Memories of West Paddock

SirHarryThomson

SirHarryThomson

Well-known member
In a previous life I used to watch pool from the West Paddock and enjoyed standing behind the away dug out. One game I remember was playing Wimbledon when Dave Bassett was their manager. John Deary got sent off and Bassett immediately changed the Dons set up and they scored immediately. I was really impressed. Thing is I could never imagine Critch being pro active with game management it's a major flaw in his game.
Also older fans can probably remember when we had the dugouts moved to the East but can't remember which manager requested that. West Paddock was ace.
 
Loads of pitch invasions, can you remember when they fenced the ground before the Everton League Cup tie in 1980 and put a fence up in the west paddock next to the south/west corner just about straggling past the six yard box and no further,what was that all about?.
 
Alfie Conn said:
Loads of pitch invasions, can you remember when they fenced the ground before the Everton League Cup tie in 1980 and put a fence up in the west paddock next to the south/west corner just about straggling past the six yard box and no further,what was that all about?.
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Obviously ran out of moneg! 😂
 
SirHarryThomson said:
In a previous life I used to watch pool from the West Paddock and enjoyed standing behind the away dug out. One game I remember was playing Wimbledon when Dave Bassett was their manager. John Deary got sent off and Bassett immediately changed the Dons set up and they scored immediately. I was really impressed. Thing is I could never imagine Critch being pro active with game management it's a major flaw in his game.
Also older fans can probably remember when we had the dugouts moved to the East but can't remember which manager requested that. West Paddock was ace.
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Billy Ayre
 
Here's me in the West Paddock circa 1988 with Mason Kid and Rob (from Chipping, like me) directly above the sliding defenders left arm).

A few memories:
A Wolves fan in Old Gold, first game of the season not against Wolves, wandering past me with a can of beer and a 12 inch fat boy spliff.

We were losing by a goal and everyone was streaming to the exit as we got a corner. 'Don't go' I shouted 'we are going to score!' Everyone stopped, turned to watch as the corner came to bog all, and then left. I felt like Moses for a good 15 seconds.

Waves of abuse aimed at Tony Cunningham, who had just left us for 'the bigger club' Bury. We lost.

Beating Chesterfield 3-0 in the snow, I leant in to the away dug-out and said to their ashen-faced manger 'this won't do much for your job prospects!' He looked at me with pure hatred and said 'Job prospects?!?' As he was rising to punch my lights out. I scarpered, and have always regretted being a cocky shyte and being really nasty to a man I didn't know, a bloke under pressure, with a mortgage and kids etc. I learnt something that day.

Oh, and the Bristol Rovers pitch invasion when their third hit the top corner. Mental. They beat Bristol City to the title.


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todayistheday said:
How do you remain on this site after making that homophobic comment. I mentioned a bit of fact on Athers and got banned, what a strange forum this is, a bit like the Red Arrows team.
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That's because you didn't understand it. It was far from what you say, in fact the polar opposite.
 
I've never watched a game from the west, I'm hoping this snippet will help fill the void between now and New Year's.... or not as the case may be :(
 
The first thing that sprang to mind was those bloody awful toilets, but also the odd looking small stand of seats in the NW corner.
It looked like it held about 60 people?

Over the years I've watched us from every stand except for that stand, I can't recall if it was reserved seating?


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Used to stand halfway line due to taking daughter female toilet under the exit on halfway line she was 5 when she started going now take the grand kids facilities much better now.😀😀🍊🍊
 
Dave62 said:
The first thing that sprang to mind was those bloody awful toilets, but also the odd looking small stand of seats in the NW corner.
It looked like it held about 60 people?

Over the years I've watched us from every stand except for that stand, I can't recall if it was reserved seating?


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Nice to see my Stepdads sign on the Kop
 
I was generally South paddock, but I did a few games in the West, particularly that season where the noise moved in there.

I was in the West the night of Eamon's Chesterfielder, he ran over in front of us all, someone got out and hugged him. Brilliant stuff.

You could always tell when there was a bigger crowd, because it was harder for the Westers to move to the goal we were attacking. The number who stayed where they were was a good barometer.

Some of the crowd memories! City getting out of their half of the East at halftime and going over to the West for a chat. Which didn't seem to last very long. And another time, if it wasn't Sheff U then I apologise to everyone concerned, but there was a large group in there. From the South it seemed ours met theirs and the police arrived on the touchline at the same time. And the two groups appeared to have to stand shoulder to shoulder for the rest of the game, under their noses.
 
Alfie Conn said:
Loads of pitch invasions, can you remember when they fenced the ground before the Everton League Cup tie in 1980 and put a fence up in the west paddock next to the south/west corner just about straggling past the six yard box and no further,what was that all about?.
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Was on tv one night and I ran on the pitch, loads at school the following day said they saw me.
Also remember when we played Chelsea in the cup, teams walking out we shouted taxi to Dennis wise and he started laughing after his run in with the taxi driver weeks before
 
CGP1 said:
I was generally South paddock, but I did a few games in the West, particularly that season where the noise moved in there.

I was in the West the night of Eamon's Chesterfielder, he ran over in front of us all, someone got out and hugged him. Brilliant stuff.

You could always tell when there was a bigger crowd, because it was harder for the Westers to move to the goal we were attacking. The number who stayed where they were was a good barometer.

Some of the crowd memories! City getting out of their half of the East at halftime and going over to the West for a chat. Which didn't seem to last very long. And another time, if it wasn't Sheff U then I apologise to everyone concerned, but there was a large group in there. From the South it seemed ours met theirs and the police arrived on the touchline at the same time. And the two groups appeared to have to stand shoulder to shoulder for the rest of the game, under their noses.
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Might have been Huddersfield (first game of the season 93 or 94.) They ended up at the kop end of the West with a line of coppers keeping them from home fans. They were also in the South Paddock and as they were being escorted across the pitch, two Pool fans legged it from the West and piled into them.
 
CGP1 said:
I was generally South paddock, but I did a few games in the West, particularly that season where the noise moved in there.

I was in the West the night of Eamon's Chesterfielder, he ran over in front of us all, someone got out and hugged him. Brilliant stuff.

You could always tell when there was a bigger crowd, because it was harder for the Westers to move to the goal we were attacking. The number who stayed where they were was a good barometer.

Some of the crowd memories! City getting out of their half of the East at halftime and going over to the West for a chat. Which didn't seem to last very long. And another time, if it wasn't Sheff U then I apologise to everyone concerned, but there was a large group in there. From the South it seemed ours met theirs and the police arrived on the touchline at the same time. And the two groups appeared to have to stand shoulder to shoulder for the rest of the game, under their noses.
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The city that came across the pitch that day , thought they would relieve me of a huge Union Flag we took to the game from the Boar's Head, they started off sprinting across the pitch and slowed to a dead stop ! 🤣 a few got pushed in by some our lot and were soon dealt with ! ... F.A Cup i think ?Pretty sure they got a late equaliser ? ... went to the replay at Main Road, we got beat, can't remember the score.
 
Hatchet Man said:
The city that came across the pitch that day , thought they would relieve me of a huge Union Flag we took to the game from the Boar's Head, they started off sprinting across the pitch and slowed to a dead stop ! 🤣 a few got pushed in by some our lot and were soon dealt with ! ... F.A Cup i think ?Pretty sure they got a late equaliser ? ... went to the replay at Main Road, we got beat, can't remember the score.
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It was 2-1 (a Weds night iirc), early 1988?
Might be wrong but I think Paul Stewart scored against us

I can still remember my relief at getting through those back alleys and back to my mate's car without being ambushed
 
I remember sitting on the wall of the west early 1970s as a young lad and the coppers would come along with their truncheons and hit you on the legs if you had them sticking out too far!

I also remember mid 90s there was a group of lads from Poulton who would choose an opposition player to target and give him hell. They'd shout "you're having a nightmare!" And berate them every time they got the ball. It would often work a treat, they'd bugger up a simple cross or defensive tackle! I remember Sheff Utd winger Glynn Hodges (1991?) screaming at the bench to be taken off! We beat them 3-0 that night, them top of the top division in a League Cup game. 🤣

I also remember the mid 80s in there when we had a hooligan element fans every game banging on the away bench glass, shitting up the coaching staff. Nowadays it'd be on social media, lifetime bans etc.
 
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Fylde Seasider said:
I remember sitting on the wall of the west early 1970s as a young lad and the coppers would come along with their truncheons and hit you on the legs if you had them sticking out too far!

I also remember mid 90s there was a group of lads from Poulton who would choose an opposition player to target and give him hell. They'd shout "you're having a nightmare!" And berate them every time they got the ball. It would often work a treat, they'd bugger up simple cross or defensive tackle! I remember Sheff Utd winger Glynn Hodges (1991?) screaming at the bench to be taken off! We beat them 3-0 that night, them top of the top division in a League Cup game. 🤣

I also remember the mid 80s in there when we had a hooligan element fans every game banging on the away bench glass, shitting up the coaching staff. Nowadays it'd be on social media, lifetime bans etc.
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Ditto pretty much all of this🧡💪⚽️
 
I spent my teenage years in the West paddock, near the away dugout throughout the 80s. One defining memory was the play off semis in 92. We lost the first leg at Barnet, but we were so good at home that season we knew we'd win.
Barry Fry was manager of Barnet, but fell out with the chairman between the two legs, and was sacked. The was confusion as to whether he was in charge or not, so they just stuck a chair on the halfway line midway between the two dugouts, and he sat there on his own! We gave him so much stick that night, but at one stage something I/we said must have tickled him, because he turned round with a big grin and applauded us!
We went on to win as expected.
 
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Used to sit on the wall behind the goal in the South. Keith Partridge tried to get me arrested for chucking my scarf in his face and calling him a shit ref at the old tunnel in the south, before they perspexed it. Maybe that’s why they perspexed it. I was only 13/14 (a junior Dr) so was late 1970s. Copper couldn’t give a toss, quick word and didn’t even chuck me out. I was a feckin savage. Didn’t even cry.
 
I remember being stood just by the dugout with Stan Ternant in it and the crowd singing about Alan Ball and an evening Gazette thrown in front of him on the edge of the pitch with the headline that Ball was coming.
Sam Ellis coming out for the second half with cotton wool hanging out of his ears to diffuse the Ellis out chants was quite funny.
Bizarre clapping along the touchline for opposing managers Keegan and Gullit.
On a personal note I remember giving Paul Hart a clap as Chesterfield manager and then being enraged and giving him abuse when he had a go at Russell Coughlin in the first half.
Many happy memories but it was always stressful Trying to get into that great viewing position for the second half at the other end. You couldn't leave it too late!
 
Dave62 said:
It was 2-1 (a Weds night iirc), early 1988?
Might be wrong but I think Paul Stewart scored against us

I can still remember my relief at getting through those back alleys and back to my mate's car without being ambushed
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You are spot on Paul Stewart scored and missed a penalty, good following behind the goal from the Gold Coast, ... Deary scored a screamer to make it 1 - 1.
Both games are on YouTube but I haven't got a scoobie how to share them but well worth a watch. Absolute carnage in the South when we score , and what a scramble in the box for their equaliser !
Dave62 said:
It was 2-1 (a Weds night iirc), early 1988?
Might be wrong but I think Paul Stewart scored against us

I can still remember my relief at getting through those back alleys and back to my mate's car without being ambushed
Click to expand...
 
Tangerine Tractor said:
I spent my teenage years in the West paddock, near the away dugout throughout the 80s. One defining memory was the play off semis in 92. We lost the first leg at Barnet, but we were so good at home that season we knew we'd win.
Barry Fry was manager of Barnet, but fell out with the chairman between the two legs, and was sacked. The was confusion as to whether he was in charge or not, so they just stuck a chair on the halfway line midway between the two dugouts, and he sat there on his own! We gave him so much stick that night, but at one stage something I/we said must have tickled him, because he turned round with a big grin and applauded us!
We went on to win as expected.
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Love him or hate him Barry Fry’s a great character
 
I remember being in there in the early sixties with my Dad, who was an ex referee, seeing a bloke throwing pennies at the linesman. My Dad, all seventeen stone of him, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and took him to the gate , where he was thrown out.
 
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