collectively pulled the fence out of the concrete. I think play was held up for about 20 minutes due to on-going battles.
I remember two things mainly, one was watching in the Longside as a small group of Celts kept fighting (and largely losing) with the massed ranks of Burnley fans (actually I'm pretty sure they weren't all ours because there were simply too many - I think we had 'helpers'). There was this huge bear of a man with a hooped shirt, a large beard and (get this by today's security standards) a bottle of whisky in his hand. He kept, at times single-handedly, wading into the Burnley fans, getting battered, coming out, having a swig and going back in. He was having a whale of a time. Don't know what became of him in the end.
We eventually wound up in the Bee Hole to avoid the chaos (thankfully before the fence was ripped up) and spoke to some older Celts and they said they had seen nothing like it even at Old Firm Games. I do remember one of them saying 'If you think this is bad be thankful it's not Rangers, now they ARE animals'. Even now I still laugh at the irony.

[tim_noone]

There was many a Celtic scarf set on fire...it wasn't all one way traffic.i believe that set off the trouble. And anyone in green and white was fair game.

[TVC15]

It was very nearly my first ever game on the Turf - thank goodness I was not allowed to go. From all the reports and accounts it was carnage.

My first ever game ended up being the home leg of the final v Oldham. We lost 1-0 but won easily on aggregate. Pretty sure I remember Peter Noble doing a lap of honour with cup whilst we stood on the Longside.

Celtic (and Rangers) fans are animals every time they play English teams. Have been for years. I was in Manchester the morning after Rangers played in the Europa cup final - I have never seen anything like it....it was like Beirut and I have never seen so many empty bottles in my life. Most of the fans had been out all night and were just wandering the streets at 7am in the morning as I was getting into work. There was even a small fire in the car park I was parking next to a keg of Heineken !!

I was in the Celtic end a few years ago at Ewood when they won 2-0 in a European game. A friend of mine got tickets as his cousin is a big Celtic fan and came down for the game. It was a Tuesday night and there must have been 20,000 Celtic fans in Blackburn with only 8,000 of them with tickets. We were being offered £200 a ticket in the pubs we went in before the game.
After the game the Celtic fans ran Blackburn everywhere - the police could not cope and there was loads of trouble.

Not sure how many friendlies they now play in England but they used to cause as much trouble for these games. I was working in Bolton one summer when they turned up for a friendly. The Celtic fans rampaged the town centre all afternoon....it was like a scene from Braveheart.

[Pstotto]

The old program cover used to say ' 40,000 under roof' or words to that effect. So if the official capacity was 52,000 back then, one would imagine the Beehole end and the old enclosure to hold 12,000 people.

[holdyourfire]

I remember in the 70s,nicking a scarf or bobcap from an away fan was,the big deal.Once got mine nicked,however my dads chase was a waste of time.

[Pstotto]

Apologies for missing the above post I've repeated. The Celtic newspaper page must have distracted me. I was one of the fans on the pitch (in sheer terror.)

[Claretforever]

It did, so that would mean the Bee Hole and enclosure holding 12,000 in total.

So 36,500 across the Longside and Cricket Field End (based upon a 54,000 capacity for weekend games)? What would you say, about 24,000 for the Longside?