Just found a late 1972 newspaper under carpet in my parents old house which is being renovated.
Boxing Day 1972 and Pompey drew 1-1 at home to Swindon with a crowd of only 7900! (old div2). We were sat just above the relegation places.
I was one of them - still got the programme and there's a tick against Brian Lewis so I guess he scored that day. I was only a kid then and every game felt like it was packed out, with the noise and where I stood with my uncle on the NS curve round to the FE always being busy.
Happy days.
Old div 2 - wow that gate is chronic
Or do you mean 17900?
(16-02-2022, 08:54 PM)Pompeyloyal Wrote: [ -> ]Old div 2 - wow that gate is chronic
Or do you mean 17900?
7900 (was slightly more but below 8000) as recorded on the back page of the Daily Telegraph.
(16-02-2022, 12:34 PM)Rick Pumpkin Wrote: [ -> ]I was one of them - still got the programme and there's a tick against Brian Lewis so I guess he scored that day. I was only a kid then and every game felt like it was packed out, with the noise and where I stood with my uncle on the NS curve round to the FE always being busy.
Happy days.
Brian Lewis eh? Good player.
Bloody hell that takes me back.
To when you could see properly?
In the mid 90’s we averaged roughly 9,000 per match. For a city the size of Portsmouth how could this happen? But it did
We weren’t the only ones. Football wasn’t the glamorous, overhyped thing it is now.
It was played on muddy pitches (I clearly remember the goalmouths, at Chelsea, being covered in sand), with supporters standing on crumbling terraces.
You used to actually see players in your pub.
We were able to change ends at half time, back then.
(16-02-2022, 11:28 PM)Cunninglinguist Wrote: [ -> ]To when you could see properly?
No, to a time when my knowledge of football was on a par with yours Cunning
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(17-02-2022, 12:08 AM)West Australian Portsmouth Fan Wrote: [ -> ]In the mid 90’s we averaged roughly 9,000 per match. For a city the size of Portsmouth how could this happen? But it did
My first game was home to Millwall in the 71/72 season and I know the crowd that day was about 15,000, and that was typical for the time. It seemed to gradually drop through the decade and I'm sure in the late 70s one game (possibly against Doncaster) we just shaded 5,000. But then shortly afterwards we were seeing great crowds for Div. 4 matches and those of us the wrong side of 50 will remember 32k against Middlesbrough in the cup, 24k against Bradford and not a lot less the same season when Huddersfield visited.
I spent the 80s in the RAF and didn't get to see as many matches as I would have liked, but recall large areas of empty NSL terracing even during the promotion seasons under Campbell and Ballie, so it's always been cyclical. Obviously the ground work doesn't help but I see similar this season with lower attendances after a few decent years where despite what happened on the pitch people still turned up in greater numbers than you'd expect. But that's a different thread entirely!
The economy will always affect crowd numbers and the 70s/80s weren't too great in that respect and I imagine it's also why numbers are a little down now too.
Can remember watching Pompey behind metal fencing in a very sparsley populated NSL.
No idea what year that would have been though
(16-02-2022, 09:47 PM)exgaffer Wrote: [ -> ] (16-02-2022, 12:34 PM)Rick Pumpkin Wrote: [ -> ]I was one of them - still got the programme and there's a tick against Brian Lewis so I guess he scored that day. I was only a kid then and every game felt like it was packed out, with the noise and where I stood with my uncle on the NS curve round to the FE always being busy.
Happy days.
Brian Lewis eh? Good player.
Bloody hell that takes me back.
Brian Lewis - a player I mentioned on another recent thread that I was especially sorry to see leave Pompey, though he had a second spell with us later, probably including the match referred to above. I think he was a Pompey fan too, and also played in that incredible cup win by Colchester over Leeds around that time. Died sadly too young.
when the fratton end was knocked down, the atmosphere fell away as did the crowds.
crowds of about 7000 were low but not that unusual as the club fell to the basement before that too.
Always able to draw in big crowds but not the norm week in week out
I played against Brian when we were just nippers, he playing for Old Woking.
Awful pitch, mud baths for goal mouths.
Everyone knew that he was destined to become a good player, but I often wondered after why he wasn´t in some academy.
(16-02-2022, 11:28 PM)Cunninglinguist Wrote: [ -> ]To when you could see properly?
(17-02-2022, 03:06 PM)oi oi saveloy Wrote: [ -> ] (16-02-2022, 11:28 PM)Cunninglinguist Wrote: [ -> ]To when you could see properly?
Actually it made me laugh too
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(17-02-2022, 10:56 AM)Isaac Hunt Wrote: [ -> ]Can remember watching Pompey behind metal fencing in a very sparsley populated NSL.
No idea what year that would have been though
Late 80's I think.
They all came down after ´89 Hillsborough
Brian Lewis v good player sadly addicted to alcohol.
He did punch Terry Paine in the mouth once so bit of an all rounder.
I was working in Newcastle in the early 80s. Crowds there were around 20,000.
(17-02-2022, 12:50 PM)Isaac Hunt Wrote: [ -> ]I played against Brian when we were just nippers, he playing for Old Woking.
Awful pitch, mud baths for goal mouths.
Everyone knew that he was destined to become a good player, but I often wondered after why he wasn´t in some academy.
You from the Woking area Isaac?
I may have seen that punch, away to scum, late 60;s I think.
Lewis and Roy Lunnis kicked Paine to pieces all game, to be fair Paine gave as good as he got.
Cracking game ended 2 2 harry harris got a late equaliser with a long range screamer. A big improvement on the 2 5 defeat at Fratton.
This was just before hooliganism reared its head, fans mingled without animosity.
The above post should have been in here