Grimsby 1 - 5 West Ham (1981) - did anyone go?

March 1981

Also remember the away game walked from Stratford down green street with a couple town fans  All the under 5's were out spotting and as you walked down towards the ground they would shout out across the road at you oi you ok ''Grimsby'' If you looked round you stood a good chance of being rumbled. And getting a good slap.
I stood in the west side not the away end when entered the ground you received a voucher for the west ham v spurs league cup cup tie later in the month I went to that west ham won 1-0.

West ham 2-1  d cross 2  j stone for us. Town 1 Whu 5  cross 4 pike was there scorer any one know who scored for town ??

I can remember this game there was an appeal on radio for volunteers to fork the pitch in the morning to get the match on  went with couple of mates spent hour or so sticking gardening fork in ground to drain water and feeling chuffed when ref gave the ok cos we was on a role at the time............tho it wasnt this match that did us ....around the time either just before or just after we should have played sheff wed away but was called off.......an interview on calander with a sheff player the night before seem to indicate he knew it would be off tho wasnt announced till the morning.......this knocked town off their stride



The hammer thing .............few years later got a book for xmas about football fans .....the songs .......the fighting......the tribal thing how we all clap in milliseconds of each other etc....and the hammer incident was mentioned  to highlight how it was spread amoung smaller teams as well as the big ones


wow.....cant remember what i had for tea yesterday lol

Quoted from Eastendmariner

West ham 2-1  d cross 2  j stone for us. Town 1 Whu 5  cross 4 pike was there scorer any one know who scored for town ??

Joe Waters from the spot for us

Quoted from Brazilnut

I can remember this game there was an appeal on radio for volunteers to fork the pitch in the morning to get the match on  went with couple of mates spent hour or so sticking gardening fork in ground to drain water and feeling chuffed when ref gave the ok cos we was on a role at the time............tho it wasnt this match that did us ....around the time either just before or just after we should have played sheff wed away but was called off.......an interview on calander with a sheff player the night before seem to indicate he knew it would be off tho wasnt announced till the morning.......this knocked town off their stride



The hammer thing .............few years later got a book for xmas about football fans .....the songs .......the fighting......the tribal thing how we all clap in milliseconds of each other etc....and the hammer incident was mentioned  to highlight how it was spread amoung smaller teams as well as the big ones


wow.....cant remember what i had for tea yesterday lol

With you on that!

But - can remember - just - going to this match.  Much preferred the Bonetti Cup game there later on (95/96, according to database on The Fishy) - bloomin' freezing though.

Eastendmariner,  there was also "spotting" at the Liverpool away game in Jan 1981.  I was in the RAF and had to travel to Liverpool on my own by train.  I (and a few other Town fans) could not get out of the station.  We did not wear any colours.  Small gangs of 10-12 year old skinheads in bovver boots would pick on any likely suspects or stragglers.

They would say "have you got the time?", yes, some of them then could string a few words together. If or when you answered in a non-scouse ascent they would challenge you further , maybe surround you and/or give you a kicking.  Only kids really playing at being their elders but with a few of them and boots, it was a shock when you were looking forward to the game.   Once identified as a town fan, you were marked. Everytime we tried to get out of the station they were there like predators.  In the end  3 of us had to get a taxi to near the ground to escape.

There was a great atmosphere at the ground, with around 12,000 Town fans in the virtual 50,000 capacity crowd.  Some Town fans could not get in the Anfield Road end.  They went in the Kop end, standing,  only to be physically kicked out by Kopites when identified. So much for their great humour.  Other Town fans went to watch Everton as they could not get in the ground.  

An honourable 5-0 defeat to a team slightly better than Lincoln are now.  How our standard of opponents had dropped since that day. (Sorry for going off thread, however, many young fans missed these days. There was always a danger at away games from football violence unless you went in large groups).  

A few people have mentioned standing in the Barratt stand but wasn't this the season it was demolished? I'm sure our promotion from the Third Div was the last time it was used or am I remembering wrongly?

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

Eastendmariner,  there was also "spotting" at the Liverpool away game in Jan 1981.  I was in the RAF and had to travel to Liverpool on my own by train.  I (and a few other Town fans) could not get out of the station.  We did not wear any colours.  Small gangs of 10-12 year old skinheads in bovver boots would pick on any likely suspects or stragglers.

They would say "have you got the time?", yes, some of them then could string a few words together. If or when you answered in a non-scouse ascent they would challenge you further , maybe surround you and/or give you a kicking.  Only kids really playing at being their elders but with a few of them and boots, it was a shock when you were looking forward to the game.   Once identified as a town fan, you were marked. Everytime we tried to get out of the station they were there like predators.  In the end  3 of us had to get a taxi to near the ground to escape.

There was a great atmosphere at the ground, with around 12,000 Town fans in the virtual 50,000 capacity crowd.  Some Town fans could not get in the Anfield Road end.  They went in the Kop end, standing,  only to be physically kicked out by Kopites when identified. So much for their great humour.  Other Town fans went to watch Everton as they could not get in the ground.  

An honourable 5-0 defeat to a team slightly better than Lincoln are now.  How our standard of opponents had dropped since that day. (Sorry for going off thread, however, many young fans missed these days. There was always a danger at away games from football violence unless you went in large groups).  

I was attacked that day but most of it was from Evertonians exacting revenge after their League up defeat earlier in the season. The guy who I was with (a Millwall fan), got slashed with a blade in his arm but was fortunately wearimg a sheepskin so only had his coat knackered.