WEDNESDAY AWAY, 1972-73

[Quicknick]

Who remembers the stupid attempt at taking over the then open Kop at Hillsborough in late 1972?

[Leisure]

Who remembers the stupid attempt at taking over the then open Kop at Hillsborough in late 1972?

I do, went on the special train.

[Quicknick]

I do, went on the special train.

Fun, wasn't it. I almost got my motorcycle crash helmet crushed during the mayhem that ensued.

[clansman]

I think it was my idea Pete! I was on that train too.

[Targetman]

Was that the game when the special train was bricked on the way home?

[FCBurnley]

I remember getting beat 7-2 ( I think ). Only game I ever left early can’t remember season

[vancouverclaret]

I was there and remember it well, I was only ten though so I was just a spectator to the mayhem

[Leisure]

Was that the game when the special train was bricked on the way home?

That was practically every away game!

[ClaretTony]

I walked it all the way to Hillsborough that day and was on the Leppins Lane End.


https://www.uptheclarets.com/match-of-t ... ing-winner

[Burnley1989]

I walked it all the way to Hillsborough that day and was on the Leppins Lane End.


https://www.uptheclarets.com/match-of-t ... ing-winner

Ahead of the game, Jimmy Adamson, again without the suspended Dave Thomas, named the same team that had beaten Swindon a week earlier but with Billy Ingham taking over substitute duties from Alan West. “If we can play in the same way that we have been playing away from home we must have a chance,” said Adamson. “I haven’t had the chance to see Sheffield Wednesday this season but they have been getting some good results and must be a good side.”


I'll bet it's strange to read for fans under 30, that you would play a side without having watched every one of their games before hand on video to get a feel for how they set up.

[fatboy47]

I went on the special train..my pal Stephen (Willie) Wells got a bit of glass in the face when the train was bricked just outside the station.

The East Bank just before kick off was distinctly unpleasant.. ..a bit like the Alamo, pinned against the railings and having to fend off an angry horde of Owls. Was glad to escape along the touchline and sidestep a few plod getting to the LL end.

[lakedistrictclaret]

I was in my final year at Birmingham University and went up on the train from New Street.
I don't remember any crowd trouble, though. Like CT, I was on the Leppings Lane end.

[Stonehouse]

I remember getting beat 7-2 ( I think ). Only game I ever left early can’t remember season

I thought it was 7-0 and for some stupid reason they played Stan Ternent at CH and I think Harry Thomson saved a pen .

[Buxtonclaret]

I thought it was 7-0 and for some stupid reason they played Stan Ternent at CH and I think Harry Thomson saved a pen .

That was my first ever trip to Hillsborough. A year or so after England won the World Cup.
I was only 10 or so, but can remember that horrible desolate feeling today!

[Leisure]

I was in my final year at Birmingham University and went up on the train from New Street.
I don't remember any crowd trouble, though. Like CT, I was on the Leppings Lane end.

The trouble was on the other end, as the Burnley fans from the train got there early and just paid to go onto the Kop. Which didn't go down well with the home fans when they started arriving!

[sjb]

I thought it was 7-0 and for some stupid reason they played Stan Ternent at CH and I think Harry Thomson saved a pen .

It was 7-0 and Thomson did save a penalty - when it was already 7 I think. Burnley born Jack Whittam scored a hat trick for Wednesday. It was my first ever Clarets away game!

[sjb]

It was 7-0 and Thomson did save a penalty - when it was already 7 I think. Burnley born Jack Whittam scored a hat trick for Wednesday. It was my first ever Clarets away game!

Just checked my records and it was 7-0 when Thomson saved the penalty, but Whitham only scored 2, not 3, coming on as sub for his Wednesday debut. Incidentally he is the grandson of Thomas Whitham who won the Victoria Cross in WWI

[Darnhill Claret]

Yes, I was on 'the train', no problems walking down to the ground. Went on the Kop and we were in a central position, a good number of us arriving together, so our numbers were good. Can't remember how long we were in control, but I suddenly realised we were more or less surrounded. I hadn't been to Hillsborough before so hadn't fully realised the danger we were in. Didn't know it was their end, we were just going with the flow, literally. Anyway it got sorted in the way things got sorted back then. Can't remember everything that happened when we clashed, but I do recall, we were relocated, still on the Kop, but not as central. Our numbers reduced, so I just assume we were in smaller groups for personal safety.

[Darnhill Claret]

Millwall that season was a lot worse. We definitely relocated that day.

[lewishamclaret]

My first trip to Hillsborough was in the FA cup quarter final replay of 1983. We simply didn't turn up and lost 4-1. As a young lad I'm still scarred by the occasion! A good following of clarets too in a crowd of 41,000- something that was just awe-inspiring to me at the time, with that huge open cop end.

[ClaretTony]

I thought it was 7-0 and for some stupid reason they played Stan Ternent at CH and I think Harry Thomson saved a pen .

Stan’s debut

[Quicknick]

My first trip to Hillsborough was in the FA cup quarter final replay of 1983. We simply didn't turn up and lost 4-1. As a young lad I'm still scarred by the occasion! A good following of clarets too in a crowd of 41,000- something that was just awe-inspiring to me at the time, with that huge open cop end.

It was even worse than that. 5-0 was the result. We lost 4-1 at Hillsborough on the first day of our Owen Coyle promotion season in 2007-08, then followed that abject performance up with another one in the second league game: Ipswich Town at home: 0-3.

[Andingle]

My first trip to Hillsborough was in the FA cup quarter final replay of 1983. We simply didn't turn up and lost 4-1. As a young lad I'm still scarred by the occasion! A good following of clarets too in a crowd of 41,000- something that was just awe-inspiring to me at the time, with that huge open cop end.

Sure it was 5-0 , gutted as I went to Hillsborough full of confidence after drawing 1-1 at Turf Moor☹

[Claret Till I Die]

Sure it was 5-0 , gutted as I went to Hillsborough full of confidence after drawing 1-1 at Turf Moor☹

And I can never hear Hey Jude to this day without thinking of what could've been...

[ClaretTony]

Sure it was 5-0 , gutted as I went to Hillsborough full of confidence after drawing 1-1 at Turf Moor☹

It was - easy to check on here

https://www.uptheclarets.com/fixtures-r ... 83-results

Started well that night until a Flynn mistake cost us the first goal. Then it was a battering.

[lewishamclaret]

Indeed- 5-0. My bad. I can still remember the bitter disappointment travelling back up the motorway with my dad who'd taken me on a rare away day. As you stay, we didn't start that badly.

[Eagle Claret]

I was at the 72/73 game. I went straight onto Leppings Lane and was amazed to see Burnley fans in the Wednesday end. They were soon surrounded and ended up against the right hand rails (as I was looking at them) and then they got a right thumping and kicking as they tried to run to the front and across the pitch. Anyway, we won 1 0 so a great day out.

[Buxtonclaret]

Stan’s debut

Never realised that.

[Staniola]

Me and my brother, aged 16 and 14 were in the Kop that day. We got to the ground to find no police or stewards so we just paid in. The talk on the train over was of “taking” their end, but when we got on the terraces and saw the size of it, we knew we’d no chance. It was massive and when the locals turned up, they didn’t seem very pleased to see us on their patch. There were about 250 - 300 of us and we held on for an hour, being showered with fireworks and coins before being overwhelmed and heading for the only way out, the pitch. We took a right pasting on the way down but managed eventually to get over the pitch to the safety of the Leppings Lane end. We won 1 - 0, courtesy of a screamer from Leighton James, which was great but made the trip back to the station interesting to say the least. Days like this were not uncommon in those days. Character building

[ClaretinJapan]

Hillsbrough kop.jpg (290.72 KiB) Viewed 991 times

[Quicknick]

Me and my brother, aged 16 and 14 were in the Kop that day. We got to the ground to find no police or stewards so we just paid in. The talk on the train over was of “taking” their end, but when we got on the terraces and saw the size of it, we knew we’d no chance. It was massive and when the locals turned up, they didn’t seem very pleased to see us on their patch. There were about 250 - 300 of us and we held on for an hour, being showered with fireworks and coins before being overwhelmed and heading for the only way out, the pitch. We took a right pasting on the way down but managed eventually to get over the pitch to the safety of the Leppings Lane end. We won 1 - 0, courtesy of a screamer from Leighton James, which was great but made the trip back to the station interesting to say the least. Days like this were not uncommon in those days. Character building

Great post. There were more than 300 of us on there.

[fatboy47]

Great post. There were more than 300 of us on there.

Agree...it was a battle all the way down those side railings with boots and fists flying everywhere...the main thing was staying on your feet...the ones who didnt got even more of a mauling.

[Staniola]

My brother reminded me of the performance of the police that day. Nowhere to be seen pre match. Half a dozen making half hearted attempts to stop the near riot once we were surrounded and nowhere again on the mile or so back to the station. The only time they tried to do anything was stood at the front trying to stop us escaping onto the pitch! Quite a few got bowled over as we weren’t for returning to the chaos on the terraces. South Yorkshire’s finest.

[Quicknick]

Agree...it was a battle all the way down those side railings with boots and fists flying everywhere...the main thing was staying on your feet...the ones who didnt got even more of a mauling.

As I said earlier, my open-face motorcycle helmet was almost crushed into my side. When I made it back to Skipton that evening on my little Honda, my father said, 'I turned the television off. The trouble was on Look North. I didn't want your mother worrying.'