Best Barratt Stand memories

(1)Running down twice, in different positions, to get a decent large dram form George Kerr's Bells Manager of the Month award. They seemed to have put much of the gallon bottle into loads of white plastic vending cups, and half filled them. Had a great glow on for the kick off!
(2) Everton League Cup win, when everybody was asking the only person with a watch on "how long to go" every minute after half time.
(3) The fans on the roof for the Exeter game at the end of the 71-2 season, the night we were crowned champions.
The general caustic wit and camaraderie that was inherent in that stand. You never got that sat in the Findus.
Great days, great memories.

I remember standing towards the back of the stand (pontoon end) in the late 60's early 70's. The crowd was particually sparse and as the players came out a mate and i were told quite clearly that we couldn't stand there. (more colourful language)

Why? we asked looking around in acres of space

Cos Harold stands there and he will be here in a minute!

Quoted from BIGChris

I remember standing towards the back of the stand (pontoon end) in the late 60's early 70's. The crowd was particually sparse and as the players came out a mate and i were told quite clearly that we couldn't stand there. (more colourful language)

Why? we asked looking around in acres of space

Cos Harold stands there and he will be here in a minute!

Funny how people are like that. Reminds me of a bloke who (used to?) go in the Crows Nest lounge and sit on a stool to the right of the bar. I remember going in with the old man one quiet night on one of my trips home and getting the same message about where I was stood.


As for the Barratt Stand, I remember people pissing up against the crush barrier half way down. And some old guy collapsing one Saturday - thought he was ill then but looking back it may just as likely been drink the amount of sipping at hip flasks that went on in those days.  It's also where I learned that adults swore - shock horror!

Being of rural Lincolnshire stock my Dad didn't take me in with the artisans that occupied the Barratt - Main Stand only for the farmers. Until the terracing was taken out the Main Stand that is -then we had to go in there - one season only 80-81. After that the Barratt came down and there was no terracing down the side of the ground at all for a while. With the Main Stand terrace and the Barratt gone BP lost about 8,000+ standing capacity down the sides - replaced with a mere 2k standing in the Lower Findus - the unique and wonderful atmosphere of BP that I remember was lost forever.

BP must have had one the highest proportion of terracing in any ground int he Football League pre-1980 - capacity 24k and only about 2,500 seats. Grounds like Turf Moor (the Long-side), Maine Road (Kippax) and the Valley had huge terraces down one side but were all seater on the other side. The only ground I've ever been in with similar proportions is Thomond Park in Limerick where Munster Rugby play. They are practically unbeatable at home as Town used to be. Even the struggling mid-70's 3rd division team had a long unbeaten run at home (apart from feckin Gatehead in the FA Cup!).

I remember seeing a black and white picture of the Barratt Stand once.

I can remember two instances, the first, Dave Worthington chasing a winger who had skinned him (not many did that) and a cry from somewhere at the back of "Grass 'im wortho he can't run without legs". The second was Bobby Cummins setting off from the center circle straight towards the Barratt stand and taking out Norman Hunter right on the halfway line to raucous cheers from the crowd....Happy Days.

The tale about the guy collapsing has probably happened on more than one occasion. The amount of drink that used to get passed around in there was phenomenal, and I often used to have a hip flask full of scotch myself. Don't think modern day stewards would have gone down very well in the Barratt?

The other thing that's just come back to me is how it used to shake when people stamped their feet. Very flexible wood! Must have been all the pish!

I went in there once as a very young lad! I think it was against Fulham and it was televised that night too. I rememebr a lad younger than me sat on the fence, back against a stanchion. He was looking round, not really paying attention to trhe game when the ball came flying over to him, twatted him on the head, making him smack the girder behind him.... Happy day!

I used to stand on a milk-crate at the very front. Always remember the atmosphere being really good. They used to erect scaffolding with a little platform for the cameras for televised games. Vague recollection of seeing Martin Tyler up there, and Derek Dougan.

Ah the Barratt Stand. Been in there many a time. Nice and cosy it was and nearly everyone stood on their same bit of floor each game. I too used to stand on a crate when I went with my dad. I remember the rickety old stairs at the back to get in and then pushing your way through to your regular "pearch". No-one minded. The Exeter game was phenominal the stand was so packed you could not get your hand in your pocket, fans were on the roof and up the floodlight pylons.I remember one nasty incident in there in a game against Norwich I think. Someone threw a bottle onto the pitch and a Norwich player picked it up and hurled it back into the crowd. The bottle hit a metal upright and smashed showering a young lad with glass. This almost sparked a riot and the player concerned played the rest of the game over on the main stand side. No subs in those days. I can also remember the charity collections before each game when people would walk round in front of the stands with a bedsheet and the crowd threw coins into it from great distances. If you did not mind being hit on the back of your head you could catch a few if you were lucky! Those were the days eh.

3rd Round FA Cup in January 1955 on leave from RAF National Service. Beating Wolves 2 - 0 at half-time and lost 2 - 5 in front of a crowd of nearly 26,000. Games you never forget.
AND mixing with the Chelsea fans in December 1980 in a game we won 2 - 0. No crowd trouble in those days - only banter!

Me Dad had sat me on the fence down the front one game and the bloke next to us took a dislike to this and started to argue with my Dad who politely told him to f**k off at this the bloke took a swing with his foot and kicked my Dads left leg! He then started screaming that he had broke his toe. What he did not know when taking a kick was that my old man is disabled and was wearing a solid metal caliper on his leg!
UTMM

I had a holiday from BP the year the Barratt came down and didn't go back for a couple of seasons. Nothing seemed the same. Tried all the stands since but nothing matches the wit and fun of the Barratt. We could go through a packet of Embassy every game, more if it was really hard on the nerves. The only games I remember there being no smoking were the ones like Exeter and Everton when you couldn't physically move your arms. The same spot, game after game, leaning on the wood barrier. The same people you only saw every fortnight and you had no idea where they came from. There was a couple who courted and got married over this time. They had a little lad and he was brought into the Barratt as well.

The back stairs were lethal especially going down. We nearly always dropped over the barrier and went out along the front.

Best night in the Barratt? The Everton game without a doubt. Their players came out an hour before kick off and the place was jam packed. We could see them in the tunnel before anyone else in the ground and as they came out in their suits the roar that went up from the Barratt was echoed round the ground. It was a spine tingler. Their players looked totally shell shocked as they walked on the pitched and the crowd just chanted the whole time. No stupid songs, no stupid drum, no stupid band, just real chants from the throats of real fans. Everton were beaten before the kick off and we gave them a goal start as well.

If I could live through one game again it would be that night.

Magic.

i bet the Barratt Stand regulars were a force to be reckoned with in the day...

shame i was born in 1991...

Cries of 'ARE YOU THERE WOULD'

Older fans will remember that cry.

Quoted from DJ Mera

Cries of 'ARE YOU THERE WOULD'

Older fans will remember that cry.

I seem to remember there was a large barrel chested bloke who used to start that one. Some time ago when Graham Taylor was sitting in the mainstand he said that shout was one he always remembered.

Quoted from MarinerMatt24

i bet the Barratt Stand regulars were a force to be reckoned with in the day...

shame i was born in 1991...

You would have loved it. The great thing was the mix of people, the humour and the knowledge. Nobody's perfect but if the Barratt said a player was crap they were right 99% of the time.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

You would have loved it. The great thing was the mix of people, the humour and the knowledge. Nobody's perfect but if the Barratt said a player was crap they were right 99% of the time.

Remember being in the boys stand as a kid but hardly used the Barratt Stand. Became a Pontoon Bootboy

I think many of us became bootboys Terry, but after a few years of the Pontoon I went back into the Barratt, after dallying with the main stand for a season because you could get a pint in a plastic cup at half time in the club there. It was proper Grimsby culture in the Barratt. I never saw violence - but you knew that people didn't fcuk with each other in there. I saw lots of humour and witnessed great banter, and like RRFC says, if I had one game that I could ever go back to it would be the Everton League Cup tie in the Barratt..."How long to go mate""

I recall my first ever match on Christmas Day 1958. My uncle, normally a regular in the Barratt, took me but presumably as I was only 7, we sat in the seats at the back of the Osmond. All his mates at the back of the Barratt who he should have been with were on the urine supping from large bottles of whisky and rum while he and I were on tea!

Later I graduated to the boys stand and of course climbed over into the Barratt proper and I remember the rickety stairs at the back of the stand very well - one set wasn't actually connected to the ground at all, it had rotted away about a foot short and was only actually attached to the stand at the top!

Quoted from pseudonym

Remember being in the boys stand as a kid but hardly used the Barratt Stand. Became a Pontoon Bootboy

'Pontoon Bootboy' - happy memories Terry  

Quoted from DJ Mera

Cries of 'ARE YOU THERE WOULD'

Older fans will remember that cry.

I remember it as 'Can you hear me Wouldy?' and it was a stocky grey haired old bloke who stood against the fence in the open corner between the Barratt and Osmond. I seem to remember he collapsed and died there.

Quoted from Ipswin

I remember it as 'Can you hear me Wouldy?' and it was a stocky grey haired old bloke who stood against the fence in the open corner between the Barratt and Osmond. I seem to remember he collapsed and died there.

He was usually well oiled, at least he was when I first saw/heard him he was and it was indeed in the open corner. He wasn't at every game because he was a fisherman so we were told. From memory he always wore a sports jacket whatever the weather. Later on he moved into the Osmond and the boys paddock end of the Barratt.

I used to go in the Barratt occasionally but have no specific memories. My dad used to go in there and has a much older first memory.  

My dad can still remember selling matches in the Barratt in the early 1930s.  He was only very young then and a keen fan.  I hate to think of the severe fire risks looking after all those smokers in a packed wooden stand.  That was our glory days in the equivalent of the Prem.  

It was a miracle that there was not more fires like Bradford. When the Barratt was knocked down it was found to have no foundations. Probably built on the cheap with no health and safety in those days.

I have none

The Everton game was a fantastic atmoshere and will stick in the mind forever. When you came down the rickety old stairs at the back of the Barratt stand with your family you could see the blokes pissing in the urinals.

Ron Rafferty Fan Club's posts on this subject are really spot on.

I have many happy memories viewing my football from this stand, the humour and wit of the crowd was brilliant, and players did respond to it. Unfortunately, humour and wit seems to be sadly lacking at football grounds these days, not just Blundell Park. May be somethimg to do with all seater stadiums - when the Barratt stand came down Blundell Park seemed to lose its soul.

I remember a Boxing day fixture against Barnsley where a good few away supporters decided to occupy a section of the Barratt. They unwisely started a chorus of 'Come on you Reds' which was swiftly followed by 2000 Barratt Standers replying 'F--K off you Reds!

They decided to move to the Osmond!

Would of course was F A Would Chairman at the time. "Can you hear me Fenty" could never sound the same

Quoted from oldun

Would of course was F A Would Chairman at the time. "Can you hear me Fenty" could never sound the same

Nor would JF be seen with a trilby and very large overcoat.

Did anyone else, like myself, originally start off in the boy's enclosure at the end of the Barratt?

Quoted from jock dock tower

Did anyone else, like myself, originally start off in the boy's enclosure at the end of the Barratt?

yes i started following town from the boys pen happy days................

Quoted from jock dock tower

Did anyone else, like myself, originally start off in the boy's enclosure at the end of the Barratt?

Yes I did for a while but it was boring in there! If you went in the open corner between the Barratt & the Pontoon it was more interesting and you could sneak over the fence into the stand more easily at that end. For a while as a youngster I went in the Osmond because Town always kicked that way first half if they won the toss and you were allowed to walk all the way round behind the the Main Stand to the Pontoon to watch the second half. Away supporters were an alien species in those days.

As a teenager we used to be working on Saturdays kick off time but if we were lucky we could get in to see the second half of the match for free in the Main Stand when the gates opened.

Just going back to the Everton game and the Barratt, that night must hold the record time for the longest ever "Mariners" chant. It started as the Everton players came out to inspect the pitch and it didn't stop until they went back up the tunnel. It must have been a good 15 minutes of constant din. I'm sure one or two of their players tried to outlast the chant but we beat 'em. A few years later I heard Dave Booth say that it was almost impossible for George Kerr to give a team talk that night because of the noise reaching the dressing room. The team didn't need it anyway.

Town v Everton seems to be the game most frequently mentioned as the beacon game for the old Blundell Park. It was our first Cup upset at home for many years and a full house at night meant that the atmosphere has never been bettered, nor will it unless terraces are allowed to return. I remember little of the game particularly the second half - an absolutely packed Harrington St corner wasn't exactly the best viewing point.

Pity there is no extended video footage of the game as far as I'm aware - I would love to see it if there was.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Town v Everton seems to be the game most frequently mentioned as the beacon game for the old Blundell Park. It was our first Cup upset at home for many years and a full house at night meant that the atmosphere has never been bettered, nor will it unless terraces are allowed to return. I remember little of the game particularly the second half - an absolutely packed Harrington St corner wasn't exactly the best viewing point.

Pity there is no extended video footage of the game as far as I'm aware - I would love to see it if there was.

Probably because we all knew the Barratt was coming down in the near future and the Wolves match in the next round was nearly as good but of course we only drew that one.

There were others. Any game against Barnsley when Clarke and Hunter were there. Bobby C had a special affinity with the Barratt I think, and so did one or two others like Dave Worthington, Brian Hill, Johnny Scott and Jimmy Fell although Scotty took some stick from the Barratt from time to time.

It was a real mixture of fans as well. I remember Roy Bonnett who used to have a car body shop off Corporation Road and his mate Dave who worked at the Renault garage on Chelmsford Avenue. There was a fair sprinkling of teachers and retired teachers. There was old Harry who used to drive either Arthur Drewery or FA Would on trips for the FA - a fund of inside information. A couple of brickies who used to come straight from work in their overalls .... it was all common cause. It wasn't just the stand that disappeared it was all the characters that were together in it.

Different sport, but that kind of terrace camraderie is now found in Rugby Union in areas where it is not an exclusively a public school game - ie Leicester, Northampton, Gloucester and I'm sure the same will apply in Rugby League areas. The Crumbie side terrace at Leicester holds 4.5k - cracking atmosphere of opposition player and ref baiting. The Shed at Gloucester is the same. The Samoan Tuilagi brothers at Leicester are the equivalent of Bobby Cumming - slightly different weight category though...

If I had choice of watching Town as a successful League 1 team in a redeveloped Blundell Park with terracing, occasionally bloodying the noses of Premiership ponces in the Cup, or perennial struggle in the Championship at a sterile all seater, like a bigger version of Glanford Park, and £25+ ticket prices, I think I would choose the former.

Different sport, but that kind of terrace camraderie is now found in Rugby Union in areas where it is not an exclusively a public school game - ie Leicester, Northampton, Gloucester and I'm sure the same will apply in Rugby League areas. The Crumbie side terrace at Leicester holds 4.5k - cracking atmosphere of opposition player and ref baiting. The Shed at Gloucester is the same. The Samoan Tuilagi brothers at Leicester are the equivalent of Bobby Cumming - slightly different weight category though...BUT NOT AS HARD!

If I had choice of watching Town as a successful League 1 team in a redeveloped Blundell Park with terracing, occasionally bloodying the noses of Premiership ponces in the Cup, or perennial struggle in the Championship at a sterile all seater, like a bigger version of Glanford Park, and £25+ ticket prices, I think I would choose the former.

That goes without saying, Bobby didn't need to be 18 stone to enforce...

Good thread this gents .... reckon I might do a similar one on our board re: Clanford End.  

Quoted from NorfolkImp

Good thread this gents .... reckon I might do a similar one on our board re: Clanford End.  

Then maybe we could do a joint GTFC / LCFC one: Best Fox Street Memories - take overs at the Old Show Ground...

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Then maybe we could do a joint GTFC / LCFC one: Best Fox Street Memories - take overs at the Old Show Ground...

..... can only remember a couple, one in early 81' after Hobbo had scored a last minute winner (or so we thought?) and Imps fans invaded the pitch. The teams went off for 5 mins until order was restored, and when they came back out the ref played a good 8-10 mins extra resulting in an equaliser, although there were hardly any home fans left in the ground to celebrate?

The only other time was Xmas 86' just after Gary Lund had put us 1-0 up ..... to this day no-one knows if it was Grimsby or Scunny fans in the stairwell up to the old Cantilever Stand?

Btw: There is a tale re: The Lincs Cup Final of 1975 doing the rounds, which was played a day after we'd just missed out on promotion by goal average. This Board isn't really the place to tell it though!
  

Quoted from NorfolkImp

Btw: There is a tale re: The Lincs Cup Final of 1975 doing the rounds, which was played a day after we'd just missed out on promotion by goal average. This Board isn't really the place to tell it though!
  

what happened?

(send answer in a PM)  

When I first started watching thr Mariners I stood next to my Dad unless there was a big crowd, then I stood in the boys paddock,

One of the best memories was when Dave Worthington came back to play against us and Kicked Dave Boylen so hard he went up in the air and landed in a heap,

One wag shouted out  " you big bully "  Worthy just turned round and gave us all a big grin.

Can you remember that tackle OLDFOOTBALLER ?

Quoted from NorfolkImp

..... can only remember a couple, one in early 81' after Hobbo had scored a last minute winner (or so we thought?) and Imps fans invaded the pitch. The teams went off for 5 mins until order was restored, and when they came back out the ref played a good 8-10 mins extra resulting in an equaliser, although there were hardly any home fans left in the ground to celebrate?

The only other time was Xmas 86' just after Gary Lund had put us 1-0 up ..... to this day no-one knows if it was Grimsby or Scunny fans in the stairwell up to the old Cantilever Stand?

Btw: There is a tale re: The Lincs Cup Final of 1975 doing the rounds, which was played a day after we'd just missed out on promotion by goal average. This Board isn't really the place to tell it though!
  

Thought you were older than that AI - weren't you at the 1976 game in the Taylor 4th div championship season? Lincoln fans took over both side stands, the Fox Street ended up being Grimsby and Lincoln fans. With Town being a division above, some Town lads felt excluded from the big local derby party so they turned up anyway. Maybe the original intention was join the Lincoln fans against the Scunny fans but it ended up with Lincoln and Town fans kicking off in the Fox Street. I was in the Donny Road with a Scunny supporting friend watching. Lincoln won 2-0, John Ward must have scored - he got buckets of goals that season.

Stood at front of the Barratt as a 12 year old that night against Exeter in 1972, couldn't see naff all and probably didn't realise what was really going on. Was a regular on Beacholme holiday camp as my parents owned a van there, my mate lived up North Sea Lane and his dad took us. It was my 1st Town game. Went to the doctors next day who said i would grow out of it- still waiting.

My cousin leaping up to celebrate a goal that never was v QPR (i think) and splitting his head open on a low girder at the back of the stand it didnt knock any sense into him either cos his other team is Liverpool?????????My first game was in there against Brentford 79/80 and we won 5-1 with me stood on a milkcrate like others have said the atmosphere since has seldom been anywhere near and only twice WBA (Ivano) and the Gillingham game a couple of seasons ago has the Findus ever done itself justice.

YES...,that league cup win against Everton..the next round draw against Wolves..what an incredible atmosphere that rickerty old wooden stand had, & YES we used to sing in there !!I can't recall ever witnessing any trouble in the old Barratts Stand.Incidently, where does the name Barratts come from ?

Named after a local Alderman i think, so was the Osmond

My first season ticket was for the Boys Paddock at the end of the Barratt Stand. It cost a fiver.

I used to go regularly in there before that with my dad, who was a regular in the Barratt. My overwhelming memory of that place, apart from the obvious (Everton, Wolves, Exeter, Sheffield United etc) was the bloke who used to stand down the front towards the Pontoon End and used to shout: "You're bloody riubbish number 3!" every week at every number 3 irrespective of whether they were rubbish or not. An ace running joke that used to have everyone falling about.

Quoted from grimsby pete

When I first started watching thr Mariners I stood next to my Dad unless there was a big crowd, then I stood in the boys paddock,

One of the best memories was when Dave Worthington came back to play against us and Kicked Dave Boylen so hard he went up in the air and landed in a heap,

One wag shouted out  " you big bully "  Worthy just turned round and gave us all a big grin.

Can you remember that tackle OLDFOOTBALLER ?

I remember that well, Dave Worthington had gone to Southend which I thought was a tragic mistake from Dave `s point of view. The game was against Southend United and it was Dave Worthingtons first time back at Blundell Park since leaving the club

At Town when ever we played London based or the south coast teams we use to have this soft clever cockneys wind ups with the opposition players to try and put them of their game

In football the verbal side out on the pitch is equally important to the playing of the actuel game
.
So this is what happened I was winding up Dave about Dave being a soft cockney footballer and cannot believe you are playing for Southend and that he was not as hard a player as he was at Town.

Well I went to far and Dave caught me with one of his famous all in tackles.

Bump flying in the air as you described, typical Wortho  block busting tackle, but if you remember I got him back and he had to go off.
OLD FOOTBALLER

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Thought you were older than that AI - weren't you at the 1976 game in the Taylor 4th div championship season? Lincoln fans took over both side stands, the Fox Street ended up being Grimsby and Lincoln fans. With Town being a division above, some Town lads felt excluded from the big local derby party so they turned up anyway. Maybe the original intention was join the Lincoln fans against the Scunny fans but it ended up with Lincoln and Town fans kicking off in the Fox Street. I was in the Donny Road with a Scunny supporting friend watching. Lincoln won 2-0, John Ward must have scored - he got buckets of goals that season.

No mate, not that old  ...... I was at the game, Big Sam & Wardy scored for us and we had half the crowd of 10k as you say, but I've never heard of this tale? I'll have to try and jog a few memories next time I'm back in Lincs for our inevitable relegation decider last day of the season v Aldershot  

The amount of drink that used to get passed around in there was phenomenal, and I often used to have a hip flask full of scotch myself.

Quoted from jock dock tower

Did anyone else, like myself, originally start off in the boy's enclosure at the end of the Barratt?

Yes I did , my old man would stand in the Barretts just behind the barrier to keep an eye on me . Happy days!