Blues draw Millwall away

Coulda been a lot worse!

That's not gonna be easy!

Palace v Spurs will be a tough game too.

I think if we can have a bit of luck, play well, and reach the latter stages, then we have a real chance in this competition. I always said this is a more winnable competition than the League Cup. Too many of the big games in the latter stages are inconvenient to the big sides still in Europe and going for the title or securing 4th.

Just kidding... fine Club – ask Tim Cahill. Wonder who he'll be pulling for? Surely Everton, but it's got to be a tough one for him.

Well done, Wolves, as well!

Shit-Outta-Luck FC!

Let's hope Marco Silva plays the strongest team.

Tricky tie away to Millwall, but not insurmountable, let's just hope we can get a bit of a FA Cup run going ourselves. It's all we have realistically unless we go on an unbeaten run in the Premier League, which looks unlikely at the moment but, as always, we live in hope.

Even now they still remember playing up here in 1973.

It's a one-off cup tie and it's not difficult in terms of Manchester City proportions but it's a hostile nasty environment that I do worry with our fragile mentality in certain players whether they'll be able to handle it.

After the scrappy show on Saturday against Lincoln, I'm not certain of anything.

This competition could open up for us, with an awful lot of luck.

I googled that game, but it's a bit all over the place.

If you, or anyone else, can explain what happened in 1973 as it was (well) before my time, I'd appreciate it.

We were drinking in a pub near the ground and a mate of mine, Sean, who's well hard (now in South Africa) goes to the bogs. So this likely lad follows him in and tries to push his face in the wash basin. Then Sean comes out and says to his Millwall mates, "You'd better go in and help yer mate out..." Classic!!

The good old days...

An ex-sister-in-law of mine married a Millwall fan in the '90s and he told me he was one of the 13 stabbed. Showed me the scar on his stomach.

Sorry, Rob, I actually posted before your post went up mate.

I was in the Street End that day. Horrible it was!

I'd start with the fan base first imho...Keep away dear god. and spray your negative waves somewhere.

BTW Mike (17). Same here too. Nothing at the game or outside but, god at the Old Haymarket (where North-based busses terminated) it was rotten, and St Johns Gardens was a war zone. Scarey.

I also saw us lose at Millwall against Sheringham and Cascarino.

Wakes up at the station surrounded by fellas getting off the train wearing blue scarves. This must be the place. He follows them to the ground...

The Den.

That's a very, very ugly story. I'd echo Neil – good riddance to those days.

I remember many moons ago, I believe I was in my twenties, seeing a piece on 60 Minutes – that's like a news "magazine" show over here on Sunday nights – about the violence in English football.

I had always thought, "I'm going to follow that someday, it looks fantastic", but, after seeing that piece, I thought, "I have no time for that nonsense."

About 20 years later, Everton found me and the rest is history. But I remember at the time how absolutely shocked I was at the roaming bands of thugs just looking to pummel other fans for no reason other than unadulterated violence. It sickened me.

We simply cannot afford to: strong side, get through. We have Huddersfield away. This draw could open up nicely if we take our chance.

It is becoming somewhat of a joke – much like the Mickey Mouse League Cup and the powers that be don't seem to give a monkey's either.

Do any fans remember when teams were heavily fined because they fielded second elevens (reserve teams back then) and kept the strongest eleven for the ''more important games''? Everton being a case in question back in the day.

I realize that the top six usually have ''second elevens'' stronger than most teams have starting elevens but it is insulting to their opponents and shouldn't be allowed.

I can think of countless times when I came close to taking a hiding but somehow managed to avoid it. Very ugly times and great to see supporters mixing much more now – I like to think that everyone has learned the lessons and moved on now.

I was drinking with Millwall fans in France a couple of years ago. They hate us. One of them told me he missed the last one but still gets down on his knees before every cup draw and prays for a home draw against us.

The silly fucker was about 70 and walked like a 90-year-old. If a fight breaks out, he'll never get there in time...

Millwall will be tough, let's not pretend. BUT if we go there with a serious team and are up for it, we should not be losing this. (Big 'but' – I know).

On paper, should be getting by with little fuss but I'm afraid about our mental side. The Den will be mad for it on the day so some experienced old heads needed, possibly a start for Baines again?

The draw's been kind so far so no complaints. Them being out is a nice touch too.

Sounds like their fans will be baying for blood. It'll be one to not miss. I'll probably buy a streaming one game pass if it's not on the TV.

Sir John @ 31 -

If Marco pulls a "League Cup" and doesn't field our strongest team, I'll go mental. We're not going to be relegated, we probably won't finish Top 6, all the ammo needs to be dumped on the FA Cup. Just that simple.

If Marco does anything less, a public hanging will be in order.

Millwall will be a tough ground to go to... but a few early goals will knock the wind out of them and quieten the crowd.

What happened was some Millwall fans dressed up in Clockwork Orange gear, came into Gwladys Street and a few of them were knifed. They remember it like it was the Boyne. I used to travel by train then and there were some incidents on the way down to Lime Street too.

If it's any indication, I'd have zero issues with taking my family now to see any footy match in England. I'd have no reservations and would not fear for my family's safety. You've moved on in my opinion, quite thankfully.

But I'd probably not take them to Millwall on the 26th...

If Silva does weaken the side, it always leaves me cold. I abhor it.

The club exists to entertain and win things. It makes it harder to support a manager when he lowers expectations.

We are not a side who can coast against anybody; Saturday shows that.

A very large group of Millwall fans (I'm talking several hundred) have never moved on from those dark days. They love their thuggish reputation. Geriatric "bovver boys" who have rearranged the furniture in many a stadium.

Comical from a distance, but you still need to be very wary of these silly 'arl fuckers.

Millwall away is not an ideal family day out.

Brent #47, cheers mate!

This draw could open right up though, and Evertonians have always loved the FA Cup!

We all went in wedding suits and were on the terrace on the side of the pitch. I asked one of the lads where the toilet was?

He told me at the back of the terrace, but whatever you do, don't open your mouth or you'll be dead. That's how much millwall hate Scousers, especially Everton fans.

Millwall's reputation proceeds them, even to the sunny confines of Northeast Florida to silly 'Merican fans. I know they're trouble.

I remember a few years ago – 5 or 6 maybe – in a League Cup game I think (?) they had a brawl break out between their own fans! Pretty sure that was Millwall?

They are, without a doubt, old-school as hell. I hope there's no ugliness. Traveling fans don't deserve to watch a game fearful of their safety. That kind of situation shouldn't ever occur in today's world in my opinion.

Looking at the competition and the draw, a win puts us in the final 16 and there's only five teams I'd pray not to draw in that round.

It's opening up. Go for it Marco! Please, God above, go for it.

Smell that? It's the whiff of hope....

Derby, West Ham, Stoke, Coventry, Tottenham, Chelsea. Getting away from the coach park behind the Kippax Street at Man City – survival of the fittest in those days.

The Millwall game might be a throwback. Let's hope the guys on the field are ready for it.

I've been in some hairy places in the '80s. But that is a day I won't forget.

Me, my mate, and his West Ham mate, gets to the ground about quarter past three, and there was a firm of about twenty Millwall, also getting in late.

They never gave us a second glance luckily, especially because the only team they hate more than Everton, is West Ham!

Tricky...

I think they were into football violence years before it became popular in the '60s and '70s.

If Silva holds back at Millwall, then we should hire The Donald as our next manager! At least we'll have an excuse for everything!

I actually liked Klopp in the beginning. But, as time rolls on, he's just excuse after excuse when things don't go his way. Perfect for them, and possibly a Cabinet position here in the States.

My God they do whine. Not a little, but like all the time. It's annoying as fuck.

As Troy Deeney said last year about Arsenal: "To survive the Den, we'll need cajones."

Brent @11,

A quick bit of research on the internet leads me to predict either ~2,000 or ~4,000 seats.

No problem! I hope we are allocated ~4,000 - I may get a ticket then.

No, I don't know any Dorans who were raised in Liverpool mate.

It should be okay –- just keep your heads down on the trains going to the ground.

They are bitter twisted old codgers and the new breed try to live up to the hype still strutting around in their Burberry caps and trying to act it up as the song goes:

“We are Millwall, No-one likes us, We don't care”

It's Millwall, lads – no-one actually gives enough of a shit to like or dislike them, lol.

I woke up on Wallasey Dock Road... no idea how I'd got there. No coat, dead phone – the lot. I'll never learn!

Maybe Silva should do the same for the Millwall game rather than risk getting our star players injured before the next big league game.

I think the FA guidance for cup ties is 15% so we should get at least 3,000 but, hopefully, the full 4,000.

Apparently not all the Millwall fans hold a grudge -- I went on their fan site and found this post from the moderator:

"I, with a bunch of friends, was at Goodison Park, 3 February 1973 when the roaring Lions saw off the Toffees 2-0 in the FA Cup 4th Round. Although disappointed with the result all the Everton fans in the ground were generous with their congratulations to us, as were the Everton fan owners of the Southport Hotel we stayed at overnight."

And this was the best post I found:

"Rather Everton down the Den than those poncing thief's from the red part of the city"

Anyway I'm already a happy boy – the RS are out and the Manure draw Arsenal away... that's both red sides I hate biting the big 'un. Glory hallelujah.

Fook Millwall. I survived Hadjuk Split away!

🤣🤣🤣

Their team try to play good football – not the blood and thunder insinuated. Millwall will be a good day out and I am looking forward to the game.

Then a bloke in the corner says "Hey mate, come over here". Told me his sister in law was from Kirkby and that I'd better drink with him and his mates. Said if I'd gone the other pub I'd have been battered. Ended up having a few beers with them. One of them asked if I wanted to know what they took to away games, they showed me a car boot with baseball bats, clubs, etc. They took me to the away end, we said our goodbyes and of course we lost.

Best of luck to all the Blues that go there!

It is unlike anything in the Premier League.

The surrounding area of the ground itself has this whole unwelcoming and generally nasty feel to it, that's even before you encounter any of the mutants there looking for trouble.

It's not a nice place to play football, that's about as polite as I can put it.

We have obviously got superior players than Millwall but often as we know, football is played in the head and we need mentally tough characters there to keep our Cup hopes going.

My guess is the television companies will be all over this tie in the expectation of an upset.

They reckon Chigwell, was to scared to go and get the ball for throw-ins, but I don't see that being a problem for Coleman, or Kenny, it's just the rest of them, I'd be worried about.

If the geriatric bovver boys are still around, Merseyside Police should bring old 'Black Beard' out of retirement to keep an eye on them. Back in the early 70s when most away fans made for the unsegregated centre of the Park End I recall watching him go over the Park End wall – often on his own (truncheon out) – to sort out fighting fans.

Older fans may remember him.

I went To Millwall accompanying a Sunderland friend. In the pub, a strange type of fight broke out; I realised that a guy had tried to stab someone, but the guy had booted him in the face.

We got to the ground, and thought it would be better to go into the home supporters. . . until Sunderland scored. Of course, the ejits I was with celebrated.

Someone said anything North of The Wash was a gasket, which my friend in his Yorkshire accent reacted to with ‘Bugger You'. Someone then said ‘If only' which defused the situation. Luckily Sunderland got beat, so we where able to get out of the ground.

Everton are going to need to be mentally tough in midfield.

We are actually playing against Millwall the team, and not the fans, but this is where a good Manager should be able to convince the players to let the football 'do the talking' and ignore the 'animosity' that will no doubt flood down from the partisan supporters.

I just hope that 'our fans' are not at the receiving end of any of their renowned aggression. At the end of the day it is a football match, and not guerrilla warfare.

The players will be well protected, which is why I mentioned the onus is on the Manager to motivate the players, to hopefully get a win and progress to the next round.

Having said that, they go round in large groups often have concealed weapons (but, where they are from, you'd probably need them!).

If you've ever been to a South London council estate, you'll know what I mean: illiterate chavs and bigots. My dad said they used to spray ‘No Irish, No Niggers' on the council estate walls! Real scum – mostly unemployed.

What you say is so true. But sadly in football it never works like that does it?

Partisan atmospheres do have a big impact on players because some do play up to the fans and react in the wrong way; whether Richarlison, for example, can keep his head is another matter entirely.

To be honest, the atmosphere was amazing, just like the old days you could heard the chants and singing outside the stadium. Proper old school feel, none of the sterilised atmosphere we have these days.

It carried on till kick off and was cracking throughout. Few people thrown out, police punching home fans, then and Evertonian got walked past the home fans for throwing a lighter. About 40 Millwall fans all spat over him and the two coppers at the same time as they walked nearby. It look like Star Wars from my seat.

Zinedane Kilbane missed a sitter at the end.

Never forget it and wish I was going again.

We all like a good atmosphere but the one thing you know about human behaviour is that there will always be people that go to far.

The FA have always been too weak to do anything against the hooligans. A lot less issues in the Premier League these days but last year's headlines re Chelsea and the dark side of Stanley Park show many bad apples still associate with Premier League teams.

Our own fans are not immune. I don't understand the need to throw objects like flares onto the pitch. Whilst I'm rantings clubs should be forced to play behind closed doors over such incidences, this may also encourage fans to point out trouble-causers and force clubs to do more.

One more thing, I do not want to see any form of standing back. People point to Scotland, Holland and Germany as good examples. Dig a little deeper and you soon discover public disorder at football events is on the rise in these countries. More fans packed in simply means a chance of more bad apples who don't follow the rules.

It's like going to a music festival. It's now accepted that you will have pee thrown at you at some point. Sorry but that should never be acceptable. It just causes fights.

[Breathe...]

A gang of around 50 of their fans had decided to 'watch' our game on their way back home. They came into the away end shortly after kick off. Confronted by 4,000 Blues and having taken a, fortunately, brief beating, they were back on the motorway home.

I remember the game at Newport to, there was both Millwall and Cardiff fans in the Everton end, as their game as you said was postponed.

Apparently, there were problems in and around both grounds, and the police were overwhelmed. Merseyside Police, said they would never again, allow both teams to play at home on the same day ... and they never have!

By the way, if you look at the team-sheets for that day, Everton had a midfielder called [Mick] Bernard playing!

I wanted them to win, or better still draw, more games for them to play; now they can concentrate on the Premier League and Champions League.

I couldn't understand the red fans cheering their equaliser in Ned Kelly's last night, and they couldn't understand me joining in with them.

With that said, all it takes is one nutter with a knife to shatter the atmosphere. Hooligans are a strange breed though. I knew some lads who day-to-day seemed decent enough, if not the brightest, and one day I saw them down the pub and they all had black eyes and bruises.

"What happened?" I asked. "We got into it with those paddy police at the England game in Dublin."

It was the infamous Venables era England game that was abandoned in Dublin. These blokes didn't seem to me like the violent psychos who I had seen on TV hurling benches onto fans below, but somehow, in a certain environment, they behaved that way.

Nicholas #112, I'm pretty sure that when we played stoke around '77 in the FA Cup, I think both us and Liverpool played on the same day both at home although that's the last time I remember that happening. Could be wrong but that's how I remember it.

As to Millwall, well it's a decent draw. i was talking to some Millwall fans when we played them here few years ago; they were okay but are still a bit sore about the '73 game. Hopefully we'll do it and have a nice home draw in 5th Round

No kidding. The irony was that at least two of these lads had Irish Grandparents. Yet here they were hurling benches and singing "No surrender to the IRA" as if "the problems" were in any way shape or form connected to Matt Le Tissier, Niall Quinn or any other footballer out on the field.

Personally I was quite happy the Irish police gave them a good beating – it may have knocked some sense into them.

The nearest I came to a hiding was vs Chelsea when Latchford got his 30th goal. Half-time under the stand, it was carnage as a massive Chelsea mob came through by the bogs – anyone near the front of our much smaller group (the Echo said the Park End would be closed to Everton fans and many regulars were in the enclosure and paddock), tried desperately to get to the back.

I found myself in the front line, staring at big, older men, but the police waded in on us and whacked all and sundry with those big sticks with the brass knobs on.

The St John's ambulance were patching our lads up for ages. In the end, people were jumping over the fence all round the ground to get into the Park End and bolster our meagre lot.

Oh and Dave, I think you are recalling when we played at home in the FA Cup against Stoke and Liverpool played Palace on 8 January 1977, 3rd Round.

Choppers flying over the ground, and scaring off shoppers at Sainsbury's next to the stadium.

Millwall fans without tickets, ie, all of them, had their own way of watching the game. This big docker type, pie in one hand, and a cuppa in the other, just booted the wooden gate, it folded, and in he went. No messing, he was followed by many south Londoners of the same persuasion.

The whole day was a riot and the good people of a small Welsh town were lucky that Millwall got the desired result.

Hardcore then and now. Take the faithful armour with you because, when the day of evil comes, ie, Millwall away, you will need to stand your ground.

I was at the Chelsea game in the Bullens Road stand, great day.

Yeah, the Stoke game was played on the same day as Liverpool played Palace. I think that was the Duncan McKenzie show that day.

It was after a home game mid '70s when I saw an away supporter battered outside at the end of Gwladys Street. Completely unprovoked and left me feeling sick. Stopped going then and I've only been to a handful of home games since.

Good luck to all Blues travelling down to Millwall. I'm sure you boys and girls will be okay. We're no mugs, I just hope we get the job done down there. Don't want no replay with them idiot's coming up here bouncing around in their Burberry and Stone Island clobber.

COYB...

Ah, those were the days. We were hard then.

Walking back to the coach park, the Leeds fans tried to break into a trot, to which a big ballsy Sgt sat on a police horse said "Hold back!"

A couple at the front ignored the warning, the police then held the rest back with a long-haired guy left stranded in front. A whack on the back of his knees was followed by the Sgt lifting him clean off his feet, throwing him against the wall by Stanley Park, followed by the words, "When I say keep in line you fucking stay in line, move again or fart and you're nicked." Hence to say he stayed in line for the rest of the walk.

Evil in those days, our police.

Dermot, say that to my face – if you can get down that low. I've saved quids on gloves and shoes since then.

Speaking of Netflix, I watched a documentary on hooliganism recently and they featured Millwall. Game of Thrones is only in the halfpenny place! Terrifying stuff. Be very careful any of you planning to travel, coz it's a dangerous spot.

My only experience of football violence was attending an FA Cup game between Man Utd & Nottm Forest in March 1988. The only reason we went was because it was the weekend that we played the Redshite & Wayne Clarke scored the winner, which, if I remember correctly, stopped their record unbeaten run.

When we left OldTrafford the trouble started. We ran to the train station only to meet Man City supporters arriving back from a mornings night game. All hell was breaking loose. Man Utd fans fighting with each other & City fans. We ended up paying 㿞 for a taxi from Manchester back to Liverpool.

One of the reasons I love Goodison, great genuine fans who know their football & are hugely welcoming to those of us who would love to attend more games but, due to logistics & geography, can't.

I think you're right because if I recall correctly also, the commentators made a big fuss that Wayne Clarke's winner stopped Liverpool from beating the unbeaten record set by a Leeds team featuring his older brother Allan Clarke.

I am pretty sure it was a midweek game on ITV.

I was at the 2006 game at the New Den, and yes, the police were somewhat businesslike in their shepherding of our fans but then there had been serious aggro earlier at London Bridge station.

I recall a bunch of Cardiff fans were on the way to the cup game at Arsenal and came to grief by marauding Millwall thugs (er yes, they hate Cardiff as well!) so the cops were only being cautious. I had no issue with it.

My stand out memory of the 2006 tie was the very raucous support by their fans in the areas either side of the pitch. There were maybe 8 to 10 thousand of their fans but to my ears it was more like 25 to 30,000. Such was the tumultuous noise.

They are what they are, sad to say; they do seem to retain a minority of thuggish types who spoil it for the rest but Millwall as a club are trying very hard, like Everton, to promote themselves as a positive influence in their local community. That said, I hope we stuff them, big time.

Outside the Scoreboard End, the street was lined either side with Man Utd supporters waiting to kill us. Me and a mate grabbed hold of a police horse tail and followed it right down the middle of them and ran for our lives at the end.

We stopped by a police car and told him we needed to get back to the ground to meet me dad. He dropped us right outside scoreboard end!! We feared "here we go again", but made it safely back to the car.

Even worse was the 1-1 draw in September 1978 when we spent the whole match ducking coins and golf balls thrown from the corner of the South Stand. The police weren't interested.

More sickening was Martin Buchan equalising two minutes from the end with a shot from 25 yards. We had led with a goal by Andy King after five minutes. In those days you did not dare wear colours anywhere near the ground.

Those were the peak years of hooliganism. Gradually things calmed down, more so after the introduction of all-seater stadiums and more effective policing. By 1994 Man Utd fans were applauding us for honouring the minute's silence in tribute to Matt Busby who had passed away two days earlier.

Another dodgy place was Carlisle.

A couple of years later, myself and a mate used to do a spot of ground hopping and we decided to go to their home game against Bristol City. The day did not start well as we walked out of South Bermondsey station and a brick came flying over a wall and landed a couple of feet away from us. We got in the ground early when it was empty and stood in some random seats and a steward came bounding over and informed us that we didn't want to stand there as those seats belonged to some pretty hard people, he then informed us that the trouble at the last game was nothing to do with Millwall.

It was at a time when Millwall were going through financial problems and about an hour in a home fan invaded the pitch, took the corner flag and planted it in the centre circle and sat there arms folded. Within a few moments hundreds of fans were on and confronting the away fans that started throwing seats from the top tier. Then several police horses started wading in and the police baton charged the home fans who eventually retreated.

The last time was our cup game in 2006, I stupidly took my then 6-year-old as he used to come to all the London away games with me. The home fans certainly made a loud but poisonous atmosphere but things in the ground are well marshalled. After the game, our fans that had come by train were held for around 45 minutes and eventually a train came in and we were shepherded on it for the short journey back to London Bridge.

When we arrived we were held on the platform for a short while until a load of home fans started shouting and our fans surged forwards towards the concourse and chaos ensued for a short while. My son was understandably shaken so we stood around the back of a portakabin on one of the platforms with other Saturday shoppers with kids that were crying and shaking.

Eventually it died down and we moved into the concourse where the police were filming a lot of our fans going down the escalators to the tube. After this there was no real problem, from experience their fans rarely stray off their manor on at their home games, you are usually fairly safe until you get to London Bridge and then on the way back once you leave London Bridge.

I'm hoping to get a ticket for this depending on the allocation they give us, a winnable game and then hopefully an easy 5th Round tie and we are in the quarter-finals.

They've given us enough hidings on the pitch, haven't they?

I was also at that game and saw loads of trouble outside. We were told at the time that it was a lot of Man City fans, who I think played Aston Villa away that night, who hadn't travelled to the away game and turned up just for some trouble. This may also have been recorded in the Press.

My brother used to manage a Bernie's Inn in the West End and he remembers the Milk Cup final in 1984. He said both sets of supporters mixed in the bar without any problems.

However, a rival pub told him they were going to play You will Never Walk Alone to welcome everyone! Dave (my brother), said I wouldn't do that if I were you but they ignored him. Within a few minutes of playing it all hell let loose and the place was trashed. Then The Old Bill turned up and shut it down for the rest of the weekend.

Used to be great Red and Blue mixed and even travelling together, sadly those Days are long gone.

Just a shame none of our younger fans experienced it.

The Millwall cup tie in 1973 (Feb 3rd to be precise - the wonderful evertonresults.com should be first port of call for people who want to see if their memory is accurate) was the first time I was aware of a stabbing at a football match. Scared me, but not as much as Tommy Wright's Testimonial v Rangers.

Sigh, all this reminiscing about football hooliganism is quite nostalgic. I'm trying to remember what the nickname for the normal train (as opposed to the 'Footy Special') to another city was. Taking the normal train and travelling in civvies showed you were well hard.

I recall the Tommy Wright testimonial (vaguely). Not a massive crowd as I recall but a big Rangers contingent attended. I'm guessing it got lively in town that night. Perhaps those with a better memory than me can fill in the details.

I have a better recall of Mick Lyons's testimonial-and an appearance by celebrity Evertonian, Ed ‘Stewpot' Stewart.

You're right, mate, it was "the ordinary."

Often a hundred or so of us would get the "ordinary" to arrive before the "specials" and see if we could ambush the ambushers!

I remember we played spurs away, can't remember year, but we caught the last train out of Euston. There were about 50 or so blues on the train, and unfortunately about the same number of Oldham fans. To say it kicked off is an understatement. There were battles on the train and when it pulled into, I think it was Tamworth, when it split into two, half to Liverpool and half to Manchester, the battle continued on the platform. The police were called and we were stuck there for what seemed like hours. I don't think that train ever saw service again.

It was an eye-opener for me seeing that many of the Rangers hooligans were grown men in their twenties and thirties, not the spotty-faced scallies I was used to seeing. I think back in those days the train and coach drivers had to have a decent break between long-haul trips, and a lot of the Rangers fans had been tanking up since very early in the afternoon.

I think those Glasgow fans are the only ones who can match Everton & Liverpool fans for jibbing matches.

Where did you hear all of this?

It was pandemonium at Lime Street around midnight, I've never heard it so loud — plus my arl fella rubbing their noses in it. It was our year, for fuck's sake... then, a Viv Busby double sealed an all Second Division final vs West Ham. "Everton, that" as they say...

Great recall that. It was there for aeons. I'm surprised its not still there now! After all, the wheels of progress grind slowly round the old town.

I remember that weekend very well. The away support was incredible. We'd sold all our 8,000-ticket allocation (for one of the side terraces) but had several thousand more in other sides of the ground.

The game can be found on YouTube; notice the celebratory Blues in all sections of the ground. I seem to recall that the RS had returned several thousand of their tickets to Ipswich, unsold.

Okay, it's been a "few" years. 1850s ropemakers on my Dad's side. So I should be safe if I go to the game.

if Blackburn can win at The Den and not be intimidated by the hostile atmosphere then so can we. A northern club nowhere near as big as Everton. Let's do this! Come on blues!

I'm Malmesbury Wiltshire based, I'm going the game on my own as can only get 1 ticket... Anyone know which route is favoured for safety measures?

I'm looking at driving to outer London and picking up the underground, or I can get a train to Swindon then onto Paddington and get on the underground there.

I was going to stop for a beer at London Bridge but now unsure about that move... I may go directly to the Den and have a beer there. I need to stay quiet – my Scouse accent is a dead giveaway.

Can anyone confirm that we the Everton supporters are getting locked in after the game? Is it true and does anyone know how long the lock-in is?

Any tips or advice is appreciated...
COYB