Promotion 1980

[MCMC1875]

My first away game.....Bury's average gate swelled by 10,000 Rovers fans to 12,000 on a Tuesday night. The home fans had been displaced into the away end so that Rovers had both sides (inc. main stand) and the home (Manny Road) end. The Manny Road End consisted of two halves: the lower was tarmac and the upper was terracing made of railway sleepers which bounced! Garner, Keeley et al duly paid homage to the Worshippers with fags and champers from the directors box. Priceless.

[wellesbourne]

Remember been sat on my old mans shoulders. We had more fans at Gigg Lane that night than we did for most of our home games. Penultimate match of season if i remember rightly - didn't they come to Ewood on last day of season and beat us !

Howard Kendall, Andy Crawford, Big Dunc - happy days

[trs]

A night to remember along with port vale 75.

For us "slightly" older ones, these two occasions will be remembered as fondly as anything we achieved since then.

[Alan75]

Im sure the stand behind the goal swayed 10 yards each way that night at Bury, as Rovers fans bounced and swayed.

I was near the half way line, and the more the night went on the more I was convinced that the stand behind the goal was going to collapse.

[1864roverite]

If we can ever recover the coverage from itv sport on the Rovers fans for this one, I am actually on my mates shoulders when the players went in the stand and we took the pitch, I got one of the Rovers shirts which to this day still has the blood on it.

Its my prized possession and really took some explaining to Mum and dad as I was actually grounded from going for not doing my homework ! I sneaked out of the bathroom window, on to the garage roof and away with the rest of that travelling army. The weeks grounding later was well worth it

[whittle blue]

Im sure the stand behind the goal swayed 10 yards each way that night at Bury, as Rovers fans bounced and swayed.

I was near the half way line, and the more the night went on the more I was convinced that the stand behind the goal was going to collapse.

I was in that stand behind the goal. Was told later by someone that they were sure the stand was moving, so you may be right Alan75.

Was there a press/photographers strike on or something? That's why you never see any pics.of that wonderful evening.

Anyone remember "super linesman"?

[Friarsnig]

Here's one..

Apologies. I'm sorry it's so bloody big.

It's twice the size of the original.

Mods, can you resize it for me?

[whittle blue]

Thanks Friarsnig.

Brings back nice memories.

[MCMC1875]

Andy Crawford! Last seen on Filey Beach?

[Friarsnig]

I scanned that pic from the official commemorative promotion souvenir brochure - there's three more if you want to see them, but, being a bit of a numb nuts as far as computer stuff goes, they'd probably all be really big like that.

Shall I post them?

[MCMC1875]

Bring 'em on.

[Friarsnig]

[Friarsnig]

Just look at Paddy's face!

Elsewhere in the brochure it mentions how the players celebrated

with a buffet reception at the Bull's Head in Wilpshire.

How times have changed.

[Ozz]

I scanned that pic from the official commemorative promotion souvenir brochure -

I too have that brochure, it is in black, white and blue!

[trs]

Thanks for the photo's Friarsnig.

Absolutely priceless!!!!!!!!!

It brings a tear to your eye, and I ain't joking.

[berkshireblue]

I've got that brochure too!!

priceless

[Claytons Left Boot]

Was talking to a lad at Stanley last week who has followed Rovers in the past and goes now and again now. He was in a large group of Rovers fans, including Birdy, who walked it home to Darwen after the game. Bury to Bolton, past Burnden Park and over the moors to Darwen.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

How I would have loved to have been it that group...a story to tell indeed!

Edited January 20, 2007 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[ABBEY]

i was doing discus practice for lancs schools and my dad was late ,i rember my dad driving like a loon to get us there on time.We got there as the other birdie (anyone know what hes up to now) waqs told he couldnt take a carry out full of ale in the ground ,so he necked about 8 cans one after the other ...i remember the stand rocking and nearly being burned down and i remer being the firtst to be thrown over the wall after the game and how we celebrated...haahahah my dad stopped at an offy in bolton and bought a bottle of champagne which we drank and goping to school the day after ith a hangover.....what a day...probably even more than when we won the league my favorate ( also apart from beating bumley too) day as a rover.

[iacok]

Cant remember if it was the next programme or a celebration brochure but my old mate Mick was on the pitch in the star picture! Great days!

[Gav]

Was talking to a lad at Stanley last week who has followed Rovers in the past and goes now and again now. He was in a large group of Rovers fans, including Birdy, who walked it home to Darwen after the game. Bury to Bolton, past Burnden Park and over the moors to Darwen.

I heard that also, wonder if its an urban myth or it actually happened?

I know my dad and 50 of his mates walked to Blackpool one Friday night after the pubs shut, some time late 60’s or early 70’s. Not sure if it was the game Rovers fans got banned from travelling away due to violence and an ammonia attack on the bpool fans? Or is that a myth also?

[Doug]

Fantastic night, wasn't this unusual with regards to the fact we played em at home the following week on a 'beach' of an Ewood pitch? I think our promotion clincher may have been re-arranged (but my memory isn't what it was), and also, we clinched promotion at Gigg lane, and, if I'm not mistaken, didn't Bury beat us at Ewood 1-0 to avoid relegation the following match? One of the only times I invaded a pitch at the end to celebrate.

Edited December 12, 2011 by 12milesfromewood

[colin]

I heard that also, wonder if its an urban myth or it actually happened?

I know my dad and 50 of his mates walked to Blackpool one Friday night after the pubs shut, some time late 60’s or early 70’s. Not sure if it was the game Rovers fans got banned from travelling away due to violence and an ammonia attack on the bpool fans? Or is that a myth also?

Gav (& anyone else who is interested,)

I think it's quite likely.

My old man, who is now in his mid-eighties, and has always been reticent about his younger days in Blackburn, recently told me that he and his mates used to often cycle from Blackburn over the Trough Of Bowland for a day out in Morecambe or Blackpool. That must have been one hell of a trip on a heavy bike with probably no, or Sturmey Archer three speed, gears. And no modern weather clothing.

So, it's quite possible that Rovers' fans walked back from Bury to Ewood, & walked from Blackburn to Blackpool. Different times, different attitudes. Different attitudes to getting from A to B. I'm quite happy to walk back the five miles from a night out to my home. Some people think I'm bonkers to not get a taxi.

Moving times, moving attitudes, moving perceptions of what is normal.

With apologies for diverting this thread.

Colin

[m1st]

I remember going to the game at Gigg Lane. In those days, one of my mates, who still sits next to me in the Riverside, and I worked in Rochdale so we made our way across from there to Gigg Lane, where we met up with the rest of our little group.

One of our colleagues lived on an Estate off the Manchester Road about a mile or so further away from Bury town centre [most, if not all, the streets on the estate were named after League grounds!] and she gave us directions for how to get to her local pub for a post-match pint or two of Boddington's [when it was Boddington's! ] with our mates, so that we didn't waste any celebratory "supping-time".

Which is how there was one table in this nice suburban pub with Rovers' fans round it and all the locals wondering how the hell we knew about their pub!

31½ years ago, and it seems like yesterday!!