Thursday 24 October 2013

002 joker park revisited 1970

GROUND NUMBER 2 revisited
DATE OF THIS VISIT: 27th MARCH 1970
JOKER PARK, BLUNDERLAND

BLUNDERLAND   1
NEWCASTLE UNITED   1  ('Jinky' Jimmy Smith)

(Old) DIVISION ONE
ATTENDANCE: 51,950 (at least 10,000 Toon fans in The Fulwell End!) (10,000 elsewhere!)


 
"THE GRAND OLD LEAZES END!"---

"WE HAD TEN THOUSAND MEN!"










  
This was mee thord visit to Joker Park and followin' on from mee forst visit in 1967 when we took half the Fulwell End, the next two years we brought more and more 'boot boys' to infiltrate the mackems 'hard end' and this time an attempt was made to take the whole of their beloved end!

The violence had been so bad in the previous visit in 1968 when darts, golf balls and aall manner of objects were hoyed at rival fans, that people even brung brollies to protect themsels from the incomin' missiles!


The train to Seaburn was (as usual) completely wrecked with seats, tables and even a carriage door bein' hoyed oot of the broken windows onto the tracks and the Toon fans were in a foul mood as we came into Seaburn Station.

Runnin' battles then ensued in the appropriately named 'Newcastle Road' as the mackems tried to ambush us but I have to tell you that they came off second best and fled doon the side streets as we desended onto Joker Park. It was pay on the gate as usual with ne segregation whatsoever and after a few hoose windows got caved in with 'half wollas' in the streets behind 'The Clock Stand' we heeded for wor destination---THE FULWELL!


"THE EASTER UPRISIN'!"

The mackems had beat us into the groond and were occupying the centre section of The Fulwell End as The Leazes Boot Boys made their entrance. As more and more Toon fans packed the terraces it soon became obvious that a mass fight was aboot to take place as the golf balls and darts rained in from the mackems section. By this time there were twice as many Toon fans as mackems and a 'charge of the light brigade style' was imminent!

With 'the Dibble' ootnumbered 'the charge' suddenly began as the home fans sang defiantly "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE THE FULWELL!"
before unfulin' a red banner which said the same

thing!

THIS! was like wavin' a red rag to a bull and it provoked mass fightin' as the boot boys 'laid in' to the ootnumbered mackems who were unceremiously chased onto the pitch and before lang the entire 'Ful'well End was 'full' of ten thousand plus 'black 'n' whites' on the rampage.

The displaced home fans were then escorted to the 'Roker End' where they bizarrely unfurled their 'YOU'LL NEVER TAKE THE FULWELL' banner once again, to huge laughter and piss takin' from the NEW Fulwell End occupants!


By this time the teams had ran oot the crowd had settled doon and the historic 100th competitive mettin' between the clubs was underway (my 'sixth' in total, by the way!)

The mackems were bottom of the leeeg and with The Toon in sixth position an away win was on the cards in this 'Easter Uprisin'!.

The Toon were well on top in the forst half and Wyn Davies and 'Jinky Jim' (Smith) havin' blinders but they were thwarted by Montgomery in the home goal who kept us at bay in a game played in a blustery wind.


In the sixth minute of the second period however the deadlock was broken when Toon winger Keith Dyson flew doon the wing (would you believe!?) and crossed to 'Jinky Jim' who met the baall porfectlee to volley a supurb shot past the desparin' Montgomery to bulge the net!





'JINKY JIM'

This brought wild celebrations in The Fulwell End as we danced and sang on the terraces.

However!—the win wasn't to be and helped by the wind which was behind them the mackems equalised when Toon born (and *thorn!) Dennis Tueart slotted in an easy chance to send The Roker End wild!

It ended one's a piece, but the oweridin' memory for me that day was the complete takin' of 'The Fulwell'

Er!—aa can feel a song comin' on!

"THE GRAND OLD LEAZES END!"---
"WE HAD TEN THOUSAND MEN!"
"WE MARCHED THEM UP TO JOKER PARK!"---
"AND TOOK THE FULWELL END!"

After the match we heeded back to Seaburn for the train and passed some allotments on the way doon a narrow lane.

A gadgie in a pair of wellies, who mindin' his own business, was lovingly tendin' his prized leaks in his greenhouse, when aall of a sudden a couple of hudred or so Leazes Boot Boys, who were packed tightly into the lane, broke his piece and desended on him. They started pullin' the wooden fences doon aroond his allotment to use as weapons against the mackems at Seaburn as the gadgie looked on horrified.

His greenhouse was soon reduced to a pile of broken glass as he cowered behind his leeks and cabbages as the mob went wild! 
To be perfectly honest I felt sorry for him as he obviously hadn't been to the match and probably hated football anyway! (if he didn't then—HE WOULD NOW!)

'The Dibble' were waitin' for us at Seaburn and hoyed us onto the train to avoid fortha clashes with the home fans.

The train back to The Toon was predictably wrecked again and after this visit the games were made aall ticket and we were 'banished' to 'The Joker End' forever more ! (neva to retorn to 'The Fulwell'!)

Footnote: At Blunderland's next home game the next day they attracted a crowd, some 33,000 less than the day before! They were relegated at the end of the season as well!

*Just to rub salt into wor wounds, six years later Toon born Tueart scored the winnin' 'bicycle kick'goal against us for Man City in the 1976 League Cup Final at Wembley as well!


PS: In my original match report which I got from the papers in The Central Library some years ago (of which I'v lost!) I just happened to gan to 'The Adelphi' pub for a quick 'gargel' afterwards and guess who was proppin' up the bar??? ---Non other than the derby hero and goalscorer, 'Jinky' Jimmy Smith!---I couldn't belive it and showed him the notes a'd just written to prove that aa wasn't makin' it up!---it was weird!


 
©Fink™ (the mad-sad grJundhJpper!)

www.geordietimes.blogspot.com

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