10 years ago today...

[Damo70]

Horrible night on and off the pitch. It was the only time I can remember us acting worse than them. I actually went with my wife that night and she will never forget it. She will also never go to the fixture again.

[tomd2103]

I remember it being really eerie walking to the ground that night and it was almost like a scene out of Orwell's 1984 with noone out on the streets surrounding Villa Park and the police helicopters circling in the sky.     

[cheltenhamlion]

It was like bottles replaced arrows with our own Agincourt on Witton Lane before the game.

Inside it was ugly and spiteful. The Blues fans daft enough to sit in our stands were severely dealt with.

How many times in the more modern era have you ever come across Villa fans fucking off out our stand, onto the track and into the away end?

Says it all really.

[Nev]

Reading this has sent a shiver down my spine, I vividly remember a 'nose being sent tumbling down the steps of the Upper Witton Lane and getting a few kicks and thumps as he went past.

Games like this are always worth recalling when people claim to enjoy playing the rags, particularly if they use the word "banter".

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It was like bottles replaced arrows with our own Agincourt on Witton Lane before the game.

I never knew it was bad before the game. After the game Witton Lane was the worst I've ever seen it. Bricks and bottles being hurled at the police protecting the knuckledraggers. To their credit, the police did an incredible job closing off Witton Lane, if the Villa fans had broken through their lines it would have been a bloodbath.

The one word that sums up the night is evil.

[cheltenhamlion]

They trot towards the away end, stand behind police lines and some verbals ensue. And then, volley after volley of bottles like we had been practising every Saturday morning since the age of 8!

[cheltenhamlion]

I could tell a few from inside the ground as well but Percy's is the best account of the atmosphere that night as it covers a chap and his wife who rather stupidly sat in with our lot.

[SoccerHQ]

Yeah about half 7 a whole train load of them got off at Witton and then continually chanted SOTV right up to the away end which announced their presence in more ways than one.

[Pete3206]

If only this match had been played on 01/03/03. It wouldn't get dredged up every year as if it was some sort of significant anniversary.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I was in the normally placid Trinity for this one. Unbelievable scenes.

Whisper it - and remove the violence - but I'd take an atmosphere like that over the sanitised shopping mall  premier league "experience" every day of the week.

[Dr Butler]

everything was horrible about that night, me and my mate drove up and could not wait to get away after the game seething that we had been brought down to their pathetic levels.

UTV
The Doc

[dave.woodhall]

I was in the normally placid Trinity for this one. Unbelievable scenes.

Whisper it - and remove the violence - but I'd take an atmosphere like that over the sanitised shopping mall  premier league "experience" every day of the week.

You can't have one without the other, though. That atmosphere was fuelled by hatred, pure and simple.

[usav]

I was in the normally placid Trinity for this one. Unbelievable scenes.

Whisper it - and remove the violence - but I'd take an atmosphere like that over the sanitised shopping mall  premier league "experience" every day of the week.

You can't have one without the other, though. That atmosphere was fuelled by hatred, pure and simple.

.....and booze, obviously.   

[dave.woodhall]

I was in the normally placid Trinity for this one. Unbelievable scenes.

Whisper it - and remove the violence - but I'd take an atmosphere like that over the sanitised shopping mall  premier league "experience" every day of the week.

You can't have one without the other, though. That atmosphere was fuelled by hatred, pure and simple.

.....and booze, obviously.   

I wouldn't say that had much to do with it.

[usav]

I'm not saying it's the only factor, but it's definitely a big one in my opinion.

I've been to derby games in the evening and on Sunday's at 12pm and there is a world of difference.  Yes, you still get the hostility and those that want to fight will still fight, but the evening games always seem to have more of an edge - and an afternoon of drinking would seem to be the main contributing factor (given that you have to be pretty creative to get drunk by 12pm on a Sunday).