Barnsley v Bradford, the old 1970's rivalry

[animallittle3]

The Huddersfield cup tie thread got me going down memory lane and the 1970's when I was a school kid .

Younger posters may not know this but ourselves and Bradford City in the 1970's 4th division were total enemies .

It was the game back then .

Let me tell you a visit to 1970's Valley Parade was rough for a Barnsley fan and vice versa for City fans when they came to Oakwell .

My first visit without my old man and with my school mates was in 1977 when we were both going for promotion from the old 4th division , went on the old Tracky buses .

Dear me , it was kicking off the whole 90 minutes .

Proper scary , hid mi scarf in mi pocket .

There was little segregation of fans back then .

[pass_and_move]

It's been the polar opposite since April/May 1997 when they celebrated our promotion in the town centre with us and we reciprocated by supporting them in their final home game to avoid relegation. There's a fair bit of respect between the fans and clubs going on since then.

I only know Bradford City like that in my time as a reds fan. I was shocked to hear that it was so feisty in the years before, a wouldn't have thowt it to be honest. Always thowt their rivals were Hudders and Leeds.

The start of segregation and fences at footy grounds was a bad time. We know what it led to. Bloody hell, football supporters were never looked at in a respectful way from the mid 70s onwards despite the troublemakers being in the tiny minority. Crowds dropped significantly and understandably so.

Interesting that barring the Kop, Oakwell wasn't fenced. The worst fence I ever saw was the one at Stamford Bridge where they'd erected a huge barbed wired electric fence to keep supporters in the stands although they never actually switched the voltage on. That's Ken Bates fo thi though. Chelsea had a bad rep back then of course but feck me, really?

Glad things changed but obviously it came at the cost of 97 fans dying.

[Romared]

I was going to mention this on a thread about "Rival Clubs" a while back , some were saying Donny , Rovrum etc, but for me our Real biggest rival was always Bradford City , they just seemed to be such a Big Club back in the late 60s and 70s , as you say, always a difficult place to go and quite intimidating , hard games and some hard times there years back , I once got cut off from rest of my mates , being chased up them steep streets ,weshing lines fulla clothes strung art , A swear adda pair of Marys clarts rarnd mi earrd as a fon bus fo ooham !

[animallittle3]

It's been the polar opposite since April/May 1997 when they celebrated our promotion in the town centre with us and we reciprocated by supporting them in their final home game to avoid relegation. There's a fair bit of respect between the fans and clubs going on since then.

I only know Bradford City like that in my time as a reds fan. I was shocked to hear that it was so feisty in the years before, a wouldn't have thowt it to be honest. Always thowt their rivals were Hudders and Leeds.

The start of segregation and fences at footy grounds was a bad time. We know what it led to. Bloody hell, football supporters were never looked at in a respectful way from the mid 70s onwards despite the troublemakers being in the tiny minority. Crowds dropped significantly and understandably so.

Interesting that barring the Kop, Oakwell wasn't fenced. The worst fence I ever saw was the one at Stamford Bridge where they'd erected a huge barbed wired electric fence to keep supporters in the stands although they never actually switched the voltage on. That's Ken Bates fo thi though. Chelsea had a bad rep back then of course but feck me, really?

Glad things changed but obviously it came at the cost of 97 fans dying.

I was in conversation with some Bradford lads around my age in The Dove when we played em at Oakwell under Stendel in league one .

We laughed about those times and agreed all those years ago we most definitely wouldn't be having a pint together .

Absolutely loathed one another .

It's a funny old game mate .

[Romared]

It's been the polar opposite since April/May 1997 when they celebrated our promotion in the town centre with us and we reciprocated by supporting them in their final home game to avoid relegation. There's a fair bit of respect between the fans and clubs going on since then.

I only know Bradford City like that in my time as a reds fan. I was shocked to hear that it was so feisty in the years before, a wouldn't have thowt it to be honest. Always thowt their rivals were Hudders and Leeds.

The start of segregation and fences at footy grounds was a bad time. We know what it led to. Bloody hell, football supporters were never looked at in a respectful way from the mid 70s onwards despite the troublemakers being in the tiny minority. Crowds dropped significantly and understandably so.

Interesting that barring the Kop, Oakwell wasn't fenced. The worst fence I ever saw was the one at Stamford Bridge where they'd erected a huge barbed wired electric fence to keep supporters in the stands although they never actually switched the voltage on. That's Ken Bates fo thi though. Chelsea had a bad rep back then of course but feck me, really?

Glad things changed but obviously it came at the cost of 97 fans dying.

Stoke away in FA Cup 3-3 that's the most freetnin thing I've ever experienced at a match , couldn't breath , put me feet on floor or owt, awful, not that long before S6 Tradgedy I think ?

[pass_and_move]

I was going to mention this on a thread about "Rival Clubs" a while back , some were saying Donny , Rovrum etc, but for me our Real biggest rival was always Bradford City , they just seemed to be such a Big Club back in the late 60s and 70s , as you say, always a difficult place to go and quite intimidating , hard games and some hard times there years back , I once got cut off from rest of my mates , being chased up them steep streets ,weshing lines fulla clothes strung art , A swear adda pair of Marys clarts rarnd mi earrd as a fon bus fo ooham !

Them clarts would've ed amber colors onum if the wo Mary's and thy Claret on em frum all feytin

[pass_and_move]

Stoke away in FA Cup 3-3 that's the most freetnin thing I've ever experienced at a match , couldn't breath , put me feet on floor or owt, awful, not that long before S6 Tradgedy I think ?

Tha reyt mi owd. A think that 3-3 Stoke wo 88/89 season(my first). Av erd a few tales o folk struggling that day. Artside grarnd wo worst some ev said. We took a shed load that day as we always did in Cup matches everywhere we went.

A went a couple o times to old Victoria grarnd in early 90s. The nivver gid thi a good welcome them Stokies! Always wanting a scrap.

[animallittle3]

Stoke away in FA Cup 3-3 that's the most freetnin thing I've ever experienced at a match , couldn't breath , put me feet on floor or owt, awful, not that long before S6 Tradgedy I think ?

Stoke away in 89 was scary , proper scary how we were packed in that day .

They really were riding their luck back then until that fateful day a month later .

[Romared]

Them clarts would've ed amber colors onum if the wo Mary's and thy Claret on em frum all feytin

Luvvit

[pass_and_move]

I was in conversation with some Bradford lads around my age in The Dove when we played em at Oakwell under Stendel in league one .

We laughed about those times and agreed all those years ago we most definitely wouldn't be having a pint together .

Absolutely loathed one another .

It's a funny old game mate .

Barmy mate.

How was it with Bradford PA or wo them days afooar thy time Animal?