As I said earlier Chris if you were in that West Stand when the missiles started raining down all of which was carried on video's which spread like wildfire you can see why no-one want sanction such arrangements again. It was scary with kids screaming and mothers covering kids heads and it's still raw.  Just a shame for all the decent Robins fans who can't get tickets as again the few spoil it for the many!!

Can't remember us being first and second at a Derby with the exception of 84 The railway carriage was spot on think it was a tote office for the dogs too. Sure was a strange place do you remember the Tote Board end where we all stood behind privet hedges in the late 70's? 

We may have been 1st & 2nd the previous year also (April '83), but not wholly sure on that.


The April '83 Boulevard derby was postponed by a couple of weeks, I think, due to our Challenge Cup involvement. We ended up meeting a little later on a Friday night game (possibly?) in what was essentially a title decider. We ended up running out easy winners that night (21-3ish?) and simply strolled to the crown after that.


Being a high-octane early eighties derby, that night was not without incident either! culminating in an all-in 26-man brawl around the hour mark. This resulted in Gary Kemble and John Lydiat being given their marching orders. I think they were dismissed for being the only two players who didn't throw a haymaker during the melee, think all other 24 players landed at least a couple of direct hits on the opposition!! 


All good clean fun, eh!! But there sure was some tough hard-nuts on that pitch that night. Heaven only knows what they would make of some of the penalties and sending-offs being dished out today. Most of those early eighties Fc-rovers forwards would be lucky to play half a dozen games per season by today's standards!!


PS I'd forgotten all about those privet hedges, but I can picture them now. We all used to cram onto the crumbling terraces at the Holderness road end on derby day, peering over the top of those hedges!!!   

I remember the tote board but no privet hedges but was early 80s before I started going to away derby games so maybe they'd chopped them down by then

I was at the boulevard in 83. Don't remember too much about the game other than I think we scored off a kick which rebounded off the post.  Threepenny went mad.  Great times

First Rugby league game I watched was there in the mid 40's when Rovers played Wigan. Mum and dad went to the greyhounds at that time and I followed suit about 10 years later. Did quite well as the lass next door to us was a kennel maid and she gave me some great tips!