The Soccer Match
Without Prejudice
When I lived in the UK, soccer was the be all and end all of entertainment, that and Radio Caroline and BBC 2 which had just started. Mmmm Top of The Pops, anyway, soccer was the big deal and Leeds United was the team for us in Wakefield to be passionate about. Denise my best friend and I wore our Leeds United scarves everywhere, mainly as they were long and could go around our necks at least twice making us look like we were at the Henley Regatta rather than the grey cold streets of North Yorkshire.
Every Saturday afternoon when I was 14 was our time to spend at the Leeds Roller Skating rink, falling over and showing off in front of boys who we were not supposed to even be looking at, but 14 year old girls are 14 year old girls. The ones that slip out of the house wearing something but having a carrier bag full of a change of outfit, loads of make up and perhaps a 5 pack of ciggies and matches. Naughty school girls we were.
We would hurl around the skating rink like demented fiends on amphetamines but the only "speed" we were on in those days was in the "speed skating session " That, and if we were really daring, an aspro in coke as it was supposed to bring on a high, (note to all, it didn't.) But we managed to convince ourselves we felt a little dizzy and 'high".
So we returned to the train station one night at 6pm to be greeted by a train about to pull out of the station. No way could we be late so we jumped for the closing door and congratulated ourselves on our good fortune as the doors shut behind us. Giggling we turned around to see the train was packed. With Arsenal Supporters, who had lost to Leeds United and there we were with our Leeds United scarves on.
I think right then and there, we dies on the spot. The train was alive, literally seethingwith supporters. All male and all really pissed off at losing to Leeds. No other dumb Leeds United Supporters had been stupid enough to get on the train. We grabbed our scarves off and tried to stuff them in our bags. Too late, we were spotted and Denise was dragged straight into a carriage and pinned down on the floor. The train was like a heaving throbbing monster of humans, males everywhere who were shouting and smashing windows. The noise was indescribable.
I pushed my way into the carriage where Denise was and saw her on the floor, her hair everywhere and a guy standing over her trying to lift her skirt. And I did what any self possessed nut case would do I grabbed my Rive Gauche perfume out of my bag and sprayed him in the face with it. He lunged for me and Denise had time to get out from underneath him and escape to the corridor.
Another guy stepped in as the would be attacker went for my throat and he led me out into the corridor and stood against me near the wall, so I could not be seen. The train screeched to a halt and the Police came on board and let us out one of the smashed doors.
The train was then sent on to Wakefield and we went back to Wakefield in the back of a black Mariah. We were pretty shaken up and had to give a statement to the police and then our parents came to pick us up. I had hair pulled out and Denise had a cut to her lip but we were alive and kicking and that was the main thing. Never ever again were we to get on a train full of soccer hooligans and we didn't go to the matches either.
Unless you have ever been in a situation like that I don't think you can even imagine it. It was totally terrifying but even though I was terrified I was going to be saving my friend as she was in a bad circumstance. I guess you don't know what you are capable of until you have experienced it, but it's funny how you don't think about the danger to yourself. I laugh now when I think of pulling out my perfume spray bottle as what sort of a weapon was that to use against a man like the one I was facing.
I heard from my rescuer after that, he was a "mod" with a skin head but he was good to me and I was so very grateful. If he hadn't stepped in God knows what would have happened. Stiff lesson to learn at 14, I have always avoided mobs since then and I always will. There is a certain mentality that comes over a mob and I do not wish to be part of it ever again.
Love Janette
When I lived in the UK, soccer was the be all and end all of entertainment, that and Radio Caroline and BBC 2 which had just started. Mmmm Top of The Pops, anyway, soccer was the big deal and Leeds United was the team for us in Wakefield to be passionate about. Denise my best friend and I wore our Leeds United scarves everywhere, mainly as they were long and could go around our necks at least twice making us look like we were at the Henley Regatta rather than the grey cold streets of North Yorkshire.
Every Saturday afternoon when I was 14 was our time to spend at the Leeds Roller Skating rink, falling over and showing off in front of boys who we were not supposed to even be looking at, but 14 year old girls are 14 year old girls. The ones that slip out of the house wearing something but having a carrier bag full of a change of outfit, loads of make up and perhaps a 5 pack of ciggies and matches. Naughty school girls we were.
We would hurl around the skating rink like demented fiends on amphetamines but the only "speed" we were on in those days was in the "speed skating session " That, and if we were really daring, an aspro in coke as it was supposed to bring on a high, (note to all, it didn't.) But we managed to convince ourselves we felt a little dizzy and 'high".
So we returned to the train station one night at 6pm to be greeted by a train about to pull out of the station. No way could we be late so we jumped for the closing door and congratulated ourselves on our good fortune as the doors shut behind us. Giggling we turned around to see the train was packed. With Arsenal Supporters, who had lost to Leeds United and there we were with our Leeds United scarves on.
I think right then and there, we dies on the spot. The train was alive, literally seethingwith supporters. All male and all really pissed off at losing to Leeds. No other dumb Leeds United Supporters had been stupid enough to get on the train. We grabbed our scarves off and tried to stuff them in our bags. Too late, we were spotted and Denise was dragged straight into a carriage and pinned down on the floor. The train was like a heaving throbbing monster of humans, males everywhere who were shouting and smashing windows. The noise was indescribable.
I pushed my way into the carriage where Denise was and saw her on the floor, her hair everywhere and a guy standing over her trying to lift her skirt. And I did what any self possessed nut case would do I grabbed my Rive Gauche perfume out of my bag and sprayed him in the face with it. He lunged for me and Denise had time to get out from underneath him and escape to the corridor.
Another guy stepped in as the would be attacker went for my throat and he led me out into the corridor and stood against me near the wall, so I could not be seen. The train screeched to a halt and the Police came on board and let us out one of the smashed doors.
The train was then sent on to Wakefield and we went back to Wakefield in the back of a black Mariah. We were pretty shaken up and had to give a statement to the police and then our parents came to pick us up. I had hair pulled out and Denise had a cut to her lip but we were alive and kicking and that was the main thing. Never ever again were we to get on a train full of soccer hooligans and we didn't go to the matches either.
Unless you have ever been in a situation like that I don't think you can even imagine it. It was totally terrifying but even though I was terrified I was going to be saving my friend as she was in a bad circumstance. I guess you don't know what you are capable of until you have experienced it, but it's funny how you don't think about the danger to yourself. I laugh now when I think of pulling out my perfume spray bottle as what sort of a weapon was that to use against a man like the one I was facing.
I heard from my rescuer after that, he was a "mod" with a skin head but he was good to me and I was so very grateful. If he hadn't stepped in God knows what would have happened. Stiff lesson to learn at 14, I have always avoided mobs since then and I always will. There is a certain mentality that comes over a mob and I do not wish to be part of it ever again.
Love Janette
