And they could probably see most of the pitch - especially if they ran up and down the terrace following the ball
Went to Sunderland in full members cup in the 80s. Only 20 odd reds fans were there that night. Lost on pens.
Can remember it was 1-1 after extra time but not the pens. We got there a bit late and the Sunderland fans applauded us in
On that note - what's the lowest away following we've taken since we dropped down from the premier league? I can remember us taking around 175-200 to Ipswich a few seasons running, one of them a Friday night sky game when we'd lost our first 7 away games, another when the game was very likely to be called off (think it was one of the only games in the division not postponed due to snow). Any lower than that?
82 at Cardiff for a Friday night Sky game is the lowest I have been in. 2-0 defeat, the season after Ritchie got us up from League One.
I started going more regularly to the aways in 84. Middlesborough was the first of many and I'm pretty sure there were less than a few hundred there in the little enclosure by the corner flag. Throughout the 80s those numbers were typical, with a swell for the local or cup games. I can remember going to places like Portsmouth, Wimbledon, Brighton etc and there probably being 150-200 tops. Our current support at home and away is excellent compared to the mid 80s and 90s.
I only started going away games in about 11/12, and even since then our support away (and probably home too) has increased quite a bit. I can't remember the last sub-500 following we've had on a Saturday - even Reading/Ipswich tuesday night games last year when we were hopeless had 300 odd diehards there. Long may it continue
While my wife was on maternity leave in Cornwall i went to the 4-2 midweek win at Plymouth, Devaney scored a couple of worldies maybe 120 there. Also went to the Swansea 2-2 game about 10 years ago when I was down there on business. Just before Xmas if memory serves, about 100 there? Jason Scotland scored a last minute equaliser for the swans.....
Yep. Since the premier promotion season our gates have never gone back below 9k, and for the majority of that time have been comfortably over 10.
I remember going to Readings old ground in the 1970s. There were 4 Barnsley Fans on the cop. Me, Brian Howard who lived in Kexborough, a kid I think was called Steve or Mick Green and a lad called Barry. . There were about 10 more in the stands. It was the game we won 3-0. I thought we were going to get our heads kicked in when at half time we were surrounded by Reading fans. All they did was chant and sing Arsenal songs. I remember getting home from work on the Friday and asking my wife if it was okay to go to the match and stop overnight in London. She said yes why? I said they are picking me up at 7.30.
Got a 50p in the head at boro around that time, charming place it was, went all over the country with my dad on family railcard, happy days
Went to torquay away midweek late seventies 12 of us went on club coach a foot of snow up here but fine down there lost 3-2.