Raging_Bull
Well-known member
Thanks to everyone on this thread, it certainly brought back lots of colourful memories of my teenage years and engaging with various away fans and their hooligan crews who descended on Bloomfield Rd in their numbers in that era, with that visit by Pompey Boot Boys being my first recollection of a military style hooligan crew having an influence on all us young Seasiders and prompting a visit to the barbers for our removal of all our hair and the purchase of Doc Martens, Levi jeans and jackets and Ben Sherman shirts to complete the uniform.
Being brought up in the Revoe area and the Matador Amusement arcade on Central Drive being our young but game crews meeting place, it brought us in to conflict with many away fans not only on Saturday afternoons, but also in to the evening as many of them came back to their coaches on Rigby Rd coach park behind the Mecca worse for the wear of alcohol and still in the mood for one last tear up before departing home for the weekend, we tried to accommodate this final send off.
I'm happy to say we always punched above our weight even though most of the time we were outnumbered and much younger than our opponents, we saw it as we were defending our territory against unwelcome invaders from another land, and I guess if you look at football hooliganism it really is based on defending and attacking the other teams fans territory and we certainly considered it that way back then.
Looking back to Pompey Boot Boys, their lads that day were much older than me as I was still at school so will now be in their seventies, i wonder if any of them will be making the long trek north for today's game, I reckon they'll be back to being skinheads once again albeit not by choice this time.
Being brought up in the Revoe area and the Matador Amusement arcade on Central Drive being our young but game crews meeting place, it brought us in to conflict with many away fans not only on Saturday afternoons, but also in to the evening as many of them came back to their coaches on Rigby Rd coach park behind the Mecca worse for the wear of alcohol and still in the mood for one last tear up before departing home for the weekend, we tried to accommodate this final send off.
I'm happy to say we always punched above our weight even though most of the time we were outnumbered and much younger than our opponents, we saw it as we were defending our territory against unwelcome invaders from another land, and I guess if you look at football hooliganism it really is based on defending and attacking the other teams fans territory and we certainly considered it that way back then.
Looking back to Pompey Boot Boys, their lads that day were much older than me as I was still at school so will now be in their seventies, i wonder if any of them will be making the long trek north for today's game, I reckon they'll be back to being skinheads once again albeit not by choice this time.