Sometimes you just happen to be in the wrong place at a particular time. One such occassion for me was the 1980 Scottich Cup Final at Hampden Park, beween Celtic and Rangers. The infamous riot on the pitch.
I must immediately say that I was with the Celtic fans on the day but it all started so calmly My mates were from Johnstone, a suburb of Glasgow and I'd been up quite a few times to see the boys play. They had been telling me about Steve Archibald as a player who was leaving Aberdeen to come to Spurs that year.
On this particular Saturday afternoon we had been in the pub for a few and as we came out the group divided into two. There waiting for us were two buses, one for the Celtic fans and one for the Rangers. We had all been together beforehand but now it was time to go to Hampden. Our bus was packed. All local Johnstone boys who traveled all over during the season to follow the team....we got a match ticket and a ride to and from the ground. As we went, the songs began, all Irish Republican to a tee. Broad Black Brimmer...about an old trench coat. Fields of Athenry and another very Scottish one telling the story of a Celtic keeper John Thomson, killed while playing in 1931 against.....Rangers!
The pope was pretty popular in the songs and for some idiotic reason I shouted f..k the pope at the end of one of them. Silence decended immediately as all around looked at me. Fortunately my mate just pointed and said "ah he's joking" and the party went on with even more passionate renditions of songs I knew nothing about.
Having left the Rangers bus back in Johnstone things were very well organised by the police on the day. The Celtic and Rangers buses were required to approach Hampden by opposite routes. We never came within 200 yards of a Rngers supporter as we made our way off the bus and to the ground. The eighties were certainly a time of trouble at football in Britain. However, I found out as we alighted from the double decker why it was that so many scots got arrested at football. Pissing in the street! Yes, the police were arresting blokes for having a leak in the street....public indecency after drinking beforehand.
Entering Hampden was certainly a new experience for me as an outsider. It was an old stadium that desperately needed an upgrade. We stood right on the half way line next to the fence in what was a completely open side of the ground. To our left were the massed legions of Celtic fans. Green and white to a man. Strangely to me the silk banners and flags were old Irish! To my right were the blue and white supporters of Rangers also massed with hundreds of flags. To my surprise these fans waved British union flags. There was a distinct lack of 'scotishness' about the whole thing....instead both sets of supporters seemed to be something else for the day! We were right on the fence and during the game were exchanging friendly comments with the Rangers fans on the other side. There was no obvious aggreassion where we were and I mentally booked relief that the fanatics seemed to be at either end:) Celtic scored to win 1-0 in what was a scrappy game. Our boys were jubilant if a bit intoxicated. Then it happened. Just as the trophy was going to be presented. It went off. A young Celtic supporter, clad in green, ran to the Rangers goal, produced a ball and fired a shot into their net. He then celebrated briefly in front of them. Big mistake. It was a slight too far. He misjudged the distance and over the fencing came a posse of Rangers supporters. He was outflanked and they swept around to engulf him. Shocked our group on the half way line started to shout as a hordes of Rangers fans came on. "They are spoiling it for us!"........."It is our day.....we have won and they are coming on". In response the whole Celtic end emptied onto the pitch! Rangers then did the same.
As history will atest masses of supporters from both teams started to run onto the pitch. We stood there watching but suddenly the Rangers fans the other side of the fence started to throw bricks and bottles over at us. A champagne bottle wizzed past our heads and Hampden became a war zone! Self preservation kicked in for me and I tried to drag the boys away. 'You've won, you've won I shouted but somehow I seemed to be the only sober one there and the rest refused to move as a massive slow motion riot played out in front of us. About ten police on horses were charging end to end trying to bring order. An unflattering parody from the scots of the Wembley 'white horse final of 1923. Later, I read that when it started to go off there were only 20 police inside the ground. The head of police Iain McKie said "I'd watched it from the tunnel. Can't remember who I was with, but there wasn't many of us. They say there was 400-500 officers on duty that day. Well, I can tell you that the vast majority of them were outside the stadium by the time the match was over. There was nothing unusual about that. It was standard procedure. Most of the trouble at Old Firm matches took place outside the ground; fighting, urinating in gardens, all sorts".
Eventually we started back up the stairs and out of the ground. My thoughts shifted briefly to the English Cup being played that day, West Ham v Arsenal. I bet that was a bit calmer.
Outside the ground we returned to the buses with the Celtic fans. Of course the policing was great outside.....that is where all the police were...... we quickly made our gettaway in double decker safety.
Arriving back in Johnstone we all went back to the pub to celebrate. We had to get rid of all our scarves because you weren't to wear 'colours' in pubs on a Saturday....few fans then actually wore club shirts. Fortunately, when everyone, Rangers and Celtic fans were back together people were calm and normality returned. That evening, after the game, we all went off to a party, together!
Further reading:
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/rangersfc/Tom-English-looks-back-at.6282400.jp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thomson_(footballer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5hL6UbstyE
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