Date of First Visit: 10th AUGUST 1976
BOOTHFERRY PARK, KINGSTON UPON HULL
HULL CITY 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0
ANGLO-SCOTTISH CUP
ATTENDANCE 4,715
"DON'T CROSS THAT RIVER!"
The most famous thing that comes from Hull iz the suspension bridge that spans the Humber, SO l-o-n-g, that when they built the towers at each end they had tih be slightly oot of 'sinc' to allow for the curviture of the Earth!. <(It's true I tell yoo!)
After that it's the City's two Rugby League clubs, 'Hull' and 'Hull Kingston Rovers'.
The thord best thing tih come from Hull iz said tih be the nightlife in the city centre where 'stag neets' and 'hen does' dee the roonds (not az good az the Bigg Market or Quayside, though!)
Finally!--wih come to 'Hull City F.C.' who were the 'poor relations' of the city, (in the 1970's at least) and who's 'claim tih fame' iz that they came from the largest city in England NEVER to have had a club in the top flight of the Futbaall League with a population of ower twice that of the Toons! (SOME 'claim'?)
In the 1970's ah used tih gan tih Hull quite regularly in mee Lorry az R.H.M. Flour Mills who ah worked for in Gatesheed (nuw the new Baltic Art Centre next tih the Millenium Bridge) had a mill next tih the River Hull which splits the City of Kingston Upon Hull in half .
This in torn leads to the River Humber and to the North Sea beyond.
Hull Rugby League Club play on the west side of the 'Hull' (az do 'Hull City') and hated arch rivels 'Kingston Rovers' on the east side.
Nuw ah mention this for a very good reason, for RHMs' mill in Hull was on the east side of the river.
One winters day while ah was deliverin' tih the Hull mill, ah went tih the canteen for some 'Desperate Dan'.
Az ah waited in the queue, a big fat mill worker clocked mee Toon scarf that ah was wearin' and said:
"YA ON'T WRONG SIDE OF THE RIVER LADDIE!"---"THE WRONG SIDE!"
That's a strange thing tih say tih somebody, ah thought, so ah asked him what he meant?.
"THIS IS 'ROVERS' SIDE OF THE RIVER, GET BACK TO YER OWN SIDE!", he added pointin' menacingly at mee scarf.
Then ah 'tumbled' what he meant!. Coz ah was wearin' a black 'n' white scarf he thought ah was a Hull RFC fan. (who play in black 'n' white hoops!)
"NO!---NO!", This iz a NEWCASTLE UNITED scarf!", ah said, pointin' tih the club crest on the front.
"SORRY MATE!"---THOUGHT YOU WERE ONE OF THEM B*******!", he added az he 'sheepishly' scurried away!---- 'Pagger' avoid!, and ah settled doon tih eat mee 'scran' in peace!.
(Who says anly futbaall fans hate each other?)
*********************
Anyway!---and back to wor game v Hull City in the Anglo-Scottish Cup in '76'----Wih combined this midweek trip with a weeks boozin' holiday in 'Sunny Scarborough' and 'sunny' iz the reet word!, coz this was the summer of '76' when the heatwave went on for aboot EIGHT WEEKS!, withoot a drop of rain in sight!. (Oh for 'the good old days'!---in this day and age yi'd be lucky if a 'heatwave' lasted for aboot EIGHT HOURS!) (WHATEVER HAPPENED tih wor SUMMERS?)
Wih based worsels at the 'Granby Hotel', a smaall guest hoose not far from the seafront and on wor forst neet wih went on a 'bender' and got totally 'rat-arsed'! (Az yih de!)
This did'nt gan doon well with the guest hoose owner az 'Dylan' hoyed up on the stair carpet!, 'Santy' fell ower and smashed a potted plant on the forst floor landin'!, someone else (who shall remain nameless!) p***** the bed! (NOT me!) and AH fell asleep in a flower bed! in the front garden coz ah could'nt find mee key! (which was just az well coz ah could'nt waalk and would'nt have been able tih climb the stairs, anyway!)
NOT! the kind of 'bed' ah envisaged a'd be sleepin' in---but a 'bed' just the same!)
(GOOD START---EH!?)
Next day az wih 'tiptoed' doon for 'brekkies', (the manager eventually lerriz in, coz he said ah made the garden look untidy!) there were stoney faces and sore heeds aplenty and apologies aall roond!
Afta wor 'bacon'n'eggs' and black coffees wih made wor way tih the sea front for some fresh air tih stop wor heeds spinnin' and tih sober up from the previous neets 'gargel'!
Ah was the one that had tih drive tih Hull that day for this Anglo-Scottish Cup tie and ah insisted on havin' a few hours 'off the hootch' before ah got behind the wheel.
The others agreed AND!----'WENT ON THE HOY!' in the 'Newcastle Packet' (a well named 'waaterin' hole' ower the road from the beach) leavin' me tih 'kick mee heels' ON the beach!
("F*****' C***S!")
"YEE GAN AN' GET THE 'JAM JAR' AND WE'LL WAIT HERE FOR YIH!", shouted 'Burnsy' az he knocked back the forst 'Arthur', withoot touchin' the sides!
(like ah said!---"F*****' C***S!")
Afta a bit 'sulk' ah went back tih wor digs tih get mee 'Escort' which was parked in a side street next tih the guesthoose. Ah 'sneaked' past the front window tih avoid the manager az things were still a bit 'frosty' between us afta the previous neets 'shinanaginz'!
Ah picked the lads up (who were canny sorved again!) and wih heeded for Kingston Upon Hull, some forty miles doon the east coast.
On the way wih stopped of at Bridlington for a 'mid-jorney-gargel', (coke for me a'm afraid!---"sulk!"---"sulk!") but the place was 'deed and full of aad biddies and aad gadgies, so wih did'nt stop lang! (we were just 'young pups' in wor orly 20's)
("ER!"---NUW! (some 40 years lataa)---WE are the 'AAD gadgies'!)
(Time DOES! fly?---aboot ten thoosand miles an hour!---mee finx!?)
We arrived at Boothferry Park sometime later and parked up beside a boozer near the groond which unusually had SIX floodlights! (4 in each corner and 2 owerlookin' the halfway line) <(er! that's the groond NOT the boozer!)
The groond waz very impressive and had quite a bit of cover which waz unusual in them days!--There waz ne segregation and but the Hull fans seemed friendly enough az we stood in the end nearest the main road!
MATCH REPORT:
A thoroughleee cr*p game ended 0-0 and we heeded back to Scarborough unimpressed with wor performance!
END OF MATCH REPORT!
And the moral of the story iz!: "Divvint cross the River Hull wearin' a Toon scarf under any circumstances!"
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