We’ve dug into our archives for these incredible images of crowds at Bristol City and Bristol Rovers matches in the 1950s.
After unearthing a dusty box of pictures in our archives we found some superb shots and even received some information from readers about who may be in the pictures and what went down on the day.
Can footballs crowds of today match up to these glorious scenes? Is there a chance someone you know and loved – or knew and remember fondly – could be captured in these images?
As ever, if you recognise any relatives in this picture, if you know anyone who is, or if you’re in the picture, we’d love to hear your memories of the game and of following your team down the years, so let us know by emailing epletters@bepp.co.uk
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DERBY MATCH: Here’s the biggest of them all, from the 1950-51 season – the derby.
This cracking picture has December 12, 1950 written on the back – though it’s likely it’s from the game on December 30 of that year when Rovers beat their rivals 2-1 in front of more than 30,000 fans at Eastville in Division Three (South).
ROVERS v LUTON: Recognise any young Rovers fans in this picture? This gem, captioned January 27, 1951, is from when Rovers faced Luton away in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Rovers fans made their presence felt in the ground, and they travelled home happy after seeing their team win the tie 1-2.
They beat Hull in the next round and after drawing away to Newcastle in the quarter-final it was estimated 100,000 people descended on Eastville in a bid to snap up the 30,000 or so tickets for the replay.
Sadly, the run came to an end with a 1-3 home defeat in the replay to the eventual winners.
We received this response by way of a letter after publishing the above picture in print in the Bristol Post:
In reference to the Bristol Post edition of Thurs.4th. January, 2018. I can identify my brother Mike Morgan in the centre page (22&23) photograph of Bristol Rovers supporters at the F.A. cup game against Luton.
He is positioned dead centre page wearing a floppy straw hat and wheeling a squared rattle in his right hand.
Now in his eighties he has a good story to tell of the subsequent visit by train two rounds later at Newcastle. If I remember rightly he also featured in a Bristol Evening Post photo at this game also.
I am not aware which female member of the family lost their straw hat but my money is on mother having decorating it in the Blue and white colours.
CITY v BRUM:
Now it’s the turn of City fans. Here’s plenty of Robins supporters making their presence felt at Birmingham City on February 10, 1951, in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Sadly, City’s cup run came to an end with a 2-0 defeat. They had earlier beaten Gloucester (4-0), Wrexham (2-1), Blackburn Rovers (2-1) and Brighton and Hove Albion (1-0) in successive home ties to make it to that stage.
That’s the three we’ve published in print so far, and received responses to.
Here’s three more incredible pictures from Rovers and City games, including the date and the game.
It's January 27, 1951 and Bristol City are facing off against Brighton - can you tell us anything about who is in this picture of what happened on the day?
Here it's 1951 and Bristol Rovers are away at Newcastle. All of these pictures are before safety measures were brought in to prevent huge crowds from being a hazard. The effect this has is to make the crowd's look even larger than today. Can you tell us anything about this picture?
It's February 27, 1951, and we believe this shows what is probably supposed to be a queue of Bristol Rovers fans eager to get their hands tickets to a replay FA cup match. A lone woman appears to have fainted amid the crush of bodies and is being carried aloft. Those around her don't seem so alarmed, however. Can you give us a clearer picture of what this image shows?
If you have any insight to share about these three, let us know in the comments section below or email epletters@bepp.co.uk
And keep a look out in the Post for more great pictures from seasons gone by soon.
