How many of us NEVER saw a game at Ayresome Park?

Was lucky to go once in the 94/95 promotion season. We beat Oldham 2-1 after going 1-0 down if i remember rightly.

I was 6 and it was my first game.
 
My son was born after AP was demolished.
I attended from the early 70's.
He stood on the terraces at the Hartlepool friendly and thought it was packed.
I tried to explain what is was like at the big games at AP, where you couldn't move and could lift both feet off the ground without falling. I think you really had to be there.
 
Used to go in The Holgate, right at the back in the middle. My mate would always start off the BEEEEEE OOHHHH...

Then on some midweek games we used to jump the turnstiles in the North stand
 
For nostalgic reasons can someone please post the theme tune (jaunty pop instrumental with a flute?) they used to play when the players came out? I can remember how it goes but not what it is!
 
Me.

First game was Charlton at home in the 2004/05 season.

Used to live round the corner from it though and had an Aunt who lived on The Holgate, used to make me laugh seeing a street called 'The Midfield'.
 
Everyone talks about how much they miss ayresome, but every time we go to an old ground people moan that it's a **** hole. :D
See loftus road next weekend.

I don't so much miss the ground or the atmosphere so much as the area around it. Something about going to a match to a ground surrounded by terraced housing. Especially at night.
 
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
Everyone talks about how much they miss ayresome, but every time we go to an old ground people moan that it's a **** hole. :D
See loftus road next weekend.

I don't so much miss the ground or the atmosphere so much as the area around it. Something about going to a match to a ground surrounded by terraced housing. Especially at night.
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There's certainly a lot of rose tinted glasses about AP. It wasn't bouncing every week. Gates got down below 6k in 93/94 season, and that's in the league, not the Anglo-Italian cup.
Could be fantastic, but so can the Riverside.
 
Frozen Horse said:
There's certainly a lot of rose tinted glasses about AP. It wasn't bouncing every week. Gates got down below 6k in 93/94 season, and that's in the league, not the Anglo-Italian cup.
Could be fantastic, but so can the Riverside.
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Agreed, some of the atmospheres experienced at the Riverside have been incredible, arguably better than those at the big AP games. Not sure whether the whole ground ever got singing at Ayresome.
More intense perhaps if you were in the middle of the holgate though.
 
Anton_Berg said:
people moaning about the free beer.
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I turned 18 a few months after the last match at AP, so it wasn't a major issue for me, but I can't recall anyone even having a beer in AP. I think it was banned for all of the 8 seasons I went there. Am I right and, if so, when did they stop serving beer there?

I always think if you really wanted to improve the RS atmosphere, you'd get rid of the beer.
 
The crazy thing about watching Boro at Ayresome Park in the 1980s was the amount of football violence, depending on the opposition. It was not unusual to be stood watching the game and at the same time the police would be hitting the away fans through the wire mesh fence with their truncheons! The away fans running and kicking the fence. That was entertainment itself if the match was boring!


There would regularly be skirmishes in the streets surrounding the ground and often well planned attacks by the Boro fans on the away fans as they knew the maze of alleyways better. Getting to and from the railway station up Linthorpe Road was an ordeal for many away fans if they were in groups and looking for trouble.

Whilst the Riverside is a much more modern, safer, and comfortable stadium it lacks the atmosphere of a full Holgate end.
 
Loved the place. I was born in 82 started going in 88/89 ish on and off full time for 90/91.

The memories of sat on a bar leaning into my old man and living life of the edge when we scored and he stepped back to celebrate.

The good days
 
Mountain Climber said:
Whilst the Riverside is a much more modern, safer, and comfortable stadium it lacks the atmosphere of a full Holgate end.
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That's the nature of standing though isn't it?

Correct me if I'm way off here, but the Holgate held a roughly equivalent number of fans to our current West stand, including the corners, in a much smaller area. The atmosphere created by that sort of density can't be replicated by an all seater stadium
 
red_harrington said:
For nostalgic reasons can someone please post the theme tune (jaunty pop instrumental with a flute?) they used to play when the players came out? I can remember how it goes but not what it is!
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Not sure about the flute but it was the theme from the power game no?



Edit: Just heard the flute... Never actually took that in on a match day
 
Music was clearly better at Ayresome. Apart from them playing Shakespeare's sister: Stay a lot. I song that couldn't be less suited to a football game there was a bit of fund about it.

Was anyone else there at the Tees Wear Derby when Jamie Lawrence come on as a sub? It was his first game back after being in prison and I swear we played "I fought the law and the law won" Over the tannoy?
 
SmallTown said:
Music was clearly better at Ayresome. Apart from them playing Shakespeare's sister: Stay a lot. I song that couldn't be less suited to a football game there was a bit of fund about it.

Was anyone else there at the Tees Wear Derby when Jamie Lawrence come on as a sub? It was his first game back after being in prison and I swear we played "I fought the law and the law won" Over the tannoy?
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Probably a bit of Mark Page comedy (the irony).
 
"The hooliganism really reduced the amount of games I attended early on." perhaps a stupid question, but out of curiosity I have to ask why ?
 
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