Читать книгу Steel City Rivals - One City. Two Football Clubs, One Mutually Shared Hatred - Steve Cowens - Страница 16

The aforementioned petrol-bomb incident had me thinking about where all this rivalry was leading to, death? Not long after the incident that saw two young Wednesday lads jailed for carrying the petrol bombs, another Testimonial had been arranged, which would be played at Hillsborough. We had no intentions of going to the game but every intension of giving it to Wednesday that night. Our numbers that night were around 60 lads. After having a couple of drinks in the Penny Black, we set off in dribs and drabs towards Hillsborough. We knew where Wednesday were drinking and our plan was to go straight to that pub after mobbing back up. We snaked our way through the quiet back streets towards the Kelvin flats where Wednesday were. On nearing the pub, we tooled up with bricks and so on. Then one of the lads went in the pub to get Wednesday out in the street. There was no OB around at all. We prepared for battle only to be disappointed in the fact that Wednesday had left the pub.

We were now in a dilemma; a lot of the lads had planned to go home after the tear-up and, as we would have to wait another two hours before the match finished, a few lads drifted off. But around 40 of us sat tight.

Then unexpectedly the OB came in the pub and had a nosy around. It was at this point I heard one of ours say, ‘If they find them, my prints will be all over the bottles.’

Another Blade said, ‘You should have worn gloves like I did.’

It transpired that two of our lot had been across to the petrol station and bought some petrol. They got four milk bottles and stuck some rags in the top. It was thankfully the last time petrol bombs were used between the two firms.

The OB made us go back into town under escort, two bombs were left and two carried under coats even though we had a 20-man police escort. Everyone mumbled that, when we reached the bottom of the flats, we would make a break for it and run into the flats. It was every man for himself until we met back up later in the Dove and Rainbow. The plan worked with most of us getting away, leaving a few still captured by the plod.

Everyone met up as planned at the rendezvous. We’d lost the plod. We knew which way Wednesday would walk back into town and roughly what time they would arrive, so we set off and holed up on a little slip road. The streetlight was smashed as we threw bricks up at it and then waited in the darkness. One of our lads waited across the street on his own then he gave us the nod: Wednesday were here.

I peeked around the corner and Wednesday were walking directly towards us with two police vans following behind them. Perfect. The trouble was one of Wednesday’s main men was walking well ahead of the rest and he spotted us and shouted. We came out of the darkness but our surprise had been rumbled and police screeched up and chased us. It was only natural to go back to the original meeting place. I was pleased when I got there that our lot used their brains and almost everyone was still together. Wednesday were by now walking up past the courts and, just as we were going to attack them, the OB sussed us and ran us again. This actually helped our cause as we ran up behind the church and came out on High Street just as Wednesday got to the bottom of it. Both mobs ran at each other. I’d forgotten about the two bombs until I saw one lit and thrown at Wednesday. Luckily, it didn’t go off but it had the desired effect as Wednesday backed off, then we ran them down the road with only Dinga standing his ground.