rupert_bear
Well-Known Member
Going to London Road yesterday brought back memories of my first trip there way back in 1964, now part of Sky Blue folklore. A night match and a victory would have guaranteed promotion to the heights of the second division, we lost 2-0 but the occasion and memories lives on. In those days for night matches you got yourself to Pool Meadow and found a coach, paying the driver just like getting a bus to town. Me and a mate, Robert Sprake no longer with us went straight from school, I went to Barkers Butts in Coundon he was at Foxford. Hid school bag at school, no half days in those days and ran to Pool Meadow, met Rob and found a coach, well there were dozens but got a BTS coach, remember them, and off we set at about 5 o'clock and joined what has to be the longest queue of traffic I ever experienced, nose to tail virtually from here to Peterborough never going much more than 40mph. Finally got to Peterborough about 7.30, kick off time, saw the floodlights so we got off coach and legged it to the ground where we were met with thousands struggling to get in, shit we thought, gates were being locked, as we were giving up luckily a gate went in and we managed to push our way in to the ground packed to the rafters, which were also being occupied by supporters too.
Managed to squeeze our way to somewhere near the front but saw virtually F/A all game. One thing I remember vividly is when Peterborough scored no-one anywhere near to me moved, all City fans, in fact three quarters of the ground were Cov, as said we lost 2-0 thanks to who became a bit of an enemy 2 goals from a young Derek Dougan. So final whistle and we had the task of finding our coach one of dozens parked on a massive piece of land, eventually we did and got back to Cov about 11.30 and walked from the Meadow to Radford bemoaning our loss. Different days then, I was 12, Rob was 11, I told my old man I was going with Rob's dad he told his he was going with mine, thankfully they never found out, school next day too and getting one on the across the arse from Bob Coward for not doing homework, those were the days. Gate at Peterborough was officially 27000 odd a record at the time I believe, then there were hundreds as we did getting through that broken gate. 20000+ City fans I would say. I looked at the London Road ground yesterday and wondered how the f**k did 27000+ get in.
Times have certainly changed when two kids not in their teens go to a night game alone in their school uniforms and not really battered an eye-lid about it because Sky Blue thanks to one Jimmy Hill flowed through your veins, still does.
Going to away games is what you did any which way you could, if the old man didn't go you went by train or coach using the same blag about going with Rob's dad, I think he knew though, for money we saved pocket money, took pop bottles back through the week for extra and tapped mother up when the old man wasn't listening. So my final plea to our Mr Waggott, can't resist it, read this and you might realize what our football club means to us and why.
Managed to squeeze our way to somewhere near the front but saw virtually F/A all game. One thing I remember vividly is when Peterborough scored no-one anywhere near to me moved, all City fans, in fact three quarters of the ground were Cov, as said we lost 2-0 thanks to who became a bit of an enemy 2 goals from a young Derek Dougan. So final whistle and we had the task of finding our coach one of dozens parked on a massive piece of land, eventually we did and got back to Cov about 11.30 and walked from the Meadow to Radford bemoaning our loss. Different days then, I was 12, Rob was 11, I told my old man I was going with Rob's dad he told his he was going with mine, thankfully they never found out, school next day too and getting one on the across the arse from Bob Coward for not doing homework, those were the days. Gate at Peterborough was officially 27000 odd a record at the time I believe, then there were hundreds as we did getting through that broken gate. 20000+ City fans I would say. I looked at the London Road ground yesterday and wondered how the f**k did 27000+ get in.
Times have certainly changed when two kids not in their teens go to a night game alone in their school uniforms and not really battered an eye-lid about it because Sky Blue thanks to one Jimmy Hill flowed through your veins, still does.
Going to away games is what you did any which way you could, if the old man didn't go you went by train or coach using the same blag about going with Rob's dad, I think he knew though, for money we saved pocket money, took pop bottles back through the week for extra and tapped mother up when the old man wasn't listening. So my final plea to our Mr Waggott, can't resist it, read this and you might realize what our football club means to us and why.
