[Archived] Ewood 83

[longsiders1882]

Hi again guys.

I wondered if I could get a quick answer/view from those were there in 83. What was the total attendance (I've just read 13434 - can anybody confirm) and how many Burnley were there - and yes I've heard all ends of the extremes from Clarets and Rovers, just trying for a reasonably honest figure, not the usual either there were 10 or we took over all the home stands

[Fife Rover]

Hi again guys.

I wondered if I could get a quick answer/view from those were there in 83. What was the total attendance (I've just read 13434 - can anybody confirm) and how many Burnley were there - and yes I've heard all ends of the extremes from Clarets and Rovers, just trying for a reasonably honest figure, not the usual either there were 10 or we took over all the home stands

!3.431 according to Jackman, but let's not split hairs. No figures for the Burnley contingent in that; sorry! Maybe the difference in our two totals was the Burnley supporters?

[ABBEY]

there were 25 thousand dingles and 150000 locked outside.....sent my dingle mate a txt yesterday reminding what happened on that day a few years back..happy anniversery

[longsiders1882]

Maybe the difference in our two totals was the Burnley supporters?

[jumpin']

13 431 according to my Palace programme the game after, though only 4 635 decided to turn up at Ewood that day. We annihilated you 2-1! which is the only thing that counts. We got the points, you got the roof and relegation and eventually John Bond!

[USABlue]

Hi again guys.

I wondered if I could get a quick answer/view from those were there in 83. What was the total attendance (I've just read 13434 - can anybody confirm) and how many Burnley were there - and yes I've heard all ends of the extremes from Clarets and Rovers, just trying for a reasonably honest figure, not the usual either there were 10 or we took over all the home stands

Haven't seen you for a long time. Silly place to come for a reasonable answer to a reasonable question relating to Burnley

Not so good luck in your playoff endeavours.

[Ozz]

The Burnley following was probably around 4,000 from memory.

[Ozz]

Further, just had a look in my reports from the time, but there was nowt there. Found the clip below though, which was two years later, a preview of the Lancashire Cup final at Ewood. Mentions the league game, and the roof top display team, but little more than this. We won 1-0, Garner scored. Will chuck the report and photo up tomorrow.

[Gav]

I wasn't that old at the time, but didn't they have the darwen end and the nuttall street enclosure towards the darwen end? not sure if either was full.

The darwen end held 5000? in those days and 1200 in the nuttall street encloseure?

How about that for a sensible answer to a question from a burnley fan.

I need a lie down

[Blackburn Ender]

Can't recall if they had the Nuttall St Enclosure. Probably not for segregation reasons.

But the Darwen End was pretty near full.

I recall remarking to a friend how surprising it was that so many people could move so quickly in such a confined space - once the police had let the dogs off their leeches.

4,000-5,000 sounds about right.

[JAL]

I remember about 3000-3500 Burnley fans present at the game, the Darwen end was nowhere near full as you could see plenty of barriers on the riverside side of the Darwen end and wasnt the trouble with the roof started by some idiots from the Bacup area.

[Gav]

I'd like to know if Waggy had a quiet day that day or not?

Tell us how you spent the afternoon Waggy

[rogerjonesgloves]

Definitely nowhere near full on the Darwen end. My brother was with me on the Riverside (Burnley Fan). As a mitigation to his extreme lack of taste he was seen on the big screen at the Chicago Cubs wearing the Rovers Championship shirt and celebrated the title at a family do!.

Burnleys goal looked like handball to me, but i might be a little biased.

[Billinge End Blue]

I was on the Blackburn End for that match and reckon around 10,000 home fans and 3500 away fans is about right.

I also remember Frank Casper getting resounding support from the Blackburn End ie a vocal ‘There’s only one Frank Casper’, after his half-time address from the dugouts/tunnel area by loudhailer to the Darwen End morons. In this, quite remarkably, he repeatedly called the Burnley mindless ones ‘Animals’ as he berated those injuring their own supporters with shards of the asbestos roofing (incidentally, only a few panels were broken by those underneath, it was not a ‘removal’ as some Clarets seem to recall).

I can’t recall if there were Burnley supporters in the Darwen End enclosure but if there were, it might explain why it was Burnley’s support hurt by the missiles from the Darwen End.

I’ve never seen so many police dogs off the leash along with significant baton/truncheon charges as early in the second half when Lancashire constabulary meted summary, if random, justice.

All that said, don’t let anyone tell you the eighties weren’t the good old days at Ewood Park (in fact, fingers-crossed Burnley make and are successful in the play-offs – good for a guaranteed 6 points and a convivial derby atmosphere!).

[bob fleming]

I was only a youth at the time and was sat in the Nuttall Street stand. It's a bit hazy all this but I don't remember burnley getting the Darwen End enclosure, in fact I'm convinced that they weren't given it. It wouldn't have made sense - for obvious reasons.

As BEB (above) states there was only a few idiots who took it upon themselves to climb up into the roof of the Darwen End and chuck asbestos sheeting about. Some of which made the pitch but mainly they threw it at their own in the Darwen End. Clever stuff even by their own standards. I'll not forget seeing all those hard men move so quick when the police sent those doggies in.

When it looked as though the game might have to be abandoned legend has it that Bill Fox said something akin to "Good! Then we can beat the @#/?s again!"

[Ozz]

The away fans also managed to get at least one orange smoke bomb/flare thing onto the pitch, which caused some delay too as I recall.

[philipl]

I was on the Riverside and Burnley were only on the Darwen End.

The morons climbed up at the back of the stand making their sudden silhouetted appearance at the peak of the roof even more dramatic.

Some others tried shinning up the stand pillars but didn't make it. I think one of them was met by a police dog when he came back down causing a cheer from the Rovers' fans.

If I remember rightly, the police managed to shepherd all the Burnley fans into the centre of the Darwen End when the trouble started which meant the asbestos lumps were falling on them and there was nowhere for them to go.

[Gav]

Didn't Terry Gennoe get hit with a bottle also? Or was it the burnley keeper? Different game?

Mate of mine went in the Hindle arms, now the winning post, at lower darwen and put money in the pool table and all the balls had been taken to throw at the game, never got his money back either!

As has already been mentioned, they removed approx 3 sheets of asbestos from the roof, and Fox made burnley pay for the damage. Hardly anything to write home about but it’s down in folklore in burnley which tells its own story I guess.

Now if you want to talk about getting one over your local rivals, how about a fly past anyone, now thats in a league of its own

[UbuRoi]

I was only a youth at the time and was sat in the Nuttall Street stand. It's a bit hazy all this but I don't remember burnley getting the Darwen End enclosure, in fact I'm convinced that they weren't given it. It wouldn't have made sense - for obvious reasons.

As BEB (above) states there was only a few idiots who took it upon themselves to climb up into the roof of the Darwen End and chuck asbestos sheeting about. Some of which made the pitch but mainly they threw it at their own in the Darwen End. Clever stuff even by their own standards. I'll not forget seeing all those hard men move so quick when the police sent those doggies in.

When it looked as though the game might have to be abandoned legend has it that Bill Fox said something akin to "Good! Then we can beat the @#/?s again!"

Burnley had half the NS enclosure.

[Wiggy]

Burnley had half the NS enclosure.

No they didn't.