Season 1984-85

[bob fleming]

"...John Lowey and Windy Miller" - Windy Miller, Windy Miller la la la la la la!! etc

What a great photo.

Of course the likes of Jim Mk II and theno will be keen to point out that these guys were second rate players, only at Ewood because they weren't good enough for Division 1. Well screw them (theno is that big a fan of BRFC he'd shut the club down to form another at a drop of a hat.)

These guys are legends each and every one of 'em. If it wasn't for them we may well have spent most of the 80's in the 3rd or 4th division.

And people on here think we're skint now!

[Ozz]

Rovers FA Cup exploits in times previous to 1985 were always memorable-well for me anyway! In 1983-84, we played Chelsea , Swindon and Southampton in three great games, culminating in David Armstrong knocking us out on Friday night Match Of The Day on BBC-1. 1983 saw us play Liverpool in the 3rd round at home, which I missed. I was playing for the School Team that morning, away at Darwen Vale (3-3) but couldn't get a ticket for the match-ironically driving past the ground at lunch time coming back to Chorley from Darwen just to rub salt in the wounds!

Plus the two monster games in 1980~ish when we were in the 3rd division, firstly against Coventry at home (won 1-0) then the draw and defeat against mighty Aston Villa in the promotion season.

So the next in the line of cup clashes to remember were Manchester United.

[Ozz]

Perfect timing Mr Caleano!

The headline says Rovers Cup Dreams are Shattered, which was incorrect. Nobody at Ewood really ever dreamed we were going to win the FA cup. The dream had already been realized. I had started watching Rovers in the season we missed out on promotion by goal difference, 1981 I think, and by that time Rovers had not been in the top flight of English football in my lifetime, going back to 1966. The real dream of all Blackburn Rovers supporters was to be playing the big teams every week, and in the absence of that-a head to head in a cup match would have to do. It didn't get much better than a home game against United, and most of us knew deep down that we were not really going to have much chance of beating them. So we all rolled up, best part of 20,000 home fans, for a glimpse of what we had dared to dream of all season long, as the promotion campaign gathered momentum. more in hope than expectation.

The coverage in the media for a Rovers game, was in my experience unprecedented. Articles in the Daily Mail, live TV coverage on the BBC, interviews with the tea lady...I absolutely loved it. My team, which felt like it didn't exist outside of terraced streets, crap pies and freezing nights on crumbling terraces fending of rival supporters bricks, were in the spotlight.

So as I boarded the Cliff Owen coach at the Flat Iron around 5.30 that Friday night, I recall thinking that this was all slightly unreal, and as rival supporters sat on the coach, trading insults with each other, I considered for the first time that we wouldn't get promoted.

The game came and went, we lost 0-2 as you probably know. I recall the glow of mini TV studio lights coming from a hastliy erected hutch in the no mans land between the Darwen End and the Riverside, where Jimmy Hill could peer out and cast his judgments on Hovis FC. I recall lots of sporadic fighting , in the Blackburn End after Strachans opener, and seeing lots more all round the ground during the match too. I clearly recall Strachan ballooning a penalty into the United end, and thinking we had a chance to get a replay. I recall climbing up the fence at the bottom of the BBE near the end, and running on the pitch after the whistle had gone, and beckoning the whole Darwen End to come and take me on! I was briefly on TV, for about two seconds, as the camera near the dugouts caught me saying, "Bring on City!" And ultimately, I recall thinking that it was all a bit of a let down. We were never in the game, and had only on ereal chance to score, when Garner came on and ballooned one over the bar late on.

So the dream had come and gone, and Rovers players and fans alike woke up on Saturday morning to face the prospect of playing games against Barnsley, Grimsby, Cardiff and Hull.

Without spoiling the ending to the season, we never really got over the United game in my opinion, our football never matched the quality of earlier games, and seemed like the zenith of our season. It was all, well nearly all, downhill from here on in...

[Ozz]

£2.00 to get in!

Jimmy Quinn aims one at the moon.

[Ozz]

Gary Bailey gets a clobbering here...

And a rusty Simon Garner spaffs the best chance we had all night...

[Gav]

God its like yesterday, and I still have the ticket somewhere also.

Great Stuff

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Seen a video clip of the game and to say the crowd was 22,000+ the Riverside looked remarkably empty....the ground looks nowhere near as full as I remember it!

[waggy]

remember the CABIN END,CABIN END vioce over

[whittle blue]

remember the CABIN END,CABIN END vioce over

I remember it.

Wasn't that the Southampton live Cup game Waggy?

Was it you?!!

[Gav]

I remember it.

Wasn't that the Southampton live Cup game Waggy?

Was it you?!!

Cabin End? I recall pom-poms being given out in the Blacknurn end, NEVER TOOK ANY THOUGH

Seen a video clip of the game and to say the crowd was 22,000+ the Riverside looked remarkably empty....the ground looks nowhere near as full as I remember it!

United had 5-6k in the Darwen end and 2k in the enclosure, so gate could have been right.

But I know what you mean about the riverside.

[1864roverite]

I was playing for the School Team that morning, away at Darwen Vale (3-3)

Ozzie, I am certain that I was a goal scorer x 2 in this game having gone on as a second half sub for Micky Fisher !!!

Blue shirts with the Palace style striping, H'way the Parklands, cock o' Chorley

[Ozz]

Ozzie, I am certain that I was a goal scorer x 2 in this game having gone on as a second half sub for Micky Fisher !!!

Blue shirts with the Palace style striping, H'way the Parklands, cock o' Chorley

Of course you did Warren... ..thought it was Martin Caddick actually!

Anyway, the FA cup run (if three games constitutes a run) was over so back to more the more pressing issue of the annual fight against promotion. After the Fulham victory, the thought was that we were back on track. February 23rd saw us match up to Oxford United for the fifth time this season, and not surprisingly the game provided poor fodder for the returning Match Of The Day TV cameras. Oxford had slipped up of late, two straight 1-0 defeats at Palace and Fulham, so were looking at the chance to strike back at top of the table Rovers, with these new fangled 3 points for a win system!

The Bald Eagles team scored early, and it took Rovers an hour to come to terms with them and force an equaliser-Quinn again with the notch. The Guardian report below mentions the quality of Simon Barker, who was playing well at this time and running most things in our midfield. "He was erratic, and consequently the source of much additional frustration" wrote Erlend Clouston. So basically the Riverside gave him dogs abuse is what he meant.

Our time at the top of Division two was coming to an end...with a massive massive game next week at home to Manchester City.

[ABBEY]

i remember getting sacked for going to oxford on a night match for a cup replay on the choo choo

[Ozz]

The next game at home to Manchester City I decided to make a day of it. I had a City supporting friend, who shall remain nameless, lets call him Fatneck Beefy. Me, Beefy and Richard Houghton, who was/is an Everton fan went to Blackburn on the bus, the 124 from Chorley. I may be wrong, but I think Alexei Sayle mentions the 124 from Chorley to Blackburn in his book- 50 Worst Bus Journeys In The World, along side the number 38 from Trinity New Mexico to a safe bunker 200 yards away and the Night Service for Honkeys from Compton to South Central.

Arriving at the Bouley in good spirits, we headed to the Wine lodge, for the same, as being from Chorley we had high standards in our drinking holes. Chorley wine lodge was an all time classic,a proper sawdust and spit joint, with a railed queuing system on which most banks and post offices now employ.

Anyway, several pints later, we walked the seemingly 49 miles to Ewood on our reverse beer scooters, and got to the ground in good time-it was still only 2pm. So fat beefy went to the Darwen End, and me and Rich into the Blackburn End, and stood on an empty terrace , ######, for an hour as it filled up. I even climbed on the crash barrier at one point, and began a one man abuse song of the one man away end at beefy. But a steward told me off and made me get down.

Before kick off, we were top of the table, with City just behind us, a win for them would take them top.

By the time the match kicked off, the ground was absolutely packed, more so than the United cup game a week or two ago, it was seriously jammed in the Blackburn End and all the ground looked the same. Throughout the game, there were many sporadic outbreaks of violence on the terraces, in the BBE, the Riverside and even the enclosure. It was pretty mad even by the standards of the mid 80s, and the game was held up by the ref at one point.

Can't remember too much detail of the game, except for Kinseys lucky goal, from a deflection or rebound into the BBE, which prompted the biggest round of fighting all afternoon. Massive surges of Rovers fans lurched forward to the bottom right as you look down, trying to get their hands on City interlopers in big sheepskin coats and Adidas Sambas, Rom, and Forest Hills!

After the game, the Moss Side gangs came piling down Bolton Road looking or more aggro, and we got chased into Ewood WMC and got away without a stabbing or similar.

Evening Post report, which is in poor condition, see next post for the end bit a little clearer.

[Ozz]

I will try and do something with the images on the City report, see if I can bring them up a bit better on Photoshop etc.

[whittle blue]

Blackburn on the bus, the 124 from Chorley. I may be wrong, but I think Alexei Sayle mentions the 124 from Chorley to Blackburn in his book- 50 Worst Bus Journeys In The World,

The 124 is a nice route that takes you through exotic places like Abbey Village,Brinscall and Wheelton.

I used it after yesterdays game.

Trouble is, you have to bugger off at quarter to five to catch it. I wonder if Stagecoach could alter the times on Saturdays?

Sorry, I'll shut up.

Here's Kinsey's goal from the City game.

[Ozz]

The photos have not come up too great, but here they are.

[Ozz]

[1864roverite]

The buses used to be as follows

128 chorley to blackburn via higher wheelton

127 chorley to blackburn via brinscall

thats as I recall being a villager from Wheelton

[Ozz]

The next two games I have no reports for I'm afraid. They were away a midweek game at Brighton, lost 3-1 and away at Oldham , lost 2-0. Didn't manage the trip to Brighton, but I went to Oldham on the Saturday. The usual poor performance, stood on the slag heap away end. Anybody go to either of these two games?

[ABBEY]

The 124 is a nice route that takes you through exotic places like Abbey Village,Brinscall and Wheelton.

.

ive always wondered why i got nicknamed abbey hahahaha, did you wave at my ma haha

[1864roverite]

It passes through lovely rural villages whilst at the same time missing out Whittle !!!!

Villagers Villagers Villagers........

[MCMC1875]

The next two games I have no reports for I'm afraid. They were away a midweek game at Brighton, lost 3-1 and away at Oldham , lost 2-0. Didn't manage the trip to Brighton, but I went to Oldham on the Saturday. The usual poor performance, stood on the slag heap away end. Anybody go to either of these two games?

I was at the Oldham game. Never got used to seeing the local boozers full of Man U fans. Also remember a Granada TV documentary about policing at football showing a GM Police chief briefing his officers before an Oldham v Rovers game in the 80's. He says 'Three things you've got to remember about Rovers fans, they come early, they come in numbers and they drink a lot'.

........spot on!

[Ozz]

Not sure of the whereabouts of the book right now, since the baby came and having moved house 4 times in the last year. Things have been a bit bizarre...however, finally back to Jones towers next weekend so should be sorted and unpack a few boxes, which should reveal the final stages of this roller coaster ride of season. Stay tuned folks!

[Ozz]

League match 31 of the season was a home game against Birmingham City. City were major promotion rivals, and with recent defeats Rovers were desperate for the three points to bring some impetus back into the promotion push, whilst depriving Birmingham of points too. March 16th 1985 brought 10,000 odd to Ewood to see a patchy performance from the home team, and indeed we went behind early in the first half. Scapegoat John Lowey, who had been a target for the Riverside boo boys most of the season equalised before half time, and Simon Barker grabbing the winner in the 2nd. The there points kept us second, but as it was only our second league in 1985 things were getting very tight-and very nervy.

Recognise the Birmingham keeper?