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Looking at other photos of the Kop later on, it appears that the huts were separated and at least one of them moved further along to serve the new away section (the other probably moved in the opposite direction to serve home supporters). The center section ended up being a no man's land to keep rival fans apart.
A Vanguard cigs ad initially replaced Shipstones, then John Player and lastly Superkings for the final three seasons before demolition. We had a thread about the old scoreboard about a year ago and for anybody who missed it, we managed to establish that it was built in the summer of 1963.
The timing of the Kop re-build in 1980 was fortunate because we went on to win promotion that season and if Notts hadn't re-built it then they'd have had so much more work to do the following summer to get the ground ready for the top flight, which also coincided with the Sports Hall being built. A pre-season tournament game in 1981 had to be switched from Meadow Lane because the place was in such a mess.
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Always had a hot Bovril from there, not sure if I used to get the meat pie....Originally Posted by Bridg4d_Pie_
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On the commets section of the Post article somebody wrote "I remember Ivor Thirst very well he flashed every time Notts scored a goal",
presumably this means he was illuminated for goals scored during night matches and not some crude electronic device that caused him to drop his shorts!
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... does anyone remember the game with MUFC when some of - let's say a volatile section - their away supporters, crammed on the Kop, managed to loosen one of the old timber crush barriers and hold it vertically. The crowd was so tightly packed it's a wonder that there were no serious injuries. (that I know of) ...
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That was when Jimmy sirel was running around with a scalpel in is hand. think notts came back from 0/2 down to 2/2 man utd needed to win for promotion
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Well there was of course that infamous last game of the season in 1975 vs Man Ure when they went on the rampage completely wrecking the Kop and then setting on Notts fans in the main stand.
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Yes, I was there that day with my Dad, I remember supporters climbing up the floodlights. Have also got a vague memory of fencing being ripped up and the posts being held aloft. Am I imagining that?
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Re the April 1975 Man Utd game, some years back I cobbled the following together from contemporary news reports....
Sadly, this match will always be remembered for the worst scenes of crowd trouble ever witnessed at Meadow Lane, travelling United fans arrived with a notorious reputation and they certainly lived up to it, leaving a devastating trail of destruction after invading the pitch at the end of the match, they even attacked the main stand and supporters leaving the ground via an alley were showered with broken glass falling from windows 30 feet above.
Fighting had begun at the train station in the morning and continued throughout the day, the police described the trouble as "the worst outbreak of soccer violence in this city and we have had our fair share in the past", one officer had a Kung Fu star (a 5 inch metal disc with sharpened points) skim through the air and pierce his helmet just above his scalp, he was also hit on the head by a large stone and, as he tried to dodge other missiles, was struck on the back by a lump of concrete, the officer was taken to hospital with cuts on his head and back but released after treatment. One of his colleagues however was detained in hospital with concussion after being kicked in the head. There were instances where terrified officers were surrounded by hundreds of youths and punched and kicked as barricades, fencing and iron posts were torn out and used as projectiles. At one stage, 12 youths man-handled a huge corrugated sheet which they used as a battering ram. Other United fans completely demolished a toilet block.
Four special courts sat for more than two hours imposing fines on 23 fans for offences including assaulting police, criminal damage and theft. Seven fans were remanded on bail, there were 40 arrests altogether. The violence made the front page of the Daily Mirror on Monday who ran with the headline "SAVAGE ANIMALS", they reported that six Kung Fu stars had been recovered from the scene and that two fans were still in hospital, one a 15 year old boy who had both his legs broken as a result of a wall being pushed over. On the back page of the same newspaper the headline was "DOC'S FEAR" - quoting the United manager [Tommy DOCherty] as saying "What these mobsters will do next season has me really scared - On Saturday they completely ruined the joy of winning the championship and the way they broke up parts of the terracing shows that they came purely to embark on an afternoon of vandalism."
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......and London Road was a battleground. I was there that day and it's by far and away the worst violence I've seen in and around Meadow Lane. For the record, never been a Kopite mesen.
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