Filbert Street's Record Crowd

[davieG]

OS

Posted: Wed 20 Feb 2013

Author: John Hutchinson

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In the latest of his ‘The Week in History’ blogs, Club Historian John Hutchinson recalls the 85th anniversary of Leicester City’s biggest ever home crowd.

Eighty five years ago this week, on Saturday 18th February 1928, events at Filbert Street prompted the Leicester Mercury to publish an ‘Extra Special’ edition which carried the front page headline: “Amazing scenes at Leicester Cup tie. Crowd rushes gate to Directors’ Stand. Many people faint. Mounted police called.”

The occasion referred to was Leicester City’s Fifth Round FA Cup-tie against Tottenham Hotspur earlier that afternoon which had attracted the biggest home crowd in the whole of the Club’s history. 47,298 fans were inside Filbert Street. Thousands more were locked outside.

Leicester City were having a great season. When the match was played, they were third in the old First Division, a position which was maintained until the end of the season. The City side contained five players who were picked for England between 1927 and 1929. These were Reg Osborne, Sid Bishop (England’s captain), Ernie Hine, Len Barry and Hughie Adcock. Also in the side were Scottish international Johnny Duncan, club record goalscorer Arthur Chandler (pictured above) and club legends Adam Black and Arthur Lochhead. It was a formidable line up and hopes were high for a victory over a struggling Tottenham Hotspur side which was to be relegated that season.

There were 15,000 people in the ground three hours before kick-off. Forty five minutes before kick-off there was an estimated 45,000 inside with another 8,000 outside trying to get in. Many people in the cheaper parts of the ground fainted. Ambulance men had to be summoned. Mounted police were used to turn the crowds away, but they lost control. At 2.15, the entrance to the Directors’ Box was rushed by the surging crowd. The entrance was broken down and hundreds of fans gained free admission.

The police were powerless. About two hundred men and boys climbed up telegraph poles outside the ground in Filbert Street and actually jumped off them down on to the roof of the stand.

There is a photograph in Reception at King Power Stadium. It was taken on this momentous afternoon. The camera man was positioned in the corner between the Filbert Street Stand and the Popular Side, opposite the Main Stand. In those days most of the Popular Side was uncovered. The photograph clearly shows the densely packed terraces in front of the houses in Burnmoor Street. Other fans are sitting or lying on top of the small portion of roofing that covered the Filbert Street end of the Popular Side terracing. Two fans are seen climbing up a telegraph pole in Burnmoor Street with a view to emulating the fan in the picture who is sliding down the telegraph pole wire. His intention was to drop into the packed crowd standing below him.

Meanwhile other fans were climbing over the walls into the ground. Ticket touts were busy in the Leicester hotels with 3/6d tickets (17 ½p) going for £1/10/0d (£1.50p). It was reported that the police acted with a considerable amount of tact.

There were some interesting little details included in the ‘Leicester Mercury’ report which help us to recreate that afternoon.

Leicester’s England international Sid Bishop, who was a Londoner, was spotted at lunchtime unrecognised on the platform of a packed Midland (London Road) Station waiting for his wife to come up from the capital by train.

Ten special trains, carrying thousands of Spurs fans, arrived in quick succession at the Midland Station. Another three arrived at the Great Central Station.

The Spurs team did not arrive at the Midland station until 2pm only an hour before the kick-off.

A ‘well known but unnamed Leicester man’ told the reporter he had sold his ticket because he had had lumbago. For giving up his ticket, this gentleman was ‘regarded as a phenomenon’.

Two girls were seen trying to establish a place on the terraces. They were carrying a large stool, and had brought with them a meal of oranges, tea and whiskey.

A spectator on the roof of a house in Grasmere Street fell off bringing the guttering with him. He was taken to the infirmary with injured legs.

Elsewhere it was reported that the ‘City of Leicester Club and Institute Silver Prize Band’ did much to relieve the tedium of waiting, as did the London supporters with their singing accompanied by banjulele. ‘One London laddie even bought a live cockerel’, said one report.

When the dust settled, it was reported that the game had drawn record receipts of £4702/10/6, that this was even more than was taken from the 60,000 crowd at Highbury that same afternoon in the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Aston Villa and that the official attendance was 47,298. How accurate this figure was bearing in mind the mayhem that occurred that afternoon is anybody’s guess.

For the record, Leicester City lost the game 3-0. One of the Spurs scorers that day was Eugene O’Callaghan, a Welsh international who later played for Leicester City in the mid 1930s.

However, the main significance of that Saturday afternoon eighty five years ago this week was that an estimated 56 000 fans turned up at Filbert Street that afternoon with a record 47,298 actually making it into the ground. It is a record that will never be beaten.

[Bilo]

Amazing read that.

How they managed to physically get 47,298 fans into Filbert Street as it was is utterly beyond me, and to think people thought Peterborough was packed.

[Guest MattP]

What a fantastic read. Great stuff. Real football, real men (and girls with the whisky), I bet it was an incredible day.

[Zingari]

Did it hurt your hands hanging on to that telephone pole wire davieG?

[goose2010]

sounds like the woman were the crazy ones back then slipping whiskey and bringing live cockerels to the ground

[purpleronnie]

Did it hurt your hands hanging on to that telephone pole wire davieG?

[marbelladave]

Amazing read that.

How they managed to physically get 47,298 fans into Filbert Street as it was is utterly beyond me, and to think people thought Peterborough was packed.

I was actually in Filbert St for a Man United game (Law, Charlton, Best etc) when the crowd was supposed to be over 42,000, bit full I seem to remember but nothing like the scenes above.

I was quite tall as a teenager and I was able to see reasonably well from the Kop, recall seeing Best score a cracker at the Filbert St end, past Gordon I think.

[davieG]

I was actually in Filbert St for a Man United game (Law, Charlton, Best etc) when the crowd was supposed to be over 42,000, bit full I seem to remember but nothing like the scenes above.

I was quite tall as a teenager and I was able to see reasonably well from the Kop, recall seeing Best score a cracker at the Filbert St end, past Gordon I think.

Was that our 4-3 win - I got locked out of that one along with a few thousand others.

[davieG]

Did it hurt your hands hanging on to that telephone pole wire davieG?

No I'd come straight from working down the mines and still had all my industrial workwear on including the gloves.

[ibbosuk]

I was there in an FA Cup game against Arsenal crowd of 42,000. I remember hanging on to a fence in one of the corners, Kop end, my arms were killing me, but there was no space to put my feet on the ground. Drew 0-0 lost in the replay to a Charlie George goal.....

[Kitchandro]

Did it hurt your hands hanging on to that telephone pole wire davieG?

[Guest MattP]

Wonder what the attendance would have been had Ken Barclay been in charge of safety that day?

[davieG]

Hmmm which seat should I sit in?

[Kevfromle]

Amazing read that.

How they managed to physically get 47,298 fans into Filbert Street as it was is utterly beyond me, and to think people thought Peterborough was packed.

Was in quite a few crowds of 42000 in Filbo and to be fair it did seem to handle that number ok. Packed of course but ok!

[Freeman's Wharfer]

What a fantastic read. Great stuff. Real football, real men (and girls with the whisky), I bet it was an incredible day.

Would have been had Leicester won....

So this is where our tradition of not turning up when the big crowd does first began!

[Babylon]

That's a fine collection of hats.

[Bilo]

That's a fine collection of hats.

They were the black jackets at away games of their day.

[marbelladave]

Was in quite a few crowds of 42000 in Filbo and to be fair it did seem to handle that number ok. Packed of course but ok!

I was certainly in many crowds of 40,000 + and I cannot remember any issues, bit of a crush getting in and out but nothing that was at all troubling for a 6ft skinny teenager.

Might get into trouble but I think crowds were generally better behaved back then, before hooliganism that is.

[Zingari]

That's a fine collection of hats.

You couldn't get to the toilets in those days .

[OzFox]

Good read that

Biggest I attended was 28,000, also for a cup game against Spurs in 1974. Could barely see a thing as it was so packed, so I can't begin to imagine what 47,000 would have been like.

[steveherbe]

I was actually in Filbert St for a Man United game (Law, Charlton, Best etc) when the crowd was supposed to be over 42,000, bit full I seem to remember but nothing like the scenes above.

I was quite tall as a teenager and I was able to see reasonably well from the Kop, recall seeing Best score a cracker at the Filbert St end, past Gordon I think.

Was that our 4-3 win - I got locked out of that one along with a few thousand others.

I think the Man U game MarbellaDave refers to, we lost 5-1. Graham Cross scored for us - if my failing memory serves correctly. David Herd scored at least 1 for United. The 4-3 game was Man City, FA Cup replay, greatest night ever at Filbo, I was there in the Kop. Kids were sat around the pitch, in front of the low wall that surrounded it. Health and Safety would have (of!!) had a field day.

Edit: Memory did indeed fail me! City 0 Man U 5, 13/11/1965, so Graham Cross DIDNT score for us. Think he hit the post from about 40 yards though. Goal scorers David Herd David Herd Bobby Charlton John Connelly George Best

So at least I got the David Herd bit correct. Attendance 34451.

City team that day:

Banks, Sjoberg, Cross, King, Norman, Roberts, Goodfellow, Gibson, Stringfellow, Sinclair, Dougan.

Subs, Wellens, Gallagher - probably

Man City game was 19th Feb 1968, attendance 41892 - now THATS a crowd.

Shilton, Rodrigues, Sjoberg, Cross, Bell, Roberts, Nish (1), Gibson, Stringfellow, Large (2), Fern (1)

We then lost 3-1 at home to Everton, highlights here: http://www.britishpa...ester-v-everton

OMG! Just watched this, still got goose bumps! Look at the surges in the crowd. I dont remember us all wearing black/grey clothes though?

We also got 41622 in for a Spurs home game in '63, drew 2-2. I was sat on top of the toilet block in the Filbert Street end for this one, we got to the ground about 12 o'clock as we knew it would be a lock-out.

Happy days!!

[JonnyBoy]

reading this really makes me feel i missed out on the brilliant days of Leicester city, bet the atmosphere was incredible

[marbelladave]

I think the Man U game MarbellaDave refers to, we lost 5-1. Graham Cross scored for us - if my failing memory serves correctly. David Herd scored at least 1 for United. The 4-3 game was Man City, FA Cup replay, greatest night ever at Filbo, I was there in the Kop. Kids were sat around the pitch, in front of the low wall that surrounded it. Health and Safety would have (of!!) had a field day.

Edit: Memory did indeed fail me! City 0 Man U 5, 13/11/1965, so Graham Cross DIDNT score for us. Think he hit the post from about 40 yards though. Goal scorers David Herd David Herd Bobby Charlton John Connelly George Best

So at least I got the David Herd bit correct. Attendance 34451.

City team that day:

Banks, Sjoberg, Cross, King, Norman, Roberts, Goodfellow, Gibson, Stringfellow, Sinclair, Dougan.

Subs, Wellens, Gallagher - probably

Man City game was 19th Feb 1968, attendance 41892 - now THATS a crowd.

Shilton, Rodrigues, Sjoberg, Cross, Bell, Roberts, Nish (1), Gibson, Stringfellow, Large (2), Fern (1)

We then lost 3-1 at home to Everton, highlights here: http://www.britishpa...ester-v-everton

OMG! Just watched this, still got goose bumps! Look at the surges in the crowd. I dont remember us all wearing black/grey clothes though?

We also got 41622 in for a Spurs home game in '63, drew 2-2. I was sat on top of the toilet block in the Filbert Street end for this one, we got to the ground about 12 o'clock as we knew it would be a lock-out.

Happy days!!

reading this really makes me feel i missed out on the brilliant days of Leicester city, bet the atmosphere was incredible

Perhaps not that United game, I'm sure I remember a much bigger crowd, 34,000 was not unusual in those days. The Citeh game was something else, 2 -0 down and I think we scored just before half time to make it 2 - 1.

Half time in the Kop was incredible, non stop singing and chanting, gaps between the songs were filled with the drawn out "Lestoh, Lestoh" chants. It was like we just knew we were going to come back and win and we did.......

Looking back as a teenage fan at that time was pretty incredible, team you could relate to, Graham Cross's family still lived near us on the Monsell, saturday 3.00 kick off, largely unrestricted standing and an atmosphere that puts modern football to shame. Not always that much in the way of singing and chanting but a buzz of anticipation that literally stood your hairs on end.

The main reason why all the talk about generating an 'atmosphere' is a nonsense, nothing will come close to the experiences related above......

[Kitchandro]

Perhaps not that United game, I'm sure I remember a much bigger crowd, 34,000 was not unusual in those days. The Citeh game was something else, 2 -0 down and I think we scored just before half time to make it 2 - 1.

Half time in the Kop was incredible, non stop singing and chanting, gaps between the songs were filled with the drawn out "Lestoh, Lestoh" chants. It was like we just knew we were going to come back and win and we did.......

Looking back as a teenage fan at that time was pretty incredible, team you could relate to, Graham Cross's family still lived near us on the Monsell, saturday 3.00 kick off, largely unrestricted standing and an atmosphere that puts modern football to shame. Not always that much in the way of singing and chanting but a buzz of anticipation that literally stood your hairs on end.

The main reason why all the talk about generating an 'atmosphere' is a nonsense, nothing will come close to the experiences related above......

It's hardly a nonsense, silence and moaning is nonsense. Do you prefer that to people who try to make some positive noise?

I know your time of atmosphere has been and gone and it might not ever be like that again, but don't belittle those who still try to carry on the legacy of previous eras, however unsuccessful they are.

[steveherbe]

Perhaps not that United game, I'm sure I remember a much bigger crowd, 34,000 was not unusual in those days. The Citeh game was something else, 2 -0 down and I think we scored just before half time to make it 2 - 1.

Half time in the Kop was incredible, non stop singing and chanting, gaps between the songs were filled with the drawn out "Lestoh, Lestoh" chants. It was like we just knew we were going to come back and win and we did.......

Looking back as a teenage fan at that time was pretty incredible, team you could relate to, Graham Cross's family still lived near us on the Monsell, saturday 3.00 kick off, largely unrestricted standing and an atmosphere that puts modern football to shame. Not always that much in the way of singing and chanting but a buzz of anticipation that literally stood your hairs on end.

The main reason why all the talk about generating an 'atmosphere' is a nonsense, nothing will come close to the experiences related above......

39000 30 Nov 1966, 2-1 to United

40,134 23rd Dec 1967, 2-2 draw

After that we're into the 70's, and attendances drop away.

You're right about the Man City game though, Rodney Fern scored just before half time to bring it back to 2-1. Second half attacking the kop was the most amazing 45 minutes, atmosphere was something the young 'uns will never experience - sadly.