Travelling to Ibrox via Partick in the seventies. (Govan Ferry ?)

[tannerall 25,935]

In my teen years (70s) I lived in Knightswood. In those days to get to the game we'd either get the bus or the train down to Partick. Then we had three choices.

First was the subway. Best trip I had on the subway was the night we beat Bayern 2-0 in the ECWC semi-final, after the game straight over to Merkland Street then in to the pub with my Dad just in time to see the cellic lose to Inter Milan on penalty kicks.

Second option was the Glasgow Tunnel pedestrian walkway. Used that only when we had time to walk all the way home, which was not often. Got caught up in fights or chased by tims a few times too as you had to go through the more cellic minded areas on the way.

Third was the Govan/Kelvinhaugh Ferry. My favourite.

We occasionly took the ferry on the way to the game. After the game if the Copland Road subway was too busy we'd carry on walking to the Govan ferry. There were usually a couple of hundred fans queuing already so the banter and singing was usually good.There were usually 2 or 3 coppers stationed there after games, but we knew they were good bluenoses in those days, so the banter back and forward with them was fun, usually of the "Hey Officer Dibble, Top Cat calling" type of stuff. Can't remember how many passengers that wee ferry could hold, but I'm sure it was around a hundred all crammed on.

Anyone else have good memories travelling from the north side to Ibrox and back on the subway, tunnel, or especially the Govan Ferry ?

[Young Conqueror 78]

Hey Tanneral i'm an old Drumchapel boy and was only a wee pup in the 70s but remember going this way quite a lot and getting the 9 back to the Drum. My memories of the ferry especially after the game was always that they wee guys that drove the boat were always blootered and sometimes they struggled to get the boat in to the stairs. Scary times indeed bud

[ps95v7 387]

Remember as you say used to walk down the Copland Rd @ Kai Johansen's pub. If we couldn't get the No 4 or 53 back to Springburn, got Ferry over to Partick get the No 16 get off at Petershill Road and walk up Springburn Road. It was not unusual in those daysto walk home to Springburn especially at Hampden.

The battles all the way down Mount Florida especially when they reared there ugly mugs at Aitkenhead Road let the party commence, right the way into the toon.

Good Times

[King Jela 20,667]

Remember as you say used to walk down the Copland Rd @ Kai Johansen's pub. If we couldn't get the No 4 or 53 back to Springburn, got Ferry over to Partick get the No 16 get off at Petershill Road and walk up Springburn Road. It was not unusual in those daysto walk home to Springburn especially at Hampden.

The battles all the way down Mount Florida especially when they reared there ugly mugs at Aitkenhead Road let the party commence, right the way into the toon.

Good Times

That sounds fucking mental!

[nachothelegend 1,932]

Mind the Step.

[tannerall 25,935]

Remember as you say used to walk down the Copland Rd @ Kai Johansen's pub. If we couldn't get the No 4 or 53 back to Springburn, got Ferry over to Partick get the No 16 get off at Petershill Road and walk up Springburn Road. It was not unusual in those daysto walk home to Springburn especially at Hampden.

The battles all the way down Mount Florida especially when they reared there ugly mugs at Aitkenhead Road let the party commence, right the way into the toon.

Good Times

Worst part was walking through the tim infested high flats at the Gorbals. Got all sorts thrown at us. Used to retaliate by lobbing beercans at tim buses coming back from Hampden.

[ps95v7 387]

That sounds fucking mental!

Yup bud, it was fkn mental, when you got down to to where Cathkin Park was it would spread out a bit and there would be running battles, some branching off to Bridgeton, but with us going to Springburn had to go right into the toon by the fkn Gorbals by the Cross then up the High Street

Bonkers

[bluedart1952 1,378]

I travelled the three journeys quite regular for 8 or 9 years before I left the Drum for pastures new, had a good laugh on the ferry on quite a few occasions. Went the tunnel route a few times to the city centre and as you say a twat of a walk that nearly always ended with a fight. If a went on the subway back to Merkland st I always paid a visit to the chippy there as it was very good, then it was either the bus or train back to the Drum. Bloody hell these memories are making me feel old.

[ps95v7 387]

Worst part was walking through the tim infested high flats at the Gorbals. Got all sorts thrown at us. Used to retaliate by lobbing beercans at tim buses coming back from Hampden.

Aye your right, bastards would lob allsorts at you as you say, but the buses got it big time, the police were absent just let us get on with it. Seen a few battles at the train station at Mount Florida.

[tannerall 25,935]

I travelled the three journeys quite regular for 8 or 9 years before I left the Drum for pastures new, had a good laugh on the ferry on quite a few occasions. Went the tunnel route a few times to the city centre and as you say a twat of a walk that nearly always ended with a fight. If a went on the subway back to Merkland st I always paid a visit to the chippy there as it was very good, then it was either the bus or train back to the Drum. Bloody hell these memories are making me feel old.

I'd forgotten how good that chippy at Merkland Street was, first chance to get something to eat after the game. Blackpuddin' supper soaked in vinegar every time for me. I was stuck in the corner of the pub at Merkland Street as a 12 year old, with a half pint of lemonade, eating a bag of chips from that chippy when Dixie Deans skied his penalty on the TV

[familystandloyal 131]

I grew up in Anderston in the 70's, our old tenement is long gone, my dad used to walk me to the games through a big long underground tunnel, I assume that was option 2 in the OP. I was maybe 6 or 7 so memories are very vague.

[tannerall 25,935]

I grew up in Anderston in the 70's, our old tenement is long gone, my dad used to walk me to the games through a big long underground tunnel, I assume that was option 2 in the OP. I was maybe 6 or 7 so memories are very vague.

No the pedestrian tunnel was alongside the Glasgow tunnel and came out at Whiteinch. Was also the bicycle tunnel

And it was long, almost half an hour walk.

But there was a pedestrian tunnel at Finnieston/Anderston which came out on the Paisley Road. Had been built originally with the rotundas. I went through it a few times. It was wooden lagged so gave the impression tunnel was made of wood, drips everywhere and smelt really damp and neglected.

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/rotundas/

[STILLGAME 55 4,128]

train from drum to partick then go to celinos chippy on merkland st for walloper and chips and walk to the ferry

reverse this journey after the game except going to the chippy

as somebody said previously mind the step we used to take bets on how many steps the boat would go up before it stopped

I'm positive the cunt always tried to hit the the side of the pier and the steps at the same time and if you weren't holding on

you got thrown all over the place

I remember bluedart1952 telling me a story about a guy he knew was pished and missed the ferry and started swimming after it

because he couldn't be bothered waiting for it to come back from what I can remember he was from the Drum

[boabster66 15]

Travelling from the Drum i used the 3 options a lot the subway was mental in those days lol, also remember getting chased from the ferry side at Kelvinhaugh by the Chunky along the expressway fek them. Good memories, Drumchapel Derry All The Way

[familystandloyal 131]

No the pedestrian tunnel was alongside the Glasgow tunnel and came out at Whiteinch. Was also the bicycle tunnel

And it was long, almost half an hour walk.

But there was a pedestrian tunnel at Finnieston/Anderston which came out on the Paisley Road. Had been built originally with the rotundas. I went through it a few times. It was wooden lagged so gave the impression tunnel was made of wood, drips everywhere and smelt really damp and neglected.

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/rotundas/

I spoke to my dad last night to get a rough idea of timescales.

I was born in 1970 and the tenemants were knocked down in 1977 (around about Silver Jubilee) and we were re-housed, so he reckons it must habe been about 1975/76-ish. I would have been about 5 or 6 years old.

I honestly don't remember that much about it, but do remember walking for ages through a big long tunnel to get to the game.

I assume it's long gone, when did it close to the public.

[harlands plater 17,065]

This tunnel?

[Misteral 2,932]

Used all three but mostly the subway though can remember the ferry as well. Good times, the 70's at ibrox was mental.

WATP

[SkiBunny 441]

Second option was the Glasgow Tunnel pedestrian walkway. Used that only when we had time to walk all the way home, which was not often. Got caught up in fights or chased by tims a few times too as you had to go through the more cellic minded areas on the way.

What were the more celtc orientated areas?

[tannerall 25,935]

What were the more celtc orientated areas?

Through the Broomloan and the industrial bit then heading down to Elder Park, was a lot of empty land where tenements had been knocked down. Was a bit rougher down there. Ran in to tims a few times, on my own one time got caught by three of them and had to deck one and run like fuck as they were lobbing bricks at me. Was fit in those days and could run fast.

Broomloan flats had a reputation then as well. The bit between Edmiston Drive and Paisley Road West was a mixture but mostly okay. I lived on the PRW and from the side window could see the cellic end of Ibrox. When we got back after a cellic game would be mostly cellic fans coming up and Rangers fans meeting them at the corner going along PRW.

Saw a good few fights from our first floor window, If it was just odd one or two ordinary fans getting jumped by a crowd my dad and the neighbours used to go down and sort it out themselves, regardless if it were Gers or cellic fans as they didn't like trouble on the

doorstep. Saw a good few battles spilling across from the PRW over to the park entrances, all over the main road. Got quite messy a few times, but we had a grandstand view.

Couple of 100 getting arrested and few dozen getting badly hurt at an old firm game in those days was considered quite a good result by the police and papers never made a big deal about it. .

[Eaglesham Bear 107]

Used the Govan ferry myself in the sixties. Few pints in the Mermaid or the Windsor Bridgeton at opening time then then onto the Park Bar Argyle Street to meet up with the boys then off to the ferry at 2.30 for the game then return after it. Surprised that there was anyone getting chased after the ferry with the amount of Bears about. I was unaware that the Finniston tunnel didn't close until 1980 as my mother used to take me through it in the fifties to get the trolley bus back to Bridgeton but I stand corrected. Further up there was the Kingston ferry which ran from beside the Kingston Halls to near Betty's Bar in the Broomielaw. From Hampden to Bridgeton then it was usually over Polmadie Road and over the footbridge in the Glasgow Green. not usually much trouble on it just a few skirmishes (safety in numbers) until we reach the football pitches then it would be a free for all for those wanting a fight.

[wullyRFC 5,230]

YKF

[onefootwillie 1,519]

Use to do a similar journey with my mates . We got the 64 bus from Clydebank to Kelvin Hall . We then walked down to Yorkhill To get a ferry there, I think this was the last passenger ferry to cross the Clyde, and from there walk up Copland rd ,I am sure we passed by Kai Johansen's pub just as you came off the ferry. I remember going to the disaster game that way. We obviously did not have phones then but heard on the portable radio we took to the game about the crush when we reached Kelvin Hall Managed to find a public phone to let home know we were ok

[King Jela 20,667]

Surely to fuck there must've been a fair few murders back then judging by these stories ?

[Eaglesham Bear 107]

Surely to fuck there must've been a fair few murders back then judging by these stories ?

Most of the time it was fists and feet. At that time in Bridgeton the plain cloths police went around in a transit bus and conducted stop and search if there were any more than 2 of you. If asked if they had a warrant you were invited to come with them to Tobago Street and they would get one and find something on you. Having said that its not the first time I have had a knife at my throat at Bridgeton Cross. Yes it was King Kai's Pub at the corner of Govan Road and Stag Street on the way to the ferry.

[steviebear1955 0]

In my teen years (70s) I lived in Knightswood. In those days to get to the game we'd either get the bus or the train down to Partick. Then we had three choices.

First was the subway. Best trip I had on the subway was the night we beat Bayern 2-0 in the ECWC semi-final, after the game straight over to Merkland Street then in to the pub with my Dad just in time to see the cellic lose to Inter Milan on penalty kicks.

Second option was the Glasgow Tunnel pedestrian walkway. Used that only when we had time to walk all the way home, which was not often. Got caught up in fights or chased by tims a few times too as you had to go through the more cellic minded areas on the way.

Third was the Govan/Kelvinhaugh Ferry. My favourite.

We occasionly took the ferry on the way to the game. After the game if the Copland Road subway was too busy we'd carry on walking to the Govan ferry. There were usually a couple of hundred fans queuing already so the banter and singing was usually good.There were usually 2 or 3 coppers stationed there after games, but we knew they were good bluenoses in those days, so the banter back and forward with them was fun, usually of the "Hey Officer Dibble, Top Cat calling" type of stuff. Can't remember how many passengers that wee ferry could hold, but I'm sure it was around a hundred all crammed on.

Anyone else have good memories travelling from the north side to Ibrox and back on the subway, tunnel, or especially the Govan Ferry ?

Hi tannerall :-) great memories I had forgotten about going to the games on that old ferry,,,is it still running ? Like you I lived in Knightswood in my early teens and before :-) And like you I would get the blue train at westerton station or get the number 16 or 33 buses into Patrick and then have the same 3 choices :-) I especially loved the old ferry way, I liked the sea hehe. You could have been on the same tube as me at the Bayern CWC game ??? I love bringing back these old memories don't you ? God bless Stephen Reid,,,,,,bye the way I lived on Cloberhill Road........:-) :-) :-) .