FA Cup v Hartlepool ground trial

T

TSSeasider

Well-known member
A bit of background.

HUFC have been having a few problems with a section of their fan base who are called something like North West Corner Poolie's. Think Muckers without the charm, wit or repertoire of songs.

It's a small section of seats located closest to the away fans (Rink end) which had seen significant overcrowding and is compromising safety - I heard that it's a structural issue with the actual stand; therefore the club have decided to close that section of the stadium.

It's created a bit of tension between those supporters and the Club.

As a result of the club are using two cup games (us and Bolton in the LDV thing) to move the away fans to the 'Town End' of the ground as they aren't obliged to accommodate the ST holders as a trial

Speaking to a policeman today his concern is how to keep segregation at that part of the ground as it's pretty old school and moving to other parts of the ground is relatively easy from there.

If they don't need to close off too much of the attached for segregation, I think we might be in line for a higher allocation as it's all standing with a capacity of ~1600 and not the usual ~1000.

It's going to be pretty easy to create an atmosphere stood up, no allocated seating issues and undercover with opposing fans who will be a bit miffed they've been evicted from their preferred view.

Looking forward to this one, assuming I can get tickets 👍
 
Hartlepool is one of the coldest grounds when the artic or Siberian wind comes in via the North Sea. Won't be going
 
Away support always was in the Town End. Remember the Horden season against Hartlepool, climbing out and going in the home end as it was safer.
 
Cuthbert said:
Away support always was in the Town End. Remember the Horden season against Hartlepool, climbing out and going in the home end as it was safer.
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Remember that night in the Town End when Billy came over and told us how it was after an LDV defeat. It was very cold that night. I mentioned it to the woman in the pie hut who said "You should have been here last night" 🤣🤣
 
That was a League game. October 1993 Wiz. I was there, only about 200 Pool .

The only other time I've been there was in 1985, on the same end but it had a roof then. We'd won Promotion on the Saturday and played them on the Bank Holiday Monday. They put the prices up to either cash in or stop us travelling. We still took plenty but not as many as to Darlington the week before. Mini pitch invasion at the end and one of theirs chinned Paul Stewart.
 
Poolfan2 said:
.. but are they follicley challenged!
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not got that close to them, but in my conversation with the policeman yesterday, I did regale a story of being in a pub in town and watching as the same 5' 7" bald head, nicely formed beer bellied man wearing a white shirt, was getting out of the stream of taxi's!

His take on it was they were the pit yakkers coming for their night out in the city from the colliery villages!
 
Potts Must Go said:
That was a League game. October 1993 Wiz. I was there, only about 200 Pool .

The only other time I've been there was in 1985, on the same end but it had a roof then. We'd won Promotion on the Saturday and played them on the Bank Holiday Monday. They put the prices up to either cash in or stop us travelling. We still took plenty but not as many as to Darlington the week before. Mini pitch invasion at the end and one of theirs chinned Paul Stewart.
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Was a Friday night, the game that Billy came over. I remember someone had shouted “spend some money Ayre”, Billy set him straight
 
Potts Must Go said:
That was a League game. October 1993 Wiz. I was there, only about 200 Pool .

The only other time I've been there was in 1985, on the same end but it had a roof then. We'd won Promotion on the Saturday and played them on the Bank Holiday Monday. They put the prices up to either cash in or stop us travelling. We still took plenty but not as many as to Darlington the week before. Mini pitch invasion at the end and one of theirs chinned Paul Stewart.
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From memory didn’t John Deary chin a hartlepool fan?
 
Qblock said:
Was a Friday night, the game that Billy came over. I remember someone had shouted “spend some money Ayre”, Billy set him straight
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Nope. Mid week definitely. I remember working the next day and discussing why the fcuk I went all the way to Hartlepool on a rainy Tuesday night . Went on the Supporters Club coach(s) and stopped on the way back for a beer .
 
Potts Must Go said:
Nope. Mid week definitely. I remember working the next day and discussing why the fcuk I went all the way to Hartlepool on a rainy Tuesday night . Went on the Supporters Club coach(s) and stopped on the way back for a beer .
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I’m going to do some further research. I’m 99% sure it was a Friday…..
 
Qblock said:
Was a Friday night, the game that Billy came over. I remember someone had shouted “spend some money Ayre”, Billy set him straight
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The fact it was a night game was the reason I thought it might have been a cup game. We stopped in Sedgefield on the way back and got a lock-in until 3.00am. My mate was driving and told his missus there had been extra time when we got home around 6.00am.
 
Wizaard said:
The fact it was a night game was the reason I thought it might have been a cup game. We stopped in Sedgefield on the way back and got a lock-in until 3.00am. My mate was driving and told his missus there had been extra time when we got home around 6.00am.
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What a Friday night. A 1-0 defeat in the rain at Hartlepool followed by a 3am session 😆. I was too young for the latter, so just the 1-0 defeat in the rain for me 🤦‍♂️
 
I'm not doubting we played them on a Friday night in 1992. We did, I've checked it but the game Billy Ayre came over to the fans was 100% the season after. Mid week September 1993. I know because of who I travelled with as we were planning a trip to Rotterdam to the infamous England Holland game the following month. I also know it was 1993 as we got beat away at Bradford on the Saturday before the Hartlepool game and I went to both. Billy Ayre was coming under pressure from a bad start from certain factions . You can check any team fixtures on 11 v 11 website .
 
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Potts Must Go said:
I'm not doubting we played them on a Friday night in 1992. We did, I've checked it but the game Billy Ayre came over to the fans was 100% the season after. Mid week September 1993. I know because of who I travelled with as we were planning a trip to Rotterdam to the infamous England Holland game the following month. I also know it was 1993 as we got beat away at Bradford on the Saturday before the Hartlepool game and I went to both. Billy Ayre was coming under pressure from a bad start from certain factions . You can check any team fixtures on 11 v 11 website .
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It was the Friday night game that Billy came over. I know because I remember being at the game he did that, and I had a 100% attendance that season (only season I’ve managed it).
I didn’t go to the same fixture the following season.
Not that it matters….
 
Qblock said:
It was the Friday night game that Billy came over. I know because I remember being at the game he did that, and I had a 100% attendance that season (only season I’ve managed it).
I didn’t go to the same fixture the following season.
Not that it
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I'll just leave this with you as I'm losing the will to live... your incorrect.
 
Potts Must Go said:
I'll just leave this with you as I'm losing the will to live... your incorrect.
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You must have a flawless memory to be so certain of something that may or may not have happened nearly 30 years ago. Either that or you’re one of those people that is never wrong.
I think my recollection is correct, but accept it may not be. Again, not that it matters
 
Andy Saville scored a dodgy penalty to win the match for Hartlepool 1-0 the night Billy Ayre came over to the fans,it was Oct2nd,1992.
 
Alfie Conn said:
Andy Saville scored a dodgy penalty to win the match for Hartlepool 1-0 the night Billy Ayre came over to the fans,it was Oct2nd,1992.
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Why would the fan(s) have a go at Billy Ayre less than ten games into a season where we won Promotion only a few months earlier at Wembley.

Andy Saville may well have scored a dodgy penalty in October 1992 and it may well have rained but I fully agree with Potts Must Go.

September 1993. We lost 2-0 it pissed it down.

Someone had a jazz mag on the Supporters Coach. Ossie took everyone to a snide working mens club through a whole in a fence . A well known former poster from this site thought it sensible to stand on an open end in the rain only yards from the North Sea without a coat. The game was shite and at the end a disgruntled fan shouted to Billy Ayre to spend some money as we'd barely stayed up in 92/3 and started poorly in 93 and this was the second defeat in four days after losing at Bradford. We stopped in Yarm for last orders, it was a Tuesday. Apart from that I dont remember anything else. Case closed !!
 
EXT: ruined city, some time in the future. Desperate people scrabble through the wreckage, seeking to salvage anything they can

CHILD: father, how did this devastating war start
FATHER: well, son. Two peopl on a message board couldn’t decide whether it was ‘92 or ‘93 that Billy Ayre went over to speak to the ‘Pool fans on a wet night in Hartlepool…
 
TKL_Seasider said:
EXT: ruined city, some time in the future. Desperate people scrabble through the wreckage, seeking to salvage anything they can

CHILD: father, how did this devastating war start
FATHER: well, son. Two peopl on a message board couldn’t decide whether it was ‘92 or ‘93 that Billy Ayre went over to speak to the ‘Pool fans on a wet night in Hartlepool…
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Back in the early 90s, the stand to our right looked exactly like that. The road side of the ground was derelict.
 
Back in those pre Internet days, the rumour was that the stand had been destroyed by a First World War Zeppelin raid (which did happen btw) and it had never been repaired because they were still waiting for reparations from the German Government .

Wonder if there was any proof of it?
 
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