Amongst the doom and gloom

A happy memory from 33 years ago today.

I remember the evening well, drunk down all match and played off the park for 89 minutes, but still one of the best ever evenings following The Mariners.

[img]https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/313502_10150560332423636_2112510552_n.jpg?oh=d93ad92f2d2b85187576025ed4f0d782&oe=5AA308F3[/img]

I was there!
More importantly so was Paul wilkinson

Wilko could probably do better now than the strikers we have 👍

Talking about Wilko ! what exactly is his impact at GTFC, because to me it appears to be nothing at all, i thought he would work on the attacking within the team, well clearly i am wrong on that as nobody seems to work on the attacking, i hope Wilko realise he is just as much to blame about the disaster that is unfolding as Russel Slade & John Fenty.

Quoted from chelseacity

Talking about Wilko ! what exactly is his impact at GTFC, because to me it appears to be nothing at all, i thought he would work on the attacking within the team, well clearly i am wrong on that as nobody seems to work on the attacking, i hope Wilko realise he is just as much to blame about the disaster that is unfolding as Russel Slade & John Fenty.

Did you really have to turn this into a Slade/Fenty bashing thread!!!

Quoted from Les Brechin

Did you really have to turn this into a Slade/Fenty bashing thread!!!

I think you did that yourself Les by reminding us what our great club once was and what we could achieve compared to the current pathetic going nowhere music hall joke led by Fenty and Slade

I remember being there that night, already celebrating when we got the free kick thinking yes that will run the clock down and get us a draw, then we scored in what seemed like slow motion and it went nuts.

great header , great player , crap assistant who thinks Sam Kelly is a footballer

I couldn't get there that night was away at college as a mature  student in Oxford - college, not Uni.

Remember listening to it on the radio when they went around the grounds and always remember the commentator nearly choking on his microphone. We were the only team to stop Everton scoring at home that season....not too bad considering they were league champions at the end of it. Has to be Town's greatest post war result.

The game I do remember though is the 1979-80 League Cup tie against Everton at BP, something I and perhaps 16,000 other folk will never forget, when the mercurial Mike Brolly scored twice to give us our biggest upset in living memory. Was in the Barratt that night and it was absolutely bouncing...nothing like it on such nights. Not the greatest Everton side by any stretch, but with the likes of Bob Latchford and Brian Kidd up front all bar Town diehards thought we would be pushovers.  UNBELIEVABLE.

I am sure that besides being the only team to stop Everton scoring at home, we were also the only team to win at Goodison Park that season. A tremendous achievement for the Club.

This was against a top quality trophy-winning Everton team whose players were household names.

I was bouncing up and down that hard on the bed i fell off it when i heared we scored , the mrs thought i had had a fit or something    

Quoted from jock dock tower

I couldn't get there that night was away at college as a mature  student in Oxford - college, not Uni.

Remember listening to it on the radio when they went around the grounds and always remember the commentator nearly choking on his microphone. We were the only team to stop Everton scoring at home that season....not too bad considering they were league champions at the end of it. Has to be Town's greatest post war result.

The game I do remember though is the 1979-80 League Cup tie against Everton at BP, something I and perhaps 16,000 other folk will never forget, when the mercurial Mike Brolly scored twice to give us our biggest upset in living memory. Was in the Barratt that night and it was absolutely bouncing ...nothing like it on such nights. Not the greatest Everton side by any stretch, but with the likes of Bob Latchford and Brian Kidd up front all bar Town diehards thought we would be pushovers.  UNBELIEVABLE.

I was also in the Barretts stand that night.... the crowd was around 22,000 though.

Quoted from denni266

I was bouncing up and down that hard on the bed i fell off it when i heared we scored , the mrs thought i had had a fit or something    

Lol in bed that early then bet the Mrs laying next to ya thought how come I never get that reacton lol. Only kiddin mate nice one

Quoted from promotion plaice

I was also in the Barretts stand that night.... the crowd was around 22,000 though.

Yes it was. Only bettered by the game in the next round against Andy Gray's Wolves, were 23000 attended.

Quoted from fishyfanny

Yes it was. Only bettered by the game in the next round against Andy Gray's Wolves, were 23000 attended.

That first Wolves game often gets bypassed when people talk about the great B.P. nights but Town came within inches of another famous win when Kev Moore(?) rattled the bar with a header. Had we won that night there would've been two 3rd tier teams in the semi-final of what was then a trophy taken pretty seriously by the "big boys" (pretty sure Swindon were the other one). An all Division 3 semi-final would've seen us as favourites to get to Wembley....great night.

Quoted from promotion plaice

I was also in the Barretts stand that night.... the crowd was around 22,000 though.

I was in the Pontoon, the actual attendance was 22,043

Quoted from promotion plaice

I was also in the Barretts stand that night.... the crowd was around 22,000 though.

Not everybody in the ground was supporting Town though. Constitutional end was full of Scousers.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I was in the Pontoon, the actual attendance was 22,043

God. 22,000, where did they all go? 😥

Everton win away was easily my best game following Town (Wembley  matches apart) at that time Everton were the best team in England and on their own patch, they hammered us all the game and still lost.
Stood on my seat in the top tier behind the important goal and went berserk.

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

God. 22,000, where did they all go? 😥

Last seen jumping off Cleethorpes Pier.

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

God. 22,000, where did they all go? 😥

We used to get a couple of hundred up the floodlight pylons in those days, no problem.

I know but why has it fallen that drastically?  

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

I know but why has it fallen that drastically?  

Step forward.....(roll of the drums) seating.

I did think that, but would such a huge crowd return if they brought in safe standing?

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

I did think that, but would such a huge crowd return if they brought in safe standing?

I doubt that the BP capacity would rise that high if they did.

Back in those days they packed you in like sardines!

Quoted from barralad

That first Wolves game often gets bypassed when people talk about the great B.P. nights but Town came within inches of another famous win when Kev Moore(?) rattled the bar with a header. Had we won that night there would've been two 3rd tier teams in the semi-final of what was then a trophy taken pretty seriously by the "big boys" (pretty sure Swindon were the other one). An all Division 3 semi-final would've seen us as favourites to get to Wembley....great night.

I remember that night well, was in with the Wolves fans and to this day i don't know what my reaction would have been if that had been inches lower.

Don't know if you're old enough to remember Ronnie, but we also had concrete terracing on the 3 open corners as well as the Ponny, Barrett and Osmond being standing.

Best seats in the house were apparently the Barrett stand roof. It's what inspired the architect of the Findus Stand   .

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Don't know if you're old enough to remember Ronnie, but we also had concrete terracing on the 3 open corners as well as the Ponny, Barrett and Osmond being standing.

Best seats in the house were apparently the Barrett stand roof. It's what inspired the architect of the Findus Stand   .

I do remember the concrete corners, first match in ‘92 against Sunderland. They wore our kit lol.

Those corners held a lot, and not a bad view from the top either! Went through a phase of using the Pontoon / Barrett corner.In fact I seem to recall standing there the night Town beat Scunny 7-1. I still think it looks stupid with three empty flat corners.

Quoted from Ipswin

Those corners held a lot, and not a bad view from the top either! Went through a phase of using the Pontoon / Barrett corner.In fact I seem to recall standing there the night Town beat Scunny 7-1. I still think it looks stupid with three empty flat corners.

I used to go in that corner in the early 80's. As you say, good view from the top, but a bit open to the elements.

In Slades last spell in charge, we had a game with temporary seating (Wycombe?), with some set up in that very corner. I ended up in there as couldn't get a ticket anywhere else and it felt weird.

Quoted from ginnywings

I used to go in that corner in the early 80's. As you say, good view from the top, but a bit open to the elements.

In Slades last spell in charge, we had a game with temporary seating (Wycombe?), with some set up in that very corner. I ended up in there as couldn't get a ticket anywhere else and it felt weird.

Think I was in the same seats Ginny. Wasn't it a Friday night game? Bl88dy cold sat there are Sergio Torres ran the show?

League games was far better before seating as well as the cup,

19,000+ for Sheff Wed

16,000+ for Sheff Utd

Plus a few 12,000 ---14,000  ones as well.

Much better days lets hope they will return when/ if  we get the newstadium,

14,000 in the new place would be rocking.

Quoted from grimsby pete

League games was far better before seating as well as the cup,

19,000+ for Sheff Wed

16,000+ for Sheff Utd

Plus a few 12,000 ---14,000  ones as well.

Much better days lets hope they will return when/ if  we get the newstadium,

14,000 in the new place would be rocking.

It was Sheffield United where we had over 19,000.. Last game of the season, won 4-0.

Quoted from tanga_the_indestructible

It was Sheffield United where we had over 19,000.. Last game of the season, won 4-0.

17,000 +  for West Ham as well,

I am sure I got those Sheffield games the right way round,

I will just go and check my book, back in a minute.

Quoted from Posh Harry

Think I was in the same seats Ginny. Wasn't it a Friday night game? Bl88dy cold sat there are Sergio Torres ran the show?

And Mooney scored his obligatory goal  . To be fair, we played pretty well and their loan keeper (Andy Longergan I think?) made 3 or 4 really good saves. The temporary seating was put in for the infamous Newcastle match a couple of weeks later; I'm guessing there was a stub deal going on, hence the big crowd for the Wycombe match.

Just checked you are right it was United,

BUT

A few years later we had nearly 19,000. it was 18,900 odd against Wednesday,

Good days will they ever return ?

22,000+ for the never to be forgotten game against Exeter,

We had 11,000+ for the original game against Exeter that was abandoned because of fog,

So over 33.000 saw us play them that year.

Quoted from Abdul19

And Mooney scored his obligatory goal  . To be fair, we played pretty well and their loan keeper (Andy Longergan I think?) made 3 or 4 really good saves. The temporary seating was put in for the infamous Newcastle match a couple of weeks later; I'm guessing there was a stub deal going on, hence the big crowd for the Wycombe match.

I'd forgotten it was put in for the Newcastle game.

Our No9, can't remember his name now, missed a sitter of a header in that Wycombe game.

Think the cost of football is more to blame than all seater stadiums. With hard times ahead I can see attendances falling at all clubs.

The appetite for a successful club is there in Grimsby as up to 30,000 have gone to Wembley to watch them in the last 20 years. Even if we go off our last two play off visits there’s still a good 12,000 who would go. The problem we’d face is keeping them interested which would be tough when we’re playing crap and still charging £20 a game to get in.

I think the last biggies were 19,000(?) for Spurs in 91, about 15,000 for Newcastle at the end of 92-93, and Villa c 94 (14,000?)

Villa was over 15,000. I looked it up earlier. My only experience of watching the game from the Pontoon in a really big crowd and I remember I was sweltering even though it was a cold day. I'd also had a rather heavy late night beforehand so it wasnt exactly what the doctor ordered! A quiet seat and a nap might have been better. I seem to think that Rodger was sent off for scrapping with Shaun Teale?

You're right on the crowd Maringer. 15771 according to this clip. But it was Livvo sent off (5:40 in).

Great game. One of the best Town goals at BP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juxQmrKfZ24

Quoted from Abdul19

And Mooney scored his obligatory goal  . To be fair, we played pretty well and their loan keeper (Andy Longergan I think?) made 3 or 4 really good saves. The temporary seating was put in for the infamous Newcastle match a couple of weeks later; I'm guessing there was a stub deal going on, hence the big crowd for the Wycombe match.

Ah yes. Always scored against us. He must have been rubbing his hands when it was Grimsby time!

If we were in Scunny's league position, challenging for prom to The Championship we would be filling BP