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Mechelen V St Mirren


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A question;

I've been collecting the European games' programmes and this has just appeared on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391016318103?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Does anyone on here know if this is the official programme or just some souvenir paper?

Many thanks in advance!

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That's the same paper effort I have too - was over for the game and the one I have is in pretty poor condition (was in my back pocket folded up) but it's still a treasure. Oh for one more Euro away trip while I'm still (mostly) in control of all my bodily functions. Seems a million miles away today though !

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Yep, have the same programme somewhere,

As previously mentioned that was indeed some trip, we were the first British side to play in Belguim since Heysel, coaches not allowed into the country until 2 hours before kick off, held at the border then police escort for the 4 or 5 coaches straight to the game.

After match escorted straight out the country into France.

If you told me I would be talking about that 28 years later as the last away match we had played in Euro competition I would have told you were insane.

Sad really, HHIBSS wit was my catchphrase on that epic coach journey again? :-)

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Yep, have the same programme somewhere,

As previously mentioned that was indeed some trip, we were the first British side to play in Belguim since Heysel, coaches not allowed into the country until 2 hours before kick off, held at the border then police escort for the 4 or 5 coaches straight to the game.

After match escorted straight out the country into France.

If you told me I would be talking about that 28 years later as the last away match we had played in Euro competition I would have told you were insane.

Sad really, HHIBSS wit was my catchphrase on that epic coach journey again? :-)

We were in Liege most of the day and then stayed overnight

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Yep, have the same programme somewhere,

As previously mentioned that was indeed some trip, we were the first British side to play in Belguim since Heysel, coaches not allowed into the country until 2 hours before kick off, held at the border then police escort for the 4 or 5 coaches straight to the game.

After match escorted straight out the country into France.

If you told me I would be talking about that 28 years later as the last away match we had played in Euro competition I would have told you were insane.

Sad really, HHIBSS wit was my catchphrase on that epic coach journey again? :-)

Don't forget the "polis wi big dugs" getting on the bus and travelling with us for the last bit of the journey either!!

I did a couple of trips abroad with St Mirren and regularly travelled away with Scotland but that is one of the very best trips I was ever on!!

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seem to remember programes given for free on entry to game,

one and only euro trip with saints, great journey on tile bar bus got to town early in morning spent all day round

city ,great atmosphere in metal stand ,also seen to remember a small house come bar in corner of ground

best burger ever tasted ,very friendly welcome round place ,also allowed in ground to have a look round

in afternoon ,but never forgot us turning up at team hotel to collect match tickets

will we see the likes again

i hope so

come on saints

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Another funny memory of that trip was someone pulled out at the last minute, so there was a spare seat on the bus, so we kidnapped this lad from Paddys who couldn't afford to come, had a whip round for him and he came all the way to Belguim with us, he didn't even have a passport.

Managed to organize a temporary 48 hour one at Dover, great memories indeed.

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Mechelan was a great trip , beautiful town , with a lovely square in the middle , great Saints support that night , remember coming back on the Ferry thinking what a great squad we had , and what a great future Saints had .

Then it all went Pete Tong

Cooper ( man of the match in Mechalan ) picked up an injury

McGarvey , didn,t come out of huff mode

Ferguson was tapped by Rangers

and Aber never really recovered from his injury

still dreaming of another chance to watch Saints in Europe

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Another funny memory of that trip was someone pulled out at the last minute, so there was a spare seat on the bus, so we kidnapped this lad from Paddys who couldn't afford to come, had a whip round for him and he came all the way to Belguim with us, he didn't even have a passport.

Managed to organize a temporary 48 hour one at Dover, great memories indeed.

That's the bus i was on, i bumped into the "hostage" unknowingly one evening in a pub by Victoria Coach Station in London around 1993 and discovered he was a Bud. We started talking and i mentioned the Mechelen trip and before i had the chance to tell him that bit of the story he said "do you remember the lad that needed a temporary passport, well that was me" .

Edited by WeeBud
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Another funny memory of that trip was someone pulled out at the last minute, so there was a spare seat on the bus, so we kidnapped this lad from Paddys who couldn't afford to come, had a whip round for him and he came all the way to Belguim with us, he didn't even have a passport.

Managed to organize a temporary 48 hour one at Dover, great memories indeed.

The bus company sent a 49 seater instead of a 48 and this allowed my good mate Ged Curran to come along.Ged sadly is no longer with us and died in tragic circumstances in London after falling on hard times.None of us knew where he ended up after a spell in Jersey and i wish he had just came home.I loved that guy and he would have done anything for his mates.I,m proud to say i was one of them.

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Another funny memory of that trip was someone pulled out at the last minute, so there was a spare seat on the bus, so we kidnapped this lad from Paddys who couldn't afford to come, had a whip round for him and he came all the way to Belguim with us, he didn't even have a passport.

Managed to organize a temporary 48 hour one at Dover, great memories indeed.

Brocky?
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We were in Liege most of the day and then stayed overnight

Me to. I got the hotel to record the game and some c**t stole it was played on the bus on the way back.

The crowd I was with had lunch in a pub where I seen advertised 'Gordon's Real Scotch Ale' the beer was served in a Thistle beer glass looked really smart. I asked the barman if I could buy it , he said no only had a few. Walking out the pub he whistled at me. Went up to the bar and he had wrapped the glass in newspaper for me :)

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Went on the Knox St and left at night

Arrived at Dover to catch the first ferry over

Arrived in Liege midday and spent the afternoon wandering and drinking in our t-shirts as it was a warm October day

Headed to Mechelen were greeted by a big police pressence as they searched and frisked us going into the ground

I got searched by a blonde police woman 3 times as by the 4th time she laughed and walked away.There was about 20 of us just going around in a circle about her.Inside the ground they put us on top of a stand behind one of the goals but after that you could wander about the ground as much as you pleased.If we wanted to caused trouble it would have been easy to do so as the police had disappeared inside the ground.

I remember walking around to their main stand where they were selling scarves,hats and like.

Ended coming back with a few bucket hats and when i came back to our stand i had one on.The people who were with me asked me where i got them and they ended up going round and buying them too.Ended up quite a few folk wearing Mechelen bucket hats

Also a few English people in round about us and their faces were unknown to us it was said they were Chelsea but who knows

After the game back to Liege where the place was starting to come alive about midnight

Led by Santaponsa,Skoda and Ammy we ended up in this massive Gay Bar.We had trouble getting Ammy out of there

Ended up going back to Hotel as someone had a cargo in their room

They had to rattle the door off our hinges to wake us at 8 am to get on the bus back home

One of our bus was sleeping outside as he was spotted before we took off home

Was about midnight Fri morning before we got home

Pity that was over 28 years that experience

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The bus company sent a 49 seater instead of a 48 and this allowed my good mate Ged Curran to come along.Ged sadly is no longer with us and died in tragic circumstances in London after falling on hard times.None of us knew where he ended up after a spell in Jersey and i wish he had just came home.I loved that guy and he would have done anything for his mates.I,m proud to say i was one of them.

I knew Gerry also mate, just never mentioned his name in my previous post, also never knew he had passed away, sorry to hear that. also never knew he had been in Jersey either, I've lived in jersey for 26 years now.

Wish I had known he was over here, I used to have a pint with him in the Park Bar now and again. he lived in Broomlands I was in Millarston high flats at the time.

Very sad, a good lad and a good Saints fan.

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  • 7 months later...

I found a You Tube video that has brief highlights of the Saints v Mechelen matches. First time I remember seeing the away game footage, although my dad took me to the 2nd leg at Love Street. I was only 8 years old though, so cant remember too much about it now!

The video is a documentary about them winning the CWC that seasons, and shows all their games spliced with interviews with players and fans. The Saints segment starts at 15mins in, and shows a few seconds of the Saints travelling support in Belgium!

On a similar note. Did any Saints fans make the long journey to the Arctic circle for the First Round match in Tromso?

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