Just thinking back to one of our best seasons in my lifetime ( finishing 5th in the 2nd tier) and I found this

http://www.cfcnet.co.uk/2010/03/chelsea-here-chelsea-there-3/

The final act of magnificence on the part of the Blues supporters in season 1983/84 came on the last day of the season at Grimsby, when an estimated 10,000 travelled to Cleethorpes to witness Chelsea clinch the Division Two championship.

I just had a look in my bible and it shows the gate that day as 13000 so someone either cooked the books or else our Chelsea fan must have been dreaming because there's no way after the season we had only 3000 of us would have turned up for that game

No way was it 10,000. They packed the away end but the Pontoon was heaving, as was the whole ground. I'd say they brought around 4,000 but couldn't be sure.

Quoted from RoboCod

No way was it 10,000. They packed the away end but the Pontoon was heaving, as was the whole ground. I'd say they brought around 4,000 but couldn't be sure.

It certainly was....I remember them bringing more than the Osmond could realistically hold as they were around the touch line but 10000 from Chelsea?

No way José!  ;)

I remember the game well. That was the game when I had my scarf nicked by a Chelsea fan in The Pontoon before it was recovered for me by a rather burly chap who along with his mates sent the Chelsea lot packing. They were in all 4 stands of the ground that day but I'd say at the most there were about 5000.

I remember a gang of them had raided Ramsdens of booze, who at the time had an off-licence type of shop on the diagonal corner to their main shop.

Just think, in this day and age we would have qualified for the play-offs and who knows what would have happened.

Quoted from Les Brechin

I remember the game well. That was the game when I had my scarf nicked by a Chelsea fan in The Pontoon before it was recovered for me by a rather burly chap who along with his mates sent the Chelsea lot packing. They were in all 4 stands of the ground that day but I'd say at the most there were about 5000.

I remember a gang of them had raided Ramsdens of booze, who at the time had an off-licence type of shop on the diagonal corner to their main shop.

Just think, in this day and age we would have qualified for the play-offs and who knows what would have happened.

I know Les...wishful thinking

Knowing our luck though there'd have been a dodgy decision go against us...the FL would rather a Man City, Newcastle or even Blackburn go up instead of us  :-/

Oh well...at least we gave it a go that year even if we fell just short

If I remember correctly the lower Findus which I think was standing at the time was left vacant but they then let a load of Chelsea fans in but I don't think they filled it.

Well I took two Chelsea fans with me and we stopped for a couple in the Hainton and some of town's lads were in there and took a dislike but we lived to tell the tale. We all stood in the Pontoon and Les is right quite a lot of Chelsea in there and they stood out cos of their clothing before the days when smart casuals or whatever they were called was fashioable.

Remember they won 1-0 and think their centre half, Joe Mclaughlin, scored the goal.

Whatever the gate was i think they would have had half of it or close to that, full osmond, lower findus and pockets of fans in other stands. Was in the Imperial open corner that afternoon...alot of coins flying about thats for sure.

I was there that day too. Probably half and half on the crowd I would think. I know there were tons of them. For some reason I thought Kerry Dixon had scored. It was a proper sunny day.

Kerry Dixon did score, they won the title that day. Cracking atmosphere.

Great game and atmosphere
Joe McLaughlin - good player

We had a great team as well and I always felt we were going to win at home... but they were very good that season

What a season it was.

Only a youngster I don't remember too much from that game.
But now it's been mentioned Dixon scored, also remember I was there.

Seem to remember we beat Man City 4-1 at home that season ?
One of my earliest memorys of watching Town.

Quoted from 120797

What a season it was.

Only a youngster I don't remember too much from that game.
But now it's been mentioned Dixon scored, also remember I was there.

Seem to remember we beat Man City 4-1 at home that season ?
One of my earliest memorys of watching Town.

That win over City was one season later (84-85)

Ah thanks for that FOOW, appreciate it.

What a season 84-85 was  ;D
To be fair I wasn't even a teenager.

Wasn't that the year we beat them 3-2 at Stamford Bridge after being 2-0 down with 15 mins to go?

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Wasn't that the year we beat them 3-2 at Stamford Bridge after being 2-0 down with 15 mins to go?

17th December 1983. Remember it well!

UTM!

Quoted from sonik

17th December 1983. Remember it well!

UTM!

I do find it a bit ironic that they are banging on about how well supported they were that season. I know that the IRA had bombed Harrods earlier that day, which would probably have taken a few thousand off the gate, but the attendance on that famous day at Stamford Bridge.....13151.

I think the Chelsea fans who bang on about that season (if they were really there!) bang on about it precisely because they were so badly supported in those days. Unlike the glory hunters who came years later when they had money.

Going to Grimsby "that day" in 1984 gives you a certificate of authenticity as Chelsea fan.

Quoted from 120797

Ah thanks for that FOOW, appreciate it.

What a season 84-85 was  ;D
To be fair I wasn't even a teenager.

Yes I remember that season too and I wasn't a teenager either.(wheelchair)

Another game that sticks out for me in that season was Town 3 Portsmouth 4

I wasn't even at that game as I was down south but remember score flashes coming through with us coming back equalising at the death and then from reports we went pushing for a win and lost it going for the 3 points

I just remember being bitterly disappointed that our push for promotion to the top flight showed the first signs of stuttering...more or less confirmed a month or so later when we lost away to the massive Sheff Weds

Nonetheless good days following Town....the anticipation and the optimism that we could maybe achieve something can't be beaten

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Another game that sticks out for me in that season was Town 3 Portsmouth 4

I wasn't even at that game as I was down south but remember score flashes coming through with us coming back equalising at the death and then from reports we went pushing for a win and lost it going for the 3 points

I just remember being bitterly disappointed that our push for promotion to the top flight showed the first signs of stuttering...more or less confirmed a month or so later when we lost away to the massive Sheff Weds

Nonetheless good days following Town....the anticipation and the optimism that we could maybe achieve something can't be beaten

I can remember that game too. I think Mark Hateley got a couple for Pompey that day. We were on quite a decent unbeaten run in the league at the time of the game, the previous time we lost in the league was AT Portsmouth. During that unbeaten league run we did lose one other game though, in the FA Cup to...........Portsmouth.

Quoted from Les Brechin

I can remember that game too. I think Mark Hateley got a couple for Pompey that day. We were on quite a decent unbeaten run in the league at the time of the game, the previous time we lost in the league was AT Portsmouth. During that unbeaten league run we did lose one other game though, in the FA Cup to...........Portsmouth.

You're right Les....it's all coming back to me now as the song goes! ***king Portsmouth

Still it was a truly fantastic season no matter what the outcome at the end of it...still proud of what we achieved back then


UTM GTID

A few appearances too on MOTD that season. Sheff Wed away, home v Man City, just 2 off the top of my head.

I was there first ever game . Met Kerry Dixon and Pat Nevin after the game.

In the casual era id seen nothing like it all there lads wearing armani jumpers at £200 notes a time, at that time i trully believed the streets of london where paved in gold .. Flash cockernee bastarrds

Out of interest who as brought the biggest support to town in the last 30 years the geordies brought alot when they won the title. Leeds 82 the cleethorpes riot game they had loads.. Anymore?

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Out of interest who as brought the biggest support to town in the last 30 years the geordies brought alot when they won the title. Leeds 82 the cleethorpes riot game they had loads.. Anymore?

Not going to be the biggest but I can vividly remember when we played Sunderland at home when we were in the old Third Division in 87/88. It was the season we were relegated under Bobby Roberts. It was towards the end of the season and Sunderland were top of the league and it was said that they were bringing around 7000 for the game. The attendance 7001!!

The game was also memorable for Gary Bennett scything down Shaun Cunnington in the area and getting away with it.

Newcastle brought a huge following when they won the Championship in May 1993. I was in the Main Stand that night and was surrounded by Geordies....

Quoted from barralad

Newcastle brought a huge following when they won the Championship in May 1993. I was in the Main Stand that night and was surrounded by Geordies....

One of the noisiest nights at BP. I was in the Upper Findus and could hear the Geordies more than Town fans. The fact they were all over the ground makes it hard to estimate their numbers. Leeds in 82 brought about 8000 if I remember correctly but they were mostly all together. Newcastle in 93 may have had similar number (think BP held around 15,000 in the early 90s).

I remember the Chelsea game, I have always thought that the ref bottled it and gave them a penalty to let them win. (not bitter or twisted at all  ;)). I was a lower findus season ticket holder, but when I arrived at the ground the stewards made us all go into the pontoon as they had given our stand to Chelsea. They initially gave them the Osmond half of the stand and left the other half empty, but it soon filled up as the police didnt want ticketless Chelsea fans wandering around Grimsby. I was knarked with Ramsdens, who were on the board at the time, if not Chairing it, they successfully got the police to shut all the pubs near the ground, and then sold cans of beer from their supermarket to the Chelsea fans. There were loads of Chelsea fans there that day, if I remember correctly Chelsea were already up, but had to beat us to go up as champions. Dont know how many Chelsea were there but I remember thinking that if it kicks off today its going to be fun getting home, but as it happens it was ok. It makes me pine for those days again, good opposition week after week, cracking football.

Quoted from cod_head_doug

I remember the Chelsea game, I have always thought that the ref bottled it and gave them a penalty to let them win. (not bitter or twisted at all  ;)). I was a lower findus season ticket holder, but when I arrived at the ground the stewards made us all go into the pontoon as they had given our stand to Chelsea. They initially gave them the Osmond half of the stand and left the other half empty, but it soon filled up as the police didnt want ticketless Chelsea fans wandering around Grimsby. I was knarked with Ramsdens, who were on the board at the time, if not Chairing it, they successfully got the police to shut all the pubs near the ground, and then sold cans of beer from their supermarket to the Chelsea fans. There were loads of Chelsea fans there that day, if I remember correctly Chelsea were already up, but had to beat us to go up as champions. Dont know how many Chelsea were there but I remember thinking that if it kicks off today its going to be fun getting home, but as it happens it was ok. It makes me pine for those days again, good opposition week after week, cracking football.

I'm not sure they would have made much money that day actually as a mob of Chelsea went on a mad shoplifting spree in their store that day. I can remember seeing one Chelsea fan carrying three 24 packs of Carling down Grimsby Road.