Largest away followings at the TURF

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:00 pm

Following on from the other thread about our largest followings elsewhere, I was wondering what people's thoughts were in terms of the largest followings at Burnley from away teams? (Try not to get into the whole Celtic story).

Manchester City 1991: 7,000 (they had the whole Cricket Field Stand and Longside away section)

Blackburn Rovers Boxing Day 1978: ??? (Some Clarets say circa 6,000 Inc a bit in CFS, Longside away, and a few in Bee Hole, whilst Rovers claim 15 million and they completely filled the Bee Hole End!)
Attendance: 27,427

Celtic: 12,000 (their papers report it as 12,000)
Attendance: 27-30,000 depending on what you read,

Manchester United 1976: ???
Attendance 27,418

Liverpool 1975: ???
Attendance: 32,111

Leeds 1973: ???
Attendance: 40,087 (Bob Lord stand opening?)

Manchester United 1973: ???
Attendance: 31,810

Villa FA CUP 1974: ???
Attendance: 29,301

Wrexham FA CUP 1974: ???
Attendance: 35,000

Liverpool FA CUP 1973: ???
Attendance: 35,730
*our promotion season

Anyone got any ideas of the above, or different games?

claretdom · Post by **claretdom** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:08 pm

Blackpool early 90s brought about 12000

TheOriginalLongsider · Post by **TheOriginalLongsider** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:10 pm

Celtic were all over the ground. Wasn't our biggest crowd against Huddersfield? How many did they bring? Probably not counted as no segregation then.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:10 pm

claretdom wrote:Blackpool early 90s brought about 12000

Haha.

minnieclaret · Post by **minnieclaret** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:12 pm

Leeds in 66 was a biggie for our battle for second place.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:14 pm

TheOriginalLongsider wrote:Celtic were all over the ground. Wasn't our biggest crowd against Huddersfield? How many did they bring? Probably not counted as no segregation then.

Back then the FA Cup games were hugely more popular than League games. Huddersfield were the big team at the time, winning 3 league titles on the spin from that season, although their home attendances were 'only' 17,500-19,500.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:15 pm

minnieclaret wrote:Leeds in 66 was a biggie for our battle for second place.

33,000 on, and we'd had 36,500 v Liverpool in the previous home game too.

minnieclaret · Post by **minnieclaret** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:22 pm

Don't remember Liverpool having a spectacular following for the 73 cup tie.
To them we were just a Div2 side?
BTW One of the best matches I've ever seen.

Longside4evr · Post by **Longside4evr** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:27 pm

Biggest I have seen
Sunderland Peter Reid's promotion party
Manchester city B@$terd Henry's goal
Sheffield Wednesday 5th round FA Cup
Everton, manure, Liverpool 70s

ashtonlongsider · Post by **ashtonlongsider** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:33 pm

Easily Man Utd on 4/2/1967. Absolutely chaotic with United fans taking over the majority of Longside as no segregation in those days and hard to believe admission was done on first come first served. We equalised late on with a penalty from Gordon Harris and this led to some awful scenes. Crowd given as 40,165. For the record score was 1-1 with David Sadler scoring United goal in 33 minute.

Top Claret · Post by **Top Claret** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:34 pm

I would say Leeds and United in 1973/74 season would be the biggest away following at the Turf I have witnessed

Cirrus_Minor · Post by **Cirrus_Minor** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 1:40 pm

I think before the fencing was erected on the longside there were games against bug city clubs where the ground was overrun by away fans. I can remember visits from Liverpool in 1968 and 1969 where it just seemed to be Liverpool every where in standing areas. Not much different against Man united.
The attendances were very high (40K+ But could be wrong). So these would have had the largest followings.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 2:42 pm

For me, nothing compares with Liverpool at Turf Moor in Jan. 1963. Think it might have been the last time we had 50,000 plus on(stand to be corrected) but it was felt at the time that up to 20,000 Liverpool fans were in the ground and believe me it sounded like it. I'd never heard noise like that before or since at Turf Moor. The so-called 'swinging 60's' were underway, the Beatles were making their mark in society and Liverpool were very new to the then 1st division.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:40 pm

Liverpool in the FA Cup in 1963 saw an attendance of 49,827. That was the season where we didn't play a league game between 29th December and 2nd March, playing only the Liverpool cup game (plus Spurs away in the previous round, and the replay v Liverpool) in all that time.

Everton in the cup the previous year we had 50,514.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 4:05 pm

Stand corrected then. Knew it was an FA Cup tie that saw us reach 50,000 for the last time.The Bradford City replay in 60 also saw 52,000, I believe and the record attendance V Huddersfield was also a cup tie, not forgetting the 52,000 V Rovers in 60. Forgotten it already!!

Jimjan · Post by **Jimjan** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 4:27 pm

I remember the Man U 67 game the old Cricket field End Stand was completely full of United , as well as the Longside. Burnley fans were being hounded all the game and getting their scarves nicked, horrible atmosphere

Man of Kent · Post by **Man of Kent** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:11 pm

Not the biggest away following at the Turf but certainly one of the most bizarre was some time in the 1980s when I remember we were playing the last game of the season and it was all over for us and I think it was against Leeds. There were supporters from a third club (Sheffield United) in the ground in huge numbers because the result of the game was likely to affect their promotion chances...and it did in the end.

I know this is vague and lacking in detail and I can't even blame my age and senility for this forgetfulness.... but it definitely happened (I think).

Anybody remember that game?

Barry_Chuckle · Post by **Barry_Chuckle** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:38 pm

Yep it was Hull we were playing not Leeds, If I remember right Hull needed to win by 4 goals to be promoted at the expense of Sheff Utd.
I stood on the Beehole that game with the Sheff Utd grouped behind us, Some Burnley were trying to cause trouble with them, I remember one Burnley fan with a Burnley FC tattoo across his neck from ear to ear, nobody took him on though.
Bricks flying over the back of the Beehole from outside were like a Meteor shower

Flatline · Post by **Flatline** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:38 pm

Man of Kent wrote:Not the biggest away following at the Turf but certainly one of the most bizarre was some time in the 1980s when I remember we were playing the last game of the season and it was all over for us and I think it was against Leeds. There were supporters from a third club (Sheffield United) in the ground in huge numbers because the result of the game was likely to affect their promotion chances...and it did in the end.

I know this is vague and lacking in detail and I can't even blame my age and senility for this forgetfulness.... but it definitely happened (I think).

Anybody remember that game?

Don't think it was Leeds,might have been Hull.The Sheffield United fans were all in the Bee Hole End,maybe 84.
Tony will be along shortly no doubt,to give the correct answer.

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:42 pm

Yes we were playing Hull City, it was a rearranged game and the season had finished, Hull had to win by three goals to win promotion at the expense of Sheffield United but we held out to only lose 2-0.

I also won a competition as a kid where the prize was the match ball used in the game, still have it at home.

See link for Sheffield United fans recollection of the game.

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?t ... ies.29459/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Man of Kent · Post by **Man of Kent** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:43 pm

Flatline wrote:Don't think it was Leeds,might have been Hull.The Sheffield United fans were all in the Bee Hole End,maybe 84.
Tony will be along shortly no doubt,to give the correct answer.

Yes, you're right, it was Hull. It seemed like a lot more than 84 Sheff U fans, but I was stood among them and they were very boisterous. I remember feeling really jealous of their day at the Turf! For us, it was just another season of massive disappointment as was usual at that time.

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:45 pm

Man of Kent wrote:It seemed like a lot more than 84 Sheff U fans.

I like your sense of humour

Flatline · Post by **Flatline** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:00 pm

Man of Kent wrote:Yes, you're right, it was Hull. It seemed like a lot more than 84 Sheff U fans, but I was stood among them and they were very boisterous. I remember feeling really jealous of their day at the Turf! For us, it was just another season of massive disappointment as was usual at that time.

Think it was 84 season just to be clear.

Sh1te game to be honest, got beat and had to endure those United fans giving it large on our end.

Six fingers · Post by **Six fingers** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:02 pm

How many fans did the longside hold and bee hole end can remember going on as a kid and being quite squashed for Derby in fa cup and a Blackpool game crowd of about 18 thousand
How the hell did they get 34 on

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:06 pm

Longside home section went from about 7,000 in the early 80's to 6,200 in the late 80's and then 5,300 in the early 90's.

Obviously years before this it held as many as they could let in, the Leeds game in 1973 must have had at least 35,500 on the Longside and Bee Hole but probably more as there were always people let in free through the gates.

Six fingers · Post by **Six fingers** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:22 pm

I forgot about on man land increasing in size
The bee hole was on stilts glad I wasn't on there
Before the concrete went down to make terracing . How did people manage to stand on a pile of ashs can any one remember. What was it like when raining pritty sh tty

Flatline · Post by **Flatline** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:30 pm

Goody1975 wrote:Longside home section went from about 7,000 in the early 80's to 6,200 in the late 80's and then 5,300 in the early 90's.

Obviously years before this it held as many as they could let in, the Leeds game in 1973 must have had at least 35,500 on the Longside and Bee Hole but probably more as there were always people let in free through the gates.

Remember the Liverpool game 83 season and the attendance was 22,228.The only time I've had to stand at the entrance of the Longside near the Bee Hole and couldn't see FA.I'd say there was 30,000 on that game easily,you couldn't move,they were hanging off the rafters and up the floodlights to get a glimpse.

Pstotto · Post by **Pstotto** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:54 pm

I think they always put the attendance down, in order to make more money by paying less tax.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:01 pm

Six fingers wrote:How many fans did the longside hold and bee hole end can remember going on as a kid and being quite squashed for Derby in fa cup and a Blackpool game crowd of about 18 thousand
How the hell did they get 34 on

When the ground changed the capacity was around 22,300 just beforehand.

Longside home: 4,800 (I seem to remember mention of it for a cup tie that was due for a sell out...maybe Derby or Man City?)
Longside away: 3,000
Bee Hole: 7,000
Bob Lord: 3,000
Cricket Field: 4,500

Six fingers wrote:How the hell did they get 34 on

We had 40,087 squashed into that stadium as it was, but without the no man's land in the Longside. The capacity in 1975, after the two stands (Bob Lord and CFS) were built, at 41,000, making the Longside and Bee Hole capacities 34,000 between them!!

You could always fit more into the Bee Hole than they allowed at any of the games that had decent gates around the early 90's. The Longside always seems a lot more compact than the Bee Hole for those games.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:05 pm

Pstotto wrote:I think they always put the attendance down, in order to make more money by paying less tax.

Wasn't just tax. Up until 1983 club's had to share their gate receipts, with 20% going to the away club, and a further 4% going into the Football League pool which was shared out equally at the end of the season. So top clubsl lost 24p in ever £1, getting a fraction back. The big clubs wanted to keep more of their earnings....enter the Premier League.

mrhungryone · Post by **mrhungryone** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:09 pm

Claretforever wrote:Haha.

Possibly correct they forced the gates of cricketfield stand ....evening game. 1960/70s leeds manutd man city everton easy brouht 20 thousand fans 67/68 fa cup v everton gate 44,000 and who recalls the carnage against man city the same year on the cricketfield end?

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:31 pm

mrhungryone wrote:Possibly correct they forced the gates of cricketfield stand ....evening game. 1960/70s leeds manutd man city everton easy brouht 20 thousand fans 67/68 fa cup v everton gate 44,000 and who recalls the carnage against man city the same year on the cricketfield end?

Sorry mate, I thought you were joking?

I had a season ticket in the Cricket Field back then. The away fans always got a section of that stand next to the Longside (800 if memory serves me correct?), and 3,000 standing places which was the away capacity of the Longside. They filled their end of 3,800. Never seen 12,000, or more than the 3,800, in a million years. Is that what their fans say about it? I'm truly amazed if they do?

Even if no more Burnley fans bought tickets for that game(biggest game of the season so....), and the usual 2,000 in there that season (two seasons) decided not to go on, that's only 7,000 spaces in total.

there weren't any more Blackpool fans in there.

mrhungryone · Post by **mrhungryone** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:46 pm

They did force the gates thats for sure... we fiddled the gates in them days... probably an exaggeration.like when we played bolton same era one bolton fan then two killed in turf pub then three that was the rumour sweeping the ground. Totally untrue of course.

mrhungryone · Post by **mrhungryone** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:56 pm

Claretforever wrote:Sorry mate, I thought you were joking?

I had a season ticket in the Cricket Field back then. The away fans always got a section of that stand next to the Longside (800 if memory serves me correct?), and 3,000 standing places which was the away capacity of the Longside. They filled their end of 3,800. Never seen 12,000, or more than the 3,800, in a million years. Is that what their fans say about it? I'm truly amazed if they do?

Even if no more Burnley fans bought tickets for that game(biggest game of the season so....), and the usual 2,000 in there that season (two seasons) decided not to go on, that's only 7,000 spaces in total.

there weren't any more Blackpool fans in there.

Was over 18.000 on april 91 we were averaging 7,000 that season.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:01 pm

Bolton in '87 had one Bolton fan getting slashed I think. Nobody was killed, like you say.

I was in that stand anyway, and the Burnley part was chokka, so I think someone would have noticed 9,000 Tangerine fans sneaking into the 3,000 occupied Clarets seats.

Even if we totally fiddled the gate; where were they, because you can't fit 9,000 fans into 3,000 seats which are already occupied? Blackpool fans are having a laugh if they think that anyway.

You only have to look at the facts. The game was talked about for a few weeks as the game you had to be at. Towards the end of that season we were averaging 10,000 home fans anyway, so for the big game we were bound the get another few thousand on - you could tell by how much busier the Bee Hole and other Stand were to see that. The attendance was announced on the night as 17,400, and later changed to 18,300 if I recall correctly. They'd not included a section in their workings out I think they said.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:08 pm

I've just checked and we averaged 7,882 that season, but began with loads of 6,000 gates. The attendances started growing around the 8,500 mark about October time, and then reached 5 figured before the Blackpool game and continued afterwards.

It was a good following anyway for the 4th Division. Season afterwards the same.

ontario claret · Post by **ontario claret** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:13 pm

Colchester United in 1989 brought 7. I sat in the Bob Lord and counted them, over and over, in the Longside segregated section. The plod had 'em outnumbered 2 to 1. I guess they were expecting trouble from the Colchester firm.

mrhungryone · Post by **mrhungryone** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:18 pm

Im only going off what claretdom believed and saw some truth in it as it was pandemonium in the cricket field end that night. They finshed above us in 5th on the same points not sure if play offs were the norm them days. Average was around 7.000 lets just say there were a lotta blackpool fans there that night.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:19 pm

Just going back to the Hull game it was played at the end of the season because in January, when it should have been played, they failed to turn up because apparently the road on the motorway was impassable due to ice.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:23 pm

I remember counting 26 Torquay fans at the time, and 31 fans of Colchester (must have been another season than 1989) as well as Exeter and Hereford bringing very few. In fact there were a good number of times I counted away fans less than 100 from the likes of Hartlepool etc. Our crowds around that time were almost all Clarets, but for the local sides.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:33 pm

mrhungryone wrote:Im only going off what claretdom believed and saw some truth in it as it was pandemonium in the cricket field end that night. They finshed above us in 5th on the same points not sure if play offs were the norm them days. Average was around 7.000 lets just say there were a lotta blackpool fans there that night.

Yeah they finished above us on goal difference and got beat by Torquay in the final on the Friday night at Wembley.

We averaged just under 8,000, but like I say, towards the end of the season we were averaging over 10,000. There is no way in this world they had anywhere even close to 12,000 at the Turf. The fact the Cricket Stand holds 4,000 and we had loads of season ticket holders, me included, in there, and it was the biggest game of the season so MORE fans were buying tickets, suggests that the 12,000 has been totally made up. It's not plausible....not even close.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:41 pm

Heard about the other games versus United etc though. Nobody has ever said 20,000

but I'd been told about "over 10,000" United fans taking over the Longside. Amazing times. Wish I'd have seen them.

Longside4evr · Post by **Longside4evr** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 9:18 am

The Blackpool game in question was a night match they had all of the Cricket Field stand Oystson had put free travel on for the Lashers it was a good Support and they did bring quite a lot of balloons but they still got beat

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:47 am

Longside4evr wrote:The Blackpool game in question was a night match they had all of the Cricket Field stand Oystson had put free travel on for the Lashers it was a good Support and they did bring quite a lot of balloons but they still got beat

They had the away section of the CFS which was about 880 seats if i recall correctly, they couldn't have had anymore as we had season ticket holders in there.

The capacity of the away section of the Longside went from around 5,000 in the early 80's to 3,850 in the late 80's, even if it was overpopulated that night they couldn't have had more than 5,000 in total which seems right from a crowd of 18,395.

The season after (91-92) they brought a decent following but you could tell the terrace wasn't full to capacity but the overall crowd was very similar.

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:49 am

Claretforever wrote:I remember counting 26 Torquay fans at the time, and 31 fans of Colchester (must have been another season than 1989) as well as Exeter and Hereford bringing very few. In fact there were a good number of times I counted away fans less than 100 from the likes of Hartlepool etc. Our crowds around that time were almost all Clarets, but for the local sides.

Exeter in the late 80's had four lads in the Longside (away) leant against one barrier with a flag, they may have had other fans in the BLS but fair play to them for making the long journey.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:11 pm

Longside4evr wrote:The Blackpool game in question was a night match they had all of the Cricket Field stand Oystson had put free travel on for the Lashers it was a good Support and they did bring quite a lot of balloons but they still got beat

I know Goody covered it above, but just to reiterate what I've posted before; I had a season ticket in the centre of the Cricket afield Stand, along with many, many others. There were regularly 1,500 Burnley fans in that stand, and for the games against Blackpool it was pretty packed....with Clarets. I was sat there.

I remember them putting on free travel actually, come to think of it, but all it meant was that they filled the allocation. Away teams got a slither of around 800 seats next to the Longside.

Longside4evr · Post by **Longside4evr** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:13 pm

They only brought 4500 I remember the turn out was a surprise as Oyston kept'd it out of the press or we hadn't caught on that he had put on free transport from Bloom Field Rd
The coaches went all round Queens park
They spouted off they had 10,000 supports here trying to big there little selves up

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:17 pm

Longside4evr wrote:They only brought 4500 I remember the turn out was a surprise as Oyston kept'd it out of the press or we hadn't caught on that he had put on free transport from Bloom Field Rd
The coaches went all round Queens park
They spouted off they had 10,000 supports here trying to big there little selves up

Some of their less favourable fans decide to smack a turnstile operator over the head and steal his takings that night, lovely folk.

Goody1975 · Post by **Goody1975** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:19 pm

Claretforever wrote:I know Goody covered it above, but just to reiterate what I've posted before; I had a season ticket in the centre of the Cricket afield Stand, along with many, many others. There were regularly 1,500 Burnley fans in that stand, and for the games against Blackpool it was pretty packed....with Clarets. I was sat there.

I remember them putting on free travel actually, come to think of it, but all it meant was that they filled the allocation. Away teams got a slither of around 800 seats next to the Longside.

The coach travel they organised caused chaos that night as i think a lot arrived late meaning the game was delayed by about 30-45mins.

Claretforever · Post by **Claretforever** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:30 pm

I can't believe that Clarets fans, if they were around at the time, actually think that Blackpool had the Cricket Field Stand. I'm astounded really. And the comment about 12,000 further up MUST have been started by a Blackpool fan showing off, surely???

This is the game in question, and shows us scoring through Eli, and with the Cricket Field stand celebrating. A bit strange for the Cricket Field Stand to be celebrating a Burnley goal if they were all Blackpool fans.....

https://twitter.com/burnleygoals/status ... 4652135424" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

*Blackpool averaged 4,059 in 1990-91
*Blackpools lowest crowd was 2,065, and highest 5,300 with a large Carlisle following no doubt (they class Lancashire clubs as their derby), prior to the game at Burnley.