tonight 1979 ...LIVERPOOL

[spoons]

Yeap, went to both games. Begged my boss to give me night off from shift working and even though he was./is a Man City fan, he opted to travel down with me from North Wales. Game in the balance and from memory lines were marked out in red.
Drove home through the night in blizzards all the way with boss sleeping in back seat apart from the occasional question,"are you alright" , before getting back to his kip! Was in work the following night, shattered.
Went to Anfield and they blew us away but Kop was brilliant after we chanted for Liverpool they gave a short deafening rendition supporting Southend.
Was it Smith as manager in those happy times?:smile:

 

[Blues 'n twos]

Was packed into the South stand behind the goal, but in front of the first barrier ( was ready for the crush ) at 19 years of age and a shrimper for 7 years, it was the biggest game I had attended, the atmosphere was the best I had encountered. Sadly I could not afford the return leg, but spoke to some regulars I knew at the next home game, and after hearing some of their "Liverpool" tales I wasn't to sad to miss it !

 

[Thundersley Blue]

Managed to go to both. Really thought we were going to score at home. Was it Andy Polycarpou who had a goalbound shot near the end hit one of our players.

Will never forget the night at Anfield. If only Parker had taken one of his two chances early on. The Kop were unbelievable.

 

[LCBB72]

Sat on top of the old scoreboad on the top of the South Bank that night with my brother in law and a bottle of rum .

 

[jaffa1]

Sat on top of the old scoreboad on the top of the South Bank that night with my brother in law and a bottle of rum .

respect !! and in answer to Spoons question Dave Smith was the manger - but (thinking about it) was it - has it ever been - 'happier times' ?

 

[C C Csiders]

That prog, with a moody Moody on front, was a top effort. A belated thank you, give yourself a pat on the head as reward

Not to mention the classic manager's notes by Dave Smith. Fantastic night (whatever happened to snowy January's) and equally great night at Anfield the following week - took a day off school with my dad trusting me to the care of two armed robbers who drove me to the game and back.

 

[Fiftyone]

I too was at both games. Went on the South Bank for the first time ever as I could not stand on the North Bank as normal.

Travelled on the coach to Anfield and spent the game on the Kop with my brother in law. Saw some of the fighting after the game on the way back to the coach but managed to avoid getting involved.

Couple of the best games supporting Southend.:thumbsup:

 

[Zeuss]

The noise, the floodlights, the snow, a two hour Q to get in, Motty on top of the West Stand, that Parker chance, Sarfend playing in blue white and red, the South Bank a solid mass of people to justify old Sid's building skills at long last, giving thanks for it snowing just as bad on the Brecon Beacons so my Geography field trip had been cancelled ..........

Someone should start a list to note the 'I was there club' - Ozzie started the thread so I volunteer him. Put me on it. I wonder if it will end up being one of those things where more claim to be there than actually were - a list of 30,000 +, that should cause Shrimperzone to crash. :unsure:

Got to the pub about 5.15 that night and there had been no snow at all but when we emerged at 6pm it was about 6 inches deep. I think the kick-off would have been 7.30 in those days,but even then we all got to the ground very early.I mention this because in subsequent years,probably 100s of "fans" have told me that that was the one game at Roots Hall they'd ever been to but they resented missing part of it because of the queues outside,which happily wasn't the case for all the regulars !A bit like David A mess and the other wallies who left wEmbley early last year?

 

[MR G]

I was there - sat in the east stand with my dad and his mate. Still remember the south bank heaving with so many people. Happy days!

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

I had a West Stand ticket for the original Saturday game but I had to give it up when the match was postponed.:'(

 

[mfurok]

Got to the pub about 5.15 that night and there had been no snow at all but when we emerged at 6pm it was about 6 inches deep. I think the kick-off would have been 7.30 in those days,but even then we all got to the ground very early.I mention this because in subsequent years,probably 100s of "fans" have told me that that was the one game at Roots Hall they'd ever been to but they resented missing part of it because of the queues outside,which happily wasn't the case for all the regulars !A bit like David A mess and the other wallies who left wEmbley early last year?

A mess left early?

You've made my day.

 

[AndyT]

The other memory, apart from everything mentioned above, was the Brentford home game just before Christmas where around 8,000 more than the average attendance turned up, just to get vouchers for Liverpool tickets, it was that big a game!

 

[LCBB72]

Yes, they did the dirty on them after talking them into walking across Stanley Park, didn't they T?
As for the home tie, 31,033 was the official attendance, but many more had bunked in over the wall at the West, and fathers would get their kids to crawl under the turnstiles in those days. The turnstile operator couldn't see them do it from his position.

Tricky Dickie was still crawling under the turnstyles when he was 21 .

 

[Kevin Hogg]

The Champions Of Europe - coming to The Hall. Not a shadow team ..but the first team who wanted to win the FA Cup.
The initial postponement meant that the 35,000 sell out became 31,033.
What a night. I can still smell it. The pub before the game, the floodlights reflecting off the snow. The South Bank literally swayed as one..up, down, to one side, back up and then down again, probably 16,000 people in involuntary motion, one seething, chanting mass. Full of improbable hope
The blue shirts, white shorts and socks with red trim against the iconic all-red of the greatest team on the planet.
That Dereck Parker moment.
All replayed to the nation later that night.

And then on to - THIS IS ANFIELD.
We held our own for the most part but quality won out against determination, effort and passion. The Kop (by this point assured of the expected victory) rose - not that they could ever have dreamed of actually being seated - to salute the team in blue who had taken their's, England's, Britain's, Europe's and the world's's finest club side to a replay and then a battle on home soil. "Southend, Southend" was chanted - the ultimate respect.

Not so respectful were the groups of "snipers" in the dark of Stanley Park. Fights galore broke out amidst the gloom of the park, in the shadow of the Anfield lights.

 

[LCBB72]

Got to the pub about 5.15 that night and there had been no snow at all but when we emerged at 6pm it was about 6 inches deep. I think the kick-off would have been 7.30 in those days,but even then we all got to the ground very early.I mention this because in subsequent years,probably 100s of "fans" have told me that that was the one game at Roots Hall they'd ever been to but they resented missing part of it because of the queues outside,which happily wasn't the case for all the regulars !A bit like David A mess and the other wallies who left wEmbley early last year?

The Echo did an article about people not getting in till half time , Keith Holmes stood at the turnstyles at the next home game v Chesterfield and could not see the problem , perhaps 25000 more supporters than the Chesterfield game might of been a clue for him .

 

[AndyT]

The Champions Of Europe - coming to The Hall. Not a shadow team ..but the first team who wanted to win the FA Cup.
The initial postponement meant that the 35,000 sell out became 31,033.
What a night. I can still smell it. The pub before the game, the floodlights reflecting off the snow. The South Bank literally swayed as one..down, to one side, back up and then down again, probably 16,000 people in involuntary motion, one seething, chanting mass. Full of improbable hope
The blue shirts, white shorts and socks with red trim against the iconic all-red of the greatest team on the planet.
That Dereck Parker moment.
All replayed to the nation later that night.

And the on to - THIS IS ANFIELD.
We held our own for the most part but quality won out against determination, effort and passion. The Kop (by this point assured of the expected victory) rose - not that they could ever have dreamed of actually being seated - to salute the team in blue who had taken their's, England's, Britain's, Europe's and the world's's finest club side to a replay and then a battle on home soil. "Southend, Southend" was chanted - the ultimate respect.

Not so respectful were the groups of "snipers" in the dark of Stanley Park. Fights galore broke out amidst the gloom of the park, in the shadow of the Anfield lights.

Great description that, Kev.

 

[Mick]

And the on to - THIS IS ANFIELD.
We held our own for the most part but quality won out against determination, effort and passion. The Kop (by this point assured of the expected victory) rose - not that they could ever have dreamed of actually being seated - to salute the team in blue who had taken their's, England's, Britain's, Europe's and the world's's finest club side to a replay and then a battle on home soil. "Southend, Southend" was chanted - the ultimate respect.

....... and we got nothing from referee Keith Hackett all night !!!

 

[Mick]

Talking of anniversaries 52 years ago today, we again shipped four goals away from home, this time at QPR.

Happily we scored five for an unusual 5-4 away win.

Slim Jim Conway, who was just starting to come good after a slow start, got a couple with Woodley, Smith and an og completing the scoring. £5.5m lottery winner Terry Bradbury was in the line-up.

 

[Leoblue]

I remember first going to Root's Hall and seeing the old South bank and thinking wow........ Even when you look at the highlights, it doesn't do it justice how big it was. I seem to remember a certain Kevin Keagan referring to Roots Hall as the Wembley of the lower leagues.

 

[LCBB72]

I remember first going to Root's Hall and seeing the old South bank and thinking wow........ Even when you look at the highlights, it doesn't do it justice how big it was. I seem to remember a certain Kevin Keagan referring to Roots Hall as the Wembley of the lower leagues.

Kevin said that when he was playing for Scunthorpe , I am sure that he played a couple of times here , in one programe he is named as Kevin Geegan .