That Rangers game

[Rip Van We Go Again]

What a day.

I went with my Nan's next door neighbour, as we passed the Holte pub we got spat on by Rangers supporters sitting on the wall, lots of 'English bastards' comments.

Got into the ground, when we went 2-0 up I thought
'Sod this, i'm off home'

Coming out the ground I got chased by 3 blokes, If I wasn't so fleet of foot they'd have kicked seven shades of shit out of me (I was 10 at the time)

It felt like i'd been beamed to another planet.

Anybody else attend it and if so, what are your memories?

[andyaston]

I was a bout 2 at the time but i've heard so many stories about this game. The book 'Children of the revolution' had a part on it. Sounded like they were a different bred.

[barrysleftfoot]

  I was a cocky 14 year old.My dad had come back from work about 1 o'clock, and asked me if i was going the game, i saiI said yeah why?...he said there were about 2 or 3 Rangers fans throwing empty beer cans/bottles at the cars as they were driving past 6 ways Aston.I said i'll give it a miss.My mates went, and had similar experiences to yourself.

  The funniest story i heard was from the bloke who used to sit in front of me.He took a girl on a blind date to that game.What a 1st date.Said he had parked his car down Electric Avenue but could'nt get to it until about 9 o'clock at night because there were still gangs of Jocks roaming around looking for trouble.


  Those were the good old days.

[big 1st serve]

 I remember there were coaches of Rangers fans cropping up all over the place on the Friday night, we used to drink at the Bagot & I,m sure they had a few visitors.
 On the day of the match, we took my mates girlfriends brother with us  for his very 1st Villa match, as it was a friendly !!!
 I remember we were directed into the Trinty rd enclosure, but after about 20 mins moved to the Witton end, then eventually over the back of the Witton & out when it got a bit silly.
 This poor kid we had with us, would have been about 8 at the time , was probably put off football for life after that.
 I can remember the Evening Mail carried a picture of fans in the Witton End, with 1 smart chap standing with a crash helmet on, a good choice that day.

[mistymopcap]

I remember that match with amazement now, but I was stunned at the time. I lived then near the Scott Arms, Great Barr and I remember seeing double decker buses travelling along the Walsall Road, having just come off the M6, fullof Rangers fans. I next remember the Witton Lane being lined by Rangers fans who were sat on the ground completely smashed - a long journey from Glasgow to B'ham. I later heard that a lot of these guys got beaten up; unable to defend themselves. I went into the Witton End. The Holte was full of Rangers. I think the police simply let them in for safety reasons. At one point there was a surge in the Holte. I think some Villa got in and had a go at getting in back. I don't know what happened to them! In the Witton the atmosphere was strange. Personally I think we were nuts for being there. It was not safe. The Witton Lane seats had Rangers in them and they spent the match singing their songs. They clearly saw us as Celtic supporters. I got hit by a piece of flying glass in the face. They hurtled bottles at us for fun. When John Deehan scored our second goal I couldn't believe it. I wanted him to miss or fall over ... anything but score. The match was abandoned. I do remember some fighting in the Witton. The Argus had a headline about a knife being used I think. On the way home - we ran down Witton Lane - there were some guys with an Irish tricolour trying to rally Villa on the island by the Witton Arms. I don't think many stayed. Quite a day! The match was in the papers for a couple of days and all over TV. I never saw anything like it again. Sheffield Weds, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd were all nothing in comparison.

[Flamingo Lane]

I was 15 at the time, and have certainly never been so frightened at a football game as I was on that day.  Total mayhem all around.

[Chris Smith]

Got into town on the bus on my own, bumped into a group of about ten of them pissed as farts, got chased all the way up Hill Street. Went towards Colmore Row and there were loads more of them. Got back on the bus and went home.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I'm still baffled to this day that 3 adults were more than happy to beat up a terrified 10 year old.

Such hard men these Rangers fans.

[pongo57]

Dreadful, dreadful day and night. Thousands of drunken racist bigots attacking Asians in Aston, assaulting men, women and children, stopping cars and dragging Villa fans out for a kicking, and giving the old trusty anti-papist canon a vigorous airing-friend of mine (non-footballing) was told in town to take his crucifix off otherwise he'd be going home in a coffin. Couple of us went in the Holte thinking our lot were just a bit late and couldn't believe it was packed with 'em. Kept a low profile until one of them drained the dregs from his whiskey bottle and cracked the empty over the head of an OAP wearing a Villa scarf-had a bit of a stand off with the culprit and then fled as the realisation that the heroic Sons of William were about to do the same to the pair of us. This wasn't just the old 'mindless minority'-from what I saw it was the great majority and it was the most nauseating display I have ever witnessed at a football match and I've seen a few. How any Villa fan from that era could harbour anything but loathing for them is beyond me.

[andyaston]

As someone who didnt know much about this game until recent years, i'm amazed that fans of a football club could go around beating up anyone who wasn't scottish, which seems to include, kids, OAPs, women, young men and anyone of ethnic origin outside their own. At least most football hooligans fought against like minded people and some code of honour. That bunch of Rangers fans are to me the lowest type of scum that can exist.

No wonder when they played at Old Trafford last season the police escourted them in from Wigan.

[mistymopcap]

As someone who didnt know much about this game until recent years, i'm amazed that fans of a football club could go around beating up anyone who wasn't scottish, which seems to include, kids, OAPs, women, young men and anyone of ethnic origin outside their own. At least most football hooligans fought against like minded people and some code of honour. That bunch of Rangers fans are to me the lowest type of scum that can exist.

No wonder when they played at Old Trafford last season the police escourted them in from Wigan.

It was a terrible, terrible day. I've looked up the match using a Google search. There are some pieces that capture just how awful it was.

[dean saunders left boot]

I believe this video is relating to said game

http://www.macearchive.org/archive.html?Title=25663

[The Man With A Stick]

Good find!  Found this on there too:

Benny meets Ron Saunders

[Rip Van We Go Again]

As someone who didnt know much about this game until recent years, i'm amazed that fans of a football club could go around beating up anyone who wasn't scottish, which seems to include, kids, OAPs, women, young men and anyone of ethnic origin outside their own.

That's what made them lower than low.
They were looking to hit anybody, young or old.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Good find!  Found this on there too:

Benny meets Ron Saunders

Great find. Never seen that before.