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  • When was the Farnborough game that they always complain about being taken over by poorly behaved hoards from Bucks?

  • I think that was 92/93

    A wall collapsed didn't it?

  • No it was the covered terracing on the side, it was literally moving under your feet, due to being over crowded by boisterous Wanderers followers.
    Martin Oneill had to come across the pitch to calm the situation down. I presume Farnboro officials were moaning about the situation. 2000 + away followings were becoming the north for southern based games.

  • It was an amazing time. Just going to places and completely taking over

  • The 86/87 season was the same, often 2/3 or 3/4 of the gate was Wanderers fans.
    And knowing travelling to the game you were going to watch the football supremo that was Noel Ashford totally dictate the game.
    I know it's very early but Anis Mehmessi gives you a similar buzz in your stomach when he picks up the ball.

  • Quality quip Mr Bookertease !!

  • @ChasHarps said:
    No it was the covered terracing on the side, it was literally moving under your feet, due to being over crowded by boisterous Wanderers followers.
    Martin Oneill had to come across the pitch to calm the situation down. I presume Farnboro officials were moaning about the situation. 2000 + away followings were becoming the north for southern based games.

    One of the few places you get a frosty reception when you mention Wycombe from the local die hards!

  • @ChasHarps said:
    No it was the covered terracing on the side, it was literally moving under your feet, due to being over crowded by boisterous Wanderers followers.
    Martin Oneill had to come across the pitch to calm the situation down. I presume Farnboro officials were moaning about the situation. 2000 + away followings were becoming the north for southern based games.

    We had gone two up in the opening five mins if I remember correctly. It was very shaky on that terrace.

  • @peterparrotface said:

    @ChasHarps said:
    No it was the covered terracing on the side, it was literally moving under your feet, due to being over crowded by boisterous Wanderers followers.
    Martin Oneill had to come across the pitch to calm the situation down. I presume Farnboro officials were moaning about the situation. 2000 + away followings were becoming the north for southern based games.

    One of the few places you get a frosty reception when you mention Wycombe from the local die hards!

    I used to get the Wealdstone fanzine many years ago, and they would often moan about Wycombe's hooligan fans. There was a little bit of trouble in the 83 trophy game, and I remember a group of Wealdstone fans coming to Loakes Park as their game was off in 86/87. It was the top of the table clash v Yeovil. Local hoolies attacked the Yeovil fans before kick off, and the very sparse TVP rather than intervene just opened the Loakes park gates for the Somerset yokels to escape.
    The episode was again recorded in the Wealdstone fanzine as if Wycombe had a notorious following.
    We always took a large following to Lower Mead and at the time was a great place for a pre match drink. I think they often mistaked boozed up enthusiasm as a threat of crowd trouble.
    Lower Mead, probably still my favourite ever away ground.

  • @eric_plant it’s possible you’re confusing that Boxing Day away fixture with a home tie in the Trophy earlier that same year (different season) which was so foggy I barely saw our winning goal from the other end.

  • Ah I think you might be right.

    Do you remember if the kick off was delayed for the away game or have I made that up too?

  • I can’t directly remember that, although i’m sure I was there - didn’t miss many games from that era. Along with others, I have a better memory of the Farnborough incident, specifically, and of course the ‘taking over’ of grounds generally.

  • Woking brought a huge following that day, they filled the now away end. If I remember rightly they only gave that end, if in cup games, the away team would want the 25% of tickets they were entitled to under FA Rules.
    Whilst in the Conf, I think only WBA and Woking were stationed in that end.
    What was the capacity for away fans, when they were allocated the bottom 1/4 of the old Woodlands terrace ?

  • I later became good friends with a Farnborough fan when I went to university and they absolutely hated Keith Scott.

    I think he went over and blew kisses to them after he scored.

    I think there was already a bit of bad feeling towards us from the game where their goalkeeper (John Power?) broke his leg on a very icy night at Adams Park and some of our fans let themselves down with some rather distasteful singing

    That game should never have started and I think it got abandoned before the end

  • The Hitachi Cup final first leg at Cherrywood Rd in 1985. The Wanderers had at least half the attendance that day. The Chairboys had gone 3 nil up, and I dont this the Hampshire folk were too enamoured by our celebrating fans, which including one managing to climb on top of the main stand and then have his legs dangling over the front.

  • Did not our 'on the beach' performance against Macclesfield in 93, keep the Silkmen up and send Farnborough down ?
    I guess that didnt increase our popularity with the Farnborough folk.

  • Ha ha, what was it Martin O'Neill said?..."I'd say we were terrible but we weren't even that good"?

    Something like that anyway

  • @ChasHarps said:
    Woking brought a huge following that day, they filled the now away end. If I remember rightly they only gave that end, if in cup games, the away team would want the 25% of tickets they were entitled to under FA Rules.
    Whilst in the Conf, I think only WBA and Woking were stationed in that end.
    What was the capacity for away fans, when they were allocated the bottom 1/4 of the old Woodlands terrace ?

    Colchester had a few in the Valley Terrace as well!

  • @eric_plant said:
    Ha ha, what was it Martin O'Neill said?..."I'd say we were terrible but we weren't even that good"?

    Something like that anyway

    My favourite Saint Martin quote was referring to his knowledge on goalkeepers.
    "My opinions on keepers, are if he catches it he's great, if he drops it he's crap".

  • @eric_plant said:
    I later became good friends with a Farnborough fan when I went to university and they absolutely hated Keith Scott.

    I think he went over and blew kisses to them after he scored.

    I think there was already a bit of bad feeling towards us from the game where their goalkeeper (John Power?) broke his leg on a very icy night at Adams Park and some of our fans let themselves down with some rather distasteful singing

    That game should never have started and I think it got abandoned before the end

    Didn’t we have a bucket collection at the next home game to raise money for the Farnborough keeper? as he was self-employed and obviously couldn’t work.

  • Yes, that was a nice touch

  • John Power was a good keeper, I remember him between the sticks for Kingstonian in that unforgettable 3-2 comeback at Loakes park , it was the day after boxing day. Noel Ashord and K's grey haired pantomime villain Richard Parkin were sent off.
    Power represented the FA XI, I think he may also have been selected for the England semi pro squad.

  • 36 years tmw, I was at Stag Meadow to see Windsor complete the double over us. Freezing cold day, I remember Nelly the Elephant by the Toy dolls being played more than once on the PA.
    A low moment in Wanderers history, fortunately we have headed off in very different paths.

  • Chas, you really should write a follow up book to Small Town Dreams, your memory bank is prodigious.

  • @glasshalffull said:
    Chas, you really should write a follow up book to Small Town Dreams, your memory bank is prodigious.

    The main obstacle would be my spelling,punctuation and general grammar !!
    And my interests start and finish at Association Football.
    I will leave the book writing to my good friend Nerys Cummings.

  • Nerys?

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