Exeter FA cup away 1978 (The KKK story)

[oldschool]

Exeter away will always be remembered by many as the game that started the KKK saga in Wolverhampton

I think it's time to put the record straight on exactly what happened at that game and the aftermath.

I think it's fair to say that this season 77/78 and the previous season 76/77 were probably Wolves south banks biggest in terms of trouble on the terraces.
they were a couple of years away from the notorious fence and so you could simply attack each other if you were brave enough to try and get through the police line.

On Boxing day 78, the South bank had routed a massive Leeds following. I'm not talking a wee fight, I mean a massive battle, toe to toe, where the police melted away and let then get on with it.
Leeds were no match for the South bank that day and by the end of the match they had ALL legged it.
I personally had never seen a Wolves mob like that one.

Just to say, I am just telling the story, not trying to condone what happened, just telling it like it was.

Anyway, that was about 2 weeks previous to the Exeter match and people were still buzzing about what had happened.
Not sure how many tickets we had but I would guess there were 2500 Wolves in the crowd

A small ground with not too many police,friendly folk (for a while) until the fighting and pitch invasions started.
Don't think I've ever seen anything like it, mass pitch invasions, fences and boardings used as weapons, Exeter fans didn't know where to run, it was complete chaos.
Anyway, the Old bill started to film us with video cameras. This was completely new to most of us, I certainly never saw one used before this match.
Several people started putting their coats over their faces like you would, but a couple had some old what looked to me like pillow cases. Now whether they knew they would be filmed so bought some along,
or whatever reason, I don't know. They cut some holes out so they could see and breath. Everyone was laughing at them and it was all tongue in cheek.

The game ended 2-2 but it will always be remembered for the KKK fans. The national press had a field day stating Wolverhampton was the new home of the KKK and all rubbish like that
The KKK came to Wolves for some meetings but they left saying there wasn't sufficient support.

It was farcical really, and quite a sad time for Wolverhampton I felt.
I knew a couple of Black Wolves fans and they already had to endure the racist chanting such as "pull that trigger" and other unsavoury ditties.
They would get even worse abuse away from home, even attacked by the police who called them all names you could imagine.
Yes, there were times when the whole of the Wolves would sing these songs, but talking to these guys, they never thought Wolves was a particular racist club, not in anyway.
There were a few really racist fans as there are now, but I think in general, Wolves fans weren't that bad.
The guys I knew used to frequent the George hotel anyway and could look after themselves, so I guess unless someone was directly being racist to them (probably not Wolves fans) they wouldn't take it personally.
I know I used to think, bloody hell, I wouldn't want to be them at say Leeds or Millwall, somewhere where they would stand out even more, if they got lost or something. Then again, I wouldn't want to be lost their whether white or black.

Anyway, my opinion of the whole affair is that it was all a misunderstanding and nothing at all to do with any Wolves racism.
Would love to hear the view of any black Wolves fans from the era, maybe I have got it wrong or from anyone who thinks differently to what happened.

 

[RichardLangford]

I was a non-hooligan fan at Exeter that day, and unfortunately I felt I was in the minority by not making any trouble. There must have been at least 4,000 Wolves there who were behind both goals.
On the Monday afterwards there was a picture in one of the tabloid papers titled 'The Ku Klux Fans' which got a lot of attention. But something else did come soon after. I'm from Cheltenham, but I still remember reading in the papers about racist attacks against Asians in Wolverhampton by people dressed as KKK. This did come just after the Exeter game, as if racist minded people in Wolvo must have been inspired by it.

Yes 1976/7 and 1977/8 seasons were the worst for terrace trouble. That Boxing Day 1977 Leeds game they brought a fair following but of course nowhere near the same as the FA Cup game the season before. They were heavily outnumbered and took a beating. I still remember them staying behind after the game chanting "We want an escort"! This was 2 weeks after a Chelsea game, the worst that season for trouble where Chelsea fans infiltrated the Wolves part of the South Bank and fought with Wolves fans (as best as I remember the only away fans ever to do that and they did it 3 years in a row). The segregation fence went up in January 1978 not long after these games. To be honest it was overdue as Wolves were one of the last clubs to put up a fence.

 

[hankin]

I was at Exeter that day as a 15 year old. I used to go to all the away matched but on this occasion, I got home from school on the Thursday to be told by my mum that Wolves had called and could I call them back! I duly did and they asked me to make a presentation on the pitch with some Exeter fans before kick off.
I arrived at the ground on the coach an hour of so beforehand and waiting in the boot room. I saw the Wolves players arrived and Sammy Chung was really on edge, and the players were very quiet. Bob Hazel was the friendliest I recall. About 15 minutes before kickoff, we were led outside with a couple of Exeter fans with whom I was going to swap pennants and led round the pitch in front of the Wolves end. The Exeter fans got covered in gob.
After the presentaton, in which the Exeter fans gave me a stuffed beaver (don't ask me why!), I didnt fancy going to stand with the Wolves fans and I ended up squeezing onto a bench at the back of the stand and found myself sitting next to Mel Eves.
The KKK thing that was reported in the press was I recall more to do with a handful of Wolves fans disguising themselves from the police rather than anything more sinister, although I could be wrong.
All in all, a memorable day but the behavior of our fans was embarrassing.

 

[ricki herberts moustache]

interesting posts guys

St James park is such a small ground too: must have been quite intense

must have totally sucked to have been gobbed on while going around the pitch before the game. thought it was only the punks gobbing on people back then!

 

[oldschool]

This was 2 weeks after a Chelsea game, the worst that season for trouble where Chelsea fans infiltrated the Wolves part of the South Bank and fought with Wolves fans (as best as I remember the only away fans ever to do that and they did it 3 years in a row). The segregation fence went up in January 1978 not long after these games. To be honest it was overdue as Wolves were one of the last clubs to put up a fence.

Hi Richard,
Think you have that slightly wrong.
I was that match also.
There was a lot of trouble as you say, but I don't remember it as Chelsea "infiltrating" our part, I remember it as Wolves infiltrating their part as often happened these 2 particular seasons just before the fence went up. There would typically by a line of police keeping the fans apart, but sometimes the line would break and there was some of that happening many many games.
Sometimes the away fans got nervous and legged it, Leeds, Cardiff, Coventry, etc.
Other times they would give as good as got, West Ham (Oct 77) Chelsea (Dec 77) Forest (Feb 77)
It's only my personal opinion, but I don't believe any away fans got the better of the South Bank in those 2 seasons.
some people say West Ham "took" the southbank in 77. They didn't. I was there. They may have got in early when the Wolves were still in town, I don't know, but that never counts in my book, but once Wolves were in the Southbank everything was equal, in pretty much all departments.
I personally think that West Ham crew were our toughest opponents those 2 years.
Let's not forget, this was happening all over the place. Home we were pretty good, but away we were sometimes dreadful.
If we made a list of places not to go, it would look pretty much the same wouldn't it.
West Ham, Leeds, Man Utd, B'ham, Millwall, Chelsea, Everton, Forest, not in any particular order. I suffered at all these grounds, and we wouldn't cause them too much trouble on their own grounds, but I really think they were surprised when they came here. Similar to how surprised I was when I went to Forest say (there's another thread on it) I went their 3 times I think, everytime was nightmare, especially the first and I know it happened to other crews.
So I think us and Forest were the most surprising for the big guns if you know what I am saying?

 

[reanswolf]

I would agree with all that you say here, except Blues. Not doubting their toughness, but Wolves used to always take a lot there. As for the other clubs you mention I agree, we were out of our depth away- certainly numerically, and I would add Spurs to that list.

 

[Seasider]

...some people say West Ham "took" the southbank in 77. They didn't. I was there. They may have got in early when the Wolves were still in town, I don't know, but that never counts in my book, but once Wolves were in the Southbank everything was equal, in pretty much all departments.

Bloody hell, that takes me back.

Me and my two mates were on the South Bank that day - just young lads. We were in really early for some reason and the West Ham fans came in en masse (just off the train I guess). They chased us all the way down the South Bank and onto the pitch! My mate had his hat nicked!

Things soon changed as the South Bank began to fill...they certainly didn't 'take it'.

I was also at Exeter away for that game in the cup - it was carnage. My mate (now a respectable businessman!) was on the pitch three times. I live near Exeter now and I know a few Grecians fans about my age and they remember that day well.

 

[oldschool]

I would agree with all that you say here, except Blues. Not doubting their toughness, but Wolves used to always take a lot there. As for the other clubs you mention I agree, we were out of our depth away- certainly numerically, and I would add Spurs to that list.

Yes, Spurs. I forgot them.
We always legged it from them, why?
I don't know
Even in our heyday on the concourse at the back of the Southbank, we were hanging back against them.Weird, have a go at everyone apart from them.


Surprised you don't rate Blues mate, were you ever in that kippax (side stand) or whatever they called it. I didn't enjoy many visits there, especially the ones by train, but I guess they never really done us as far as I am aware.

Happy times!

 

[Dudleywolf]

Yes, Spurs. I forgot them.
We always legged it from them, why?
I don't know
Even in our heyday on the concourse at the back of the Southbank, we were hanging back against them.Weird, have a go at everyone apart from them.


Surprised you don't rate Blues mate, were you ever in that kippax (side stand) or whatever they called it. I didn't enjoy many visits there, especially the ones by train, but I guess they never really done us as far as I am aware.

Happy times!

Ah the battle of the teabar ! if you wanted something to eat, you had to push the blues fans back towards the tilton end. I spent most of the games ducking coins and things ! Played them in the league cup, night game in the seventies (won 2-0) went on the train early with a mate and walked to the ground, entered and stood on our own , where the Wolves would be eventually, had to get police protection as the bluenoses wanted to kill us when I put my scarf on when I saw the train mob arrive at the ground.

 

[Chungster]

Plankton reunion.

Touching.

 

[oldschool]

Plankton reunion.

Touching.

Huh?

 

[Seasider]

Plankton reunion.

Not entirely accurate...

'Plankton (singular plankter) are a diverse group of organisms that live in the water column and cannot swim against a current. They provide a crucial source of food to many large aquatic organisms, such as fish and whales.'

Just memories of a different time...

 

[ricki herberts moustache]

Not entirely accurate...

'Plankton (singular plankter) are a diverse group of organisms that live in the water column and cannot swim against a current. They provide a crucial source of food to many large aquatic organisms, such as fish and whales.'

Just memories of a different time...

a far more interesting time if you ask me

 

[NewburyWolfs]

some people say West Ham "took" the southbank in 77. They didn't. I was there. They may have got in early when the Wolves were still in town, I don't know, but that never counts in my book, but once Wolves were in the Southbank everything was equal, in pretty much all departments.

That is exactly what happened. I just posted about this in another thread. There was trouble all over town and just as I was about to go in the South Bank through the Molineux Street turnstiles (very early), there was a huge roar and Wolves fans running from the West Ham fans, some literally jumping over the turnstiles to get OUT of the ground. There must have been around 1,000 West ham fans in there, and not many police, and they easily broke through them. Didnt happen when our fans were in.

 

[NewburyWolfs]

I was at Exeter away in 78. They were totally unprepared for a club like Wolves, and our support. We were crammed in a tiny thin end behind one goal with a 3 foot high brick wall at the front. They had an Exeter flag flying next to the portable canteen in our end, and I remember Wolves fans taking it down, and then hoisting a Wolves scarf tied to the rope in its place. That was funny. Sort of set the stage. Our end was crammed and about an hour before kickoff the brick wall collapsed and 100s of us sort of fell forward onto the pitch. At that point there was a surge and charge and 100s of Wolves fans ran across the pitch. I remember ending up standing on the pitch near the brass band playing on like nothing had happened, thinking, 'so what now?'. I just went back and got in our end. I remember walking up the streets back to the coaches afterwards, along a suburban housing estate of terraced houses and suddenly there was a huge 'smash' 30 yards ahead, one of our lot (idiot) had thrown a brick through someones front lounge window. That was completely out of order. Years later I worked and lived in Exeter and there were still some bad feelings towards Wolves from 78.

After Exeter we played Arsenal away twice in 2 weeks. At the one match at Highbury I remember the Arsenal fans singing taunting something about so where are the KKK? Then in our end there appeared 2-3 guys on others shoulders with white hoods on. The whole ground just went quiet and everyone was looking at them, as if in shock it wasn't all talk. I have been to 1000s of matches, home and away, and have never once seen Wolves fans being racist. I'm sure there are some, but it was nothing like the press made it out to be. I think it was just some idiots looking for some notoriety, any way they could, and didn't realise the deeper meaning of what they were doing. It certainly shocked. The other match at Highbury there was hardly any Wolves fans, the away end was nearly all Arsenal fans.

I think I saw them do it at about 3 matches, then it just stopped and never happened again (before they got caught).

 

[the 15th Wanderer]

Not entirely accurate...

'Plankton (singular plankter) are a diverse group of organisms that live in the water column and cannot swim against a current. They provide a crucial source of food to many large aquatic organisms, such as fish and whales.'

Just memories of a different time...

Yes only three channels on the tele, black and white in our house. Football on a Saturday was the most exciting thing in my life albeit a very different match day experience.

 

[Stratman Wolves]

I can't find any videos of any of this. I assume there was no footage at a small ground in those days.