I asked the question on the Stoke 1980 thread but sadly I never got a reply. So I will see if anyone can answer on it's own thread.

I just presumed the fences where up throughout the 70s and a big part of football history.

But in truth they were up for less than 16 years.

Does anyone know the exact year they went up?

Just to clarify. The fences that stopped fans getting on the pitch.

Quickenthetempo wrote:I asked the question on the Stoke 1980 thread but sadly I never got a reply. So I will see if anyone can answer on it's own thread.

I just presumed the fences where up throughout the 70s and a big part of football history.

But in truth they were up for less than 16 years.

Does anyone know the exact year they went up?

Just to clarify. The fences that stopped fans getting on the pitch.

How rude!!!

Dark Cloud wrote:How rude!!!

I must of wrote this as you were writing your reply ha. It had been on a while in my defence.

Quickenthetempo wrote:I must of wrote this as you were writing your reply ha. It had been on a while in my defence.

I think very slowly and type even slower!!

not sure about the fencing around the pitch, but there were sections erected within the longside to seperate home and away fans early 70's, possibly late 60's.

I think the first fenced off areas were at the back of the goals at the Bee Hole End and I think the Cricket Field end to stop fans chucking stuff at the goalies.

I think it was at some point in the 1980/81 season.

Did they erect them to keep Mexicans off the pitch ?

rufus lumley wrote:Did they erect them to keep Mexicans off the pitch ?

yes, and it was very effective, how many have you seen on there ?

Thought they were their when I first went in 1978 but I may be wrong.

They were definetly up before 1980, my first game as a 6 year old was in 1979 and they were up then, one of my memories of that day was being at the front of the Bee Hole End looking through the fencing.

Pretty sure they were up in 1978 as folklore as Celtic ripping the fencing out.

depechedingle wrote:They were definetly up before 1980, my first game as a 6 year old was in 1979 and they were up then, one of my memories of that day was being at the front of the Bee Hole End looking through the fencing.

Pretty sure they were up in 1978 as folklore as Celtic ripping the fencing out.

Pretty much the time I started going, missed the Celtic game as my dad was stuck at work. I was heartbroken, even when I heard what had happened... I was 8 with eyes full innocent wonder, and invincible when I had my dad. Lol

You'd have to watch old TV clips. I think the Longside fencing went up for the 74/75 season and the fencing separating the Longside from the Bee-hole end, but there wasn't any fencing keeping fans off the pitch in 78 as far as I remember because i was on the pitch pretty quick to run away from a marauding army of Celtic fans charging the Longside from the Beehole end.

Pstotto wrote:You'd have to watch old TV clips. I think the Longside fencing went up for the 74/75 season and the fencing separating the Longside from the Bee-hole end, but there wasn't any fencing keeping fans off the pitch in 78 as far as I remember because i was on the pitch pretty quick to run away from a marauding army of Celtic fans charging the Longside from the Beehole end.

the longside had those very high green metallic panels which made it difficult to climb, they were the ones pitch side and ran along the full length.

They weren't up on the video of the Stoke FA cup game in 1980.

They went up in the early/mid 70s.
For some reason, thought Everton at home was the first time. I'm wrong, someone put me right, but now can't recall who!
The was just one fence first. Then the no-mans land followed after.
Remember getting a brick on the head v Stoke while trying to help up a copper who'd been dropped by one!
Heard a couple of games later, they'd kicked part of a wall down at the back of the Longside for the ammo. (And not the cup game, league one match)

Just to clarify again, it's the fencing at the front of the terracing. The one that was there to stop fans running on the pitch.
It was pretty iconic in English football, all the fences up for the hooligas who acted like animals.

But in truth it seems they weren't up for long or that much of our history.

https://youtu.be/Qw_TqV2XFzU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are up by October 1980 so I presume they went up in this summer break?

Why did they go up? Was there a history of pitch invasions?

The Longside dividing fence was definitely not in place during the 1974 FA Cup run.
And off top of my head, I am sure that the fence was not in place when there was extensive "stampeding" around the Longside which also spilled onto the pitch when we drew 0-0 with Stoke in the final game of the 74-75 season. I Think the original single green dividing fence went up the following season.

they were particularly violent times, and I believe they were an attempt to stop fans getting towards rival fans quickly.

Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, being an old bugger, I have always thought the fencing between the supporters was closed off after the Newcastle match when there was trouble. I think there was fencing but it was open in the centre. I do remember a load of them walking through and being circled. What happened next I couldn't say as I was long gone.

This is April 76. No fencing at the front, and no no-mans land.

I thought it was around the early eighties but I'm guessing. Great picture by the way Rammy. It's a guess but Is that Hankin,Brennan and Lou Macari?

I’d say it’s Billy Rodaway in the middle.

Yes you're probably correct Rammy.

RammyClaret61 wrote:I’d say it’s Billy Rodaway in the middle.

Looks like Billy with his shorts rolled up!

85/86 pre-season Lancs Manx cup v Bolton. Fences are there.

1975 team photo. The fence on the Longside was there to separate the fans, and also separating Longside and Bee Hole.

Burnley v Derby 1976 and the fence at the front wasn’t there.

Quickenthetempo wrote:Just to clarify again, it's the fencing at the front of the terracing. The one that was there to stop fans running on the pitch.
It was pretty iconic in English football, all the fences up for the hooligas who acted like animals.

But in truth it seems they weren't up for long or that much of our history.

Sorry, Quicken.
Didn't read the OP properly.

Burnley v Celtic, September 1978.

So I'm right. The segregation fences went up for the 74-75( or maybe 75-76) season and there were no pitch-side fences in 78. I KNOW.... I was one the pitch in a matter of seconds.

I remember the segregation was there when we beat Sheff. United 4-1 and Alan Woodward was sent off, cos their fans went mental but the fans were separated.

The fences went up in 77 after a Burnley v Wolves game my friend got an half Nelson lodged in is head we took him to the St Johns ambulance staff covered in blood.
He wanted to stay to watch the remainder of the game but they knew it was serious when he got to the hospital he had a seizure and went into a coma he was like that for a month and had to under go a brain operation.
It damaged him for life impairing his speech and reactions it was the most violent match i have attended all you could here was the clanking on the railings in the Longside divide they had to move the crowed back umbrella's and what ever you could shield yourself with
They also put the netting up across no mans land

I didn't climb a fence in 78. I'm sure of it. Mind you, I was so scared maybe I didn't even notice.

I have narrowed the pitchside fences being erected, to between the stoke game on January 6th 1980 and the Brentford game the next season in October 1980.

Thankyou I will keep looking for references in between these games.

Found a Burnley game in February 1980 Vs Fulham in which the fences weren't there.

A pitch covered in snow.

I kind of remember Thatcher advising Home Secretary Whitelaw to suggest that if football fans behaved like animals they would treat them as such.
Then the perimeter fences went up.
Then Hillsborough happened.
Then they came down.

Just been reading that Ken Bates tried making the fences at Stamford Bridge Electric ones.

Quickenthetempo wrote:I have narrowed the pitchside fences being erected, to between the stoke game on January 6th 1980 and the Brentford game the next season in October 1980.

Thankyou I will keep looking for references in between these games.

that would kind of suggest the summer of 1980...

scouseclaret wrote:that would kind of suggest the summer of 1980...

Yeah if you look back to post 18 that's the conclusion I came to.
I didn’t want to sound like an arse with people trying to help but don't read the other posts.

Searching the memory bank here. When we promotion against chesterfield were they up? They were definitely up against Bolton in the 1st game of the next season in division 2 1982/83.

NL Claret wrote:Searching the memory bank here. When we promotion against chesterfield were they up? They were definitely up against Bolton in the 1st game of the next season in division 2 1982/83.

around the pitch ? during 80-81 but later than I thought check out the photos on the programmes from that season ...

Quickenthetempo wrote:https://youtu.be/Qw_TqV2XFzU

They are up by October 1980 so I presume they went up in this summer break?

No pitch side fencing on the Brentford footage that is just the advertising board supports ? looking at programme covers from that season it is more like early 1981 before the big fence appears ? certainly none in place when we played Scarborough in the Cup

first cover photo I can see with fencing is action from the Chester home game 28.2.81 now I've only looked at the covers so I reckon sometime betwen Christmas and February 1981 is the answer

Chester with fences

Port Vale in the Cup ..no fences ?

thehistorylecturer wrote:No pitch side fencing on the Brentford footage that is just the advertising board supports ? looking at programme covers form that season it is more like early 1981 before the big fence appears ? certainly none in place when we played Scarborough in the Cup

There's certainly fencing up on the Bee Hole end.

Quickenthetempo wrote:There's certainly fencing up on the Bee Hole end.

Optocal illusion put it on a big screen and stop the action at 1.55 .. I can see why you would think it is the security fencing but it isn't ..you've got the advertising boards above the wall but nothing higher than that ..

You can see these fences on the Brentford footage rather than the big security fences ? - this was the ordinary fencing that the advertising was fixed to