Old pic - any ideas?

[Houston Valiant]

I'll never forget that game Howjy it was on a Easter Monday and I went in the paddock with three of the lads from the pub team and Mick Pejic who was our manager,Pej.had got the day off because Stoke weren't playing until the day after and we managed to persuade him to go to the match with us.The match was mayhem,there were pitch invasions,police dogs had to separate fans in the Bycars and finally the referee got kicked to the ground at the end of the game after playing about 10 mins added time,in which Bolton got their equaliser?

That more or less finished our promotion hopes,Bolton went on to win the Championship,we finished in 6th place,4 points behind Notts.County who finished runners-up.We went on to lose our last game 5-0 at Wrexham and Pej's team went on to beat Wolves and Norwich in their last two games.

What a terrible end to a season.

 

Yes, it was played on Easter Monday. I remember that day so well. I was painting a pub , of all things ,in Tipperary , and had BBC Radio 2 on , with updates coming from Vale Park. They said that Vale were winning 2-1 in the 90th min. Ten minutes later it was 2-2. It was the worst Easter I've ever had. Depressed for a week after. I hate Bolton to this day. 13,000 + at Vale Park that day. Officially, that is.

[Howjy04]

I'll never forget that game Howjy it was on a Easter Monday and I went in the paddock with three of the lads from the pub team and Mick Pejic who was our manager,Pej.had got the day off because Stoke weren't playing until the day after and we managed to persuade him to go to the match with us.The match was mayhem,there were pitch invasions,police dogs had to separate fans in the Bycars and finally the referee got kicked to the ground at the end of the game after playing about 10 mins added time,in which Bolton got their equaliser?

That more or less finished our promotion hopes,Bolton went on to win the Championship,we finished in 6th place,4 points behind Notts.County who finished runners-up.We went on to lose our last game 5-0 at Wrexham and Pej's team went on to beat Wolves and Norwich in their last two games.

What a terrible end to a season.

 

I forgot about the ref getting it at the end.Absolutely mental.

[Heatwave]

I forgot about the ref getting it at the end.Absolutely mental.

 

We got off lightly I think - a small fine and crowd control notices going up the next season.

 

Wasn't that when the small fence went up in front of the Bycars as well?

[davidatpreston]

We got off lightly I think - a small fine and crowd control notices going up the next season.

 

Wasn't that when the small fence went up in front of the Bycars as well?

 

In some ways we were lucky as it was the end of the season, but that game as a nightmare of violence and controversy.

We only had an outside chance of promotion, as we had just blown it by losing 0-5 at Southend at the start of Easter - I lived down that way then and was really looking forward to that game and was devastated we could lose so heavily when a win would have put us right in with a good chance of promotion - there were no playoffs then.

A Spurs-supporting so-called friend came with me to Southend and thought it was funny when Vale went three down, by the end he was laughing too much for it to be normal banter, so I pretended to go off to the loo, sneaked out and left him to find his own way back to North London.

I didn't feel the east bit guilty as I'd paid his entry fee for the game and given the scrounger a free lift as well.

But back to Bolton - there was a toxic mix of Vale Bolton and even some Stoke fans and the Railway Paddock and Bycars were seriously dangerous and when the ref played all that extra time and Bolton scored things kicked off in a big way, pitch invasions, ref attacked, police dogs separating fans and more.

That season where we had a really hardworking squad that over-performed really, but when they got beaten it was quite painful with a few heavy defeats and we ended with a negative goal difference, thanks to letting 7 in at relegated Rotherham and 5 at Southend, Wrexham and Brentford also losing heavily 0-4 at Bournemouth and 1-4 at Bristol Rovers. There were 2 great cup ties at Vale Park, Newcastle in the league cup and West Ham in the FA Cup - anther match marred by violence - Vale being very unlucky to lose both of them.

After the Bolton game ended I had trouble getting safely back to Stoke station to get a train home, as some of the mayhem carried on a bit.

Interesting that 2 days before we had a crowd of 3,772 at home to Grimsby but 14,168 attended the home match with Bolton.

[Phil]

And the Bolton keeper in the photo is Barry Siddall, who joined Vale in 1982!

[Pops]

In some ways we were lucky as it was the end of the season, but that game as a nightmare of violence and controversy.

We only had an outside chance of promotion, as we had just blown it by losing 0-5 at Southend at the start of Easter - I lived down that way then and was really looking forward to that game and was devastated we could lose so heavily when a win would have put us right in with a good chance of promotion - there were no playoffs then.

A Spurs-supporting so-called friend came with me to Southend and thought it was funny when Vale went three down, by the end he was laughing too much for it to be normal banter, so I pretended to go off to the loo, sneaked out and left him to find his own way back to North London.

I didn't feel the east bit guilty as I'd paid his entry fee for the game and given the scrounger a free lift as well.

But back to Bolton - there was a toxic mix of Vale Bolton and even some Stoke fans and the Railway Paddock and Bycars were seriously dangerous and when the ref played all that extra time and Bolton scored things kicked off in a big way, pitch invasions, ref attacked, police dogs separating fans and more.

That season where we had a really hardworking squad that over-performed really, but when they got beaten it was quite painful with a few heavy defeats and we ended with a negative goal difference, thanks to letting 7 in at relegated Rotherham and 5 at Southend, Wrexham and Brentford also losing heavily 0-4 at Bournemouth and 1-4 at Bristol Rovers. There were 2 great cup ties at Vale Park, Newcastle in the league cup and West Ham in the FA Cup - anther match marred by violence - Vale being very unlucky to lose both of them.

After the Bolton game ended I had trouble getting safely back to Stoke station to get a train home, as some of the mayhem carried on a bit.

Interesting that 2 days before we had a crowd of 3,772 at home to Grimsby but 14,168 attended the home match with Bolton.

This was a frustrating end to my first season. The Bolton late equaliser was put down to a crazy throw out by Alan Boswell. He was off course ex Bolton and the lads gave him awful stick in the dressing room accusing him of gifting them the equaliser on purpose. There was a pitch invasion and a well known supporter did threaten the Ref.

[geosname]

Sadly I was there, at the game and on the pitch, although I cant remember much about it.

[Lornelounger]

For us All - was that pub team Pej managed the Miner's Arms by any chance?

I remember the Bolton game vividly because it was the first time I had seen violence on the terraces like that.

I was on the Lorne Street watching it all kick off in the Bycars - bricks and coins being thrown, police dogs let loose, fans climbing over fences to get at each other. It was very unpleasant.

I still maintain the match was fixed as well - too many coincidences for my liking in extra time. Mind you, I do like a nice conspiracy theory...

[Tosh]

There was a pitch invasion and a well known supporter did threaten the Ref.

 

Was that the elderly lady who stood in Lorne St who always gave the refs stick?

 

We did get our own back on Bolton with a very late goal in 1988...:D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IGckn-0YVUw

[davidatpreston]

Was that the elderly lady who stood in Lorne St who always gave the refs stick?

 

We did get our own back on Bolton with a very late goal in 1988...:D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IGckn-0YVUw

 

 

 

Possibly my favourite last minute goal of all time, and in the top 5 of all goals - only crucial ones for preomotion and things like Spurs game beating it. We hadn't beaten them in the league (had one cup win) for years before that if I remember rightly.

[fairportnick]

I remember driving past the Foaming Quart, just as a load of pool cues, balls and glasses came through the (closed) windows.

[ELDERBEZZA]

This was a frustrating end to my first season. The Bolton late equaliser was put down to a crazy throw out by Alan Boswell. He was off course ex Bolton and the lads gave him awful stick in the dressing room accusing him of gifting them the equaliser on purpose. There was a pitch invasion and a well known supporter did threaten the Ref.

 

One of the worst keepers ever at Vale Ray.Glad to see the back of him!!!

[big ee]

What a game. Remember it well. Stoke fans used to come up the Vale if there was a big following expected. Bolton fans were in the bycars but when the Vale hooligans arrived at 3:05(which was normal) all hell let loose. Bolton fans were squeezed into what is now the family stand and Stoke fans into the paddock. The 10 minutes extra time was ludicrous and a very painful experience as it ruined our outside chances of promotion. Like other posters I've disliked Bolton and since. As for Keith Styles.....enough said.