Filbert Street - The Legendary Home of Leicester City Football Club

[Tony Pine]

start up money for TJ's

Edited 7 January 2010 by Tony Pine

[harpendenfox]

dont know if its been mentioned, but why are there people with buckets in the photo above??

collecting for the Birch's charity run by the looks of the group running round the edge of the pitch. Some things never change then!

You made your City debut just before me. Mine was a 0-1 home defeat to West Ham, with Clyde Best scoring the only goal. As I sit here now I can still conjure up my view of the game from my seat in the Main Stand, sitting with my Dad, a mere 35 years ago. And this Sunday, if the game goes ahead, I'll be there with my Dad to celebrate his 86th birthday, along with my 13 year old City loving son.

Those pictures have made me quite whimsical

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I remember it well. I first stood on the terracing in 1957, as a little nipper.

Spent many a season, a few years later, as a regular, on them there terraces. Bless 'em.

[Fatbloke]

Like this?

Yeah that`s the kiddie, fantastic to see that, cheers, really wish I had bought one now !

[Ozwin]

I want that mug.

[BoneDog]

Please. Please. Publish an autobiography.

I don't know about an auto-biography, but I am thinking of writing an erotic thriller for the ladies!

[foxoffderby]

The best memory was after we beat Oxford to stay up in 91. The old stand had a little walkway to receive trophies (similar to the old Wembley) and all of the players came out one by one and were all clapped and cheered by the crowd. It is possibly the only time I ever remember Tony Spearings name being sung.

My favourite day too mate great days, I used to sit in pen 3 back in the day in the old kop. The atmosphere and the chants used to be great. Im glad I experienced those days,

compared to the piss poor state of the Walkers. I sit in the new main stand in the Keith Weller lounge now, and I look over to were I would of sat if was still a teenager now at the

Walkers, and theres nothing there. At filbo in the kop there were no families just the hardcore fans I think thats the major change now. I also think football is so expensive now its

become a recreational sport of the middle classes. In the Filbert St days football was raw, it was were the the working classes went to vent their frustrations and anger. I think

whatever you try and do it is impossible to recreate the atmosphere of Filbo at the Walkers due to the changes in the fabric of society today.

Getting back to the original thread, I only sat in the old main stand once. My first game mid 80's city v villa we lost 0-1 (mark walters). I was given 2 free tickets by my uncle and

me and brother went. We sat right at the top, could hardly see the players. Anyway I was hooked from that day. Been a fan since

[Len Finsbury]

I used to work in the food stalls back in those days and did a stint in the main stand when the regular chap was missing. This was the best place to work as you could watch the game. It was very difficult to concentrate on working as you'd be distracted by the game even if you were in the middle of serving someone.

Most of my time was spent working in the stall between the main stand and the south stand where you could also buy burgers and hot dogs - the only place in the ground that you could get them. All of the other stalls only sold pies.

These were good times... especially when you were serving in the away pen. We used to serve drinks from burco boilers rather than the fancy draught hot water they have nowadays. I remember many away fans having piss with their tea!

[Pegosteve]

Stood on these terraces for my first game in Dec 67... Many happy memories remember getting an earwigging from a copper for gobbing at the linesman... well he was flag happy!!!

Always enjoyed watching the game from here, if you could get close to the half way line it was a great viewing point, 35k plus crowds too great atmosphere... ah well back to the real world.

Thanks Davie G for the memories

[lildave3]

dont know if its been mentioned, but why are there people with buckets in the photo above??

Birch's run surely?

[clazkel]

I used to sit on the step at the front at the exit where the stewards would stand as i couldn't be bothered standing. Loved those days

Edited 8 January 2010 by clazkel

[LoughboroughFox]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Pen 2, so close to the away fans in pen 1, great atmosphere, sadly missed

[midfield]

sounds cheesy but get shivers down my spine thihking about the old ground first game the old man took me too was aginst man city think it was 84 to 85 season remember every one banging on the wooden floor it finished one all i think i was hooked so to speak can any one remember the old club shop it was tiny and always packed fond memories reading some of these posts

[Cant_Fox_You]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndRUkvm9eKg

Heres that 'farewell to Filbert Street' video, i managed to nab the video off the O/S before it changed to 'Foxes Player'.

Edited 16 August 2010 by Cant_Fox_You

[OzFox]

Some pics I took at Filbert Street in July 1988...complete with trusty Mk III Escort

[wellyfox]

Yep those were the days.

U.S.A, U.S.A, U.S.A as Keller walked towards the goal in front of the kop

Going back even further guess the keeper

HE'S NOT BALD HE'S NOT BALD HE'S NOT BALD

[wellyfox]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Pen 2, so close to the away fans in pen 1, great atmosphere, sadly missed

Wont miss the HP2 batteries n 10p's from the Chelski fans though

[Haydos]

Never got to see the old main stand sadly. My first game was a FNF reserve team match against Grimsby which I went to with the local Beavers group in the mid 90s & I sat in the Carling stand which must've been pretty new at the time.

Would love to be able to go back & experience a match at the old filbo before the Carling stand went up. Shame I had to be born in the wrong decade

Pretty much the same story. FNF was great but just a tad too late, wish I could have experienced the old ground. I do miss Filbert Street.

Ps. Was at Beavers at Husbands Bosworth around 95'

Edited 22 February 2011 by Haydos

[thybluefox]

Utterly mental when you think how much the Stadium changed over just 20 or so years.

[davieG]

Mickythehoss's website for his model of Filbert Street.

http://rebuildingfilbo.webs.com/

[kingfox]

Never went to a proper Leicester City match at Filbert Street was far too young then.

But used to go to the family night football matches so the reserves, saw some good teams mind and some good players.

Go on a Tuesday night I think with the parents and a couple of mates get in for £1 brilliant.

Always remember one time when both teams were lumping it back and forth to each other then Stefan Oakes just smashed the ball and it went out of the ground.

Quality days and the small shop aswell was pretty special

[longy]

Miss this place like crazy. Started thinking about it today!

[The Doctor]

One of my great regrets to never get to a match at filbert street, I listened to them on the radio but the first match I attended was at the current ground.

[Vlad the Fox]

Filbert street was great. Magical at times. I can remember us being 3 - 0 up against Man u after about 20 mins when they were 10 points clear at the top of the league. I had to endure all the man u fans at school telling me how they were going to stuff us, even my best mate, a leicester fan, turned round on the friday and said he supported man u. The following monday was so sweet. Man u managed to chuck away their 10 point lead and atkinson got the sack.

Midweek games were special too. I remember peak and banks hitting belters against liverpool. Lineker missing a penalty in his last game against sunderland to get his trick. In fact lynex lineker and smith were devastating together.

I can remember runing on the pitch after the last games of the season and patting the players on the back. Shaking hands with shef united fans on the track in front of the old main stand after they had won promotion.

I can remember Harry Redknapp saying it was the most intimadating ground he'd been to on football focus once.

Tommy Writght calling the ref a bald **** in front of the family enclosure and then shearer taking lennons head off in almost the same spot some years later.

There was also the time after we had secured promotion, in 82 i think, when everyone invaded the pitch, i looked to my mum to ask if i could go on and she was already half way down the steps of the north stand shouting for me to 'come on.'

There are so many more memories like Tony James' goal against oxford with other scores going our way and the roars and cheers that flushed round the ground as each stand realized it. The agony of the last fifteen minutes when all the other fixtures had finished and as it stood we were safe, unless oxford, (who were throwing everything at us) scored. Followed by a jubilant pitch invasion where the stewards and police were helping us out of pen 4 (nearly didn't get in for this game) onto the pitch.

But one of the best moments was that night against camebridge. Looking around the stadium that was absolutely rocking i was bursting with pride as my team which i had been watching for as long as i could remember was going to finally realise my dream of seeing them at Wembley. This was coupled with the beleife that we were finally going somewhere.

Unfortunately we had to move though. A capacity of just over 22,000 wasn't enough and the ground couldn't really be developed further. We should be grateful that we managed to find land in the city avoiding an out of town venue which would of effected the whole match day experience not to mention the loss of trade to the city. Over the years we will experience highs and lows, already two promotions and relegations. These memories will bind us to the stadium and affection will grow, and as it does so, we will develop a character and atmosphere as a group of supporters and stadium.

Leicester till i die.

Edited 7 September 2011 by Vlad the Fox

[Vlad the Fox]

.

Edited 6 September 2011 by Vlad the Fox