favourite ninian park memories

i'm only 28 and i have many,many memories from my first game in 89 until the last game there,WHAT ARE YOURS?

Not my favourite but something that I remember well.. City v Norwich (last season at Ninian) We score penalty very early then minutes later save a pen

very strangley and oddly enough being beaten by luton last game of the season 1982 or was it 1983?

we got relegated . i nicked the cornerflag and still got it in my shed now . i cried all the way home

on the pitch after the game etc . not my best but the most memorauble

i loved the promotion pictch invasions 83 88 93 etc, the cup games chelsea, man city, leeds, beating the jacks/the worzles/ newport and just meeting up with the lads every other week

" NINIAN PARK "


1976 Cardiff City v Hereford Over 35,000 at Ninian Park.
1980 Cardiff City 3 Jacks 3 Buchanan Volley last minute.
THE WHOLE OF THE 1982/83 PROMOTION SEASON

All The European Night games going back to the early 70's
The Eddie May Season
Beating Leeds UTD in 2001 FACUP.

I HAVE SO MANY, I COULD WRITE A BOOK

i loved the promotion pictch invasions 83 88 93 etc, the cup games chelsea, man city, leeds, beating the jacks/the worzles/ newport and just meeting up with the lads every other week

my first memory is a scotish fan trying to pickpocket my dad in the family enclosure 1979, hate the cheating jock bastards since

Flare against Spurs In The Cup 2007. Knowing that no matter what team, where they were from, or how many leagues above us they may be, that everybody feared coming to Cardiff City. Nobody wanted to play us, especially at the Old Girl, Ninian Park. Sorely missed.

There are so many, beating Real Madrid, all the cup exploits. What sticks in my mind though is the noise and madness on the Grange End everytime we scored, really miss the atmosphere of that place. Miss you Ninian Park.

I am not going to go for any particular game - because we all have many good and not so good memories.

Mine was the clicking of the turnstiles and walking to get to watch the game

(a) as a child holding my dads hand as he dragged me to the grange end terraces and put me on his shoulders to
be able see over all the mens heads and hanging on for my life on a goal score!!!!!!!!!!! - Moved from that end 2002
when i thought i had to be a little more resposible!

(b) later on in life moving to the posh seats lol walking in "B" block underneath the stands - the smell of the Gent's! lol
and all through the game the burgers : ( yuk! lol

(c) The atmosphere and closeness to the pitch - being able to hear the players as they played

(d) Captain Morgan roof

first game in 78.the sheer exitement of being in a big football ground for the first time.

First memory of Ninian Park was going with my old man to a midweek game and being so bored (I was only 4- 1991/1992 season) that playing football with a bovril cup with loads of other kids seemed like the most fun thing in the world. Also never forget Radio Ninian and being a 'junior bluebird'

I have two favourite memories though, being a mascot against Bury aged 9 and getting to run out on the pitch, and of course Leeds United. I was only 13 at the time and I got a ticket at the very last minute when my brother decided to go to 'winter wonderland' in town instead, it made it all the more special! Never forget that day (and the fallout afterwards!)

One of my favourites was when We had a penalty in the dysing secinds V watford in the last season there. Mccormack scores and runs over to celebrate to the bob bank fans.

Of ninian park it has to be my first ever big footy game the yr was 1972 and Don revies mighty leeds were in town for the F A Cup my father suprised me and took me down on the 9.30 train from merthyr my first ever trip to cardiff for this very excited 13 yr old.

i'll never forget walking round the shopping centre mingling among the leeds fans and city fans everyone was buzzing how times change..

following the crowds down to the ground buying my huge leeds rossette proudly pinning it to my chest my leeds scarf was hanging loud n proud my dad bless him got us tickets in the city end sorry lads i dont know the name of the stand i was in but it was the far left hand side looking over to the bob bank i think its called right by a big no exit sign which i climbed on to watch the game.

the Bob bank was full of leeds fans and when billy bremner led his troops out the place erupted i went wild a cardiff fan about my age kept on talking to me in a funny strange way [the cardiff accent] remember this was my first ever visit to cardiff the game went so fast i can only remember johny giles goal tbh but we won 2-1 that day and went on to win the cup that yr .

i was one very tired lad when i got home to merthyr that day good.great mems from ninian pk for me i'll never 4get them or that day hope you dont mind me sharing them with you!!

sayer's goal against spurs 77', buchanan's screamer v the jacks 80', young's winner v leeds 2001

Who could forget the 77 cup run, Spurs, Wrexham, & Everton. Also Fulham 77 [Robins debut] Sunderland 80 [10.000 away fans] Luton 82 [relegated] shrewsbury 93 [promoted] Leeds 02 [fa cup] Stoke 02 [po semi] Burnley 09 [thought we were in play offs], to name but a few. Great memories, but just like a divorce or broken relationship, it was time to move on.

For me it was never just about watching football, i loved the football, but i also loved the meeting the boys in Rumney (Potters Wheel-sadly gone) if it was a home game and getting in the pub early doors, not partiulary to get pissed, just a meeting place and there we would plan our day according to who we were playing.

Do a couple of pubs in town, queens vaults, cottage, prince of Wales, again acording to who we were playing there would be changes to the day. but for me going to watch City was an event, a full day out from early morning right through to next day, according to who we were playing.

Some games would be less of a day, but most in them old Div 4 games were a lot better than the games today for a laugh. You had a few different groups of lads, the food was ok after a few beers, you had to piss up against a a wall, but it was brilliant.

Being closer to the away fans made a difference, whatever your intentions were. You could hear them and they could hear you so the banter was a lot better and funny as f**k on occasions from both sides.

You could walk around more freely and although we never had the fan base in them old Div 4 games, the atmosphere was second to none, because it was 90% lads having a day out.

Ninian park will never die, but the ccs is dead already.

An FA Cup 3rd round game against Wrexham in about 1970.

City winning 2-1 until just before the end Wrexham scored an equaliser to the joy of their fans and the dismay of City's. So Cardiff went straight back and scored the winner to utter jubilation from the crowd.



Also a game in about 1968 when City beat Aston Villa 3-0. The amazing thing was that City ended up with only 9 players yet still kept scoring. It was in the days of only 1 sub and that got used up at half time - Graham Coldrick / Dave Carver.

It was Bobby Brown's last game as he was injured. I remember him lying on the ground as Toshack scored at the grange end right in front of me.

i'm only 28 and i have many,many memories from my first game in 89 until the last game there,WHAT ARE YOURS?

same here im 28, went to my first city game in 94 and my favorite memory is scott youngs winner v leeds 02

Coming back to draw 3-3 with Toshack's Swansea.

The Hereford match where half of south Wales turned up.

Despite my nationality Dwyers goal against Shilton in the old Home International match.

And strangley watching Clough's Forest take us apart because you just knew that you were watching a very special team in the making

All of 1975/76 promotion season.....

So many highs, not many lows.....

regularly bolting up ninian park road avoiding getting a kicking.

regularly bolting up ninian park road avoiding getting a kicking.

" NINIAN PARK "


1976 Cardiff City v Hereford Over 35,000 at Ninian Park.
1980 Cardiff City 3 Jacks 3 Buchanan Volley last minute.
THE WHOLE OF THE 1982/83 PROMOTION SEASON

All The European Night games going back to the early 70's
The Eddie May Season
Beating Leeds UTD in 2001 FACUP.

I HAVE SO MANY, I COULD WRITE A BOOK

That's a great idea - don't forget to let us know when it's available.

Slightly off topic did you see the row of houses directly opposite the gates? f*cking horrible if you ask me. the ONly advantage of living there is how soon you can get home after the game!

All of the above games plus a few others.

Stevie Grapes screamer against Brighton I think

Eddie Johnsons first for Hilarity and mirth on the Bob Bank

Thornie running over and patting my then 8 year old on the head after scoring (that got him hooked)

The absolute Buzz of walking onto the wooden grange end for the first time.

And Finally the Wolves fan sqealing like a pig through the wire in the cup run F...ING Hilarious!

The New Stadium Might look like a perfume girl from Howells. But the girl in the market was the best Shag (no offense to any one working in the market)

Very few games compare to the Leeds cup game. Never been in an atmosphere like it before or since. Incredible.

Newport County '82-83 at home for the Christmas holiday game (27th Dec I think), City 2-0 up and cruising with 10 minutes to go, Newport score to the tune of 'you're not singing any more' and City sing '2-1, 2-1', '2-1, 2-1' only for Newport to score again and their fans to sing three times louder 'you're not singing any more' and the Cardiff fans look in utter shock until Jeff Hemmerman pops up with a late winner and the whole of Ninian erupts with 'you're not singing any more'.

Sam's first season when after beating Lincoln City on the Tuesday with a very late comeback, we did the same again on the Saturday against Hartlepool United. Hartlepool took the lead with a minute to go and their (not very many fans) were bouncing, as you would only for Cardiff to score immediately from kick-off and then Kurt Nogan snatched a winner with the last kick of the match does a Klinnsman style dive celebration and me and my mate were out of the lower grandstand (Grange End) and ran down the sideline, danced with Sam on the side of the pitch, knicking his baseball cap, trying it on and passing it back. Turned and looked to the stunned Hartlepool with 'what a wasted journey'.

The promotion parties against Leyton Orient, Crewe and Shrewsbury, coming back from two down in the last four minutes against Bristol Rovers to draw 2-2, beating Brentford 4-1 with that Jason Fowler wonder lob, holding my mate up for the whole game after carrying him through the turnstiles against Aarhuus and my other mate getting ejected because we were moaning about Clemo and having to pay £4 to get in instead of the usual £3.

Any game as a kid watching my heroes where the kit with the yellow and white stripe, especially seeing my favourite player Tony Evans rattling them in for fun. Whacking Wrexham 5-1 as Blake got two in his last game, the week before playing Fuq'in Luton and of course the Middlesbrough 2-2 and Man City 1-0 that preceded that game.

Leeds United OMG. Swansea in the Autoglass trophy in the rain, especially Stant's disallowed effort in extra time when hundreds ran on the pitch, that was never offside.

Hate to finish on a negative but as they stick in the mind like a ball stuck in the mud and grate like a particularly large shit that is too big to budge but really, desperately wants to...
That refereeing display against Cambridge Utd (not the away one when they sent three off) when we lost 1-0, losing 7-2 at home to Cambridge, although to be fair to the lads they had played about seven games in two weeks and avoided relegation, that 3-3 draw with Chelsea and being thoroughly outnumbered and the ref's bottle going, the last ever match where the players put in such a dismal display against Ipswich that left me feeling absolutely sick and disgusted, the overpaid bunch of prima-donnas, when I think of all the players who gave their heart and soul at our great ground, earning peanuts and then it's rounded off in less than half-hearted fashion by arrogant players who are willing to take the fans to the cleaners in the papers if we've so much as questioned their efforts.

They demolished my home.

The odd smell in the 70's...was it fags and pies mixed together, sounds horrible put like that, but it wasn't.
Stood in the top left of the Bob Bank (facing the pitch)near the shop in the 80's with Gonk, Kadge, Mac, Beefy and the rest, always a giggle no matter what was happening on the pitch.
Remember the combination league, where we would play Spurs and Arsenal etc, it was strange hearing the players say "Man on", Oi ref etc, I thought it ws just us.

More recently Earnie scoring a hat trick and running to celebrate with a little kid in the enclosure, you can imagine how the little kid felt.

Phil Dwyer getting fouled by Mark Hateley ( Pompey ) getting up and turning him around to look at his number, later during the game Hateley went off injured after a "heavy challenge" from Mr Dwyer

I always remember that if my mother was asked to help out behind the bar at our local, she would always spend the money she earned taking me to Ninian. She would work New Years Eve, then use her pay to get a train to Cardiff, buy me a program and a burger and we used to sit in the grandstand watching Gods such as Hallworth, Dale, Carrs etc.

We used to wear our yellow coats so we could see ourselves on soccer Sunday as there would only be a crowd of 3-5 thousand

As soon as my mother saw me get into football (id insist on watching Man U when they were on tv because I was fascinated with Cantona) she took me to Ninian sharpish. Don't think id be a Cardiff fan otherwise. That's my favourite memory of Ninian, just being there as a kid with my mam.

Also our last minute penalty against the Jacks. I was stood on the bobbank grange end, and couldn't see a thing. I just waited for everyone to start cheering to know whether we scored or not.

The one and only time I went in the Grange End. Leeds 2002. Scott Youngs goal and nearly being crushed as we poured onto the field. My friend and I went on the pitch to stop from getting crushed by the crowd. I was checking my friend was ok, then all of a sudden I looked up and realised I was on Ninian turf. I was 14 then and and couldn't believe I was on the pitch.

Good times

terrifying millwall in 1999 an exacting revenge for the kickings we got up there over the years. spoke to to tony warner some years later and he said even the players were terrified and wondered if they were going to get out alive. the dressing room was full of millwall fans hiding in the showers etc

the atmosphere in that leed's fa cup game was immense also mcormacks last minute pen v the jacks.another one that sticks out is when we played chesterfield in a game and we drew 3-3 i think i remember that being electric aswell!!!