Small Heath 0 Villa 1 - 1982

[Charlie8182]

I remember this for the 'you must be mad Saunders' chant, who left us a couple of weeks previous, before rocking up there which even to this day seems surreal to me.

[usav]

What shocks me from this game and other early 80's games from the Sty, is the amount of Villa fans in the home end.

Can someone put a timeline on this for me?  When did this stop becoming a thing and how was it ever OK past the mid-70s?

[JD]

Not sure when it stopped but I among loads of other Vikla fans were in the North Bank at Highbury in Nov 1993. Was when the clock end was being redeveloped.

[OzVilla]

We were in the Railway End in that Christmas game we lost 3-0 in 1982 I think.

The reverse didn't seem to happen from what I can recall. They never mention that though, doesn't really fit their 'Zulu' narrative does it.

[OzVilla]

What shocks me from this game and other early 80's games from the Sty, is the amount of Villa fans in the home end.

Can someone put a timeline on this for me?  When did this stop becoming a thing and how was it ever OK past the mid-70s?

Take a look at the game in around 78 when Andy Gray scores, it's about half and half in the Railway.

[LeeB]

What shocks me from this game and other early 80's games from the Sty, is the amount of Villa fans in the home end.

Can someone put a timeline on this for me?  When did this stop becoming a thing and how was it ever OK past the mid-70s?

Take a look at the game in around 78 when Andy Gray scores, it's about half and half in the Railway.

Same when we won the league.

[Chris Smith]

We were in the Railway End in that Christmas game we lost 3-0 in 1982 I think.

The reverse didn't seem to happen from what I can recall. They never mention that though, doesn't really fit their 'Zulu' narrative does it.

I can remember a couple of times when there were a few in the bottom right of the  Holte but after a scuffle were escorted down to the Witton.

[jon collett]

What shocks me from this game and other early 80's games from the Sty, is the amount of Villa fans in the home end.

Can someone put a timeline on this for me?  When did this stop becoming a thing and how was it ever OK past the mid-70s?

I’ve mentioned this before until up to the 90s seats were fair game for anybody to sit in.

Villa used to take over Highfield Road and wear colours openly.

Home supporters weren’t hostile and I can remember sharing jokes and sweets etc

Similarly I can remember the Everton semi at Villa Park and Wolves FA Cup games with lots of their supporters in Trinity Road. And always loads of glory hunters for Manure and Liverpool etc

I can’t remember when the hostility to away supporters in home sections started. Probably after all seater stadia.

[dcdavecollett]

Yep.

I've got happy memories of having friendly chats with away fans on the Holte when Villa were in the Third Division.

[kippaxvilla2]

Social meeja has had a big part to play.  My first season of going though was under SGT in division 2.  First home game against SHA was lively then though.  They had behind the goal and the whole of the Witton Lane Stand for some God earthly reason and they were on the pitch at one point when they scored.

[LeeB]

Social meeja has had a big part to play.  My first season of going though was under SGT in division 2.  First home game against SHA was lively then though.  They had behind the goal and the whole of the Witton Lane Stand for some God earthly reason and they were on the pitch at one point when they scored.

That was my first derby, 2-0 to them and us starting the season in further relegation form. Took a trip to The Hawthorns to wake us up and get us going I think.

[dcdavecollett]

I think the first win was at Leicester but the Albion win (against Big Ron's team) was early on in the season as well.

[kippaxvilla2]

Yes that was 2-0 again.  Waspish Warren Aspinall and Mark Walter’s with the goals.

[dcdavecollett]

I recall, about the turn of the century going to the Mansfield-Brentford game, where Warren featured for the visitors in midfield.

Being diplomatic, you could say Warren had filled out a bit over the years but had lost none of his waspishness!!

[ez]

It probably ended when paying at the turnstiles ended, whenever that was.