Season 77/78

MVV Maastricht - FC Zwolle - 77/78

Source: local press

Roda JC - MVV Maastricht - 77/78

Source: local press

FC Zwolle - MVV Maastricht - 77/78

Source: local press

MVV fans

Southampton FC - Sutton - 77/8

Source: forum - Saints view

Last game of season in div 2 (77/8 ) and we need 1 pt to go up. I think Soton were promoted even if they'd lost. A scrappy 0-0 draw and we've made it fing32.gif. As we're celebrating on the terracing some Soton divvies come on the pitch and start chucking missiles onto our terrace screwy.gif. Our jublilation turns to anger mad.gif and the new fence which had been erected for our benefit is immediately demolished as angry Yids take to the pitch to continue our celebration and Soton fans understandably flee in terror.

Arsenal FC - Chelsea FC - 77/78

Source: forum

Chelsea lads entered inside the local North Bak terrace and caused troubles, without any opposition.

Derby County - Nottingham Forest - 16/01/1978

Source: http://www.geocities.com/derby_Lunatic_fringe

Violent scenes erupted for the second time in a season as Derby County played host to local rivals Nottingham Forest. Thirty-three arrests were made and five police officers were injured as hooligans left a trail of damage in Shaftsbury Street after the match. But inside the ground there was only praise for fans, who were applauded by chairman George Hardy for their tremendous backing during the game. "I know that it was a special match because Brian Clough and Peter Taylor were coming back with a team at the top of the League," he said. "But the backing given to the team was first-class and there was a real atmosphere in the Baseball Ground."

England - Bulgaria - 77/78

Source: forum

Spurs mobbed up to about 100 maybe 150. At half-time others english firms (Brummies, Mancs, Newcastle, Millwall...) came at them and ran them to the front of their section.

Arsenal FC - Wolverhampton Wanderers - Cup - ??/01/1978

Source: forum

Thirty to 40 Chelsea lads entered the stadium. During the game half the Clock End steamed Wolves who put up some resistance for a while at least, and the other half steamed Chelsea, who bottled it and ran.
Outside, Chelsea tried to steam up with Wolves without any chance. Wolves and Arsenal kicked off for a while

Manchester City - Widzew Lodz - ??/09/1977

Source: press

One of the City supporters chased an opposing skipper who had scored the Polish team's second equalising goal.

Brentford FC - Millwall FC - 77/78

Source: forum - BFC view

they came in the Oak and just run at us but little did they know the Chelsea Boys were also waiting for them. Boy did that kick off.

Arsenal FC – Chelsea FC – 26/12/1977

Source: http://forums.cfcnet.co.uk/index.php/topic/37035-right-who-preferred-chelsea-in-the-old-days/page__st__165 - CFC view

There were big meets at Earls Court (Arsenal-Boxing Day) and Victoria (Spurs) where we were 500+ strong. The taking of The Northbank that Boxing Day was a typical West Ham stunt, get in there early, take the end but we held it for the whole match and afterwards there were massive mobs of Chelsea roaming the streets.

Derby County – Manchester City – 03/12/1977

Source: http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=146715&sid=836317dc544eb5642766861bcc826e7f&start=130 - MCFC view

Coming back from Derby, City Fans ransacked the buffet compartment (in the train), everything went money ,food ,drink ect . One of them was nicked.

Blackpool – Blackburn Rovers – 04/02/1978

Source: http://www.wanderersways.com/forum/topic/66830-70s-terrace-wars/ - Bolton Wanderers views

(the game Oldham – Bolton) was called off early due to fog.

A few Bolton were in the side when it kicked off in the Blackpool end about 10 mins before kick off. The law removed about 150 and marched them round the ground to the Blackburn end (who was on the old kop; when they went past us I noticed a few of them and they were all Bolton.

Two minutes after they were shoved in the kop it kicked off with the Blackburn and for the whole game the law surrounded them.
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I went an Oldham-Bolton game on the Trans Pennine Express, an old bus service what went from Bolton to Stockport in the 70s via all the old mill towns in Lancs. The game got called off, and Bolton fans in town was deemed easy pickings, it was a fucking nightmare until a pub was found on Rochdale Rd and the Oldham lot backed off when the Bolton numbers had built up..

Nottingham Forest - Wolverhampton Wanderers - 04/02/1978

Source: http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=572&fid=263&sty=2&act=1&mid=2117162300 - WW view

I think there was about 2500 Wolves there but they got all split up and many got a bad pasting. Very scary!

Ajax Amsterdam - Sparta Rotterdam - 16/04/1978

Source : Press

Brighton & Hove Albion - Millwall FC - 27/08/1977

Source: BH forum - BH view

"The Treatment gang ended up behind us in the South West terrace, we were escorted to the South stand."

Charlton Athletic - Tottenham Hotspur - 15/10/1977

Source: Charlton Life forum - Charlton views

Some fans were injured when fighting broke out in the Covered End. The game was held up for a short time when hundreds spilled onto the pitch to get away from the trouble.

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There was plenty of action on and off the pitch with sporadic fighting throughout the game. It was the norm for large groups from the Bermondsey area to come along and perform a their own version of 'meet and greet' on days when we had big clubs visiting.

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the valley, supposedly the biggest capacity league ground in the country, was jam-packed, seemingly at first with just spurs fans...an over generous intake of beer that day meant that i and a few other fans were returning from the gents loos situated in what is now probably the middle of the car park behind the west stand when suddenly a massive roar went up and we all said fck it assuming wrongly that spurs had scored and taken the lead only to find when we chased back onto the terracing that flash had got it...one of the great days that will live on in the memory of all those charlton fans that were there...

Burnley FC - Blackburn Rovers - 26/12/1977

Source : http://ewoodpark.jimdo.com

Cricket Field Stand (Away End) gates shut at 1:15 - 1:30pm. The gatemen and police on the outside were extremely anxious as there were a lot of angry Rovers fans left outside to deal with. Given the Cricket Field stand was all ticket, that left 1.5 hours of Rovers fans on Boxing Day arriving and heading for the Burnley home sections.



On one half of Turf Moor’s Longside Stand (Home stand), it is estimated that there were approximately: 6 - 7,000 Rovers fans; the Open End had approximately 4,000 Rovers fans packed in; in the Bob Lord Stand there were approximately 250 Rovers fans and in the Cricket Field Stand: 5,500 Rovers fans. Rovers fans where all over Turf Moor.



Estimates of Rovers Away following that day vary from 11,000 – 15,000. It was Burnley’s biggest gate for fifty years and the biggest ever Away following between the two clubs before or since.



The Open End erupted when Rovers scored their first goal with the Rovers fans wildly celebrating. The police then made a barrier between the Open End and the home section of the Longside Stand. Rovers were in the top two of Division 2 at the time. The game itself was played out in an electric atmosphere created by Rovers away following, with Rovers building up a 0-3 lead in the first half which could have been 0-4 but for a brilliant penalty save by Stevenson. Burnley then forced their way back with goals by Noble and Ingham, leaving Rovers clinging on for a 2 - 3 win, in seven minutes of injury time.



Outside the ground there were large scale disturbances involving many Rovers fans in running fights with Burnley fans and the police along with their dogs. Rovers’ fans scattered in packs all over the Burnley town centre and on the main roads out of Burnley back to Accrington and Blackburn. These were serious disturbances caused by the inadequate policing of an admittedly massive Rovers away following.

Blackburn Rovers – Burnley FC - 27/03/1978

Source : http://ewoodpark.jimdo.com

Burnley did not bring that many to Ewood Park; approximately 5,000. There were disturbances in Blackburn town centre and more seriously after the game as a big Burnley contingent travelling by train were confronted by a Blackburn End/Riverside group on the way back to Mill Hill train station.

Chelsea FC - Millwall FC - 1977/1978

Source : http://www.anorak.co.uk

Fighting spectators befor the start of Chelsea’s League Division Two promotion battle against Millwall at Stamford Bridge.

Brighton & Hove Albion - Tottenham - 15/04/1978

Source: http://thegoldstonewrap.com/

The game was delayed for thirteen minutes after spectators had spilled on to the ground with this crucial Second Division promotion match only twelve minutes old.

Spurs fans who stole sixteen cars and burned one when they got to Brighton, started fights early on and local spectators were forced over the barriers for safety.

Turvey stopped the match and sent the players to the dressing rooms. The game resumed 13 minutes later after he said he would play all night to get the game completed.

League leaders Spurs, on their first visit to Brighton had just gone 1-3 down and had Don McAllister sent-off when their hooligan fans rushed the pitch in the seventy-fourth minute, this time to try to get the game abandoned.

But police stopped the invasion and the game continued after another four-minute delay.

There were 91 arrests during the day and 83 people injured.

And ex-Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Marshall, a keen Brighton fan, said: “I’ve never seen such scenes in all my life.

“The time has come to give these thugs custodial sentences in establishments akin to wartime glasshouses, rather than holiday camps.”

Brighton manager Alan Mullery, a former Spurs’ star, accused rioting Spurs supporters of attempting to get this promotion battle abandoned.

He said: “Tottenham are a great club but their fans tried to get the match stopped.” Referee Turvey admitted: “If I was honest I would say I was a bit frightened during the crowd trouble. I thought the police did a good job and I must praise Spurs defender Terry Naylor for the way he tried to calm the fans down.”

A senior police officer said: “The trouble started before the game when Spurs fans got in early and occupied the space behind the goal normally reserved for the home fans.”

Millwall FC - Ipswich Town - Cup - ??/03/1978

Source: forum

Ipswich fans on the terraces ran out of the ground for their own safety after Millwall assault, those in the seats came under barrage of missiles, game held up 20 minutes when ref took teams off. Saw one OB trying to nick someone, bloke jumped out of the crowd booted him right in the spine, got nicked, broke away, jumped back onto the terraces and disappeared. After the game Millwall went through a stationary train at New Cross to attack fans on the Ipswich special through the windows, plain clothes OB nicking people on the platform. Mayhem!



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Another view:

About 3000 Ipswich went, some on a special train which got totalled by Millwall at New Cross. I went by car, asked OB where the away end was, he said he was from north of the river and directed us into the opposite end to the Cold Blow Lane end along with about 100 other Ipswich lads. Sods law had it that we'd been pushd into the wrong end and after the first goal went in we found ourselves on the pitch with scrapping going off everywhere. Millwall chucked masonary onto the roof of the small side stand which landed on the away supporters in the seats. Only about 1000 Ipswich stayed for the whole game which ended 6-1. Bobby Robson wanted to "burn the bastards" and I think the Den was closed for a couple f gaes afterwards and Millwall were sent to play their next 2 home games at Portsmouth

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Source: http://www.football-hooligans.org/millwall-bushwackers-hooligans.html

In 1978 Millwall played Ipswich Town in an FA Cup match at The Den that led to a full scale riot breaking out. Fighting broke out around the stadium before the match, coaches carrying Ipswich fans to the match came under heavy attack as Millwall's firm pelted them with bricks and rocks. The fighting continued on the terraces and spilled out onto the pitch. All sorts of weapons were used on the day including bats, iron bars, knives and bottles. The club had it's ground closed for two weeks and was barred from hosting FA Cup matches for two years.

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Source: http://www.millwall-history.co.uk/Millwallversusthemob.htm

In March 1978, a full-scale riot broke out at The Den during an FA Cup quarter-final against Ipswich. Fighting began on the terraces, then spilled out on to the pitch and into the narrow streets around the ground. Bottles, knives, iron bars, fists, boots and concrete slabs rained from the sky. Dozens of innocent people, real Millwall fans, were injured.

Among them was Joe Hale, a 72-year-old Den regular who stood, blood pouring from a head wound, a bemused and broken symbol of a club and a sport terminally ill.

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Source: http://www.millwall.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=24661&posts=46

When the Ipswich train lot turned up late, the Ilderton was already packed which is why plod thought they would be OK in the CBL.
Unfortunetly, the CBL regulars were dead against this idea and turfed them out again as soon as they arrived.
I was in the corner of the Ilderton, and remember some of our lot dismantleing the food & drink hut at the back and then chucking the pieces into the Ipswich lot in the seats (after firstly refreshing themselves with the contents of the hut).
I suppose it was a little bit out of order....

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I was there and it was the Old Bill who caused all the trouble. A train from Ipswich was late arriving and the Old Bill let them in at the Ilderton Road End. They came up the steps and tried to push their way down. Of course the Millwall fans objected and it all went off. The Old Bill then just went in Willy Nilly bashing anyone within reach.

Bobby Robson was very quick to call a press conference and load all the blame on Millwall fans saying we should be blow torched and his fans were absolutely innocent of any agression (load of bollox) but the press loved it and weighed into us.

The game itself was totally one sided with Ipswich completely outplaying us. We didn't have all our best players available, and in particular missed John Seasman up front, but to be fair they played some great on the deck stuff.

Ajax Amsterdam - AZ Alkmaar - Coupe - 05/05/1978

Source : http://www.anp-archief.nl/

Tottenham Hotspur - Millwall FC - 27/03/1978

Source : Press

Leeds United - Manchester City - FA Cup - 07/01/1978

Source : http://www.citytilidie.com/

City went to Elland Road in the FA Cup 3rd Round where the game was interrupted for 16 minutes amidst some of the worst scenes of hooliganism seen for some years in England.
The Leeds fans behind Joe Corrigan’s goal invaded the pitch heading for the City fans and mounted police charged on to the pitch to quell the violence.