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Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 12:45 pm
by Quickenthetempo
Just seen this picture of Burnley away at Darlington in the 80s. Check the top of the floodlight out.
Was it you?

Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 12:53 pm
by Silkyskills1
September 1988. 1-1 draw with Brendan O'Connell scoring for us. I was there but declined scaling the floodlights though I do recall it happening.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 12:57 pm
by Commy
I had a flat tyre on the motorway and when I got there they wouldn't let me in. Quite a few outside who had turned up late and the gates were shut. Wouldn't mind but it was only about 10 minutes after kick off and most clubs had a gate open for late comers.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:16 pm
by bfcjg
I was there and a bit worse for wear and can barely recall the day. It helped in those days .
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:37 pm
by ClaretLoup
I was there and remember the cops gathering at the bottom of the pylon waiting for the guy to come down. Must have been a great view up there. Like our ground it was next to a cricket pitch wasn't it?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:54 pm
by Inchy
I wasn't there but you need to charge your phone
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:55 pm
by S27bfc
I was there and remember him climbing up cannot remember him coming down though,A long time ago.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:57 pm
by CnBtruntru
Dunno
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:08 pm
by Herts Clarets
I was there. He kept coming down the pylon, the police called in so back up he went to the chant of "Going Up Going Up Going Up". I think he was still up there at the final whistle when I left the ground.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:09 pm
by gawthorpe_view
If you remember the 80's, you weren't there.
(Shameful paraphrasing - sorry)
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:16 pm
by Billy_Bumface
Remember it well, apparently the lad had only been released from prison the day before. He got nicked as soon as he came down.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:36 pm
by NL Claret
I was there and yes there is / was a cricket ground behind that end of the ground. Think they were playing hockey on there that day.
Going up going up, going down going down, he's going to jump in a minute.
I saw this photo last year, I was 16 at the time and thought it was a massive away following until you see the photo!
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:49 pm
by fatboy47
I was there...was it just after we beat Preston in that Sherpa Van thing??
I seem to remember a long chant of...
"tell me mam, me mam,
i dont want me tea, me tea
wer goin ter wemberlee ..etc
Que Sera.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:08 pm
by PhiladelphiaChris
I was there as well. Not sure but in regards to the following i thought we also had another side of the ground.I seem to remember seeing the guy on the floodlight from the opposite end?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:18 pm
by NL Claret
fatboy47 wrote:I was there...was it just after we beat Preston in that Sherpa Van thing??
I seem to remember a long chant of...
"tell me mam, me mam,
i dont want me tea, me tea
wer goin ter wemberlee ..etc
Que Sera.
No it was an early season game, September time. 1988 I think.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:22 pm
by RingoMcCartney
I seem to remember Steve Taylor missing an absolute sitter at Darlington. Could've been a year or two earlier maybe?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:00 pm
by Joe Buck
I seem to remember Steve Taylor missing sitters everywhere
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:00 pm
by Holtyclaret
I was there, great fun!
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:43 pm
by TVC15
I was there and remember it well.
We used to have a lot of fun at away games back then - the grounds were awful, the teams were awful, we were awful, the police were awful.....yet we had a good time !
Would of course not swap it for now - but unless you experience the lows how do you know the highs ?!!
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:52 pm
by ClaretTony
I'm on that picture - but I can assure you it's not me up that floodlight pylon, but I was stood very close to the bottom of it.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:00 pm
by tim_noone
I was there...I remember cobbled back streets and Bryan Adams was big in the charts.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:04 pm
by ClaretTony
tim_noone wrote:I was there...I remember cobbled back streets and Bryan Adams was big in the charts.
If I remember correctly, didn't you have to go down a back street to get to the turnstiles?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:06 pm
by tim_noone
Yes was a bit quirky ...your correct.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:22 pm
by Dazzler
I went the following season when we lost 3-1.
Stuck in traffic on the way out when some 20 or so 'brave' darlo lads came giving it plenty of gob & the 'big I am' from that grassy area.
Here we effing go.
All 8 of us piled out the mini bus and just stood there watching the scrotes scarper faster than Linford Christie
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:30 pm
by elwaclaret
I remember us getting a right tonking there, presume in was late 80's. Not a good day. Remeber it being a very similar Terrace section to that we used to get at the Goldstone Ground
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:14 pm
by NL Claret
Dazzler wrote:I went the following season when we lost 3-1.
Stuck in traffic on the way out when some 20 or so 'brave' darlo lads came giving it plenty of gob & the 'big I am' from that grassy area.
Here we effing go.
All 8 of us piled out the mini bus and just stood there watching the scrotes scarper faster than Linford Christie
Darlo used to like a rumble. As well as their pathetic attempt on the Longside / Bee Hole I was at Gigg Lane twice when they kicked off in the south stand. One of the games was Bury V Reading in the FAC, think there game was called off at Burnley late on so went to Bury.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:48 pm
by Longsider
There were some cracking away days back then.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 8:18 pm
by Dressinggown
I was at that game, having traveled down on the train from Newcastle.
I remember the floodlight climber who was threatening to pee on the Police below.
Some bloke knocked my jaw into Yorkshire on the way back to the station.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 12:54 am
by Vino blanco
I was there with my brother and ,I think, Lord Beamish's dad.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:06 am
by Dazzler
Dazzler wrote:I went the following season when we lost 3-1.
Stuck in traffic on the way out when some 20 or so 'brave' darlo lads came giving it plenty of gob & the 'big I am' from that grassy area.
Here we effing go.
All 8 of us piled out the mini bus and just stood there watching the scrotes scarper faster than Linford Christie
NL Claret wrote:Darlo used to like a rumble. As well as their pathetic attempt on the Longside / Bee Hole
I went the following season when we lost 3-1.
Stuck in traffic on the way out when some 20 or so 'brave' darlo lads came giving it plenty of gob & the 'big I am' from that grassy area.
Here we effing go.
All 8 of us piled out the mini bus and just stood there watching the scrotes scarper faster than Linford Christie
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:14 am
by Top Claret
Been Darlington numerous times in the 80s Remember the floodlight one not the score just the idiot up the pylon
I drove to the match and parked behind a trannie van, which the occupiers left with the doors wide open, looked in and it was awash with beer cans.
Pritty sure the lad up the pylon had travelled in that van
We used to get some proper idiots who followed the clarets away in those days. The crack was fierce and the football crap
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:23 am
by Zom Zom
I seem to recall a game at Feethams, but it must have been around 1990. They had a player called Les McJannet who scored a cracking goal from way out (as I remember it). I think we were well beaten that day, but I seem to recall Ron Futcher scoring for Burnley.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:23 am
by Quicknick
I went once. We got hammered 5-2. Big following.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:25 am
by lifelongclaret
I was there on that game, but what I remember most was driving down the central reservation on the dual carriageway when being chased bye a group of Darlo fans,
We did have many a grand day out in the northeast, Hartlepool was also a interesting place to visit, with many a scary moment,
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:36 am
by Claret Till I Die
Was it Darlington where you paid once to get into the terracing and then again if you wanted to get into the stand?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:38 am
by Top Claret
Hartlepool was a cold scary oil. Remember going there in the 80s and the lad I took had accuired complimentary tickets, thankfully we got beat 3-2. When it was 2-2 we got surrounded, when it got to 2-3 they felt sorry for us and we managed to get out unscathed.
Weather was awful cold wind and driving snow off the north sea.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:15 am
by Garnerssoap
Dazzler wrote:I went the following season when we lost 3-1.
Stuck in traffic on the way out when some 20 or so 'brave' darlo lads came giving it plenty of gob & the 'big I am' from that grassy area.
Here we effing go.
All 8 of us piled out the mini bus and just stood there watching the scrotes scarper faster than Linford Christie
I reckon I saw that. Small world. My 2 mates and I thought we were in trouble when they started coming towards us shouting but a minibus of big blokes did empty, someone threw something at the Darlington lot and they quite literally legged it.
I always did want to say thank you for that. Cheers Dazzler
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:27 am
by ClaretTony
Zom Zom wrote:I seem to recall a game at Feethams, but it must have been around 1990. They had a player called Les McJannet who scored a cracking goal from way out (as I remember it). I think we were well beaten that day, but I seem to recall Ron Futcher scoring for Burnley.
Was the first away game of the 1990/91 season - can't confirm the Darlington scorer but Futcher did get ours.
Quicknick wrote:I went once. We got hammered 5-2. Big following.
I think the one you are thinking of is the 4-2 defeat in 1987/88, our first ever visit to Feethams. David Reeves scored our two goals.
We only played there there times:
1987/88 - lost 4-2
1988/99 - drew 1-1
1990/91 - lost 3-1
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:41 pm
by Dazzler
1998 FA Cup 1st round L 3-2
Weren't we winning 2-0 ?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:51 pm
by Dazzler
Garnerssoap wrote:I reckon I saw that. Small world. My 2 mates and I thought we were in trouble when they started coming towards us shouting but a minibus of big blokes did empty, someone threw something at the Darlington lot and they quite literally legged it.
I always did want to say thank you for that. Cheers Dazzler
I wasn't exactly the biggest of that crew that day..
In fact Probably the least...
The main person to thank is big Billy Atkinson.As soon as he slid the door open they were off.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:51 pm
by NL Claret
Played at Riverside, Middlesbrough.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:52 pm
by bfcmartin
That was played at Middlesbrough Payton got sent off
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:54 pm
by Dazzler
NL Claret wrote:Played at Riverside, Middlesbrough.
Ah right cheers for that.
Got lost in the mists of time.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:28 pm
by Dazzler
Zom Zom wrote:I seem to recall a game at Feethams, but it must have been around 1990. They had a player called Les McJannet who scored a cracking goal from way out (as I remember it). I think we were well beaten that day, but I seem to recall Ron Futcher scoring for Burnley.
That's the one where those Darlo lads were confronted by the 'Beasts of Burnley Wood'.

Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:30 pm
by Dazzler
By the way...I think I have a name for our 'floodlight hero'
Lowerhouse/Rosegrove lad ??
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:32 pm
by ClaretAndJew
My Uncle was on this game and said the lad up the pylon was called Normal “Knuckles” Jones.
Not sure how right he is though.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:35 pm
by Dazzler
Ah,The famous Accy lad.
Not a name that was put forward to me last night.
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:52 pm
by ClaretAndJew
My Uncle used to go on most away games in the 70s and 80s. Brian Cunliffe, if you know him.
He’s told me loads of stories of the “booze bus”
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:58 pm
by Dazzler
ClaretAndJew wrote:My Uncle used to go on most away games in the 70s and 80s. Brian Cunliffe, if you know him.
Surname rings a bell.
Piccy/Flats lad ?
Re: Who went to Darlington in the 80s?
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:23 pm
by ClaretAndJew
From Padiham. Worked at Mullards I believe.