As I mentioned briefly on another thread, three of us Saintees went through to Dens Park on a Sunday about twenty years ago to Dundee v. Liverpool. It was Bobby Geddes's testimonial and LFC brought a strong squad north. We had to get through at a silly time to get tickets as they were only on sale until noon or something IIRC. We then had to hang around for three hours until kick-off.

Near to Dens Park we were approached by three shifty-looking Scallies who asked us if we were "looking for programmes, mate?" One of them had a large bundle of programmes inside his jacket which were more than likely robbed from somewhere and what looked very much like a metal bar up one sleeve of his jacket.

On another occasion, the Saints game was postponed so I went through myself to the old Annfield to watch Stirling Albion v Queen of the South. Can't remember the year but it would have probably been early 90s, December-ish. Not many QotS fans at the game but one who was standing along a bit from me under the small enclosure behind the town-end goal spent the whole match smoking hash and I kept catching a whiff of it…never even offered me a puff. Possible date, score, anyone?

So, ever been behind enemy lines…

This isn't quite conciously going behind enemy lines but I'll stick it in anyway. When I was about 9/10 (late eighties) my uncle took me to Celtic Park to see them playing Motherwell, he was only 20ish at the time and he hadn't told my parents anything about this expedition. I don't remember much about the jungle experience as I was a bit young but it ended about 5 mins before half time as my uncle got lifted for giving abuse to a polis! I was taken down to the control room while they got in touch with my mum to come and pick me up. She was fuming that he had taken me without letting them know and my dad was raging he took me to Parkhead!

My Falkirk supporting mate used to have a pool table in his house, this was around 1987-88. We were finished at school and waiting to go to uni. Needless to say we played a lot of pool whilst drinking homebrew. To this day I still get better at pool the more drunk I get.

Anyway, bets used to get laid on the outcome of 5 hour long matches. One bet was the loser had to go the other's teams ground at then next Pars v Falkirk match. I bleeding lost and had to go to the bombsite that was Brockville. I would have loved to have got my mate into the Cage as trust me the atmosphere at Brockville was pretty similar. The venom spouted from the Falkirk fans was unreal. If I'd been pointed out as a Pars fan I was in no doubt I was going to get a doing. Even my mate who had been teasing me about giving me away saw that it would have been a dabgerous thing to do.

Falkirk went a goal up, that was horrible, the difficult bit was when we equalised and I had to hide my elation. I can't even remember the final score I was just glad to get out.

Doing a "Chadwell" wouldn't have been a bad idea mind you the police and stewards would have hawled me out anyway.

I am slowly working my way round all the league grounds in Scotland as a home fan so i am constantly behind enemy lines.

The worst for me was when I went to see Clyde. I somehow managed to find myself in the smelly old man section listening to them go on about the good old days of clyde and moaning about Thistle, while I sit there with my thistle strip hidden under my jacket trying hard to support the gypsys. Was almost physically sick having to celebrate them score. Never Again

The best so far was when I went to see Stenny at the start of the season. Nice friendly atmosphere, a local told me the history of the place and about the team. Enjoyed the match, had some good banter and gained a wee soft spot for Stenny

Why would you even wear your strip to a game that does'nt involve your team and why would you be supporting any team if you were a neutral as you say ?

I think your full of pish, infact that's why you were in with the smelly old men, as you were stinking of pish, ya inbred fucking tramp.

Still bitter from Saturday?

You are so fucking stupid. You can't critisise people constructively, so you just let rip with foul abuse. To think that you are in your 40's as well.

Back in season 03/04, my mate used to play for Motherwell and he managed to get me and a couple of mates some comps for Motherwell v Thistle at Fir park. We were told to turn up at the Main Door for 2:30 sharp where Chris McCart would give us our tickets. Due to us fannying about, we didn't arrive until just before 3. McCart was not impressed. He took us through the main door and up the players tunnel and into the Main Stand

Motherwell were winning 2-1 with ten minutes to go when Gerry Britton headed in to give us the equaliser. After managing to keep my mouth shut all day at the Lanarkshire b*****ds calling Thistle "Weegie tramps" amongst other things, I couldn't control myself any longer and started jumping about in the Main Stand. We were quickly ushered out by the stewards and were given all the abuse of the day by the surrounding 'Well fans. Needless to say, we wern't asked back

In the same season I sat in the Celtic end when they played us at Parkhead. We were on a terrible run at the time and when James Grady put us ahead, sitting on my hands and saying nothing was really difficult. I managed to keep my cover for the whole game as the surrounding soapdodgers would certainly have killed me.

Bitter Bitter Bitter!!

Normally I wouldn't wear a strip but seeing as i was going to the gypos it's a different scenario. I never said I was a neutral, I said i went as a home supporter. It's harder to be a home supporter of some teams than others. I'm sure even a smelly old man like yourself would struggle to be a home supporter of the jags if you decided to give it a go

I have stood in the home end at Stair Park a couple of times.

Once we got taken to watch Stranraer v East Fife as a 'treat' during this sports training camp in Stranraer that I went to while I was at school.

The other was with a Stranraer-supporting friend for a game against Queens. We flipped a coin to decide which end to go in. I lost. So did Queens, without much to cheer about along the way so not too many problems about having to restrain myself from shouting anything.

I was also one of the few Scotland fans to make it into the home end in Macedonia in September. I wasn't wearing a kilt and had bought a Macedonia top from someone selling them in the street. I got asked something in Macedonian at one of the checkpoints but just smiled and was waved through. I still think it might have been for the best that the home end wasn't full of Scotland fans. The Macedonian supporters sitting nearby looked pretty up for it.

A couple of years ago I headed through to the midweek match between Airdrie and Gretna as obviously the result was important to Saints at the time. My travelling companion refused to sit amongst the Airdrie support so there we found ourselves in amongst a healthy (in terms of numbers only) Gretna support, the majority of whom were fat 40-year-olds (of both sex) wearing full Gretna kits, shorts, socks, the lot. On the way out, Brooks Mileson held the door open for me. What a nice man.

There was trouble after the game, so serious was it that I was almost killed.

Who was the Clyde fan who was asked to leave NDP for his own safety a few months ago?

unfortunatley, i often attend st mirren games with mates.

went to support Hearts at the 2005 scottish cup final against Gretna, ticket paid for by the late Brooks Mileson, was in Gretna section wearing a Hearts top(bought specially for the occasion)

supported Rangers at a couple of games in the past

erm and when visiting relatives in Caithness watched a Wick v Huntly game not sure if that counts as being behind enemy lines though

But it was the policeman's fault!

I've attended a few Clyde games when Thistle weren't playing and have never felt the need to hide. I also sat with the St Johnstone fans during our recent visit to McDiarmid and managed to assist the ghost of Jim Morton in making a huge tit of himself.

It was indeed. I think he was more shaken than anyone involved to be honest!

I think you missed another occasion out, bawbag.

Fuck me, how did I forget about that!

Myself and BA went down to Old Trafford to watch Liverpool played United in January 2006. Our tickets were in the United end and sat the row in front of us were several old skool casuals, who spent more time facing the Liverpool fans making slit-throat gestures than watching the match.

We got into the ground early on after having a good look at what is a wonderful stadium and were latched onto by a female steward. Making conversion she asks if we are United fans... neutrals we say. This is her cue to open into a rant about how high security this game is against this club who have fans that murder their way around Europe. She gave us some shite about how they bring in a whole different security team for the visit of these scumbags.

Cisse misses a great chance for Liverpool and even then not a flicker from either of us but as the game enters injury-time, Ducky Ferdinand heads home the winner and the home end erupts but for two folk who soon realise they are still sitting in their seats. We realise this is maybe our chance to make a quick getaway but not before some Manc tries to celebrate with me on the concourse inside the stand. Thankfully we missed Ratboy Neville's celebration in front of the Liverpool support.

The Phoenix from here said that it was £2 cheaper for students to get in the home end, than the away end. Me and my two mates went through the Stirling end, went up to a steward and went "sorry mate, we were so sure this was the Thistle end. Anyway, can we get in the away stand?"

Basically we walked round the stand, and there was a steward waiting for us at a wee door, and we were let in the away end. Great saving, which I think I used to get a poorly heated Forthbank pie.

I used to work in Parkhead in the hospitality, and we played them in the league cup that season (2002/03, the one that went to 9 penalties each). Being young and naive I almost wore my Thistle scarf on my way to work, but thankfully didn't. Thistle scored first and I was practically jumping around the room, so I had to hide in the cupboard to celebrate, as there were quite afew hardcore timmies dining in the suite. I spent the whole of extra time and penalties in an unused executive box with some Rangers fans watching the game. I was totally gutted at the end, it was one of our best chances against the OF in years.

The thing that I will always remember about them is that they all seemed to have a never ending cup of coffee that didn't seem to get cold. It must have been a magic lid they had on it.

That and the fact they all looked like had been working at a fun fair prior to the game.

Being scared to shout obsenities about losing a last minute goal until we were back to the car was bloody hard. Manc c***s.

Sat in the Celtic end that game as well with a few friends.

All I can remember from it was a very large and noisy Thistle support, the linesman not giving us a goal on a ball that looked to have crossed the line and a wee old lady saying she couldn't watch the penalties and would look at my face for the reaction...told her I was the wrong person to do that with which she took in good spirits. We had 3 penalties to win that game and managed to miss everyone, totally gutting.

I'll check possibilities later because my records are at home, not at work, but it almost certainly wasn't in the early 90's.

I've been going to Queens away games since July 1991 and I've never seen us play at Annfield. Could have been 1990 itself I suppose if we shared a division with Stirling back then. Like I say, I'll check it later.

Very true! There was one boy who wasn't so subtle though, openly drinking out of a hip flask until a steward (maybe even our own super-steward) approached him and... simply took it off him. At McDiarmid you'd get the jail for that and down there, if it had been a Liverpool fan, she'd have had the riot squad in to deal with all these hardened criminals.

As to the subject, I've been to loads of games as a neutral. I don't really think that was the point of the question was it? I went to the Airdrie v Stirling 2nd leg play off final (sat in the Airdrie end with RedV).

I went to Hamilton v Stranraer a few seasons back midweek near end of the season when we were chasing Stranraer for survival (sat in the Accies end obviously). But then I went to the Stranraer v Partick 1st leg play off game at the end of that season sat in the Stranraer end and supporting them for the day. I went down to Raydale 3 or 4 times when Gretna were in the league, although they were all before they reached our division. The first time was in their first season, pre-Mileson, and I wanted them to win a Scottish Cup tie with Cove Rangers (which they did). I went a couple of times in their second division championship season, hoping they would lose. Saw them lose to Forfar at home from the away end. Went in the home end v Stirling Albion though hoped they'd lose that one too but they won 6-0.

Because I'm normally in the press area at our away games that's within the home section in most grounds so I quite often "support" us from the wrong end of the park. Never really had an issue at this level though. I'm fairly reserved with it, though sometimes get carried away with last minute winners! I remember leaping around when Stephen Payne scored last second at Firhill a few years back and to their great credit the nearest couple of Partick fans to the press box turned to me and said "Aye fair enough mate, Queens deserved to win".

Only once that wasn't a freebie - a Fife derby game at Startks Park in 1992, just at the beginning of the (thankfully now long gone) wee team glory spell. I was pretty young and we stayed in Kirkcaldy - my Dad couldn't be arsed going through to Dunfermline for tickets for the away end so we ended up with the Rovers fans on the terracing in front of the main stand. Not a particularly enjoyable day - we lost 1-0 with Stevei Crawford scoring his first senior goal.

The press area at Broadwood is murder, and a couple of times I've been doing live updates fro dafc.net there, and just gone out and sat with the Clyde fans in the stand with the laptop on my knee. Again, not a particularly good experience, sitting there miserably typing while they beat us 2-1 last season.

I mind once at a home game, me and my dad started yapping about fitba with this random we'd never seen before. It was a game against Hearts, and I really really despise Hearts. Anyway, it turned out that this guy was a Jambo, but he was absolutely spot on the whole game. We had a good chat about the Pars, Hearts, and fitba in general, and it was a good laugh.

We're finished.


How does that work? Do you call the clubs beforehand to inform them you write match reports for the OS and ask for access to the press area, or does the club do it on your behalf?

I was at the Dunfermline end for the League Cup final against Hibs in the 90's.

My dad said it would be the only time I would get to see a Fife team in a Cup Final

3 mates and I had tickets for the home end in Prague. Scotland were 2-0 up with 15 minutes to go and some czech skinheads were starting to take a keen interest in us. I've never been so relieved to see Scotland lose 3-2 in all my days.

Earlier in the evening we'd had to leg it after some (other) skinheads took offence at the blue'n'white hammer and sickle my mate had painted on his face. They accused him of being a "bolsheveka", whatever that is.

While the haranguing was going on my other mate had decided to swap his Scotland top with one of their girlfriends in exchange for a czech scarf and a snog. Not his best move ever.

Stuart

You could ask Leanne about that one - she seemed to get pres passes without a problem

For home games. In saying that, she didn't actually sit in the press box.

Nice try.

The away club will give the home club the list of folk who are there to cover the game for anything 'official' to do with the club. When you turn up, someone usually checks that your name matches what is on the list. In saying that, at a few grounds you could blag it quite easily though because they don't check - doesn't happen too often now, and maybe not at all now that Accies aren't in our league any more...

I'm doing Dundee United and Hibs this evening and am subject to their sooper-dooper clearance system, apparently designed to root out terrorists. Tonight, my name is "Number 5" and under no circumstances am I to loose my pass card. Heavy duty.

I've stood/sat in the "wrong" end for a load of games.

Most memorable were Falkirk-Airdrie at Brockville around 2002 and Aberdeen-Airdrie in the cup in 1996.

At the time of the Falkirk game, we had great problems extricating ourselves from the boozer before away games, and in typical fashion had rolled up to the home turnstiles at 3.25, the away end being closed by this time. After paying a fiver each into the boys' gate, we made our way to the segregation fence with the intention of securing a transfer, as this fixture could get a bit hairy.

We were made to wait at the gate for around 10 minutes whils a succesion of jobsworth bawbags procrastinated without actually allowing us through. By this point, the locals had clocked what was going on, which made for some lively discussion. Out of nowhere, Mark Roberts lashed a screamer home to put us 1-0 up, at which point the previously unconcerned stewards finally opened the gate and all but threw us into the away end. The rest of the game (a 2-1 win for the Diamonds) was enlived by much exchanging of insults at the fence.

For the Aberdeen cup tie, my mate and I had comps for the main stand. A couple of fresh faced 16 year olds in red and white scarves aroused no suspicion from the home lot, until we took an unexpected lead halfway through the first half, leading to an involuntary eruption of joy.

We were showered for abuse for the remainder of the game, spiking first when the Airdrie fans unveiled a huge Union Flag then launched into "Sheep Shagging b*****ds", later when Windass equalised and finally when Paul Bernard scored their winner with a minute to go.

I've never been happier to leave a ground.

Been in the home end at Elland Road when Cardiff were in town...after Peter 'Magic Hat' Thorne's equalising penalty they rumbled me even though I was quite subdued. At the final whistle under a torrent of abuse from the adjacent Bluebirds I responded with an Ayatollah, went down well with the travelling fans, didnt go down well with the 4 Leeds skinheads behind me.

Had similar problems when sitting in the away end at Highbury (fleeced by a tout) when Villa were in town, me and a French fella I got chatting too applauded Henry onto the park, for the rest of the game I could feel daggers in the back of my skull from the bald brummies 2 rows back.

The club does it.

As does pretty much every other club. They almost all do it these days.

A few years ago when Saints went down to Dens I sat in the Main stand( as a result of a stupid bet) with a mate of mine who is a Dundee supporter. It was wall to wall Dees fans and I was on my best behaviour for the entire match . Saints were getting pummeled 1-0 and played fucking awful. Dundee never took advantage though and the local's were getting restless as the game went into added on time. Now my memory's not great but what I do remember was the about 4 or 5 minutes of stoppage time had been played, the Dees were baying for the full time whistle and then gloriously a dark blue ( It might have been Lee Wilkie??) managed to do what no Saints player could and scored an own goal. At that point I could help myself no longer and along with the Dees fans I was on my feet going daft ( for different reasons obviously)It took a few seconds for them to realise that I was celebrating the goal. My mate had to physical restrian me at that point but not before I had been spat on and verbally abused by some very irate Dundonians.We then had to wait for the stand to empty before venturing outside and legging it to the car. I must have been fucking nuts

I have also been to St.Mirren Park 4 times ( only once to see St.Johnstone and have sat in the Midden end each time . They were relatively friendly......

Well thank you sir. 4 times..........really.

I used to go to a youth club in Kirkcaldy with my mate's, and we had to go collecting for the club and we were sent along to East End Park with our collecting tin's. After we'd done our stint we were allowed to watch the game. It was Dunfermline v St Johnstone, a unanimous decision was made. f**k sitting with the Pars, we decided to stand with the Saintee's. Anyway a bunch of Perth twat's shouted "get intae they Fife c**t's". I was secretly fuming but what can you do.

Then a couple of year's ago my mate's and i went to Bayview, it was East Fife v Dumbarton. TBH it was a big pile of Shite and so was the game . I decided after that never to watch another game as a neutral, it leaves you with a shite feeling when you should be supporting your own team.

Incidentally the Pars won

One of my best friends is a Midden fan so occasionaly if the real McKoy don,t have a game we pop doon there. Last time was when we were supposed to be going for a day out to Dingwall to watch Saints, but it was postponed on the Saturday morning and we were already at the train station. We wanted a day oot so he suggested we went to Paisley. I have to say I cannot recall who it was the Midden were playing.??? I remember now, it was Dundee Utd, it was raining ,it was 0-0 and it was SHITE

Bollocks,i've never seen a 0-0 game at Love St,ever.

I remember going into the home end at Stamford bridge in the mid 80's when Wimbledon played there. I think it was near Crimbo and I wanted to get a quick get-a-way to attend a works Christmas party in the evening and away fans were kept in for ages in those days. Wimbledon won the game 5-2 and it was agony not being able to celebrate the goals incase one of the neandrethals in the Shed saw me. I also seem to remember a cracking own goal from a certain Chelski legend called Doug Rougvie the same day.

Also seem to recall a time at Villa Park when the Wimbledon fans were put ion with the Villa fans in error during a game. It sort of kicked off but was quickly sorted out.

Can be very easy to blag in at some grounds - I won't mention which ones. :-)

On two occasions people have pinched my press ticket. Once at Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup but that wasn't a problem because I was making a beery afternoon of it and was paying through the turnstyle anyway.

The other time was more problematic. All ticket fixture against Rangers at Ibrox. The person responsible denied it was them but it couldn't have been anyone else (that particular group were given two tickets and three of them were at the game - hmmmm). To their credit Rangers couldn't have been more helpful and it was all sorted out.

Anyway, it can be difficult sitting on your hands so to speak when you team scores while sitting in the press box. A penalty shoot out at Parkhead was difficult and I still don't know how I kept quiet when Damon Gray scored at Ipox last season.

Oh yeah.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/s...ups/7221860.stm
or
http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/index.ph...mp;showentry=96
or
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/s...rem/7701235.stm
or
http://www.football.co.uk/match_reports/st...k_1202987.shtml

I could go on but I don't have all night

I was sarcastic,you do realise that.

You weren't were you .......................................................Of course I do.

One question then.

Why take the time to post even 4 links? You're weird

Went to a St. Mirren - Stenhousemuir CIS cup tie at Love Street. Simple 3-1 win for St. Mirren against 9 men but the Stenhousmuir fans provided some entertainment. There were a group of younger guys who just sang their way through the game and came up with a few good songs, and the other ten fans or so just spent the game shouting across the stand to each other about how bad Joe McAlpine was.

Edit: Obviously I wasn't behind enemy linesas it were as I was in the away end, but I had a good bit of banter walking back to the train station with some St. Mirren fans.

If I had been serious I could have found plenty more...It was a....

As a student I had a zonecard, so I could travel to games for nowt and only have to worry about turnstyle money.

I therefore opted to stand behind the goal in the home end at Love St, mainly because the games I saw were against teams who brought feck-all in the way of a support midweek.
Saw -
skunks 3-2 Dundee (Dees were 2-0 up)
skunks 1-0 Dundee Utd (Mad monk scored the only goal)
skunks 1-0 Pars (think Abercromby was playing for the Pars)

Later I sat in the stand for a couple when our own games were called off

skunks 0-0 Clydebank (Davie Cooper played that day as a sub)
skunks 3-1 Ayr (after game had been previously abandoned at 1-1 due to fog)

Have seen many other games at other grounds since, including Love st, but always gone to the away end.

I've seen the pars once from the home end at Ibrox. Apart from that, and not really behind enemy lines, but I remember when Falkirk and Dunfermline were battling for the first division title, 93/94 I think. The pars game at Dumbarton was postponed close to kick-off, so on the way home quite a few of us stopped off at Brockville for Falkirk v Brechin. We were in the away end, with a handful of Brechin fans. One guy was wearing a half Brechin, half Hearts scarf! I left my pars scarf in the car, but a few guys kept them on to taunt the bairns fans with. It was funny when Brechin scored first, but Falkirk came back to win easily in the end.

Having checked Statto.com, I'm almost certain it was 17 Feb 1990. I remember standing watching the final scores in a television shop window in Stirling after the game to see how our rivals had fared, it was already dark and that's what made me think December.

Anyway, some great stories here lads, keep them coming.