Most bizarre incident at a Town match?

Idea taken off another forum but heyho.

What's the most bizarre incident that you've seen or experienced at a Town match?

On a personal note after following Town on and off for over 40 years mine was earlier this season when I was picked out by a Comsec agent and marched to stadium manager Nick Dale by the stewards.
They quickly realised I was innocently using my mobile, the club wasn't happy about it.

A similar thing happened to a Hull fan...
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/hull-city-statement-fan-texting-3198585

I seem to remember two town players sent off for fighting (each other) Im sure Tommy Watson was one

I saw Mike Jeffrey score a goal once

Playing away at Harrogate in the FA Cup a few years ago, pre match I was in the queue at the Burger Van and out of the corner of my eye noticed Josh Gowling and Andy Monkhouse stood behind me perusing the menu.

They ordered a burger and coffee each and after receiving said refreshments, promptly hopped back over the railing and rejoined the pre-match warm up with the rest of the squad.

Luckily they were subs that day, which I imagined was the reason they did what they did, seemed a bit odd anyway.

Seem to remember George Kerr going into the Crowd at Oakwell, Easter 1980, kicking off for some reason, cant remember what

A Norwich  player picked up a bottle than had been thrown into the pitch and threw it back into the crowd and hit a young Norwich supporter nearly causing a riot.

In the early 80’s I saw a woman in the Pontoon Stand knitting whilst watching the game!! Truly bizarre.

Quoted from GrimExile

In the early 80’s I saw a woman in the Pontoon Stand knitting whilst watching the game!! Truly bizarre.

The wife still hasn't finished that scarf.

I remember a skin head hanging upside down from one of the horizontal stantions in the pontoon about 30 years ago ! Anyone else remember?  

Newcastle early 90,s taking over all of BP . I was stoop near loads of the in the top right of the pontoon. Cracking lads

Quoted from horsforthmariner

I seem to remember two town players sent off for fighting (each other) Im sure Tommy Watson was one

I think Tony Rees was the other.  Some Mickey Mouse Cup defeat at Darlington, if I remember correctly.

That kid rolling down the steps in a bin?

A fox on the pitch ,ironically I think it was against Leicester City,also in a league cup game against P.N.E. in I think Aug 1998 a squirrel on the goal net.

Quoted from livosnose

I remember a skin head hanging upside down from one of the horizontal stantions in the pontoon about 30 years ago ! Anyone else remember?  

Yeah I remember that.  Think he had been released from prison that day, when stewards and police tried to get to him a swift shout of lets go f**ing mental started 😀  good old days of standing in ponny.

Hop Hop Diop

Scott McGarvey starting a fight with a guy in the lower Findus during a game.

He'd been getting some stick for a little while (because he was sh*t). He was taking a throw in in front of the lower Findus when he just dropped the ball and turned on a guy in the crowd who was stood against the fence, arms flailing like a cartoon. Several stalwarts of the lower Findus took the opportunity to have a swing at him. Other players and the ref had to pull him away from the fence. I'm sure he was sent off and it might have been his last game for us.

I got a very good view of it because I was sat in the Osmond so it was probably the season (just the one?) when the Pontoon was used by away fans.

It was Cantonaesque but without the athleticism and flourish.

I remember a guy in the ponny having a seizure behind where me and my mates were sitting, was the first time that I'd seen one and was pretty scary at the time.

A match that was abandoned for snow (I think it was snow, I was really young so my memory of it isn't amazing), I'd like to say it was against Sunderland (Maybe Sheff United) and their fans started kicking off because they were winning at the time.

Mark Fish giving it the big un after a tussle on a corner got the ponny on his back, people sticking two fingers up at him so he does a peace sign and thinks he's hilarious, then a McDonald's cup comes flying at him and hits him on the chest. Mark Fish walks off looking depressed.

Oh yeah and the time I got my foot caught in a seat while climbing down to get to the toilet at half time. Tore cartilage in my knee and strained some ligerments. Still have issues with that knee to this day, I felt fine for a while after they checked me out in the medical room and then my knee just buckled on Grimsby Road, a car stopped to see if I was okay and gave me a lift home. If that's not a plus for bringing back standing in the Ponny I don't know what is.

I think we were playing Donny at home on a very windy night, when their keeper kicked a high ball from the Osmond end. It almost reached the half way line, when a sudden gust of wind caught it and took it back that hard, he had to make a save.

I was also there when the player threw the bottle back and hit the young lad. All hell let loose and men were clambering over the fence to get him, remensicent of an old ship being borded from another.

From the Watford Observer - December 15th 1961

DECEMBER 15, 1961: Not since April 28 1959 the day the lights failed to come on in that ill-fated match with Shrewsbury has there been such consternation at Vicarage road as there was on Saturday.

The match with Grimsby was just beginning to wane when visiting left back Brian Keeble put a foot in a hole near the Rookery end penalty spot and keeled over.

He called out to the referee, E T Jennings, who said later, "I thought at first somebody had thrown something at him. Then I saw the player's arm disappear into the ground."

Mr Jennings stopped the game and went over to have a look at the strange goings on and before his eyes the hole grew to two feet deep and more than two feet in width.

Trainer Pat Molloy dashed off to find groundsman Tom Palmer who soon appeared carrying bucket and spade.

Tom stepped in front of the greyhound kennels, filled his bucket with soil and went to view the trouble for himself. More buckets were called for and while Grimsby centre half, Keith Joblin, stamped around in the hole players of both sides helped in moving soil from the surrounds of the pitch to make good the offending subsidence.

Several of the players went into the dressing rooms. Colin Meldrum was one and when asked, "How deep is it?" replied "Big enough to bury Tommy Harmer in!"

Another to leave the field was Grimsby left half Tony Knights. He used the unusual break to have a gash stitched by the Watford club doctor. He did not return until after the match had restarted eleven minutes later.

Think seeing JF marching down the stand and snapping the little Newport lads flag was possible the funniest thing I've seen at BP.

Also loved his comment about it afterwards "I deconstructed the flag to the point where it was safe and couldn’t be considered a danger"

Brilliant

Steve Evans and the police

Livvo's injury and 14 minutes injury time
6-5 Burnley game, although not an incident, an event in itself
JF climbing a ladder to make safe the tannoy/hoarding on the Main Stand roof
The Smurfs at Kettering
Boulding and Pouton both getting a hat trick in the same game

Quoted from grimsby pete

A Norwich  player picked up a bottle than had been thrown into the pitch and threw it back into the crowd and hit a young Norwich supporter nearly causing a riot.

The Norwich player who threw the bottle into the Barretts stand was Mannion - son of famous player Wilf mannion. I think he later came off supposedly injured

Remember a midweek game in the late 80's/early 90's against Crewe and a till roll being lobbed from the Ponny and hitting the ref, who then did a massively dramatic stumbling walk to the ground.

Didn't see it but my brother reckons a couple of snooker balls in a sock were chucked at Ian Ormondroyd after he scored for Leicester against Town and celebrated in front of the Ponny. I've always been dubious of that story though.

Loveable Lee Ashcroft jumping into the away terrace after a league cup tie at Orient and having serious fisticuffs with a town fan who had been giving him pelters. Ashcroft deserved it, coz he was a lazy little shiite

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

Scott McGarvey starting a fight with a guy in the lower Findus during a game.

He'd been getting some stick for a little while (because he was sh*t). He was taking a throw in in front of the lower Findus when he just dropped the ball and turned on a guy in the crowd who was stood against the fence, arms flailing like a cartoon. Several stalwarts of the lower Findus took the opportunity to have a swing at him. Other players and the ref had to pull him away from the fence. I'm sure he was sent off and it might have been his last game for us.

I got a very good view of it because I was sat in the Osmond so it was probably the season (just the one?) when the Pontoon was used by away fans.

It was Cantonaesque but without the athleticism and flourish.

Without athleticism and flourish, but probably done with great hair 🙂

Quoted from Posh Harry

Without athleticism and flourish, but probably done with great hair 🙂

And his tan looked good.

Malcolm Partridge (cant remember who against) recieved a head injury and went off slightly concussed. When he came back on, head bandaged he looked like a bloody Sikh, and when he got the ball started running towards his own goal until his teamates stopped him. He went off.

Malcolm again, During a game he was playing a partridge landed on the pitch and started to run around, it was noted that the bird could run faster than Malcolm.

Quoted from Boris Johnson

Seem to remember George Kerr going into the Crowd at Oakwell, Easter 1980, kicking off for some reason, cant remember what

I remember the Town fans wrecking a hotdog stand after the match at that game whilst singing the song “Hotdog, she’s my baby” by Shakin Stevens

The Pink Panther and Scooby Doo having a scrap at Burnley on New Years Eve 1988.

Quoted from promotion plaice

Idea taken off another forum but heyho.

What's the most bizarre incident that you've seen or experienced at a Town match?

On a personal note after following Town on and off for over 40 years mine was earlier this season when I was picked out by a Comsec agent and marched to stadium manager Nick Dale by the stewards.
They quickly realised I was innocently using my mobile, the club wasn't happy about it.

A similar thing happened to a Hull fan...
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/hull-city-statement-fan-texting-3198585

I can't remember what game it was, but it was either the first or second season BP went all-seater. Town players warming up pre-match & one of them spooned a shot into the ponny, the ball hit some poor sod and his Bovril went all over him.  About 10 mins later, the guy had a new Bovril and exactly the same thing happened to him again.

Also Bournemouth away about 8 or 9 years ago. Play stopped while a police dog shat on the pitch.

Surprised it hasn’t been mentioned, but chima scoring at tranmere when we were 4-0 down and the place going mental.

Never seen the goal since as am presuming it wasn’t recorded.

Quoted from Abdul19

I saw Mike Jeffrey score a goal once

Well jel

Seeing Glen Downey score, never mind seeing him on the pitch

Dave Challinor being substituted by Carlton Palmer because the referee never sent him off for that foul on Martin Pringle.

Not been to that many games in the last decade, just taken the kids to some nearby away matches (Cheshire exile) when able to, but seen a few incidents at those...
Bin roll at Southport
Macca chasing a goose at Macclesfield's first home game back in the league (I also sat next to / across the steps from Elliot Whitehouse and his missus without realising it was him at first)
Bignot talk to fans after mauling at Crewe (my youngest was born in Crewe at Leighton hospital - she wanted to support THEM after that game)

An away game probably 20+ years ago (at Bradford maybe), where someone shouted out 'I love you Danny' to Danny Coyne just as he was about to take a goal kick. He could barely run to the ball with laughing, took a shocking goal kick, and we were lucky not to concede a goal from it.

The fox that ran into the ground during a game, ran round the entire ground next to the hoardings, presumably looking for a way out, and then ran out the way it came in.

In the old ponny when most had a homosexual during the game the stand often caught fire so we used to pee on it and put it out.

We did not think much about it at the time until Bradford happened.

The Fishy editor makes that last post a whole lot more funnier...

The homosexual edit never gets old. That one is priceless. "Do you know what Watersports are, Alan?"



As for the rest of it, I'd forgotten all about the till roll hitting the ref. I do remember the skinhead climbing up the stanchion like it was yesterday. I was also in the lower findus when McGarvey finally snapped.

Lovely stuff.  

Quoted from 140381

The homosexual edit never gets old. That one is priceless. "Do you know what Watersports are, Alan?"



As for the rest of it, I'd forgotten all about the till roll hitting the ref. I do remember the skinhead climbing up the stanchion like it was yesterday. I was also in the lower findus when McGarvey finally snapped.

Lovely stuff.  

Stop rubbing your fanny on me  

Quoted from 140381

The homosexual edit never gets old. That one is priceless. "Do you know what Watersports are, Alan?"



As for the rest of it, I'd forgotten all about the till roll hitting the ref. I do remember the skinhead climbing up the stanchion like it was yesterday. I was also in the lower findus when McGarvey finally snapped.

Lovely stuff.  

Idea for a TV programme. ‘Turtle Necking with Fenty’. John Fenty sports a range of jugular smothering cashmere knitwear whilst trying to entice virginal Testudines from their shells (not a reference to Steve Evans). It must not. Repeat not, turn into an all night rave.

Jurassic Park!

If you don't do it, Sky will.

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

Idea for a TV programme. ‘Turtle Necking with Fenty’. John Fenty sports a range of jugular smothering cashmere knitwear whilst trying to entice virginal Testudines from their shells (not a reference to Steve Evans). It must not. Repeat not, turn into an all night rave.

Jurassic Park!

As long as it's not 'Turtle Heading with Fenty', that's a whole lot more unpleasant and disturbing.

Both options feel more Channel 5 than Sky.

Remember being in the Pontoon, think it was Good Friday 1971, against Scunthorpe when the barrier collapsed under a forward surge leaving loads of bodies, including my own, spreadeagled in a pile, frightening for a short time then like most things when your a teenager was treated as a great joke.

Quoted from toontown

The fox that ran into the ground during a game, ran round the entire ground next to the hoardings, presumably looking for a way out, and then ran out the way it came in.

Yeah, that was Southend last game of the season in 1996-97. Won 4 nil but we still went down.

Away at Borehamwood (or is it Boreham Wood?) when a bunch of lads dressed in Town kit and wearing 'Scouser' wigs jumped on the pitch for a kick about at half time. Stewards chasing them off looked like the Keystone Cops. As soon as one 'player' went over the fence back into the crowd another would be leaping over to go back.

Ipswich a cup game we lost ......wasnt supposed to be there parents had said no ..........for some reason and God knows why but a girl took a fancy to me and stood right in front of me me step below .....my hands was up her jumper her hand in my Jean's......I ended up with wet pants lol ...... was still smiling even tho we lost ......till i got home  

Quoted from friskneymariner

A fox on the pitch ,ironically I think it was against Leicester City,also in a league cup game against P.N.E. in I think Aug 1998 a squirrel on the goal net.

Even men with steel hearts love to see a fox on the pitch

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Away at Borehamwood (or is it Boreham Wood?) when a bunch of lads dressed in Town kit and wearing 'Scouser' wigs jumped on the pitch for a kick about at half time. Stewards chasing them off looked like the Keystone Cops. As soon as one 'player' went over the fence back into the crowd another would be leaping over to go back.

Followed by us chanting about the Shirley lookalikey (I think thats her name) from eastenders.

Good day, good crack in the away end, good stewards and good result.

My god though, borehamwood is a depressing place!!

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Away at Borehamwood (or is it Boreham Wood?) when a bunch of lads dressed in Town kit and wearing 'Scouser' wigs jumped on the pitch for a kick about at half time. Stewards chasing them off looked like the Keystone Cops. As soon as one 'player' went over the fence back into the crowd another would be leaping over to go back.

Some footage here: [url]https://youtu.be/sNFv-OXCfHk[/url]

Wagner  

The Seb Ring Cycle

Quoted from cjbill

Wagner  

Relegation from the Football League was less embarrassing than that.

Quoted from thefish

Some footage here: [url]https://youtu.be/sNFv-OXCfHk[/url]

Remember that day, took us three attempts to find a pub empty enough to drink in before the game.

Think the stewards they got in that day were completely unused to a large crowd. My wife had a can of hairspray in her bag when searched. The steward was completely confused about it and rang his boss to get instructions about whether to allow this offensive weapon into the ground. My wife was in her early fifties at the time and an unlikely looking trouble maker so highly amusing. Eventually he decided the hairspray was acceptable and worse, despite all our protestations, he let my wife enter too!

Quoted from Hants.Mariner

Remember that day, took us three attempts to find a pub empty enough to drink in before the game.

Think the stewards they got in that day were completely unused to a large crowd. My wife had a can of hairspray in her bag when searched. The steward was completely confused about it and rang his boss to get instructions about whether to allow this offensive weapon into the ground. My wife was in her early fifties at the time and an unlikely looking trouble maker so highly amusing. Eventually he decided the hairspray was acceptable and worse, despite all our protestations, he let my wife enter too!

Did the stewards find any pyrotechnic tampons?

Quoted from jaygy

That kid rolling down the steps in a bin?

Wish I'd seen that!

Quoted from Mayaman

Wish I'd seen that!

[youtube]Oqiot5v1QmY[/youtube]

Quoted from Kris2

I remember a guy in the ponny having a seizure behind where me and my mates were sitting, was the first time that I'd seen one and was pretty scary at the time.

Was that when he got put on a stretcher by St John's ambulance and they were gonna run around the pitch to not stop the game.  Half of the pontoon was shouting at them to run across the pitch, while the other half were calling th ref to stop the game.

Quoted from Perkins

Malcolm Partridge (cant remember who against) recieved a head injury and went off slightly concussed. When he came back on, head bandaged he looked like a bloody Sikh, and when he got the ball started running towards his own goal until his teamates stopped him. He went off.

Malcolm again, During a game he was playing a partridge landed on the pitch and started to run around, it was noted that the bird could run faster than Malcolm.

I was gonna write about the partridge but wasn't sure If i'd made it up or not.

I was at the Boreham Wood game and those fans dressed as scousers were very funny,

One of them went to the toilet next to the seating area and the stewards decided to search him,

He took his shirt off then dropped his shorts    I could not see if he had anything on under his shorts but a women who was sat close to us went down to have a closer look,  

Quoted from grimsby pete

I was at the Boreham Wood game and those fans dressed as scousers were very funny,

One of them went to the toilet next to the seating area and the stewards decided to search him,

He took his shirt off then dropped his shorts    I could not see if he had anything on under his shorts but a women who was sat close to us went down to have a closer look,  

Wonder if it was Hants Mariner’s wife. Maybe she’d used her hairspray on those perms to help them keep their shairp.

I was at Oxford away end on a beautiful sunny day.   Then it started chucking it down.  As there was no cover the Oxford fans were singing, "You're getting wet and we're not".  We replied with, "We're getting wet and you're not".  A number of town fans realised they could watch most of the match from the bog.  Our mood soon lifted when we scored with about 5 minutes to go but was dampened again when they equalised at the death.  The sun had come out so we legged it down the pub to dry out.

Went to see HCMC v Long Anh  about three years ago.  It was two all with about five mins to go. I usually wait until the final whistle but I was on my lonesome as my mates couldn't make it and I was tired so I started to make my way to the exit. HCMC got a penalty just as I was about to descend the stairs. The Long Anh players and coaching staff were in uproar. Accused the ref of being bought and walked off the pitch. They eventually came on for the penalty but the keeper turned his back on the taker.  3-2.  They restarted and kicked to a HCMC player who ran past 10 players the keeper ran out and did a forward roll. 4-2.  Kick-off and ditto. 5-2  Ref blew twenty minutes after the games should have finished.  It made the news in the USA.  They were all fined and some banned.  Long Anh got relegated.

Quoted from Mayaman

Was that when he got put on a stretcher by St John's ambulance and they were gonna run around the pitch to not stop the game.  Half of the pontoon was shouting at them to run across the pitch, while the other half were calling th ref to stop the game.

I don't remember what happened afterwards. All I recall is hearing some guys behind trying to get the attention of a steward and turning around to see a guy having a seizure in his seat.

I was in The St John for many years.
One of the more bizarre things that happened was when we carried Dave Booth off with a knee injury.
It was an old canvas and two pole stretcher, and the canvas split from almost top to almost bottom and he had to wrap his arms and legs around the poles to stop himself from dropping through.  A bit Keystone cops, and it didn't help his knee

Quoted from The_Laughing_Mariner

I was in The St John for many years.
One of the more bizarre things that happened was when we carried Dave Booth off with a knee injury.
It was an old canvas and two pole stretcher, and the canvas split from almost top to almost bottom and he had to wrap his arms and legs around the poles to stop himself from dropping through.  A bit Keystone cops, and it didn't help his knee

Brilliant  

Can't remember who we were playing, but during our non league days one of the opposition players went down injured just before half time. Their trainer came on and had a look at him, then decided he wasn't hurt so left him on the ground. The player had to get up and limp off the pitch on his own and limp around the pitch to the tunnel, not getting any help or sympathy from any of his team mates or officials. He didn't get any sympathy from us either. The whole incident was bizarre, like something from Monty Python.

Quoted from mimma

Can't remember who we were playing, but during our non league days one of the opposition players went down injured just before half time. Their trainer came on and had a look at him, then decided he wasn't hurt so left him on the ground. The player had to get up and limp off the pitch on his own and limp around the pitch to the tunnel, not getting any help or sympathy from any of his team mates or officials. He didn't get any sympathy from us either. The whole incident was bizarre, like something from Monty Python.

Kidderminster I think...

Quoted from mimma

Can't remember who we were playing, but during our non league days one of the opposition players went down injured just before half time. Their trainer came on and had a look at him, then decided he wasn't hurt so left him on the ground. The player had to get up and limp off the pitch on his own and limp around the pitch to the tunnel, not getting any help or sympathy from any of his team mates or officials. He didn't get any sympathy from us either. The whole incident was bizarre, like something from Monty Python.

Quoted from barralad

Kidderminster I think...

Hop hop Diop.

Blimey back in 2004 according to Head to Head

His last game for Kiddy, unsurprisingly!

https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=38868

I was there, but remember is slightly differently.  From where I was it looked like the physio went to treat him, pressed somewhere that obviously hurt and Diop pushed him away.  Physio then (as mentioned) walked off and left him.
This happening right in front of the Ponny didn't exactly help the situation.

But I didn't realise 2004, wow that has gone fast !!

Yeah,  He went down in the Ponny penalty area.  Trainer came rushing on, and when he tried to stop he slipped on the wet pitch and clattered feet first into the injured knee.
The player, Diop, physically pushed him away a couple of times, so the trainer said F U and left him to his own devices.

I too remember that we were in the ponny and we all thought it was very funny   never seen anything like it.

I also remember the physio doing the w*nker gesture to the Ponny whilst pointing to Diop?

Quoted from Civvy at last

I was there, but remember is slightly differently.  From where I was it looked like the physio went to treat him, pressed somewhere that obviously hurt and Diop pushed him away.  Physio then (as mentioned) walked off and left him.
This happening right in front of the Ponny didn't exactly help the situation.

But I didn't realise 2004, wow that has gone fast !!

https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/7804234.jim-didnt-fix-it-for-youssou-in-grimsby-clash/

The Physio's account is here. According to him, he threw a hissy fit and refused treatment and the referee was keen to get on with things because it was close to half time so he left him there. Diop apparently continued throwing a tantrum all the way home and then got released shortly afterwards.

That headline  

I was sat in the lower findus on the halfway line so didn't get the view you got from the pontoon, hence the slightly muddled account. It was funny though, and I've never seen anything like that in nearly 60 years of following Town.

UTM

I did not see it but when we played Preston at home their manager Alan Balls dad was getting a lot of abuse all game from a town fan in the main stand.

He had enough by the end of the game and jumped over the fence into the stand and chased the lad.

Does anybody know what happened after ?

I did hear an unlikely tale about a Chairman or Non-Chairman who whilst in the Directors Box during a game, allegedly snapped the flag-stick of a young lad supporting the opposite team.  He was supposedly waving the flag and probably annoying people.

The above story is of course very unlikely to have happened or ever happen anywhere in the future! 😏😏

What do we know?

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

I did hear an unlikely tale about a Chairman or Non-Chairman who whilst in the Directors Box during a game, allegedly snapped the flag-stick of a young lad supporting the opposite team.  He was supposedly waving the flag and probably annoying people.

The above story is of course very unlikely to have happened or ever happen anywhere in the future! 😏😏

What do we know?

I KNOW exactly what happened as I was only a few feet away.

The ‘young lad’ was asked repeatedly to stop waving it so aggressively. He knew exactly what he was doing. His father (a senior representative of the opposition) seemed to find it amusing. Fortunately for the young lad concerned JF ‘deconstructed’ the flag, thus saving the child (and possibly father) from the damage that would have been done by other Town supporters in the vicinity !!

Hope that clears that up for you.