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Classic Matches

Oldsmobile-88

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In RaWZ we trust....Amen.
Could have been Delvey
Delvey was at Hereford that season.
 

Tim Long

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Oxford away 05/05/1984 ( Manor Ground )

With Oxford already promoted and sitting pretty at the top of 3rd Division table City arrived at the Manor Ground rock bottom of the table and already relegated. Hopes were not high amongst the handful of City fans who had made the trip on the big open away terrace behind one of the goals. The match was going pretty much to plan for the home fans who were in full flow until John Sims bundled home a late leveller for the Grecians, the final whistle soon followed with the game ending 1:1.Not really a classic I know but it was probably the highlight of what was a desperately disappointing season in 83/84.
The day of my brother's "the time I was in the back of the police van" story. Oxford fans around the pitch to celebrate promotion turned their attentions to the away end,which apparently emptied in record time. When a policeman overheard my brother and his mate discussing how 'interesting' their trip back to the railway station would be he offered them a lift in the van.
My similar story was at Cardiff where not only did myself, Richard Shelton and Rich Davey get a lift back in the police van, they held the train for us so we wouldn't be hanging around for an hour.
 

Oldsmobile-88

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My similar story was at Cardiff where not only did myself, Richard Shelton and Rich Davey get a lift back in the police van, they held the train for us so we wouldn't be hanging around for an hour.
That would not happen on the privatised railway with their built in fines for leaving late.

Not had a lift in a Police van,but had a personalised motorcycle escort away from Sincil Bank in my car to the outskirts of Lincoln.There was no supporters coach or minibus & I was allowed to park outside the away turnstiles.

Tim was the game you mentioned the Midweeker in 86/87..The original date was postponed(luckily because there was a bit of bad blood after Cardiff’s visit to SJP in September)
 

Tim Long

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That would not happen on the privatised railway with their built in fines for leaving late.

Not had a lift in a Police van,but had a personalised motorcycle escort away from Sincil Bank in my car to the outskirts of Lincoln.There was no supporters coach or minibus & I was allowed to park outside the away turnstiles.

Tim was the game you mentioned the Midweeker in 86/87..The original date was postponed(luckily because there was a bit of bad blood after Cardiff’s visit to SJP in September)
I believe it might have been. I remember it as being an evening game but looking back I think "was I really that daft to go to a midweek game at Cardiff knowing I'd be walking back to the station ?". I guess I was ! Did a lot of things then I wouldn't do now - sleeping on stations, getting up in the early hours etc
 

Oldsmobile-88

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I believe it might have been. I remember it as being an evening game but looking back I think "was I really that daft to go to a midweek game at Cardiff knowing I'd be walking back to the station ?". I guess I was ! Did a lot of things then I wouldn't do now - sleeping on stations, getting up in the early hours etc
If it’s the same game(a 0-0 unsurprisingly) I drove,brave man getting to the station in those days !


I don’t think Darkey ran a coach the next season either.

It spilled over to the next season as well,that time outside the ground & in the city centre.

Going back to staying at train stations,I used to stay overnight at Paddington after gigs at The Camden Palace in the late 80s early 90s..That was scary with some of the people roaming around(the station is shut overnight now)
Not a experience I would want to repeat as I’m older.😁
 

Oldsmobile-88

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In RaWZ we trust....Amen.
24/1/1981 FA Cup 4th Round away at Leicester City.

The hoped for home draw in the 4th Round did not materialise when Grecians listened into Radio 2 at 1230 for the Monday after the 3rd Round win at Maidstone.Lots of excitement though as it was a trip
to a 1st Division club.

It was decided at my place of work(South West Gas) that after our trip to Anfield on the train 15 months previously with all of the scrapes we got into it was probably wiser to hire a minibus for this trip.
13 decided to go(going to football with work colleagues was the norm back then)

The day got off to a bad start for me,I overslept,waking up at 7am at my parents house in Dawlish Warren,when the Minibus was departing at 7.30 from Exeter,”.Rather than faff around getting my car out,I borrowed my dads brand new TR7 & blasted that along the road to Exeter,arriving at the pick up point just in time.
Good old dad was trusting with his cars,a trait I have not followed.I don’t like anyone behind the wheel of my motors😎

A great trip up with a stop in a pre match Leicester fans pub,before the plod moved us along for no particular reason,much to the home fans annoyance in there.

The Grecians were allocated a section to the right,behind the goal at Filbert St,which was adjacent to the home pen with a stand above.That set up makes for a great atmosphere as was proved all game.
Westward TV despatched a camera to a isolated TV tower with Chris Fear commentating for the Monday Highlights on Sports Desk.

The game got off to a bad start for the Grecians,conceding after about 4 minutes(Jim Melrose ?) but that really was as bad as it got.Once we had a foothold in the game with John Delve & Dick Forbes controlling midfield,it was just a question of time.
Tony Kellow had a effort disallowed for offside late in half.
The second half started brightly,after 10 mins Dave Pullar on the wing stumbled with the ball,the home fans laughed & jeering,they weren’t laughing 20 seconds later after he did a mazy run a 1-2 with Kells to prodded the ball into the net from 10 yards.Cue absolute mayhem that you can only feel in a game of that importance.I ended up about 20 yards from my original position.
We had chances to finish them off by Delve & Lee Roberts towards the end.I think we were all secretly pleased to bring The Fox’s back to SJP in 4 days time.

The performance at Leicester was the best in that amazing run imo.To go a goal down so early against a team 2 divisions higher away from home,boss the game in midfield,level the score & then look to kill them off.
The Newcastle game away was the most exciting I have been to due the occasion & atmosphere,but the team did not play as well as they had on that wonderful afternoon at Filbert St.
 
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iscalad

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Four of us went up for that match, in my mates car. As said, we were all work colleagues, cooks in the NHS. Two of my mates hailed from Leicester,band stood with City fans behind the goal. Had a drink with Leicester fans in the pin before the match. Happy days.
 
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