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eelpie
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After 145,000 miles of faithful service including 20,000 miles travelling to Saints matches, and following the excitement of Saints second home win of the season, my Peugeot 405 blew its engine travelling home on the M3, last Saturday evening.

 

Car have no greater love than to die for The Saints.

 

RIP

 

Anyone got any car/Saints related stories and memories to share?

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After 145,000 miles of faithful service including 20,000 miles travelling to Saints matches, and following the excitement of Saints second home win of the season, my Peugeot 405 blew its engine travelling home on the M3, last Saturday evening.

 

Car have no greater love than to die for The Saints.

 

RIP

 

Anyone got any car/Saints related stories and memories to share?

 

4 of us travelled up to Man U for the Rumbelows cup game (circa early nineties) - on the way up something fell off a lorry and smashed the windscreen - which caused us a bit of a delay.

 

On the way back, we had a puncture but the idiot driver had left his spare in the garage at home after getting a previous puncture. We were on the M40 (before it had emergency phones - it had just opened) and the one mobile we had between us had a flat battery. We drove along the hard shoulder at about 2mph from just past Birmingham to oxford. By the time we got to Oxford it was gone 2am in the morning. We found a kwik fit and slept in the car all night until it opened the next morning - very cold and cramped.

 

Moral of the story? Make sure you've got a spare when going to Manchester and back.

Edited by Johnny Bognor
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Not a car saints story but a car Plymouth one. Driving down to Plymouth (my Dad is a Plymouth fan) at the beginning of the season a few years back, we got caught up in the summer west country traffic and it was looking like we would miss the game. My Dad was getting really stressed up and driving like a nutter, which was scary as he has parkinsons. But the time we got to Home Park it was just after 3 and my old mans stress levels were through the roof and when he couldn't park near to the ground he just lost it; he screamed, turned the steering wheel and put his foot down, we bumped up onto the kerb, screeched to a halt and ran into the ground. I nearly ****ed myself.

After the game we came out and realised my dad had parked the car up a mound and half in a bush and the car was surrounded by Policeman. My Dad said to me to wait here and I saw him walk towards his car, use his stick, exaggerate his symptoms and showed the Policeman his parkinson card. The next thing I saw the Policeman guiding my Dad out of the bush, stopping the traffic on the road so he could rejoin the carriageway and waving him off. He pulled up around the corner and picked me up, classic.

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Years ago my Volvo 340 died on the M27 going to a Saints match. I heard a bang and looked out of the rear view mirror to see red hot bits of exhaust valve flying through the air. I'd only just bought it from my sister. It wasnt until last week her son told me she knew it was on the way out and I was only person who was prepared to buy it from her.

 

Moral - trust strangers in dark alleys, not your sister.

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4 of us travelled up to Man U for the Rumbelows cup game (circa early nineties) - on the way up something fell off a lorry and smashed the windscreen - which caused us a bit of a delay.

 

On the way back, we had a puncture but the idiot driver had left his spare in the garage at home after getting a previous puncture. We were on the M40 (before it had emergency phones - it had just opened) and the one mobile we had between us had a flat battery. We drove along the hard shoulder at about 2mph from just past Birmingham to oxford. By the time we got to Oxford it was gone 2pm in the morning. We found a kwik fit and slept in the car all night until it opened the next morning - very cold and cramped.

 

Moral of the story? Make sure you've got a spare when going to Manchester and back.

 

A strange time to have a 2pm.

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Years ago my Volvo 340 died on the M27 going to a Saints match. I heard a bang and looked out of the rear view mirror to see red hot bits of exhaust valve flying through the air. I'd only just bought it from my sister. It wasnt until last week her son told me she knew it was on the way out and I was only person who was prepared to buy it from her.

 

Moral - trust strangers in dark alleys, not your sister.

 

My wife's niece married some shifty chancer 10 years ago who now lives off the profits he makes by selling his old, useless, obsolete and faulty cars, computers, digital cameras/mp3 players/televisions/hifi systems/etc etc etc for massively more than they're worth to his inlaws. Theres another piece of advice worth heeding. And Rob, if your reading this, no I still dont want to buy your f***ing bmw

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In the 80s I met a girl on a train who was going to watch Saints at Stoke. I was immediately smitten and we chatted all the way up and back. A few days later I plucked up the courage to ask her out and being a romantic type suggested the midweek away game at West Brom for our first date. My car was not very economical so I knew that if I filled up when I left home I would have enough petrol to get there and half way back. Unfortunately I forgot about the detour I made to pick her up so I ran out of petrol on the M6 about 10 minutes into our return journey. I'm sure I could have found somewhere more secluded to run out of petrol, but at least Saints won and she gave me a big hug when we scored.

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Many years ago as a student, I shall never forget Southsea to Sunderland and back in my mates Reliant three wheeler, (he only had a motorbike licence). The weather was awful on the A1, high winds and driving rain, every large lorry nearly made us take off.

His parents lived in Derbyshire thank God so we stayed overnight there.

Never again.

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Southampton to Liverpool in December 2004 with my mate in tow. Both of us in a decrepid Rover 115 SD hammering up the A34/M40/M6. Appalling traffic, sh*t weather and the windscreen jets ran out of water. Had to stop many times to get the window clear! Took the mother of all cross country rat runs to avoid the M62/M6 junction, under up going via Crewe, Northwich and Runcorn. Made it with time to spare after all that only for my mate nearly denied admitence for having a can of Cider in his bag!

 

Oh, and we lost 1-0......

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In years past I used to drive down to home games from Guildford in my old mini van. It had a starter button on the floor and sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn't. No mechanic could fix this so every trip was a gamble.

 

Anyway, returning once from a night match in p*ssing rain, whilst the starter was on it's best behaviour, unfortunately the windscreen wipers packed up!

 

I had two mates with me, one having to lay in the tray at the back and he was an older bloke. Don't know why we put him in the tray, but he seemed quite happy back there.

 

Alas, it was an adventurous trip home as on what was then little more than country roads in pitch darkness I had to keep stopping what seemed like every mile and get out of the vehicle in the pouring rain to wipe the excess water off the windscreen when I could no longer see where I was going. It took an age to get home that night and very wet, but we all turned up for the next match.

 

I can also remember hanging off the back of a bus in West Bromich one day (we lost 1-0) with arm outstretched to pull in said older gentleman who was valiantly sprinting after the departing bus which was crucial to us catching our train home. Happily the plucky old fella made it and we all lived to follow Saints another day.

 

Like most real supporters on here those were such happy days following Saints at home and away and yes we did some crazy things along the way and drunk the occasional ale but that experience and camaraderie made us Saints supporters for life and is why so many get so upset at the complete mismanagement of OUR club by the present day shysters....

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One Saturday morning in January or February 1968, a mate and I were given a weekend off from our ship which was docked in Plymouth and we decided take in a Saints match and have a day at home. We hired a car from a garage near the dockyard, and 20 minutes into our journey something flew up from the road and smashed the windscreen. We returned to the garage and they gave us a replacement car. Travelling across Dorset two hours later, overtook a lorry and a stone broke the windscreen. We found a phonebox and called the garage and they told us to get it fixed and sort it later. We carried on to So'ton, freezing, and just made it to Carey Lambert before they closed for the weekend. The odd thing is that in over 40 years since I have never had another broken windscreen, despite two in one journey! Can't remember the opposition or the score, soory.

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Norwich away 88 ( i think) there was 3 of us on the way home when the driver fell lost control on the thetford bypass , we smashed into the central reservation , span round and rolled down a bank, the car was a complete write off and ubelievably all 3 of us only suffered bumps on heads, i would like to thank the car load of saints fans who saw what happened and stopped, unfortunately they were in such a rush to get out their car that one of them cracked his head open on the roof, he came off worse than any of us, if you are a saintsweb member reading this a belated thanks ;)

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One Saturday morning in January or February 1968, a mate and I were given a weekend off from our ship which was docked in Plymouth and we decided take in a Saints match and have a day at home. We hired a car from a garage near the dockyard, and 20 minutes into our journey something flew up from the road and smashed the windscreen. We returned to the garage and they gave us a replacement car. Travelling across Dorset two hours later, overtook a lorry and a stone broke the windscreen. We found a phonebox and called the garage and they told us to get it fixed and sort it later. We carried on to So'ton, freezing, and just made it to Carey Lambert before they closed for the weekend. The odd thing is that in over 40 years since I have never had another broken windscreen, despite two in one journey! Can't remember the opposition or the score, soory.

 

Knowing your luck it was probably the 5-3 loss against Chelsea.

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Playing at Luton circa 1989/90 on the League/Milk/Rumbelows/Whatever cup, borrowed my old mans big fook off Merc to get up there.

Got back to the car to find it had been broken into and stereo etc nicked. While stood there another car alarm goes off about 5 cars further down the road and I see this bloke sat in the drivers seat, I raced down the road to give this guy a 'very stern talking to' .

He gets out the car and I shat myself as he was about 7 foot 3 and weighed about 22 stone. Turns out it was his car anyway as he lived in the house right next to where it was parked.

Moral - Never attempt to attack big bastard blokes .

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About 9 years ago we went up to the Fulham FA cup midweek game at the cottage. We tried to pay on the gate but were turned away as it was full. We ended up watching the game in a nearby pub. On the way home we had a major crash hittinge a car that had lost control and was effectively parked across the A3. Car was written off and driver and I both broke our backs and sadly we had to miss a **** load of Saints games.

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Not long after passing my test (early 80's) I drove 3 mates to Old Trafford.

 

They all desided to have a kip on the way home, and I 9not knowing the way without a navigator) decided to take the easy option and followed a coach with a saints banner in the rear window. I was a bit concerned as we drove through London, but kept on like a fool. It must have been around about midnight when the Brighton Saints coach went straight ahead and I decided that the A27 might be a better option.

When the lads woke as we got to Eastligh I told thm that we'd hit traffic and to this day, they are none the wiser.

I feel better now.

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Had stayed in Blackpool prior to Monday night game at Man utd in the cup.The one where Tommy Widderington scored but was disallowed.Our group travelled from Blackpool to Manchester on the Monday pm in two cars ,the car i was in was in front when the windscreeen wiper came off whilst it was ****ing down with rain.We pulled onto the hard shoulder to fix it , the folowing car shot past us but stopped further up the motorway.They rolled one up in Cheech and Chong style whilst waiting on the hard shoulder.We sorted our problem out and got going only to see a car with smoke pouring out of the windows with the old bill stood along side.:D:D:D

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This is the best thread in ages.

 

My memory - 6 hours to carrow road wiltshire via south london pick up arrived 5mins into first half(great game, thinks we lost fa cup replay) then drove home via south london, got home 4am then too tired to get up for college the next day. God bless that 1.3 escort. My passenger always with a four pack and plenty of reefa. Them were the days.:rolleyes:

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Early 80's away to Notts County. It poured down the whole game, and I got absolutely soaked without a waterproof. I lived in Aylesbury at the time, and when I got back to the car I stripped off all my wet clothes and drove home in my underwear. Got some very funny looks from passing drivers!

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Reading away on the coach in 1995 was a bit of a disaster. The coach broke down with a flat tyre, then a bit later on the driver got lost and the coach stuck in a tiny side road. Had to walk to the ground in the pi**ing rain, turned up late, and we lost 2 - 1 :(

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Derby away, this season, in the ST minibus on the way back, ran out of diesel on the A34 and had to push it for one and a half miles to services! The beer stop off at Newbury tasted so sweet!

 

Also broke down about 5 miles from home in the snow after travelling to Norwich in the ZDS trophy.

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Leyton Orient away, must have been 30 to 35 years ago and I was a passenger in a Citreon 2CV. Anyone who has been a passenger in a 2CV will know what its like when its raining, the passenger door bows when it reaches 40mph and all the rain comes in. To make matters worse they didn't come with a built in radio so by the time we got to the ground, 5 minutes from kick off, we found out the game had been called off due to waterlogged pitch.

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So this thread has gone from cars to mini-buses and coaches. In that case I'm sure their are loads of stories from the days Clive Foley used to run his coaches (if you could call them that).

 

I remember the time we broke down twice on the way to St Andrews (got as far as Chandlers Ford the first time, if I'm not mistaken). Got to the gound just in time to see the second goal in a 3-0 win. Also, breaking down in Anfield coach park after a 6-0 drubbing and all having to get out and push.

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Does anyone remeber the days before Sat Navs peering out the windows looking for the floodlight pylons.:)

 

I've always found those folded paper things with lines and writing all over them have avoided the need to admit cold air to the interior.

 

Is it the writing you couldn't handle?

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So this thread has gone from cars to mini-buses and coaches. In that case I'm sure their are loads of stories from the days Clive Foley used to run his coaches (if you could call them that).

 

I remember the time we broke down twice on the way to St Andrews (got as far as Chandlers Ford the first time, if I'm not mistaken). Got to the gound just in time to see the second goal in a 3-0 win. Also, breaking down in Anfield coach park after a 6-0 drubbing and all having to get out and push.

 

 

Now your'e talking, good days.

I remember going overnight to blackpool before rochdale in the league cup on an old bone shaker of a coach clive hired , the old codger driving decided he needed to sleep when we got as far as brum, seeing as there was no back up driver clive took the wheel, i remember waking myself to find him running on kangeroo juice and doing about 50 on the m6 .

Also on the way to cov circa 88, the whole coach got stopped and nicked for no apparent reason at eastliegh , some hired a car and went anyway and if i remember rightly the game was called off :o

 

Newcastle away 88 , clive's coach again, while we were in the ground the OB reckoned they found some pellets onboard, rumour was the driver just wanted to get home ( we were supposed to be going on the lash in nottingham til midnight, then home) we had a police escort all the way home, every county border we came too the next lot were waiting to escort us, they were even at a service station on the M1 and would'nt let us get off :rolleyes: could job the coach had a bog onboard, cant believe the OB's overeaction for no apparent reason apart from some pellets that was strangley never proved.

People knock clive, but he did some cracking away trips.

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mate an I drove all the way up to a midweek Liverpool game a few years back and it took over 7 hours to get there. The game was live on SKY and I remember queing at a set of traffic lights, having finally arrived in Liverpool, and watching them bloody score on a TV set in the pub. We arrived at the ground at half time and eventually managed to find a steward to let us in. Thank god we had booked a hotel in Liverpool and got a quality night out for our troubles.

Edited by Chez
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As we're now on to coaches, I'll add this

 

Saw Saints away at Villa with a couple of mates, can't remember the year but Claus was sent off and I think Neil Moss was in goal. One for the stattos.

 

Anyway we travelled up on the coach one mate is Saints mad and has followed them since he was 5, the other mate was a Johnny-come-lately football fan - played rugby at school but then followed football because it was fashionable.

 

We'd had a fair skinfull of beer and had been on the coach for hours when we passed a sign on the M6 saying Birmingham was 10 miles away. My Johnny-come-lately mate says "Birmingham? What are we doing in Birmingham?". To which we say we're going to see Saints v Villa. He says, "I thought Aston Villa was a London club!".

 

Well you can imagine the uproar on the coach. Everyone spent the rest of the journey there and back saying "cokney" phrases in a Brum accent. "Up the apples and pears me ol' china. Fancy a ruby?" Classic.

 

Oh and the game was also memorable because I caught the ball behind Moss' goal after a Villa shot. I threw it back to him and waved to the camera. But despite recording Match of the Day, the shot didn't make the edit. :(

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On the route back from Glasgow to my home in the south I decided to take in the Saints game at Everton. I followed my nose till I saw the stadium and then stopped to ask a copper " where can I (safely) park my car around here? " He looked at my shiny new BMW and replied in a strong scouse accent "Manchester" !

We got tonked by 7 goals that day but at least the motor was ok when I got back to it !!

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Another Foley coach trip. Everton away 1980. After yet another away defeat, we asked the driver to stop off at Swindon, where we had found a great pub 7 days earlier after the WBA game.

 

I nodded off on the journey home and was woken by someone asking me if I knew where we were? Steamed up window and rain, I eventually saw a motorway sign for Northampton. The idiot driver had missed the M5 at Spaghetti Junction and sailed on past Brum and was heading for God knows where as there was no M25 or M40 then.

 

I had to navigate him from Towcester to Oxford and onto the A34 and we got to East Ilsley after 10.00. A manic hours drinking later, we got back on board and promptly broke down on the slip road leading back to A34.

 

After the whole coach tried pushing it downhill (do coaches bump-start?) we had to wait 3 hours for a replacement and got back after 4.00

 

Couldnt afford a taxi and walked 3 miles home and after a few hours kip I got sent off for retaliation in the 1st half of my sunday match.

 

Happy, er? days.

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