'Taking the Holte'

[adrenachrome]

In the 60,s I remember a game at Villa park(67-68 ?) with the Blues when they a had a large following on the Holte through out the game. The attendence was 50,00
Having said that I went to practicaly every game played between us and them until the end of the 70,s and we were never shy at having a go on the Tilton or the Kop which ever crappy end they claimed to own.
The funniest memory I have was us playing a pre season friendly at Villa Park against them, Trev the cloven hoofed one was their super star " super,super,super boy" Sir Brian was playing for us.
As Dave said, "crews" would come early, pay into the Holte and claim to have taken it.On this occasion ( I was still at school) stories abounded that they intended, taking the Holte.No social network but word of mouth.
A larger number than normal Villa boys took their positions at the top of the Holte early, ( any one remember skippy ?) the noses came in the bottom right witton lane at about 2.00.
As they moved up, charge of the Light Brigade time, Villa fans  swept down and chased them onto the pitch and back through the turnstiles.
As we moved back up in a victory march, I had a smack around the back of my head. it was my Dad.
I had to spend the rest of the game standing next to him and behave. Bless him. I wish he was still around.
I think we won 2-1 Anderson 2 cloven foot 1.
Many teams in my memory came early and "had a go"I do not remember many staying, to the contrary I remember Villa having teams in the Witton to welcome visitors.
Forest at Home in 78, we had some challenging moments in Nottingham earlier in the season, this with a history of them turning up when we played Notts County in Div 3 whetted a few appettites for revenge.
A large contingent, couple of Hundred, Villa fans were in the Witton before kick off. As they came in they were persuaded to leave.
I do not think that there was a hardly a Forest fan in the ground at kick off, they had all gone home early.
This is not glorifying what happened, just saying that at the time that is the way it was.

By Skippy do you mean the disabled skinhead who considered himself something of a leader in the late 60's early 70's? If so I do remember him.

The pre-season game was called 'the Lord Mayor's Cup' I have no idea why, I don't recall it being played before or since.  We did indeed win 2-1 with Willie announcing himself as a goal scoring winger. Excellent cross shot for the opener too.

As an aside, I was also at all the Rovers games played in third division times. I don't recall anything similar to the events described in the Hooligans book taking place.

If you didn't see the first League cup game at Eastville you certainly missed a cracker. Rovers had a very good side at the time, managed by Alec Stock. Pat McMahon scored in the opening minute of the first game as well as the final minute of the replay.

That was Skippy !
For me he is synonomous with Villa fans singing "two little boys"
wearing Hob Nailed boots and getting relegated.
Mousey is a strange one, in the late 60,s I was a young teenager who saw him at most games.He was certainly the leader of the teeny bopper brigade, he being older than most of us.
by the early 70,s as we all became a bit older he was a bit of a joke.
Strong memory of the Relegation game at the Sty in 1970, I was 13 and caught the train from coventry (where I had the misfortune to live)
to go to the game
I tagged onto a group of a couple of hundred Villa fans marching through Digbeth to the sty, Mousey was leading the pack, I thought we were invincibles, a bit like Sparticus !
When we got to the Kop, the Bluenoses had a team already inside and were on a clean up mission, all manner of crap, bricks, roofing etc, rained down on the Villa fans.
As a Sprite youngster I ducked under the turnstiles for cover.
Not sure what happened to Mousey, the Villa fans went every where until they got together again to have a go on the Tilton.
I have described that before.
Can not remember seeing Skippy after the first season in Div 3

As I have written elsewhere in this section, I knew "Skippy" as we attended the same primary school in  Weoley Castle.  That school, St. Rose of Lima, seems to have provided a disproportionate number of thugs to the local community, including myself, I suppose.

Believe it or not, many years later when I was an undergraduate at Warwick University , I met him at the bus stop outside Coventry station when we played them in 76 or 77: he was on his way back to Kenilworth or Leamington proudly wearing his Villa scarf and hopping on regardless.
 

[Dave Clark Five]

Regarding Mousey, when I spoke to one of the old Steamers, he told me there were two people by that name. I only remember the one who did his best to get the Villa fans to 'form up into a big mob when you get outside the ground'. Last time that I saw him was in the late 70s on the Holte End.

[steamer]

Regarding Mousey, when I spoke to one of the old Steamers, he told me there were two people by that name. I only remember the one who did his best to get the Villa fans to 'form up into a big mob when you get outside the ground'. Last time that I saw him was in the late 70s on the Holte End.

Regarding Mousey, when I spoke to one of the old Steamers, he told me there were two people by that name. I only remember the one who did his best to get the Villa fans to 'form up into a big mob when you get outside the ground'. Last time that I saw him was in the late 70s on the Holte End.

Then there were three.
The two my old compatriot may have mentiond, were the two Whitehouse brothers Dave and Ray.
They lived not far from the Blakesley pub
Both of them were known as Mousey, god knows why.
The older brother Ray was in his early 30,s when we were teenagers. He had been a Villa Townie in the sixties (do not laugh) with a villa team called the "Dougal Mob"
Mad Martin,Bootsie (sadly deceased) Ray, Cleptoe and others whose names I have forgot.
There is a picture in the Ron Saunders scrap book that includes young mousey (Dave) and a number of us standing with John Gidman in an Antwerp  bus shelter, 75.
An Anecdote.
1971
A dour home game to Preston. 0-0, attendance 22,000.
We were standing in the Witton end.
At half time, a young lady who went by the name of Poxy Lil strolled up to chat to us.
Lil was a popular lass down villa park.
I remember coming back from Shrewsbury on a Villa Special earlier in the year, Lil had taken up residence in the toilet and was dishing out favours to those courtiers queuing up for her dispensations.
Back to villa park
Mousey must have had some amorous assignations with her that he preffered not to talk about.
She however was keen to talk to any one who cared to listen.
Mousey , quite embarrased by all this attention tried to shoo her away, As any woman scorned would do she lept forward and stabbed him in the side with a knife she had concealed in her crombie.
the rest of us jumped back hoping that none of us had upset her.
She was away like a flash, I ran off and found what seemed like the only dozy old Plod in the Witton.
Help was soon at hand, the Saint Johns ambulance men in their full uniforms,caps and fold up stretcher jumped into action and whisked Mousey off to hospital.
As for me, I was in the grasp of Plod. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
I had to drive around with the local detectives to see if I could spot her, (at least I missed the second half ).
Needless to say there were no sightings.
I then, as I knew where he lived had to go back with the detectives to tell his mom and dad about his misfortunate afternoon.
Lil was no Bonnie to Mouseys Clyde.
The Police quickly nabbed her.
The note in the Evening mail had her solicitor pleading in mitigation about her kind side,it seems that once she took up a bird with a broken wing and kept it in a shoebox until it died, aarrhh.
She did time, I made sure I kept a very wide berth when she came out.
I think Mousey would be embarresed if he read this.
Sorry mate, the truth must be told.

[Vancouver]

I've just seen this photo on Facebook as someone posted it recently. Can you name the folks in the picture Steamer?

[willywombat]

I've seen that picture too. I was Big Pete's apprentice at West Mids Gas at the time and would get dragged along to the odd game with him, Roscoe and Granny et al. Used to meet in Yates's Wine lodge on Corporation St. Talking of the Dougal brings back memories, they used to drink in the lounge of the Aston Tavern in the 70's, had a great repetoire of songs including the full version of Holte Enders in the Sky

[steamer]

Yep
Mousey is on the far right, I am the good looking one holding his scarve out proudly.
From the left, Gidman. Sean,(plug now dead) Big Pete, Mickey White, Roscoe, Mousey.
At the front, Bernie, (Also a poster on H.V) Dougie (also passed on) dougies mate who,s name escapes me.
I realise this is not in Rons scrap book but in Terry Weirs book.
We caught the boat to Antwerp , I think on Sunday, after the home game to Arsenal.
In that game we won 2.0, Keith Leonard scored the second goal. I think he went off injured and it was his last game for us.
My story about our nights in Antwerp need to be thought out before I embaress anyone.

[Vancouver]

Do you have any memories, or even better pictures, of Melvin of Steamers fame

[Bernie]

Yep
Mousey is on the far right, I am the good looking one holding his scarve out proudly.
From the left, Gidman. Sean,(plug now dead) Big Pete, Mickey White, Roscoe, Mousey.
At the front, Bernie, (Also a poster on H.V) Dougie (also passed on) dougies mate who,s name escapes me.
I realise this is not in Rons scrap book but in Terry Weirs book.
We caught the boat to Antwerp , I think on Sunday, after the home game to Arsenal.
In that game we won 2.0, Keith Leonard scored the second goal. I think he went off injured and it was his last game for us.
My story about our nights in Antwerp need to be thought out before I embaress anyone.

Dougie's mate was called Paddy, and, strangely enough, was Irish. He wasn't a Villa fan, I think he had thing for Leeds, but wasn't really into football.
Willywombat, I didn't realise you knew Pete, I went to high school with him and we were close friends for many years ( or decades...), he was Best Man at my wedding. We've gone our separate ways but keep in occasional touch and whenever he comes back from his Costa Blanca tax exile for a match every year or so I try to come along & meet up.

[Vancouver]

Yep
Mousey is on the far right, I am the good looking one holding his scarve out proudly.
From the left, Gidman. Sean,(plug now dead) Big Pete, Mickey White, Roscoe, Mousey.
At the front, Bernie, (Also a poster on H.V) Dougie (also passed on) dougies mate who,s name escapes me.
I realise this is not in Rons scrap book but in Terry Weirs book.
We caught the boat to Antwerp , I think on Sunday, after the home game to Arsenal.
In that game we won 2.0, Keith Leonard scored the second goal. I think he went off injured and it was his last game for us.
My story about our nights in Antwerp need to be thought out before I embaress anyone.

Dougie's mate was called Paddy, and, strangely enough, was Irish. He wasn't a Villa fan, I think he had thing for Leeds, but wasn't really into football.
Willywombat, I didn't realise you knew Pete, I went to high school with him and we were close friends for many years ( or decades...), he was Best Man at my wedding. We've gone our separate ways but keep in occasional touch and whenever he comes back from his Costa Blanca tax exile for a match every year or so I try to come along & meet up.

Which one is your Bernie? I see 2 on the front row not 3. I'm guessing that the fella in the spotty shirt is you as one of the bigger fellas behind you must be 'Big Pete'.

[Pat McMahon]

Steamer, how did that photo come about? I get the fact that you young reprobates were at a bus stop but what was Giddy doing there?

[Bernie]

Yep
Mousey is on the far right, I am the good looking one holding his scarve out proudly.
From the left, Gidman. Sean,(plug now dead) Big Pete, Mickey White, Roscoe, Mousey.
At the front, Bernie, (Also a poster on H.V) Dougie (also passed on) dougies mate who,s name escapes me.
I realise this is not in Rons scrap book but in Terry Weirs book.
We caught the boat to Antwerp , I think on Sunday, after the home game to Arsenal.
In that game we won 2.0, Keith Leonard scored the second goal. I think he went off injured and it was his last game for us.
My story about our nights in Antwerp need to be thought out before I embaress anyone.

Dougie's mate was called Paddy, and, strangely enough, was Irish. He wasn't a Villa fan, I think he had thing for Leeds, but wasn't really into football.
Willywombat, I didn't realise you knew Pete, I went to high school with him and we were close friends for many years ( or decades...), he was Best Man at my wedding. We've gone our separate ways but keep in occasional touch and whenever he comes back from his Costa Blanca tax exile for a match every year or so I try to come along & meet up.

Which one is your Bernie? I see 2 on the front row not 3. I'm guessing that the fella in the spotty shirt is you as one of the bigger fellas behind you must be 'Big Pete'.

I'm- standing- just about in the middle of the whole group, with what I liked to call a beard, and wearing an absurd v-necked tee-shirt. Pete's behind me, just to my right - the lighter haired of the 2 tall guys. 
Pat McM- if memory serves, this was an "Official" photo (taken by Terry Weir??) near the team hotel, hence Giddy being in the picture.  We'd turned up at the hotel- after watching the team training- like groupies

[Vancouver]

Ah I see why Steamer thought you were in the front row with the other crouching

[willywombat]

Bernie, I remember you well mate, we met a few times

[steamer]

Do you have any memories, or even better pictures, of Melvin of Steamers fame

Send me a P.M and I will give you a shout.
Steamer

[Pat McMahon]

Cheers Bernie. I always wondered what Giddy was doing at a bus stop since I first saw that photo in the programme.