The Hotel End

1997 wasn't all about the final. It started at noon on Sunday 11th May at a soaking wet Ninian Park, pre away end roof.
Thoughts and memories welcomed.
My brief remembrances: Mark Cooper getting sent off and thinking "oh ffs". The Parish wonder goal, we'd score another screamer at Ninian not long after coutesy of Gabbiadini. The rain. Bricks coming over the away end back wall and finally didn't one of the trust coaches fall off the road on the way back?

I thought my heart was going to burst when Parish scored; didn't he have a flag of St George t-shirt on underneath too? The elation at the end soon evaporated when I saw the 'reception' that was waiting for us outside. Still struggle with how they got away with having a hard core surface on the car park given it seemed conveniently loose. What a day. Baa!

The coach fell off the road on the A43 just past the Green Man at Silverstone, pre dual carriageway days.

I'd forgotten it started at noon. I now have no idea how I managed to get there for kick off travelling from Bournemouth.
The terrace not being as full as I was expecting, some less than hard-core sheltering against a wall close to the entrance/exit.
Always thought there was coins and stuff coming from the upper tier of the far stand, never realised they were using the surface from the carpark behind us.
Walking past the Ninian Arms and thinking that's close enough for me.

Pubs not open so having to drink cans on the street.
Also on the mini bus, reading a loud the words of the Cardiff manager in the local paper' saying 'we are Cardiff  the capital of Wales, they're just Northampton ..At that point the paper was ripped from my hands a thrown out the window onto the m4 between Newport and Cardiff..
Great day out.

I remember driving there at silly o'clock in the morning and parking in a layby on the dual carriageway before walking to the ground. Don't remember stuff being lobbed in on us....it was so wet, that's about all I do remember!
Walking away from the ground and hearing the Police sirens and the shouting of rival fans.....

Still remember it well...

The rain on the open terrace...
Cooper seeing red...
The sound of the ball hitting the rain soaked net from the sublime Parrish finish!

Oh, and I was on the coach that went in the ditch on it's side!  :o

I was seated next to the window on the side it fell on... The driver literally seemed to just drive into the ditch!

Thankfully, I don't think anyone was injured as we weren't travelling at speed, just shook everyone up...

Remember clambering out the fire exit and had to pile on one of the other coaches behind us...just standing up or sitting in the aisle!

Couldn't do that now with due to health & safety etc

Think we were all so euphoric after such a great day out & result tbh then it didn't seem that big a deal!

What a day!
The roar of men of Harlech as we tried to get to our bus after winning 1-0.
The clatter of missiles bouncing off the roof of the bus we were in as BBC numpty tried to get us to sing a cobblers song live on air lol.
Then... The bus on its side in the ditch, it was when they were building the Silverstone bypass.
As we slowly passed it, concerned, some comedian shouted " stop the bus, let's get on theirs and nick their second leg tickets!"
Great memories, let's hope we create the same atmosphere on Sat and stick it right up Mansfield!

Pointless police outside afterwards as they didn’t do a lot as we left. As mentioned the car park was just a collection of missiles waiting to be thrown.

Gladly the welcome to Sixfields a few days later helped to pay things back with interest.

Good days.

Was at the second leg and the South End of the West was full of miming sheep and the courtesy chant of sheep shag**rs rang out pretty well. Can remember the tall well built chap in a suit goading the Cardiff fans. He sat right at the front too! Eventually he was moved on by the Police as things were boiling up! Still enjoyed the game particularly as we were worthy winners on the night!

Missed the away leg but made it to the home game. Remember the atmosphere was spicy with the police horses chasing people up and down the bank

And that mobile, fence thing that turned up on a trailer, sealing off the away end. Didnt work though, as they were climbing over it!

we might have been on the same bus then because we had the radio on ours as we were looking out of the back window at Cardiff getting closer and closer to the police lines thinking "🤔 do you want to go to a record now maybe?"

The police escort from the M4 to the ground set the tone for the day; the reception afterwards unforgettable, we were all so high with the result though that it was funny rather than intimidating.  What a fantastic day!

I was at the away leg with my dad and one of my mates and we really didn't see any bother. I do remember it properly kicking off at the home leg though - didn't they set fire to the toilets or something?

I think they tried doing something with the weird food stall there used to be, wasn't it shaped like an Oxo cube or something mad? Or was this a different club in a different season?

At the home leg, didn't a Cardiff fan run on the pitch and a Cobblers fan ran on and engaged with him in a short bout of handbags?

Oh yeah, wasn't it shaped like a coffee jar? I'd forgotten all about that!

Just reading this and considering all the other play off challenges its amazing how both Cardiff and Swansea have progressed in those 25 years - however pretty much everyone else has perhaps gone up or down a division but no massive progress or decline.

no that was another time

Tied a Cobblers scarf onto the flagpole at the tower of Raglan Castle after the game. Bit bizarre I know!