'Taking the Holte'

[Steve R]

I was at this game and can honestly say I have no recollection of Rovers being on the Holte End at all never mind World War 3 breaking out

Same here.  I saw all the games against Rovers in Div 3 home and away including the League cup games. I don't recall anything like that.

In all the three home games against Small Heath between us being relegated in 67 and then again in 70 there was a significant presence of their lot in the Holte.  Whether that constituted taking it was a matter of opinion. You have to remember that pre-Docherty they had bigger crowds than us and certainly has a bigger mob.

[Witton Warrior]

From '74 to '80 we always arrived about an hour before ko and were always wary of any large groups of lads not wearing colours at the back of the Holte. The only real fracas I recall in the Holte was the ICF in about 1979 (first match of the season). They really were everywhere from Aston station onwards and did cause problems before kick-off but numbers were against them and they fled.

Manure always had small pockets in the Holte - I especially remember the 3-3 draw when a small group started lashing out in front of us at the bottom left of the Holte. I stood there as I had my 13-year old brother with me and had promised to keep him out of any aggro - they were chased off by an eclectic posse of old blokes, young bucks like me and kids...

Villa Park has never seen the trouble other grounds have due to our distance from the City centre and the proximity of Witton station to the away end.

Away from home was a different matter!

[FrankyH]

I remember walking into the Holte End early 80's against blues about 2.30 .It seemed like everyone had a yellow hat on , I thought they (the blues) had taken the Holte End.I am sure their away kit was yellow that season.I even took my Villa scarf and hid it . I walked up to my usual spot bottom left and looked at one of these blokes in a yellow hat - it was a freebie paper hat given out at the turnstiles advertising Ansells Bitter.I put my Villa scarf back on!

[andyaston]

I remember walking into the Holte End early 80's against blues about 2.30 .It seemed like everyone had a yellow hat on , I thought they (the blues) had taken the Holte End.I am sure their away kit was yellow that season.I even took my Villa scarf and hid it . I walked up to my usual spot bottom left and looked at one of these blokes in a yellow hat - it was a freebie paper hat given out at the turnstiles advertising Ansells Bitter.I put my Villa scarf back on!

Funny story, that made me laugh.

[Witton Warrior]

I remember walking into the Holte End early 80's against blues about 2.30 .It seemed like everyone had a yellow hat on , I thought they (the blues) had taken the Holte End.I am sure their away kit was yellow that season.I even took my Villa scarf and hid it . I walked up to my usual spot bottom left and looked at one of these blokes in a yellow hat - it was a freebie paper hat given out at the turnstiles advertising Ansells Bitter.I put my Villa scarf back on!

Funny story, that made me laugh.

I remember that - we were pissed off that we had missed the freebies!

[davevillan]

I remember the Arsenal game in about oct 81, when they had a few in there. When i say had a few, i can recall just before the game started, a few must have broken the world record for running down the Holte to the front...I dont remember any in there for the 6-2 game in '83, tho i do remember the Holte singing 'always look on the bright side of life' during the 2nd half!
Chelsea had a go at both sides towards the end of the 4-2 win for us in '84, and after the game, it seemed like the whole Holte joined as one to go after them!

[Percy McCarthy]

I chinned an Arsenal fan in the bottom right-hand corner once, early eighties, not sure what year exactly.

The stewards grabbed me and I became the rope in a tug-o-war between them and my pals, which the stewards won. One said 'you're lucky we ain't coppers' and they merely ejected me.

Tilecross lion: dream on mate.

[Damo70]

The only incidents I remember are Chelsea early in the season when they had just come back up around 1984 and the Coventry game, last match of the season 1992. I think it was the year you could drink in the old Bingo place and we were sat in there before the game reading the paper where Don Howe had urged Coventry fans to support them from whichever part of the ground they could get into.

[lennythekad]

Steamer, do you remember the big fecker with the beard who was completely fearless and would offer the whole mob out?

WW, if it's a Villa bloke you're on about, i think it may have been Ray Berry. He was a Hells Angel with the Wolverhampton chapter, but rarely missed a game in the early 70's. Always at the front when the shit hit the fan. I think it was Rochdale away in 71(?) when we got of  the special, and as we left the station, he picked this local lad up by the throat against the wall, and snarled at him through gritted teeth, "tell your lot the Villa's in town", before casting him to one side, and leading the march from the station.

[The Left Side]

The only incidents I remember are Chelsea early in the season when they had just come back up around 1984 and the Coventry game, last match of the season 1992. I think it was the year you could drink in the old Bingo place and we were sat in there before the game reading the paper where Don Howe had urged Coventry fans to support them from whichever part of the ground they could get into.

Yes there is a pic in Terry Weir's book of the pitch invasion, the usual end of season on the pitch journey was taken as they wanted a scrap, those were the days.

[willywombat]

Steamer, do you remember the big fecker with the beard who was completely fearless and would offer the whole mob out?

WW, if it's a Villa bloke you're on about, i think it may have been Ray Berry. He was a Hells Angel with the Wolverhampton chapter, but rarely missed a game in the early 70's. Always at the front when the shit hit the fan. I think it was Rochdale away in 71(?) when we got of  the special, and as we left the station, he picked this local lad up by the throat against the wall, and snarled at him through gritted teeth, "tell your lot the Villa's in town", before casting him to one side, and leading the march from the station.

No mate, it was a wurzel I was talking about. Big, scary man he was too!

[littlevillain]

The trooper off chelmsley made a few appearances in the lower middle of the holte late 70s early 80s but were attacked from every side and surrounded before being taken on the pitch and out.
Nothing major . Tile cross lion your'e avin a laugh mate.

[wittonwarrior]

Always got the impression that Villa fans thought of ourselves as being a super gang in the late 70's - we werent !

Okay we took big numbers to other midland clubs including Stoke in this period but virtually nothing to London and this is what inspired the london teams to try their luck.

Surprised no one mentioned the Arsenal cup game FA Cup replay when they got mullered in the Holte.  The 79 effort by them was a good attempt better than the Mancs and West Ham.

Remember Tottenham trying it on same season or the next and they got hammered and they were considered a tougher nut to crack!

[Lambert and Payne]

Seemed best to put it in here. From a Rotherham forum

What about Aston Villa ? I remember walking through the turnstiles to the central entrance at the back of the Tivoli only to see and hear hundreds of skin head Villa fans - it was the fastest sprint to the Railway End I ever did. I was never more pleased to return to the place of my birth !

We were all born there...weren't we ?

The worst one that I remember was Villa - it can't have been far off a capacity crowd and the fans were still allowed to change ends at half time . I was only a young kid and I was carried along with the crowd with my feet off the ground for abour 15 yards along Millmoor Lane...scary!

[cdbearsfan]

Haven't Man U fans "taken the Holte" every year since the Premier League started by just buying a ticket?

No. What are you going on about?