Football Specials.

[topcat99]

I was enthused to start this thread by @let’s all have a disco describing plod marching him through Birmingham to get to the station.

Many years ago, I was a kid in a “football special “ train from Wolverhampton to London (to play Spurs).

Great day. 3 young lads being treated as adults on a delapided train, but with piles of beer cans.

One older guy told us a tale of an earlier trip to see Arsenal

The train pulled out of Wolverhampton. Beers were opened. An old fella with shopping bags asked if the train stopped in Birmingham.

No. It’s a football special. No stops until Euston.

A few helpful suggestions ensued, including chucking him off onto the New Street platform.

Eventually he accepted the situation and sat and drank a few cans.

Then he was dragged to Highbury’ where he witnessed his first ever football match.

They arrived back at Wolverhampton at 8 that night and put him in a taxi.

The lads always wondered how he explained the day to his wife.

Can anyone else remember the good old BR football specials?

 

[SuperGran]

I was enthused to start this thread by @let’s all have a disco describing plod marching him through Birmingham to get to the station.

Many years ago, I was a kid in a “football special “ train from Wolverhampton to London (to play Spurs).

Great day. 3 young lads being treated as adults on a delapided train, but with piles of beer cans.

One older guy told us a tale of an earlier trip to see Arsenal

The train pulled out of Wolverhampton. Beers were opened. An old fella with shopping bags asked if the train stopped in Birmingham.

No. It’s a football special. No stops until Euston.

A few helpful suggestions ensued, including chucking him off onto the New Street platform.

Eventually he accepted the situation and sat and drank a few cans.

Then he was dragged to Highbury’ where he witnessed his first ever football match.

They arrived back at Wolverhampton at 8 that night and put him in a taxi.

The lads always wondered how he explained the day to his wife.

Can anyone else remember the good old BR football specials?

Remember going to Leicester on a football special around 1980

 

[Hazza]

Got one back to Wolves from Wigan in late 80’s FA Cup match, got forced on it by police even though I had ticket to get back to London - crazy times.

Vague memory of stopping at Crewe, Milleall special also held there at same time

 

[lets all have a disco]

The special to Exeter away on the bank holiday 87 and the one to Southend on the Friday night were an experience I can tell ya....for a 16 yr old venturing with his mates to away games certainly left a mark on you...

A regular occurrence was when the train left Wolverhampton the emergency cord would usually be pulled after 5 mins....which normally resulted in he train getting a bit fuller as everybody jumped on in heath town.....

 

[WickedWolfie]

The special to Exeter away on the bank holiday 87 and the one to Southend on the Friday night were an experience I can tell ya....for a 16 yr old venturing with his mates to away games certainly left a mark on you...

A regular occurrence was when the train left Wolverhampton the emergency cord would usually be pulled after 5 mins....which normally resulted in he train getting a bit fuller as everybody jumped on in heath town.....

Ah yes, no central door locking in the old wreck carriages routinely used for football specials lol....

 

[lets all have a disco]

Ah yes, no central door locking in the old wreck carriages routinely used for football specials lol....

I remember having a lecture of an older fella on a special once....about how you didn't buy a ticket....I think there was only us fresh face youths on it with tickets......I got a full lecture about platform tickets and you can always jump on a bit later if you like.....but under no circumstances do you pay..

 

[Abbobrom]

Some years ago now, the three secondary schools in the town organised a trip by train to watch a midweek England game at the old Wembley.

We warned all the pupils that on the return journey they must be back because the train would not wait for them. Unlike a coach trip, when the green light came on it had to go.

When we arrived home we were three teachers short and four pupils. They eventually arrived back in the early hours on a normal service train.

The teachers had stayed at the station entrance to hurry the pupils along.

 

[WW1963]

Best ever Special was Wembley 1980.

Worst ever Special was Southend away 86-87 when Cadette ended our automatic promotion charge. The journey back took forever as emergency cords were pulled and toilets were thrown through windows. Got to Bilbrook around 2.30am after stopping at Coventry for an hour to allow police to board.

Could have got electrocuted on Southend's platform. Wolves fans were carrying what looked like a lamppost and I disappeared down the hole from which it had been extracted.

I have hated Southend ever since.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

The day of the Rob Hindmarsh equaliser against Sandwell Town. Got back to Rolfe Street (I was 10) with my uncle and got shoved onto a Royal Mail train. No windows, no ventilation and no seats. Just a hundreds of football fans packed on like sardines. It was a mix of both sets of fans and one very nervous looking conductor who looking back was about 20. Can’t imagine that happening today for either health and safety reasons or the old bill.

 

[Woody]

Best ever Special was Wembley 1980.

Worst ever Special was Southend away 86-87 when Cadette ended our automatic promotion charge. The journey back took forever as emergency cords were pulled and toilets were thrown through windows. Got to Bilbrook around 2.30am after stopping at Coventry for an hour to allow police to board.

Could have got electrocuted on Southend's platform. Wolves fans were carrying what looked like a lamppost and I disappeared down the hole from which it had been extracted.

I have hated Southend ever since.

I recall the Southend one well. It was a lovely sunny Friday afternoon.
Even on the way down the communication cord was pulled 4 times before we'd even reached Coventry, the 4th time resulting in a guard having to manually release the brakes and the on-board plod telling everyone that if it was pulled again the train would go back to Wolverhampton.
The toilets were vandalised and a seat worn around the neck as a trophy by the perpetrator. Empty cans were being collected, filled with water then thrown out of the windows onto the cars below whenever we were going over bridges in London.
Bare bums up windows when passing through London stations.
Then that long delay on the journey home.
As travelling fans we were a nightmare back then.

 

[Golden Arrow]

BR used to roll out their oldest rolling stock as they knew that light bulbs would be removed and in some cases (unfortunately) windows smashed or wash basins and other plumbing removed from their fittings (not applying this to Wolves specials, although I did see light bulbs removed and smashed on one occasion).

I only did a couple of specials and one was down to London.
At Euston, Met officers made us remove our laces from our DM's to stop them becoming "a weapon".
Obviously. you wised up after that experience and carried an extra pair (of laces), but don't recall being made to do that again, but as I say I only did a couple.

 

[Longford Wolf]

Didn’t do the specials very often. I remember going on one to Peterborough, and like others have said it was jam packed, packs of beer everywhere and most fixtures and fittings were chucked out of the window, fun though.
The Friday night Southend game, I think we caught the special down to there but stayed till the Sunday, 1 night in a B&B, 1 night in the cells lol. It was 48 hours of sunshine, beer, women and carnage… great days.

 

[MickHolmesFanClub]

Best ever Special was Wembley 1980.

Worst ever Special was Southend away 86-87 when Cadette ended our automatic promotion charge. The journey back took forever as emergency cords were pulled and toilets were thrown through windows. Got to Bilbrook around 2.30am after stopping at Coventry for an hour to allow police to board.

Could have got electrocuted on Southend's platform. Wolves fans were carrying what looked like a lamppost and I disappeared down the hole from which it had been extracted.

I have hated Southend ever since.

I went to Southend on that Special. What a night that was! Toilets and doors thrown through windows, commuters terrorised when we briefly pulled into some station on the outskirts on London and, as a good many had been arrested in Southend itself following trouble in and around the ground, more police on board for the return journey than fans.
The army of police waiting for us back at Wolves station were a little shocked to find that numbers were considerably down on what they had expected to make it back!

P.S: It was Martin Ling who scored the goal to end our promotion hopes if I recall correctly and not Cadette

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

Used to do the Specials and the bloody escorts to the grounds, remember a frog march to the Victoria Ground in particular with a Police Horse coming into the escort and one at Shrewsbury when police let their dogs off the leads. Then around '81 we started getting the early Inter City trains and stopped wearing colours and getting there whilst the local Police were still in their canteen.

Anyway, on my bar at home I have an inlay under glass of some of my old tickets and in there are three tickets from back in the day

 

[Jonzy54]

Went on them loads of times.The trains we were allocated were often in an awful state .I remember going to the Albion and some drunk Wolves fans thought it was a good idea to squeeze the individual light bulbs in the ceiling until they broke.One guy ripped his hands to pieces with blood everywhere and then proceeded to pull the communication cord .
The other one that sticks in my mind is the trip to Cardiff at Easter the year we won the 2nd Division title in the 70’s .The carriages were riffy and every table was rickettty and they kept collapsing.After about the 3rd collapse,the copper who came to collect it said ‘You *******s will have this train in kit form in a minute.’ The windows were filthy,the seats were often torn,the toilets didn’t have locks ,were often clogged and there was never any bog roll.The thing is it was coach or train back then because me and my mates didn’t drive.

 

[northnorfolkwolf]

Slightly OT but my first experiences of Molineux as a pimply, immature young teenager was the coach trip from Victoria with London Wolves (late 60s?) . I'd never been up Norf before and you can't believe how exciting it was and my standout memory is the coach stopping at the exotic Watford Gap and there would be coaches there from clubs all over the country making their way to away matches. Mayhem ensued but as a wimpy Southerner I remember hiding in the background! It seemed the Watford Gap stop was a rite of passage for all supporters in those days so they could kick the **** out of each other!

 

[oldgolded]

The ones to Stoke in the 1970s were a bit hairy. Train was frequently bricked by opposing fans and then they lay in wait for you in the graveyard on the way to the old Victoria Ground. Things are much more civilised now, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

 

[Longford Wolf]

The police laid on a double decker bus for us, to take us back to the train station after a game at Bradford. On the journey , the coach got bricked and most of the windows were smashed.
The police who were escorting the coach just laughed and said it happens in the same spot every time.

 

[Ercall Wolves]

Best ever Special was Wembley 1980.

Worst ever Special was Southend away 86-87 when Cadette ended our automatic promotion charge. The journey back took forever as emergency cords were pulled and toilets were thrown through windows. Got to Bilbrook around 2.30am after stopping at Coventry for an hour to allow police to board.

Could have got electrocuted on Southend's platform. Wolves fans were carrying what looked like a lamppost and I disappeared down the hole from which it had been extracted.

I have hated Southend ever since.

Been on many many specials but would agree with Wembley 1980 being the top one
I forget what number I was on but it left Wolverhampton at 11.05
I was in the George Hotel pre going onto the train station armed with a full crate of Banks Mild to take on the train
Those were the days my friend

 

[BlahBlah]

The special to Exeter away on the bank holiday 87 and the one to Southend on the Friday night were an experience I can tell ya....for a 16 yr old venturing with his mates to away games certainly left a mark on you...

A regular occurrence was when the train left Wolverhampton the emergency cord would usually be pulled after 5 mins....which normally resulted in he train getting a bit fuller as everybody jumped on in heath town.....

and then they pulled it on the way back so they could jump off and scarper into the estate.

 

[BlahBlah]

The police laid on a double decker bus for us, to take us back to the train station after a game at Bradford. On the journey , the coach got bricked and most of the windows were smashed.
The police who were escorting the coach just laughed and said it happens in the same spot every time.

I used to love those away days, i think that's something that fans today have no idea of, the cameraderie and er.. 'high jinks'.
If you got a train with the old compartments and corridors, tables, a few bags full of cans...... it was like business class, door to door service.

I was on the Bradford one, did Wrexham, Wigan, Orient, Exeter and many others i've forgotten. We played cards once with those two coppers who did the dawn raids.

 

[Stourport wolf]

I went on quite a few back in the day. Often the trains got vandalised. I am sure I went on one to Newcastle late 70's early 80"s and we arrived almost at half time, because of problems with the show. I think it was a cup match.
Football was different then.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

I used to love those away days, i think that's something that fans today have no idea of, the cameraderie and er.. 'high jinks'.
If you got a train with the old compartments and corridors, tables, a few bags full of cans...... it was like business class, door to door service.

I was on the Bradford one, did Wrexham, Wigan, Orient, Exeter and many others i've forgotten. We played cards once with those two coppers who did the dawn raids.

Younger generation out to raise the stakes in football violence

Newcomers project 'stop at nothing' image but old guard still lend a hand.

www.theguardian.com

 

[lets all have a disco]

Bristol City Away.....think it was about 1994ish.....we won i think about 5........we had booked 2 coaches from our local, but after a bit of bother at the services on the way down , the 2 coaches dropped us off in Bristol and we was told that they was leaving us there and would not take us home......after a bit of row , we decided sod em...we will just catch the train back...

So after the game the 100 or so of us joined the escort , back to Temple Meads train station , which is a bit of a walk .......the usually fun and games ensued , especially in the park with Bristol City .....As most of us were ****ed off , paying for a return coach , we all decided that we were getting on the train for free and not paying.....the story was the police would not let us back to our coach and had made us go on the train...We thought there is no way the can make a 100 pay.....

After the long walk , we all get on the train no problem, for a few stops were are accompanied by Bristol Police... We are all packed in one carriage and in walks the ticket inspector....."tickets please, tickets please"...... We all start " we aye got tickets, it aye our fault its the Police , they made us come back on train , and they would'nt let us go back on the coach"....."How much is it" someone shouts . He said £15 each...Well we aye paying... .After a bit of arguments the ticket inspector decides to leave it....obviously a bit concerned there was 100 blokes having a go at him.......

Think we hit Gloucester, and the Police and the Ticket inspector get off the train.....So will all relax and think sorted , we have done it...So was we start relaxing for the rest of the journey, i notice that the only other person in the carriage is an elderly lady who seems a bit edgy ......So i sit down next to her and start talking.....She tells me she is one her way back from her holidays in Devon....

A bit later on walks another ticket inspector, and he gets the same response from everybody in the carriage....We aye paying blah blah blah.......How much is it someone shouts £30 he says.....to which the response "get lost ya robbing git , it was only £15....from Bristol.... He is hit with a few empty beer cans and told to get out the carriage.....................

We are just coming into Birmingham , and an announcement comes over the Tannoy....."this train will terminate at New Street and can all exiting passengers please show a valid ticket"......As we pulling into New Street the whole platform has a line all the way along of WMP.......well that plan worked well we said...The shout goes up "every man for himself"........

Its like a scene out of "wacky races"........people running into other carriages, trying to open doors, windows......So i turn to the old lady next to me and i say is "that your case over there"......she says "yes".......i say "would you like me to help you off the train with it".....She says "yes please".....................Anyway i gets to the door and it utter carnage outside , people being chased up escalators, police holding people up the wall..........A copper says "have you been to the match mate"... i said "don't be daft i have been in Devon with me Nan" .......he looks a bit confused and says sorry mate...and let's me off the train, he even held the case at one stage....and off i walk with the case and me new Nan and up the escalators'....... result....

 

[Golden Arrow]

Saw the damage from one FS in some sidings during the early 70's.
It was made up of the old Mk 1 Corridor stock, the kind uou see now on preservation railways such as the Severn Valley.
Some coaches hardly a window that hadn't been broken.
You could see then it was only a matter of time before BR pulled the idea.

 

[Axle]

Might seem like an odd question given some of the accounts on here, but why did they stop the Specials? Also did it happen when BR were no longer a proper entity any more?

Feel like I missed out by not going on these. Going on a coach to an away game is just not the same.

 

[goldfish]

Might seem like an odd question given some of the accounts on here, but why did they stop the Specials? Also did it happen when BR were no longer a proper entity any more?

Feel like I missed out by not going on these. Going on a coach to an away game is just not the same.

A few reasons, I think. More intensive policing, the lack of capacity for extra trains on the railways, increased car ownership, rail privatisation and its complicated rolling stock ownership structure....

...though you do still get the odd special for big matches.

 

[WickedWolfie]

Might seem like an odd question given some of the accounts on here, but why did they stop the Specials? Also did it happen when BR were no longer a proper entity any more?

Feel like I missed out by not going on these. Going on a coach to an away game is just not the same.

Hmmm..... people almost boasting that no one paid and the trains were smashed up.... I wonder exactly why they were stopped lol.....

Seriously privatisation and particularly rolling stock being owned by a third party and leased to the train operators meant that keeping old stock around on the off chance ended. Add to that higher standards being required of rolling stock after a couple of crashes.....

 

[whitnash wolf ex.dewsbury]

Never went on a special,just loved the the sight of a long row of Don Everall gold and and black coaches
(always seemed a couple with green colours,from Stourbridge?)

 

[Ercall Wolves]

Never went on a special,just loved the the sight of a long row of Don Everall gold and and black coaches
(always seemed a couple with green colours,from Stourbridge?)

That would have been Whittle coaches I think

 

[Saltyjim]

Used to do the Specials and the bloody escorts to the grounds, remember a frog march to the Victoria Ground in particular with a Police Horse coming into the escort and one at Shrewsbury when police let their dogs off the leads. Then around '81 we started getting the early Inter City trains and stopped wearing colours and getting there whilst the local Police were still in their canteen.

Anyway, on my bar at home I have an inlay under glass of some of my old tickets and in there are three tickets from back in the day

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I was on the special to Coventry in 1980 that you have the ticket for. Did a few around that time, Coventry was a long walk from the station as I recall. I can recall getting back into Wolvo pretty late after the Swindon semi final. Train seemed to do a tour of the country.

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

I was on the special to Coventry in 1980 that you have the ticket for. Did a few around that time, Coventry was a long walk from the station as I recall. I can recall getting back into Wolvo pretty late after the Swindon semi final. Train seemed to do a tour of the country.

That was a walk, biggest ones I remember was The ****, Blues, Cov,

 

[lets all have a disco]

Talking off walks back to the train station, I remember a classic one in 1999, after a 1-0 win against Man City at Maine Road, . Keane scored I think .....

Anyway Manchester police decided to walk and escort a very large group of us back to Piccadilly, through the delights of Moss Side and Manchester city centre.....it was August, blistering hot and with a few detours was close on a 3 mile walk ...Several wolves fans were struggling obviously, after a skin full with the level of exercise which the occasional jog chucked in, as the mounted police attempted to hurry you on a bit ...

The one struggling the most was 'fingles' , who was always bringing up the rear of the group...So much so, that when we turned the corner into Piccadilly Station all the wolves fans and Manchester Police clapped him up the ramp with the inspector saying '**** me , we never expected you would make it'.......

 

[Ercall Wolves]

Talking off walks back to the train station, I remember a classic one in 1999, after a 1-0 win against Man City at Maine Road, .did Keane score I think .....

Anyway Manchester police decided to walk or escort a very large group of us through the delights of Moss Side and Manchester city centre.....it was August, blistering hot and with a few detours was close on a 3 mile walk ...Several wolves fans were struggling, after a skin full with the level of exercise and the occasional jog involved as the mounted police attempted to hurry you on a bit ...

The one struggling the most was 'fingles' , who was always bringing up the rear of the group...So much so that when we turned the corner into Piccadilly Station all the wolves fans and Manchester Police clapped him up the ramp with the inspector saying '**** me , we never expected you would make it'.......

I wouldn’t have expected him to make it either LOL

 

[Jonzy54]

Talking off walks back to the train station, I remember a classic one in 1999, after a 1-0 win against Man City at Maine Road, .did Keane score I think .....

Anyway Manchester police decided to walk or escort a very large group of us through the delights of Moss Side and Manchester city centre.....it was August, blistering hot and with a few detours was close on a 3 mile walk ...Several wolves fans were struggling, after a skin full with the level of exercise and the occasional jog involved as the mounted police attempted to hurry you on a bit ...

The one struggling the most was 'fingles' , who was always bringing up the rear of the group...So much so that when we turned the corner into Piccadilly Station all the wolves fans and Manchester Police clapped him up the ramp with the inspector saying '**** me , we never expected you would make it'.......

Fingles,a name and character from the past .I have mentioned this before but me and a mate queued up in the early hours for tickets for first leg of the play offs against Aldershot .Around 6 am we were all flaming cold ,so Fingles went over the road to the derelict houses by the big billboards and broke into one of the houses .A couple of minutes later he came back over the road lugging a soiled mattress which he then lit and for a few minutes the warmth it gave off was heaven on legs ,but once it went out again we were flaming cold again.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Fingles,a name and character from the past .I have mentioned this before but me and a mate queued up in the early hours for tickets for first leg of the play offs against Aldershot .Around 6 am we were all flaming cold ,so Fingles went over the road to the derelict houses by the big billboards and broke into one of the houses .A couple of minutes later he came back over the road lugging a soiled mattress which he then lit and for a few minutes the warmth it gave off was heaven on legs ,but once it went out again we were flaming cold again.

Heard that before......my mate was in the que , getting my ticket....his turn for that game.....yes he was a larger than life character, certainly......but it was characters like that who followed wolves everywhere, that you remember....you forget players , results, performances etc but I have memories from the past that still make me chuckle today....30/40 years after.....

 

[maws]

As Fingles once turned on me at Sheffield Wednesday away, with a group of about 6, and was just me and my mate, I don’t have the fond memories of others. He wouldn’t believe I was Wolves and one of the group smacked me in the back of the head. If you read this forum, thanks for **** all

 

[Jonzy54]

A mate of Fingles who I knew from Sunday League football and will remain nameless was also a character that I encountered a few years later.I bumped into him in Dudley Street one lunch time and he told me he was due in court that afternoon for stealing .I never heard or saw him again and I heard a couple of years ago that due to previous encounters and escapades he is now (allegedly) propping up a pillar on the M5 near Bristol.
For those that might suspect or know ,his initials were GC.Answers on a postcard if you know .

 

[cowshed]

Went to an FA Cup match in the 50's against Barrow, Colin Booth scored 2 and we won 4 = 0, can remember collecting the bog rolls to throw on the pitch.
Left the train station and followed the rest of the Wolves fans to the ground yelling "2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate, W-O-L-V-E-S, Wolves, happy days I was at school and took a packet of Sugar Puffs to eat.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Went to an FA Cup match in the 50's against Barrow, Colin Booth scored 2 and we won 4 = 0, can remember collecting the bog rolls to throw on the pitch.
Left the train station and followed the rest of the Wolves fans to the ground yelling "2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate, W-O-L-V-E-S, Wolves, happy days I was at school and took a packet of Sugar Puffs to eat.

Brilliant....there won't be many who have seen us play barrow... especially away ....