Anyone remember the Spion Kop / HR (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Bob Latchford
- Start date
Wheelfass
Well-Known Member
The Crows nest was constructed in 1948 and this is where I watched all of the games from my childhood in the early 1960's. The first tempory floodlights were installed in 1953 and were later sold to Crew. The floodlights as H/Roaders like me would remember were in use from 28th November 1957 from a friendly home game against Third Lanark. They were in use until the 1990's
The Crows nest post brings back memories from when us kids were sent underneath the open wooden terracing to put out the fires that the discarded cigarettes and matches had started.
Underneath the Crows Nest was a wonderland for us kids as we would often find the occasional dropped programme or even sometimes a 2 and 6 (half a crown) or 12 and a half pence to you younger ones.
The Crows nest post brings back memories from when us kids were sent underneath the open wooden terracing to put out the fires that the discarded cigarettes and matches had started.
Underneath the Crows Nest was a wonderland for us kids as we would often find the occasional dropped programme or even sometimes a 2 and 6 (half a crown) or 12 and a half pence to you younger ones.
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Brylowes
Well-Known Member
Another great photo.Here's a picture in more recent years of the Kop
I can't remember the the sloping white wall half way up the kop, as in this picture,However I do
remember the front wall sloping down from the SBS to the main stand.
Paxman II
Well-Known Member
Think the first picture there is around 1948/52
Use to stand up the cop and get lifted off my feet and move down several rows the crowds were so big back in the mid 60's and into the first 10 years of the first division.
At half time they would open the gates and you would get in for free.
Use to stand up the cop and get lifted off my feet and move down several rows the crowds were so big back in the mid 60's and into the first 10 years of the first division.
At half time they would open the gates and you would get in for free.
dutchman
Well-Known Member
In summer maybe, not so packed in winter as I remember?
NortonSkyBlue
Well-Known Member
The scoreboard was a gift from the Coventry Evening Telegraph. It was strange that you had so few turnstiles at the top of Swan Lane for the Kop which led you into a mud and concrete mound which the crows nest was perched upon.
I watched the first couple of seasons in Division 1 and from all parts of the Kop, I loved standing behind the goal when the opposition keeper came out and seeing all the great goalies of the time like Banks, Bonetti and Jennings and I remember the ovation George Hudson got on his return with Tranmere in the cup in 68 and standing on the crows nest to see the friendly against Hibs and seeing Billy Graham( the preacher, not the striker Bobby Graham) at HR, however my strongest recollection is losing my shoe, going wild, when we scored to we beat Leicester 1-0 to stay up in 69 as they scored a perfectly good goal which was chalked off and we went up the other end and Neil Martin scored. In the 89th minute.
I find it reassuring that when Stuart Beavon scored against Bolton a few weeks ago I felt that same emotion as I did as a 9 year old in 69. Coventry City will never die for this man.
I watched the first couple of seasons in Division 1 and from all parts of the Kop, I loved standing behind the goal when the opposition keeper came out and seeing all the great goalies of the time like Banks, Bonetti and Jennings and I remember the ovation George Hudson got on his return with Tranmere in the cup in 68 and standing on the crows nest to see the friendly against Hibs and seeing Billy Graham( the preacher, not the striker Bobby Graham) at HR, however my strongest recollection is losing my shoe, going wild, when we scored to we beat Leicester 1-0 to stay up in 69 as they scored a perfectly good goal which was chalked off and we went up the other end and Neil Martin scored. In the 89th minute.
I find it reassuring that when Stuart Beavon scored against Bolton a few weeks ago I felt that same emotion as I did as a 9 year old in 69. Coventry City will never die for this man.
D
Deleted member 4439
Guest
That, and because there was just a couple of brick sheds with overflowing urinals; stunk to high heaven.
Houchens Head
Fairly well known member from Malvern
I remember the old "alphabet score cards"........
(This isn't Highfield Road, btw!)
There were 26 boxes marked with a letter of the alphabet. Below each individual letter was a door that opened and had the facility for two cards to be inserted, one in the top half, and one in the bottom half. In the match programme on the back page would be the day’s football fixture and each game would have a letter of the Alphabet adjoining it. These letters would be matched to the letters on the scoreboard and at half time, when the doors of the boxes on the scoreboard were opened and the cards inserted, the top number would show the home team’s score and the bottom number would show the away team’s score. At full time, the process would be repeated and fans would know the results of most matches that were played that day.
(This isn't Highfield Road, btw!)There were 26 boxes marked with a letter of the alphabet. Below each individual letter was a door that opened and had the facility for two cards to be inserted, one in the top half, and one in the bottom half. In the match programme on the back page would be the day’s football fixture and each game would have a letter of the Alphabet adjoining it. These letters would be matched to the letters on the scoreboard and at half time, when the doors of the boxes on the scoreboard were opened and the cards inserted, the top number would show the home team’s score and the bottom number would show the away team’s score. At full time, the process would be repeated and fans would know the results of most matches that were played that day.
Brylowes
Well-Known Member
Oooh Young Man !!!I don't think I can remember anything other than it being all seater
Do remember the strange corporate boxes next to the West Terrace though!
Think we purchased that block of exec boxes from Twickenham.
Alan Dugdales Moustache
Well-Known Member
The plan was to build a stand which held up to 28,000 - 18,000 standing and 10,000 seats. Eventually the ground would hold over 65,000.
Nick
Administrator
They were really random.
Just as if they had been taken from a beach and plonked there.
Brylowes
Well-Known Member
That seems unbelievably big, the Holte End was the largest open (kop) terrace in the
Country with just over 30.000 but all standing, kop at Anfield, kop at Hillsboro and the
Southbank at Wolves not far behind, none of those contained seats.
Have you any link to this. Cheers
Brylowes
Well-Known Member
Did they replace the boxes at the front of the main stand, I can't remember.
Alan Dugdales Moustache
Well-Known Member
Jim Brown's book "Ghosts of a vanished stadium " mentions it. The telegraph reported in 1970 that chairman Derek Robbins announced plans were at an "advanced stage" for the development. We were to become the "Real Madrid of England" ........as has proved to be . :happy:
Alan Dugdales Moustache
Well-Known Member
Lovely clean lines as Darcy Bussell would say.Its these ones I mean:
Brylowes
Well-Known Member
Yeah that's the ones, I'm sure we got them from Twickenham, before that there was a rowIts these ones I mean:
Of boxes at the front of the main stand, just wandering if they replaced them.
Joy Division
Well-Known Member
Its these ones I mean:
They were sold to Fulham after leaving HR and still in use at Craven Cottage today so I believe.
Brylowes
Well-Known Member
Jees! That would have been massive, the kop at anfield has 12000 seats, so it would be that
Plus maybe 14000 standing, they would have had to demolish Swan lane.
Wheelfass
Well-Known Member
I sat in the box's at the bottom of the main stand on several occasions......terrible view. Weren't they replaced with a new corporate area that was built at the back of the main stand when the roof was modified. Time has taken its toll i'm afraid. Could be the "pre- fab" exec boxes may just have been an extra income source?
Bob Latchford
Well-Known Member
That's what got me going to CCFC. was aged about 9 - gates open about 15 minutes from the end, I'd dash in to the Kop , soak up the atmosphere. wonderful days .
tisza
Well-Known Member
i remember going down to look for coins during half-times
shy_tall_knight
Well-Known Member
First game was at the cop 76/77 season v Spurs will always remember the greeness of the pitch and Wallace's bright orange hair. Went a few weeks later when Villa had almost all the cop after winning the league cup the week before. There were some urinals, uncovered corrugated iron for walls concrete troughs at floor level to aim for - pretty basic, saw most of my games in the kop, convenient as could get to stand next to your mates seats required organisation and plan
Bob Latchford
Well-Known Member
Nick
Administrator
i remember going down to look for coins during half-times
Is that what the old men called it?
tisza
Well-Known Member
memo to self: reread posts before the "ooh-aah missus" brigade get to see themIs that what the old men called it?
Johnnythespider
Well-Known Member
It's like torture looking at all these pictures, I would gladly give up my clear view of proceedings at the Ricoh for a seat behind one of the roof supports in the sky blue stand, if it meant we could have HR back.
skybluetaff
Member
1957 was my first time on the kop. also as an apprentice I worked on the Sky blue stand in 1965.