“ When Cardiff fans went in massive numbers Away to Pompey “

4,000 Cardiff fans travelled away to Portsmouth in 1982/83 season in League 3



CARDIFF City set out to dismantle Portsmouth promotion hopes during 1983, but only succeeded in taking away parts of their big clock at Fratton Park’s Milton End.

Cardiff ’ fans chant: “Pompey, Pompey, what’s the time?” When when ever we play Pompey


The Bluebirds did earn promotion from Division Three that season, finishing runners-up to champions Portsmouth.

It was on March 12, 1983 that Cardiff went to Portsmouth for a crucial promotion battle and fought out a goalless draw.

City fans were on a big open terrace behind a goal and at the same end was a huge clock.

“There were around 4,000 City fans and one Citt fan decided to climb on the clock.

Then others joined in and, there were parts of the clock torn down.

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Any memories or pictures ?

If anyone missed the other days Cardiff in the 80’s

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=201953

I woz there !!!

Me and my mate traveled on the supporters train and it was a great party atmosphere. Met and escorted (herded) to ground by police.

I must have been in that picture somewhere.

Remember the "Wreck the clock""Wreck the clock" chant although we were right down the far end of the terrace and more worried about the fear of DARTS being thrown at us!!! (yes folks DARTS - remember British football hooliganism went through that phase).

Good camaraderie and high jinks but it all got out of control a bit.

recognise a few llanedeyrn lads in there

went to the same fixture a year later a far more relaxed atmosphere than that year !

I remember it well. I’m in this photo with my good old mate Michael Prosgard. I’m sure the guy in the front with the glasses & Fila tracksuit top on, used to work in the ticket office at Cardiff Central Railway Station. HOW I MISS THOSE DAYS.

I was there to lads, remember having to through pompey fans outside of the ground got a bit tasty, great atmosphere by the city fans in the ground pompey, pompey what's the time really got to them

I was there with my brothers and others from riverside,first time i can recall cars being turned over onto their roofs,if i remember their keeper who turned out to be a legend for them played a blinder.
Not sure if it was the old football special by train we went on,great days back then

Lived in Pompey at the time as I was a student at the (then) Polytechnic. Was at the game but stood on the North Stand with another City fan. If I remember rightly, they had the 'Keegan-esque' Alan Biley up front (well in hair style anyway!) and we had an ageing Bob Hatton. Pompey fans around us were constantly commenting on how loud the 'taffy barstewards' were and of course went ballistic when they saw their precious clock being dismantled. I pretended to be dismayed but inside was
Evidence of our invasion of Pompey was sprayed around the city centre and some of it was there for ages afterwards. I distinctly remember opposite Portsmouth & Southsea station on the wall the shape of a coffin and 'RIP Pompey'. 'CCFC Soul Crew' was also in evidence. Much used to take the pi$$ out of a few Pompey supporting mates. Happy days!

I was there ...went on the “special” from Cardiff central, there were guys in City end wearing white butchers coats ( like clockwork orange ? ) , remember Pompey trying to get to us from side streets after game on way back to railway station.
I think the Train pulled off from railway station and Pompey started to chuck stones at train,I am sure the cord was pulled and City fans got off to chase them?

Eric Steele pulled off a worldy save to keep game scoreless! Mad day !

I was there to lads, remember having to through pompey fans outside of the ground got a bit tasty, great atmosphere by the city fans in the ground pompey, pompey what's the time really got to them

Remember it well, group of us got chased down what felt like an alley where pompey fans were queuing and i ran straight into some fucker 's fist opening my nose up, got inside the ground , went for a hotdog where this cheeky tw*t serving said I didn't need tomato sauce coz there was plenty on my nose, so my mate dutty picked up the sauce container and emptied it all over him funny as f**k, very tasty after the game, fighting breaking out all round the side streets outside the ground, old bill very stretched that day

I travelled down on the 125, we arrived first and were held back at the station for the football special to arrive, when that finally arrived they then kept us waiting for a second service train with yet more City fans. I remember that as soon as we exited the station there were about 20-30 Pompey fans waiting across the road.. they took one look at us and just blended away.

We were then marched straight to the ground and this was about noon time. Of course, they weren't letting anyone into the ground that early, however, I remember hundreds of us somehow found a way in and were either walking around the terraces or actually stood on the pitch.

As the title says, there were massive numbers of City there that day. I also went the following season.

I travelled down on the 125, we arrived first and were held back at the station for the football special to arrive, when that finally arrived they then kept us waiting for a second service train with yet more City fans. I remember that as soon as we exited the station there were about 20-30 Pompey fans waiting across the road.. they took one look at us and just blended away.

We were then marched straight to the ground and this was about noon time. Of course, they weren't letting anyone into the ground that early, however, I remember hundreds of us somehow found a way in and were either walking around the terraces or actually stood on the pitch.

As the title says, there were massive numbers of City there that day. I also went the following season.

I remember at the end of the game the main mob of Pompey fans to our right were ushered out by police and after waiting a few minutes a couple of hundred of them must have broken through and charged across the terrace towards us.

I remember going to Lincoln that year thinking that this would be a nice easy trouble free trip into the rural part of the country. How wrong I was. I remember a few city fans feuding onto the pitch at the end and the whole Lincoln ‘end’ swarming on and chasing them off. We walked back to our car and saw a large mob of Lincoln bottling and stoning an old ambulance in a car park. Odd, I thought. Then I saw a few city fans leaning out of the back and driving it shouting obscenities. I later found out that some Ponty boys had hired an old ambulance to go to the match. Wild!!!
Oxford that year was a laugh too with Frankie leading a 3 man attack on their end.
Not condoning it but all memories that I’ll never forget.

It was quite funny seeing the city fans handing down parts of that clock to other fans on the terrace about 15 years ago i was in Kos/Kardamena for my holidays and met this fella every afternoon when going for my 3.00 pm drink, great lad, he was a pompey fan and when he found out i supported Cardiff his first comment to me was "you stole our clock"

I was also in that crowd, travelled down on the Cardiff - Fratton football special, loco hauled coaches,,, those were the days.

Got bricked on the way back, one lad had a nasty head injury as a result.

I was also in that crowd, travelled down on the Cardiff - Fratton football special, loco hauled coaches,,, those were the days.

Got bricked on the way back, one lad had a nasty head injury as a result.

Always amuses me that our away crowd consists almost entirely of lads/men in there 20’s or early 30’s back then. No women, no kids

don't forget us teenagers back then goats

I was also in that crowd, travelled down on the Cardiff - Fratton football special, loco hauled coaches,,, those were the days.

Got bricked on the way back, one lad had a nasty head injury as a result.

Always amuses me that our away crowd consists almost entirely of lads/men in there 20’s or early 30’s back then. No women, no kids

I guess things were a lot different thirty or fourty years ago.

i think that is andy in the shades still see him down the city today. Great day and will never ever be repeated again 4000 lads all game for it, same as when chelsea came to us, it was never the small minority that the press made out but was always the large majority up for it. just one of the mad days out with the city in the 80s.

I was there I was 16, it was the first time I met Dai Hunt, we were on Match of the Day.

i think that is andy in the shades still see him down the city today. Great day and will never ever be repeated again 4000 lads all game for it, same as when chelsea came to us, it was never the small minority that the press made out but was always the large majority up for it. just one of the mad days out with the city in the 80s.

looking at the old photos shows how much everything has changed ..