Talk of the Town End or Green Lights

[inlandrevenue]

I found a great wad of Enfield fanzines the other day in the loft, and had a great time reading those Talk of the Town End and The Green Traffic Light Society publications. Both were very good in their own right. TOTE was the thinking man's read, whilst TGTLS was for Viz readers. A little like The Times vs the Daily Star or the sidelines vs the behind the goalers.

 

Somebody mentioned to one of my posts yesterday that the reason that nobody posts that much on football forums generally is because Twitter and Facebook have taken the place of the forum banter. I would go further and write that Fanzines also have gone the same way of the forums. Neither of these fanzines is likely to make a comeback because in this internet age it is easier to get the information out on a blog that getting it printed and then sold around the ground.

 

But I live in hope.

[MbrunoB]

We never claimed to be anything other than a bit of fun at TGTLS news.

 

It was a good time though.

[inlandrevenue]

Yes it was, Michael. I particularly liked the Fantasy Ball Boy League.

[Part Time Par]

Maybe someone should make some banners to promote them, then they could be called "banner man"

[inlandrevenue]

Do you remember how Banner Man got his name?

[MbrunoB]

Yes it was, Michael. I particularly liked the Fantasy Ball Boy League.

 

Classic events like the bins at chesham.

[inlandrevenue]

Classic events like the bins at chesham.

 

At one home game, Bannerman knocked over a bin into someone's path to score that extra point. What a cheater.

[MbrunoB]

Bannerman and Chris Moore threw bins at each other chasing a point at Chesham

[Tom S]

I just remember the ongoing efforts to put Spencer Wade into bins, preferably head first, and on one of our trips to Newport (IoW) into the Solent.

[townendleftside]

Slightly at a tangent .

 

I still have all my copies of TOTE ( I believe I have a full set) along with all my programmes in boxes in the garage.

 

I was also an avid reader of WSC and have all my back copies of that as well.

 

I was trying to explain to my son (10) why I found the Hillsborough revelations so upsetting. I read the WSC editorial from June '89 to him and I think he got the gist of it. I then recounted to him our trips to Ilkeston and Yeovil ( 15 years apart ?) and how we as a set of supporters had been (in my opinion ) so abjectly let down wby the police.

 

Was there any comment in the TOTE editorials on Hillsborough ? If so could it be reproduced on here ?

[Tom S]

Dont recall whether Martin covered it in depth in an editorial but I wrote a rambling piece on the Taylor Report, the initial letters of whose paragraphs spelt out a message to our then Chairman. Suffice to say that from paragraph 5 onwards they read "off Unwin".

 

Unfortunately he heeded my advice and sold out to Mr Lazarou, so it's all my fault.

[Father Jack]

We didn't cover Hillsborough very much; we had one issue left before the end of the season, and felt it best to leave the subject alone, although we did make a donation to the Disaster Fund,or whatever it was called. I somehow felt that it didn't concern us sufficiently to justify wading in with our two penn'orth.

[inlandrevenue]

Dont recall whether Martin covered it in depth in an editorial but I wrote a rambling piece on the Taylor Report, the initial letters of whose paragraphs spelt out a message to our then Chairman. Suffice to say that from paragraph 5 onwards they read "off Unwin".

 

Unfortunately he heeded my advice and sold out to Mr Lazarou, so it's all my fault.

 

Hidden messages in TOTE? That's funny, because I was reading TGTLS News backwards, and came across a piece that read something like 'rise up and spill the blood of our cheating chairman' or something to that effect.

[inlandrevenue]

Slightly at a tangent .

 

I still have all my copies of TOTE ( I believe I have a full set) along with all my programmes in boxes in the garage.

 

I was also an avid reader of WSC and have all my back copies of that as well.

 

I was trying to explain to my son (10) why I found the Hillsborough revelations so upsetting. I read the WSC editorial from June '89 to him and I think he got the gist of it. I then recounted to him our trips to Ilkeston and Yeovil ( 15 years apart ?) and how we as a set of supporters had been (in my opinion ) so abjectly let down wby the police.

 

Was there any comment in the TOTE editorials on Hillsborough ? If so could it be reproduced on here ?

 

I wasn't at Ilkston, but did go to the Yeovil game. I thought the Barrow S/F games were quite fiesty affairs. Was Ilkston the one where the bereted supporters ran amok?

[townerboy]

berets???

[townendleftside]

It's old ground and a long story but unforgetable for those of us that were there.

 

Derby County fans(sic.) decided it would be a hoot to 'do the Cockneys' and turned up at the game. In order to identify themselves they all wore Green Berets. Uttelry bizarre looking back on it but also to be honest it was terrifying.

 

We had a similar though much,much smaller incident at Dartford's old Wattling Street ground in about '84 (?) when some Charlton fans turned up just to pick a fight . Dark days indeed.

[Tom S]

The Ilkeston green berets had also descended en masse on Underhill in the previous round, so it wasn't a complete surprise.

[townerboy]

berets. what a choice of millinery.

[inlandrevenue]

I found the following. Graphic reading!

 

It was in 1983 that the Robins went on their cup run in the FA Vase. In those days watching football was considered a physical contact sport. In a town normally divided between Derby County and Nottingham Forest fans the usual rivalries were put on hold whilst the Robins pursued cup glory. As Ilkeston edged into the last 16 they were handed a tough draw away at Barnet, a team on their way to achieving league status. Charabancs were organised to ferry the hordes of newly found Ilkeston fans down south, a trip which embraced many hostelries along the way. The home side were a little disconcerted to find that the number of visiting fans exceeded the Robin’s usual home attendance.

News of the resultant cup tie gradually filtered home but a rough outline of the day’s events can be pieced together.

It was alleged that the visiting fans had been indulging heavily in alcohol before and during the game.

A Robin’s fan was allegedly victimised by police, being arrested for assault on a home fan by falling through the stand roof and landing on him.

The match ball was allegedly stolen by visiting fans, who also tried to steal one of the goals, causing a hiatus in the match.

A police dog was sent into the visiting supporters and was allegedly bitten by a diminuitive member of a well known Ilkeston family whose name has been suppressed to avoid any unpleasantness with the RSPCA. It is understood that the dog received counselling and made a full recovery.

The Barnet Chairman allegedly described the visiting fan’s behaviour as a disgrace and the worst he had ever witnessed. This was subsequently viewed as a major achievement by those involved.

Ilkeston Town, perhaps more used to the excitable nature of the crowd, managed a shock 1-0 win to snatch a place in the quarter finals, and achievement which only added to the thirst of the travelling fans.

To the delight of the club, but to the dismay of the local constabulary the Robin’s were awarded a home tie against Enfield, a club from much higher reaches of the footballing world. The grass bank terraces of the Old Manor ground were packed for the Enfield game, with the exception of the visitor’s section which had a small knot of fans huddled together for comfort. A collection of the local heavies had, for some unfathomable reason, taken to sporting lime green berets for the occasion. This had the twin effect of making them look like brownies on acid, and making the police’s job a lot simpler when trouble broke out. The big crowd was separated from the pitch by a single railing fence. The tone of the afternoon was set when a diminuitive member of a well known local family climbed on the barrier and leaped on three policemen patrolling the edge of the pitch. He had to be thoroughly cautioned in the back of a police van, a procedure with which he was very familiar.

The visiting Enfield team were much superior in footballing terms, but seemed intimidated by the lively and hostile nature of the crowd. Urged on by the baying throng the Robins pressed forwards and took the lead. Unfortunately the crowd surged forward to see the goal and the ancient perimeter fence gave way at one end spilling the crowd onto the pitch which led to a ten minute stoppage. The visitors equalised, but at half time the tie was still in the balance. During the interval one teenage apprentice hooligan leapt the barrier and led his gang on their own pitch invasion. He had reached the centre circle before he realised his wiser comrades had not followed him over the top and he was being sedately pursued by a mature sergeant of the constabulary. The crowd, always keen for good theatre, refused to let him escape back from whence he came. He did not disappoint them. With a flash on intuitive brilliance, the youth ran down the pitch, between the posts, and with a look of mild surprise ran into the beckoning netting and became entangled. The second biggest cheer of the day followed when the sergeant fingered his collar and presumably his colleagues gave him a through cautioning in the back of the police van.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the home fans as football reality kicked in after the interval. With Enfield leading 5-1 unruly elements led a pitch invasion where the barrier was broken and the match was abandoned with the Robins on their way to a three year ban from the cup.

It was in 1983 that the Robins went on their cup run in the FA Vase. In those days watching football was considered a physical contact sport. In a town normally divided between Derby County and Nottingham Forest fans the usual rivalries were put on hold whilst the Robins pursued cup glory. As Ilkeston edged into the last 16 they were handed a tough draw away at Barnet, a team on their way to achieving league status. Charabancs were organised to ferry the hordes of newly found Ilkeston fans down south, a trip which embraced many hostelries along the way. The home side were a little disconcerted to find that the number of visiting fans exceeded the Robin’s usual home attendance.

News of the resultant cup tie gradually filtered home but a rough outline of the day’s events can be pieced together.

It was alleged that the visiting fans had been indulging heavily in alcohol before and during the game.

A Robin’s fan was allegedly victimised by police, being arrested for assault on a home fan by falling through the stand roof and landing on him.

The match ball was allegedly stolen by visiting fans, who also tried to steal one of the goals, causing a hiatus in the match.

A police dog was sent into the visiting supporters and was allegedly bitten by a diminuitive member of a well known Ilkeston family whose name has been suppressed to avoid any unpleasantness with the RSPCA. It is understood that the dog received counselling and made a full recovery.

The Barnet Chairman allegedly described the visiting fan’s behaviour as a disgrace and the worst he had ever witnessed. This was subsequently viewed as a major achievement by those involved.

Ilkeston Town, perhaps more used to the excitable nature of the crowd, managed a shock 1-0 win to snatch a place in the quarter finals, and achievement which only added to the thirst of the travelling fans.

To the delight of the club, but to the dismay of the local constabulary the Robin’s were awarded a home tie against Enfield, a club from much higher reaches of the footballing world. The grass bank terraces of the Old Manor ground were packed for the Enfield game, with the exception of the visitor’s section which had a small knot of fans huddled together for comfort. A collection of the local heavies had, for some unfathomable reason, taken to sporting lime green berets for the occasion. This had the twin effect of making them look like brownies on acid, and making the police’s job a lot simpler when trouble broke out. The big crowd was separated from the pitch by a single railing fence. The tone of the afternoon was set when a diminuitive member of a well known local family climbed on the barrier and leaped on three policemen patrolling the edge of the pitch. He had to be thoroughly cautioned in the back of a police van, a procedure with which he was very familiar.

The visiting Enfield team were much superior in footballing terms, but seemed intimidated by the lively and hostile nature of the crowd. Urged on by the baying throng the Robins pressed forwards and took the lead. Unfortunately the crowd surged forward to see the goal and the ancient perimeter fence gave way at one end spilling the crowd onto the pitch which led to a ten minute stoppage. The visitors equalised, but at half time the tie was still in the balance. During the interval one teenage apprentice hooligan leapt the barrier and led his gang on their own pitch invasion. He had reached the centre circle before he realised his wiser comrades had not followed him over the top and he was being sedately pursued by a mature sergeant of the constabulary. The crowd, always keen for good theatre, refused to let him escape back from whence he came. He did not disappoint them. With a flash on intuitive brilliance, the youth ran down the pitch, between the posts, and with a look of mild surprise ran into the beckoning netting and became entangled. The second biggest cheer of the day followed when the sergeant fingered his collar and presumably his colleagues gave him a through cautioning in the back of the police van.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the home fans as football reality kicked in after the interval. With Enfield leading 5-1 unruly elements led a pitch invasion where the barrier was broken and the match was abandoned with the Robins on their way to a three year ban from the cup.

[Mr Happy]

Sorry! Missed that! Can you repeat please?? N