Biggest Villa away following?

[Lucky Eddie]

Hillsboro 91:- we may have only taken about 5,000 but you felt like you were in an army of 50,000!

[DeKuip]

Hillsborough and Blackpool in 75 were huge followings as mentioned but I'd say that Arsenal in 81 has to be the biggest away support we've ever had for a league game in modern (to me) times. That was 20,000 plus.
The other biggest followings outside a final or semi would have been at a couple of early round League Cup replays on neutral grounds -
1971 1st rnd v Wrexham at The Hawthorns - attendance 20,697 and virtually everyone seemed to be Villa that night.
1978 3rd rnd v Palace at Coventry - att 25,455 and all Villa on 3 and a half sides with about 1,500 Palace in one pen of the open end.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

1978 3rd rnd v Palace at Coventry - att 25,455 and all Villa on 3 and a half sides with about 1,500 Palace in one pen of the open end.

Godd call. I can't believe it was just a third round cup tie. Saying that, what a team we were. I can still see Andy Gray scoring a real Roy of the Rovers scorcher that night. Great times.

[Pat McMahon]

1978 3rd rnd v Palace at Coventry - att 25,455 and all Villa on 3 and a half sides with about 1,500 Palace in one pen of the open end.

Godd call. I can't believe it was just a third round cup tie. Saying that, what a team we were. I can still see Andy Gray scoring a real Roy of the Rovers scorcher that night. Great times.

Yes, good call gents. One unusual fact from that night was that the 25k crowd was actually higher than Coventry's average home gate for that season. Andy Gray was indeed on top form that evening - one of his last great displays for us - and I also remember Burridge getting pelters from the Villa fans. This was also the days of fencing and although we were jammed right behind the goal in the home end I literally couldn't see play down the right side of the pitch because of the heavy duty barriers Coventry had (maybe also because as a pimply youth I was shorter than most people around me).

[Pat McMahon]

Of course, none of these come close to the estimated quarter of a million Everton brought to Villa in 1987.

God, you're right Dave. The number of Everton fans I have met over the years who have told me they were in the 20k+ following that came that day probably exceeds, well, 20k....

IIRC it was a sunny Easter Saturday and Everton did have a massive following - but probably around 10k. I think the gate was 31k and they were going for the title whilst we were waiting for the hangman's noose. We played ok but just didn't have anything up front, but we certainly looked vaguely competent compared to the debacle 48 hours later at Charlton.

I think all football fans have a tendency to hype up big away followings, but aside from derbies I bet there aren't too many occasions since the 3rd division where we have had more than 10k at an away game. One I would add to the above list would be Liverpool away in 1976-77 where we had around 10k.

[andrew08]

There was a West Brom cup tie away in the 80's that was quite busy. Mortimer got the winner, I think Clive Thomas was the ref and sent some dirty albion player off while he being stretchered off. It was proper packed in the Sme Rick end that night.

[Damo70]

I always thought Old Trafford in '88 was the biggest I'd been in, I thought we took about 10,000. I didn't realise it was less than that and Everton the following season topped it. Off the top of my head I would guess Huddersfield in '87 was the smallest away crowd I've been part of for a competitive game. (The game with the red sauce and the paper mache programme if Nev's reading this).

[Witton Warrior]

The time we played Leicester at Filbert Street and the usual corner they gave us (held about 3k?) was overflowing by 2PM so we moved to their end with the help of the constabulary to stop anybody getting hurt.

You all know what happened next.

Coventry after the League Cup win was a larger than usual following with Villa in all stands as was Stoke on Easter Monday during the League championship season...

[UsualSuspect]

There was a West Brom cup tie away in the 80's that was quite busy. Mortimer got the winner, I think Clive Thomas was the ref and sent some dirty albion player off while he being stretchered off. It was proper packed in the Sme Rick end that night.

From memory it was 1984 we had all of it and loads of Villa in the seats

I think Walters scored early on at the Brummie road end and then regis equalised in front of us.

Got very dirty 2nd half and think Gary owen was sent off the Mortimer lashed one in in front of us - cue mayhem. The maddest goal celebration ive ever been in

[gerags]

Middlesborough in the league cup in 87.If there was 200 we were lucky.

You're right. I was at that one as well, though only had to travel from Leeds.

I was at that on the official coaches. I did ask someone official looking and they said around 150 of us.

Largest away following has to be the ManUre game for me.
I believe that was the one where they were aiming fireworks at us from the terracing to our right.
Police were kicking VIlla out for raring up, but leaving the Mancs to continue firing at us.

[spk]

It was a giggle wasnt it ?

Can still remember the chants of Graham Taylors claret and blue army to this day.

Yep,two stands all the way through half time,then sgt came out at full time to say goodbye,happiest day of my villa supporting life,though i thought we would finish in top 4 every season after that...

[The Laughing Policeman]

Blackpool and Hillsborough in 1975 are the ones that stick in my mind too.
The Sheff Weds game for obvious reasons. I remember my fifth or sixth Nan of the season died that day so I could leave work about 3.pm and get to VP for the Travellers Club coaches. Apart from the match and the resulting scenes of ecstasy one thing that sticks in my mind is going along the A38 through Derby on the way to the game and the coach pulling up in a long queue of coaches by a park with a public loo that we could use and the locals who lived opposite coming out of their houses and staring in amazement at the Villa Hordes on their way to a midweek away match. Happy days!
The Blackpool game sticks in the memory for lots of different reasons ( I'll start a thread about it in the next couple of days, unless someone cares to beat me to it) suffice to say it was one of those 'Oh What Fun We Had' days.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The time we played Leicester at Filbert Street and the usual corner they gave us (held about 3k?) was overflowing by 2PM so we moved to their end with the help of the constabulary to stop anybody getting hurt.

You all know what happened next.

Filbert Street was one of those grounds that we used to just take over every season. I seem to remember us having three corners of the ground.

[OasisVillain]

The biggest away following i've been part of has to be Hillsborough at the start of the 91/92 season, was a fantastic day, only the 2nd away game i'd been to. I think there were around 7,000 vila there

[willywombat]

Blackpool & Hillsborough in 75 stick in my memory too and of course Highbury in 81. Slightly more recently, Hillsborough again for BFR's debut match as mentioned by Lucky Eddie earlier in the thread, I think there were around 7,000 of us but it sounded like 3 times that many!