Pompey’s 1985-86 season: Bans, crushes, a Carlisle nightclub and an agonising end
Pompey’s 1985-86 season: Bans, crushes, a Carlisle nightclub and an agonising endThursday, 5th Sep 2024 20:50 by Steve Bone
Everything has a spin-off these days, so why should View From The North Stand not follow suit? If you don’t know, that’s the name of my column in the Pompey programme, now in its 18th season in its current guise.
For 2024-25’s programmes, I have decided on a season-long theme – to celebrate our long-awaited return to the second tier of English football I am going to be recalling each of our past 21 campaigns in the ‘second division’ (called, at different times in recent decades Division 2, Division 1, and then/now the Championship). Neatly, this is my 44th season watching Pompey and it’s the 22nd of those in which we have been one below the top flight.
So, recalling all our second division seasons going back to 1983-84, my first one at that level, will take us up to the penultimate programme of the season.
The final column of the season will be some kind of celebration, either of this season or all those recalled during the year.
Anyway, what’s this article doing here? Well, my programme page allows for about 600 words and there are going to be occasions when my plea for people’s memories of a particular season gives me much more material than I have room for. So as not to waste anyone’s contributions, I shall use everything I get here.
You will always be able to read each column in the programme first – time for a quick plug, do buy one if you get the chance on a matchday, it is a decent read from front to back in my (biased) opinion – but watch out here after each one for the extra material.
Below, then, is the column from the Sunderland progamme, which was devoted to the 1985-86 season, and this version includes (much) more than you’d have read in the prog.
I am trying to pick a season for each programme that included a game, sometimes notable, against that day’s opposition, and settled on 85-86 for the Black Cats edition as I remember an early-season thumping of them a few hours after I’d watched England move close to winning the Ashes.
At the end of this, there’s a note about which season is next up in the trip down second division Memory Lane. Read on! …
WE BEGIN what will be, in this corner of the programme, a season-long recollection of all the ‘second division’ seasons we’ve had since 1983. And I knew by starting with the 1985-86 season I’d be jogging plenty of memories.
I picked 85-86 for today’s prog because it contained an early-season home win over Sunderland – 3-0 with Kevin Dillon, Nicky Morgan and Vince Hilaire the scorers in the first home game of an exciting yet ultimately disappointing campaign.
It was a season when Pompey were top ’til the autumn, in the top two for much of it, but ended with their second straight promotion near miss under Alan Ball.
Kelvin Shaw remembers almost every game!
He wrote: “Hard to believe it’s 2025 next yr & I’m talking about 1985 (incidentally the year I got married! ) & I can remember it like yesterday but can’t remember what I actually did yesterday on most days!
“Anyhow, enough of nostalgia, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of season 85/86, here goes as I flick through the fixtures via Pompeyrama. A season that ultimately ended with heartache after 4 defeats in the last 7 games. We started unbeaten in the first 9 , then after our first defeat 7 wins out of the next 8 and things looked great.
“For me the first big memory was the Cup tie midweek at White Hart Lane (I swapped my nights with a colleague so I could attend), although 0-0 they were in the top division and big favourites, followed by the replay where I’ll admit that was the most concerned I’ve ever been for my safety at football after the club decided to have pay on the gate after selling tkts and I was trapped up against a wall on the corner of the North Stand & Milton End, unable to move & people pushing & shoving & I’ve got nowhere to go thinking I’m going to get crushed if I’m not careful.
“After another 0-0 draw we won the 2nd replay after Noel Blake scored a header in the Milton End.
At the end of the year, Dec28, we beat Shrewsbury & that was the last time I attended a match with my dad who sadly died in 86.
“Into the New Yr & Villa in the FA Cup, a blood & guts cup tie which Pompey should’ve won but let in a late equaliser, incidentally one of the Villa scorers was a friend of mine from school who lived in Keswick Ave, Copnor, Paul Kerr, I’ve never forgiven him!
“After losing the replay 3-2 it was back to the League Cup again and a trip to the Manor Ground, we were terrible that night & deservedly were well beaten 3-1, the only thing of note was Gary Stanley’s screamer of a goal from long range. A disappointing night as there was a big following from Pompey that night.
“My next big memory is March a 2-1 home win v Millwall & Mick Quinn’s home debut, he scored of course off his backside – which he continued to do on many occasions thereafter. We should’ve beat Wimbledon in the next game but were frustrated to be held to a draw 1-1.
“Then Easter Monday & I got myself to the Goldstone Ground for a 3-2 win.
Again Quinny with 2 on the sheet & we were cruising 3-0 but held on at the end for a 3-2. Alan Biley played for Brighton that day and everyone of a Blue persuasion were convinced he was offside for his goal but it was not given but we held on for a valuable 3 points.
“Thereafter 3 straight defeats ensued putting paid to promotion. Just enough time for Scott McGarvey to give me his main memory a glorious flicked header in the Milton End in a 3-1 home win v Grimsby.
We finished up smashing Bradford C 4-0 on the last day but it was too little to late.”
Just as vivid in his recollections was Twitter/X follower @oldpompeypics, who wrote: “85/86 was memorable for me for a lot of reasons (turning 18, girls, alcohol, nightclubs, driving etc) so I have a lot of clear memories. Here they are…
“Pre-season a lot of pressure on football after Heysel/Bradford + no TV agreement so a blackout would happen. Pompey signing Mick Channon late in pre-season and me being amazed he started v Arsenal in a friendly (I thought he had come as a Youth Coach).
No Pompey Special Trains for first time in years – so was a lot of coach travel that season with a very ‘Northern’ Division.
“First day baking hot at Hull for 2-2 draw – Pompey attacking with 2 wingers (Hilaire & O’Callaghan) and looking good. Stuffing Sunderland 3-0 in game 2 – then going on to have 7 home wins from 7 with NO goals conceded. Nicking early away wins and Fulham and Huddersfield (that luck would run out in time).
“Massive lead after 14 games, after 4-0 win at Millwall – We were banned via an agreement between both chairmen.
Then 4 league defeats in a row – IN MY OPINION contributed to by the 3 tiring games v Spurs.
2nd away game banned at Bradford (That and Millwall only games I missed H & A all season). Great 3-1 win at Roker Park with Christensen and Wood scoring great goals.
“Going on Paul Banks’ first coach trip for Carlisle away – going via Man U v Arsenal (they keep cropping up) on the Saturday, then overnight stay in Carlisle (Pagoda nightclub was a good night out).
3-1 win at Wimbledon on NYD when everything Channon hit went in – Wimbledon actually battered us and missed stacks of chances.
“THEN THINGS TURNED… Losing at Villa in FAC3 Replay / losing at Norwich in top-of-table game which put them in seat for Title / surrendering at Oxford in Milk Cup QF.
Failing to beat relegation-bound Fulham at home – KEVIN BALL HEADING OVER AN EMPTY NET FROM 8 YARDS AT FRATTON END! Icy pitch defeats v Oldham and Blackburn going into March.
“Then a 2-1 win at Charlton after which Lennie Lawrence surrendered promotion – WE COUDLN’T MESS IT UP NOW SURELY! Decent Easter getting 4 points off Wimbledon & Brighton, both in top pack.
THEN 3 DEFEATS IN A ROW – first at home v worst Leeds side since pre-Revie / then midweek at Palace / then v bankrupt relegation-bound Middlesbrough!
“STOKE AWAY 0-2 WHICH WAS DAMAGING – GOING IN MINIBUS WITH PAUL BANKS & CO, AND IT WOULDN’T START AFTERWARDS SO WE HAD TO SLEEP IN IT ABOUT 14 OF US UNTIL GARAGES OPENED NEXT DAY.
0-0 at Sheff U – then 4-0 win on final day but Charlton and Wimbledon had previously won games in hand so both won that day to stay ahead.”
Simon Kidd remembered: “I was at the first game away at Hull City’s Boothferry Park and witnessed a very entertaining 2-2 draw.
“More to the point, I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to be a steward on a club coach taking 50 fans up north, which I gleefully accepted not realising what I was about to let myself in for.
“The travelling fans were well behaved, but I did make the mistake of putting together a 50 question Pompey quiz and passed these out as part of our journey to the match. All well and good, but I didn’t think about marking the 2,500 answers on the way back – I think I finished marking by the time we got to Newbury and handed out the GBP5 prize money to the very happy winner!”
Others to reminisce were:
Jamie Parkinson: “My memory of 85/86 is me and a mate going to Pompey 4 Carlisle 0 in August. They only brought 13 fans.
We counted them all!”
John Lish: “My favourite league goal that season was Kevin O’Callaghan’s solo effort at home to Huddersfield – out of keeping with a dour game.”
Paul Rixon: “Nicky Morgan scoring in each of the first five; playing Millwall on a Tuesday night and Wimbledon on the Saturday with John Fashanu playing in both; the Villa FA Cup tie being on TV, and Vince scoring a great overhead kick v Oldham on a frosty pitch.”
Wayne R W: “Car load of us from Whitehill went to Brighton away at Easter . Pouring rain as we queued to get into the open terrace . Mud heap of a pitch .
Pompey 3-0 up by HT . Happy days . Was actually in TK Max recently where the Goldstone ground was!
And the Tottenham League Cup trilogy. And whatever happened to Tommy Christensen?”
Wayne Harris: “Getting my first away kit (the superb white and blue one). Favourite game that season – the Easter Monday 3-2 win at Brighton, one of my first few away games) when we stormed into a 3-0 first half lead.
So many Pompey there and a great atmosphere.”
Mike Davies: “Bradford away. Drove up on the Saturday came off the motorway slip road nr Bradford as radio announced news of another game off – we went round the oundabout and then back on motorway home. The language in the car was not great when that radio announcement came on.
We overtook the Pompey coach on the motorway soon after. I was the only 1 in a car of 4 to go back up s few days later to the rescheduled game where Tommy Christensen was about to score an equaliser as the ref blew for full time before it crossed the line.
Bob Beech: “This is my 51st season & contrary to what many would have you believe most of them have been as mediocre Div 2 alsorans – 85/86 I can’t think of too many away I missed – Carlisle Sunday lunchtime KO 3 days before Christmas (& they moan about kick off times today).
Gary Oliver: “My first midweek game was that season. Spurs in the League Cup 2nd replay.
Still remember Noel Blake’s goal.”
Colin Farmery: “That was the season I saw Pompey play at not one, but two grounds at which our fans were banned.”
Thanks to those who sent in 1985-86 memories. Next up, for the WBA programme, hit me with your 1998-99 recollections. That season chosen because we beat West Brom 2-1 in the autumn and a debut making Luke Nightingale announced himself to the fans in scoring style!
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