As an aside to the question about going to games without tickets...

(Didn't want to post in place under the Hillsborough thread as this isn't relevant enough to warrant it.)

The only game I can think of doing that is when I drove with a school friend's family from Lowestoft (back when I used to live there) for a derby match in the late 90s. I didn't have a ticket but managed to blag one for the Barclay from the ticket office by spinning a yarn about having lost mine. I was prepared to pay for 'another' but they just printed me off one, no questions asked! You don't ask, you don't get. My 'mate' was a bit miffed but f**k him, he was a dick anyway! Actually, recalling the day, I think I'd originally only gone into the ticket office to watch it on their telly (and then got into the ground midway into the first half).

Oh and I've landed a spare season ticket in Squares for a match I'd been planning to listen to on Norfolk - I believe that was for the late Chris Martin 1-0 vs Leeds in the Champ on our way back up. I gave my mp3 & radio player to my (different) mate who'd come over from Lowie (I lived in the city by then) and he listened in the Mustard Pot with his missus. Although he was gutted there weren't anymore spares he was chuffed he could at least listen (don't think there were pubs streaming like there are now) - I think they enjoyed keeping the pub well informed too!

My mate from Belfast who I hooked up with a number of someone with a spare for Fulham off here, came over with his Dad years back and paraded round Lloyds with signs advertising their need for spare STs and ended up with two or three.

If it wasn't 4am I'd possibly be able to recall other (personal) instances but I don't think there are, especially not now in the age of streaming. But it happens all the time (in general); I often used to say that if you wanted a ticket badly enough you'd find a way of getting hold of one.

I can well believe, going back to the topic of the OP, that turning up ticketless was far more common in an era where pay on the gate was far more common also. Different matter FA Cup semis, granted (in terms of all-ticketed sell outs), so demand and urge to be there would be far higher. But having read the post about the CCTV head count I'm in danger of commenting about something I haven't read the details on, though I will say that historically that was my only issue with the fans in terms of 'blame' or more accurately 'mitigating circumstances', going along with the apparent myth that there were many unticketed fans who rushed the gate and swelled the numbers in the stand. But as I say, I haven't read the details, though it sounds like they can even be cleared of that one. Perhaps I should read up, the damning ugly truth is finally out in the open afterall.

I'm not usually one for what feel like crass platitudes like 'my thoughts are with those affected' when I don't know any of them, but clearly they are if I'm sitting up at 4:23am reading others comments on it and writing my own incoherent waffle on the matter. Apologies if any of this came across badly.

Posted By: DJ Ginga, Apr 15, 04:23:20