Spot on pal and especially the bolded bit, it was a like war zone traveling away in the 70s 80s and it happened just like you say it did. Like you i was there to see and hear it and it was far worse then it is now. I remember one occasion when i was was really worried, It was as midweek game away against Burnley where i travelled up alone with a girl i had just started seeing.
After the game we were walking back to where i had left the car and we were on our own when a group of Burnley fans came around the corner [ there was around a dozen or so] and we both has Spurs scarfs on and as soon as they saw us they started the abuse. Now I was not that concerned but i said to the girl i was with to turn round and run and look for a policeman. She did and they seemed more concerned on me that bothering about chasing her.
They were younger then me [ mostly young teenagers] so thought i would hit the biggest and then run like fudge. I did and knew i was probaby going to get the brick knocked out of but thankfully my girl managed to get a couple of cops and they came around the corner just as i was about to run.
Never been so glad in my life to see coppers
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First off, great decision on your part at Burnley that night and I can only imagine the relief at seeing those coppers.
It was strange when I went with my Dad (I ended up going solo a lot of the time simply because he encountered too much in the end to make him feel OK with going - in that sense I was fortunate he felt OK letting me go, albeit he taught me some invaluable things with regards to dealing with flashpoint moments without getting sucked in). Most of the time, people would call him p**i this and p**i that when he was actually Iranian; one for the braintrustees there! When he eventually lamped an aggressor, it was because he felt he was going to get attacked.
I had several close shaves at West Ham and Chelsea (I've mentioned the coat slashing thing here before), but the one that had me moving like Linford Christie was after a game in 81/82 at Villa. We lost 4-0, and as we got to the Bullring after the match, a group of 6 or 7 Villa came flying at us in one of the bullring walkways (as I remember it was like underground tunnels) waving a variety of objects from chunks of wood to umbrellas with which they clearly intended to do woodwork on us! As I sprinted towards New Street and the platform of our train home, I realised my mate had started to duck into a toilet; I had to double back, grab him nby the collar and drag him with me to avoid this lurching lumbering gaggle (to me they were fudging terrifying as I was in no doubt they'd have hospitalized us)...all I can say is the first time I remember stopping running was when the train whislted through Peterborough and my 'fight/flight' registered that the moment had long passed hahahahaha. Funny now, but not then!
Footnote: the following season, I made sure to go again as I wanted to make sure in my youthful way that I let the Villa fans know exactly what I thought of them. I made sure to stand near the back of the terracing just below those boxes (remember they used to put us behind the goal) and I was in one of the corners. There I was, looking up at the Villa fans above those boxes, offering all sorts of foul mouthed invective and sign language, y'know,
really 'giving it the big 'un'. Suddenly, a steward tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Would you please refrain from using such foul language and gestures towards the family section!" Everyone around me burst into laughter, I went bright red, and dutifully accepted my 'prat' hat!!!!!
I have to say again, thank you for underscoring my observations, I know you were there home and away (I'd wager even more than I was TBF) but yes, loads of miles put in and when veryoldspur said he'd 'never seen much' I just thought 'WALOB'!!!!
p.s. Many many years later, 2002, at the Lane, I was happy that I was able to intervene on behalf of a very scared-looking Aston Villa supporter and his young son after a game when they were being verbally abused at close range by some 'lads'. The fudging idiots in question quickly disappeared when I suggested they do a 5 min walk back up the High Road to meet a group of Villa who had left the stadium a little later.
