I went to Blackpool Tues/Weds for a coast walk which due to the weather and a foot injury turned into a tram hop and pub crawl.
Fleetwood were playing Altrincham so I thought why not although I did think it was an FA Cup game rather then that pizza cup balderdash, still it was only a fiver.
A crowd of 600 in the one open stand tried to make a decent atmosphere but what made me laugh was the two blokes next to me deriding the dozen away fans and wishing it was Grimsby as there'd be a decent away crowd.
I told them who I was and pointed out we're not really keen on the competition.
The buggers started telling everyone around and suddenly there was a chant of "Is that all you take away" directed at me rather than the Altrincham fans.
Comedy gold but I suppose you had to be there.
Talking to them in the pub it seems we're well thought of though.

You realise it was Accrington Stanley rather than Altrincham?

Quoted from GollyGTFC

You realise it was Accrington Stanley rather than Altrincham?

And you were at Fleetwood Rugby Club, not football?

The beer must be strong in that part of the world! ;) ;)

Quoted from GollyGTFC

You realise it was Accrington Stanley rather than Altrincham?

Schoolboy error but as DB suggested, the beer was strong.

How things change...there was a time when a club would have dreaded 800+ Town fans descending on them.

This is a club going in the right direction (at last).

Before Covid each year back end of August would take the kids to Blackpool for a week.  I always wear one of my GTFC tops, the amount times I would be stopped by fans from other clubs (Man City, Sheff Utd, Barnsley, Coventry, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham to mention a few) for a chat, missus fed up come the end of the week.  Many would say they miss not playing us, always surprised by the amount fans we took to the away games.

I got stopped at Sloane Square tube station on a Saturday morning last year with my GTFC shirt on, i went into a pub down the Kings Road, obviously full of Chelsea fans,  so many comments about a club bringing 5,000 fans on a Tuesday night and taking over the old shed end, said to me many times in that pub, you've got bigger support than most Premier league clubs that come here by miles, my head swelled so much I couldn't get out the door.

I've told this story many times...

After 'that' Wimbledon game me and 2 mates were in a pub in Covent Garden and a table full of Chelsea fans, who were a little the worse for wear, started going round the pub asking blokes who they supported and what game they'd been to. We were dreading them coming to us as we thought we might get a kicking. Anyway they did come to us and we thought we better go down in flames so told them we supported Grimsby and we'd been at Wimbledon.

We were treated like royalty. The Chelsea fans were full of respect and told tales of when they'd played us and what a good team we were. There was also a little bit of 80's football thuggery mentioned but even then...we got massive respect because out 'lads' didn't run from the Chelsea boys.

A strange and slightly surreal evening. Unsurprisingly I was home much later than expected and Mrs CummingsTackle was not impressed with me falling through the door in the middle of the night with tales of derring do.

Also After 'that ' Wimbledon game a coach load of us were in a pub which turned out to be a Millwall pub. The keyboard player was blind but somehow found out about us lot, he said he could smell fish it must be the Grimsby fans. We were all a little bit worried but there was no bother in fact just a healthy respect for us.
I remember being in the loo at the end of the night when a couple of Millwall fans came in and had a bit of a chat, they also told of some skirmishes with Town fans, great night in the end.

Many similar stories to that BCT over the years. The older blokes typically mention that game at BP when they went up and then the one when we turned a 2 goal deficit to a 3 goal win at Stamford Bridge.

Hardly ever get the “why the fackin ell do you support them” response (only from Cockney Reds or the like). Usually it’s “pwoper faans of a pwoper fatball clab”. (Apologies to any southerners 😁)

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Many similar stories to that BCT over the years. The older blokes typically mention that game at BP when they went up and then the one when we turned a 2 goal deficit to a 3 goal win at Stamford Bridge.

Hardly ever get the “why the fackin ell do you support them” response (only from Cockney Reds or the like). Usually it’s “pwoper faans of a pwoper fatball clab”. (Apologies to any southerners 😁)

That 3-2 win is probably one of the best games I ever witnessed but couldn't really enjoy as I had to watch it in with the Chelsea fans

At the end of the game they were outraged..... "fackin losing to them northern waaankers" and all I could do was agree in my best Mockney, "yeah fackin disgaasting wasn't it"    ;D

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

That 3-2 win is probably one of the best games I ever witnessed but couldn't really enjoy as I had to watch it in with the Chelsea fans

At the end of the game they were outraged..... "fackin losing to them northern waaankers" and all I could do was agree in my best Mockney, "yeah fackin disgaasting wasn't it"    ;D

Couple of my house mates at Uni were Chelsea fans and asked me if I wanted to go up with them. “No chance. Don’t wanna get stuffed on the pitch and off it.” They came back that evening flabbergasted and impressed by Fordy.

PMSL ...well thought of my arris !!!

Quoted from chelseacity

I got stopped at Sloane Square tube station on a Saturday morning last year with my GTFC shirt on, i went into a pub down the Kings Road, obviously full of Chelsea fans,  so many comments about a club bringing 5,000 fans on a Tuesday night and taking over the old shed end, said to me many times in that pub, you've got bigger support than most Premier league clubs that come here by miles, my head swelled so much I couldn't get out the door.

I got stopped by a group of 7-8 blokes built like brick shithouses while wearing my town shirt in Serbia a few years ago. I shat myself at first, but 3 of them who spoke good English said to me with big smiles on their faces "Grimsby Town, yes?". Ended up having a good 30 min chat with them and they knew more about town than some town fans do. Turned out they were Partizan Belgrade fans and town are the English team they support as we both play in black and white stripes. Was a bit surreal as we said our goodbyes and parted ways, they walked off chanting "mariners"  :)

Quoted from cleggy spireite

PMSL ...well thought of my arris !!!

WHY do you have to come on here and spoil? It's great playing Chesterfield. Two proper clubs and it feels like a derby game when we play as the matches are always well attended at both grounds with great atmosphere.
Whatever have you got against us?

Quoted from wuffing

WHY do you have to come on here and spoil? It's great playing Chesterfield. Two proper clubs and it feels like a derby game when we play as the matches are always well attended at both grounds with great atmosphere.
Whatever have you got against us?

Probably still smarting from our fans taking over his town that day many years ago

Old bill going around rounding up town supporters, taking them to the ground to bake in the sun two hours before kick-off.  I had tickets in the side stand, they called it seating, well it was a long wooden bench. Myself and my mate managed to dodge the old bill and found a pub to hideout, had a meal and a few beers, before being marched off to the ground. They could have been another football diaster that day, the way old bill were acting.

Quoted from The Yard Dog

Old bill going around rounding up town supporters, taking them to the ground to bake in the sun two hours before kick-off.  I had tickets in the side stand, they called it seating, well it was a long wooden bench. Myself and my mate managed to dodge the old bill and found a pub to hideout, had a meal and a few beers, before being marched off to the ground. They could have been another football diaster that day, the way old bill were acting.

South Yorkshire police still not got over it.

Quoted from Humbercod

South Yorkshire police still not got over it.

What, in Derbyshire?

Quoted from chelseacity

I got stopped at Sloane Square tube station on a Saturday morning last year with my GTFC shirt on, i went into a pub down the Kings Road, obviously full of Chelsea fans,  so many comments about a club bringing 5,000 fans on a Tuesday night and taking over the old shed end, said to me many times in that pub, you've got bigger support than most Premier league clubs that come here by miles, my head swelled so much I couldn't get out the door.

Most Premier League clubs play Chelsea every year, so you can't blame their fans for being blase.

It should be no surprise when a lower league club brings an extra large following, as they don't know when they will get another chance to visit a big ground.

We haven't been in the second tier for 19 years. That means there is now a generation of adult football fans who have only ever known us as a little club that yo-yos between League Two and non-league.

Quoted from White_shorts

Most Premier League clubs play Chelsea every year, so you can't blame their fans for being blase.

It should be no surprise when a lower league club brings an extra large following, as they don't know when they will get another chance to visit a big ground.

We haven't been in the second tier for 19 years. That means there is now a generation of adult football fans who have only ever known us as a little club that yo-yos between League Two and non-league.

Whilst I don't necessarily disagree with that, it also overlooks that Town have, pound-for-pound, one of the biggest away followings in the top 5 divisions, relative to home gates. It's obviously difficult to compare a the top-level where home and away followings are often at capacity, but I still think its a notion which stands up to scrutiny.

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

That 3-2 win is probably one of the best games I ever witnessed but couldn't really enjoy as I had to watch it in with the Chelsea fans

At the end of the game they were outraged..... "fackin losing to them northern waaankers" and all I could do was agree in my best Mockney, "yeah fackin disgaasting wasn't it"    ;D

That was the day that the IRA bombed Harrods. I think it was about 1:30ish when it happened and most reporters were called there to cover that, which is why there is so little footage from that game.

Whilst living in Lincoln a work mate wanted me to attend a Lincoln v Grimsby game (cant remember the year) but it ended 0-0.  I was sat behind the goal in the stacey west stand, and a imp fan full of tattoos and bit drunk and was aggressive looking, sat right in front of me.  Not long after the start of the match town had a good spell, and hearing the town fans in good voice (made me proud), The guy in front then started to react, shouting that he would rip that f*cking cod head of your shoulders, then 2 secs later i hear a shout at the top of the stand shouting "oi meza you codhead" i was like shhhsh ffs laughing my head off your going to get me murdered haha.

Anyway my work mate thought towns away fans was one of the best and loves the derby occasions.

Quoted from Meza

Whilst living in Lincoln a work mate wanted me to attend a Lincoln v Grimsby game (cant remember the year) but it ended 0-0.  I was sat behind the goal in the stacey west stand, and a imp fan full of tattoos and bit drunk and was aggressive looking, sat right in front of me.  Not long after the start of the match town had a good spell, and hearing the town fans in good voice (made me proud), The guy in front then started to react, shouting that he would rip that f*cking cod head of your shoulders, then 2 secs later i hear a shout at the top of the stand shouting "oi meza you codhead" i was like shhhsh ffs laughing my head off your going to get me murdered haha.

Anyway my work mate thought towns away fans was one of the best and loves the derby occasions.

Those 3 or 4 seasons of boxing day and new year derby matches was a brilliant idea by the league at the time

Quoted from WHYWONTYOULETMESIGNUP

Those 3 or 4 seasons of boxing day and new year derby matches was a brilliant idea by the league at the time

Until Lincoln requested having the opportunity to pick up some points over Christmas instead.

To be fair, it did feel a bit repetitive and I was glad for a change.

[img] https://ibb.co/Sw9qLb9
https://ibb.co/PNZQTWw[/img]
We certainly were in 1949
No idea if the images will work as this is my first attempt at posting them but if they do, take a look at the last para in the Our Visitors section

I can’t recall the number of times I’ve been stopped when in a Town top on holiday and others have spoken fondly of how good we were usually in the 80’s and then when Alan Buckley had us playing wonderful attacking football.  Funny thing is my wife’s uncles used to say to me in those days, but we used to go and watch Town when we really were good.  They mean’t in the 30’s and 40’s and would tell how they used to rush from work and crammed in to a packed Blundell Park to watch Bestall and co beat all the big clubs.  I never really understood what they mean’t until more recently when reading up a lot more about that era.  How exciting that must have been and one of them used to say “if the 2nd World War hadn’t started we’d have won the 1st division or FA Cup”
I’ve followed Town all over since I became hooked in 1976 and have great memories but can only wish that we are on the way up again and can enjoy better times soon.
Last time we visited Boreham Wood, it was a great away day and the Stewards were really good.  On leaving I congratulated them on how they handled our fans and entered in to the spirit.  The chief steward said that we were the best fans they had had for a long time (think it was Uncle Fester).
Those who were there will ‘get it’.
I will be there again on Saturday to cheer us on and hope it can be another great away day and at the end they still think we are great fans but also that we take home 3 points like last time.
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