-THE BUTLER STREET STAND-

"My Stand"

  "...My Favorite Place..."

"..Its my Stand!!.." .. Erm, well okay, it isn't really, i didn't own the thing, but at the end of the day I will always regard the Butler Street Stand as being like a home to me , it was where i saw my first ever Stoke match from, it was where I had my season ticket throughout the 1990's and it was where I saw my last ever match at the Vic from against West Bromich Albion in May 1997... Just for a bit of fun on the left is a blurred image of a young me that appeared on the front cover of the official program once sitting in my beloved seat watching Stoke lose 1 0 at home to Oldham early in our 1995/96 1st division play off season. The main picture above shows a more clear view of what the Butler Street Stand looked like.. It was split up into two sections.. The Paddock area down below where people could stand, and the seating area above that consisted of several rows of mixed wooden and plastic seats (later to be replaced by plastic red seats), the there was a aisle and then 2 more rows of seats.. I sat block C, second row from the back under the executive Boxes... The Executive boxes stretched the entire length of the stand and provided a variety of corporate facilities for businesses and guests who could rent one for the whole season. The boxes were each standard executive boxes that you would expect to find at a football ground, complete with furnishings, televisions and an outward view on to the Pitch. (Above picture: Ray Wallace scores against Norwich City during Stoke's First division play off season in 1995/96...

This picture (left) was taken at the final ever league game at home to West Bromich Albion in May 1997. The middle two seats in this picture were where my self and my Dad's season tickets were for many years. However for the final game my Dad chose to go on the Boothen End and so my mum ended up having his seat for this game, she also bought a Video Camera along to the game and managed to capture Gerry MacMahon's opening goal in front of the Boothen End brilliantly. My Mother is seen here sitting in my seat at the end of the game next to an Eldery Gentleman who's surname was Woolley who used to travel down from Colwyn Bay for every Stoke match... He and his son Andy also shared  two season ticket seats next to me and my father for several seasons during which time we actually discovered that he originally came from Biddulph where we also live. One of the main problems with settling down at the Britannia Stadium is that you lose  touch with people you have sat of stood by at the Victoria Ground for Generations, however as the years go on at the Brit I suppose new friends will get made as well. We still see Andy and his father occasionally, the last time was outside the Waddington Suite at Sir Stan's funeral in February 2000...

THE TIME THEY KICKED ME OUT OF ME STAND!!

STOKE CITY 1 ARSENAL 1 (23/10/96) Coca Cola Cup

..Come cup matches I suppose it always gave season ticket holders a chance to venture from their beloved spot and buy cup tickets to  sample other parts of the ground that they may of not already visited. However on this occasion a move of stand came not by choice but from the fact that for some reason the club had decided to switch the away fans in to the Butler Street and move Stoke fans in to the Stoke End Stand that is normally used to accommodate away supporters.. So on this night my Beloved Butler Street was to be packed with Arsenal supporters as I switched Touchlines and ended up getting tickets in the Boothen Stand.. Pictured above is the rare site of Arsenal Supporters sitting in the Butler Street, whilst in the foreground Mike Sheron is seen beating Martin Keown and Tony Adams to chip the ball over David Seaman and put Stoke 1 0 up.. Ian Wright equilised late on with a "handball" goal and Stoke went on to lose the replay at Arsenal 5-2 (Sheron netting another two goals)

THE GOLDEN ONE RETURNS!!

This picture shows the Butler Street stand in the background, where a couple of advertising boards are laid out where there are no seats.. This area always seemed to be separated like this, It was probably a form of segregation for keeping Stoke supporters (to the right) and away supporters in the corner of the Butler Street/ Stoke End Stand separate. The picture shown here is Mark Stein returning from Chelsea to begin a successful loan spell at Stoke against Southend United...

STOKE 5 LUTON 0  4/11/95 (DIV 1)

This picture shows a view of the Butler Street Stand as Stoke score yet again as they trounce Luton Town 5 0.. My actual seat is under the VULCAN sponsorship sign below the executive boxes.. You won't find me on this picture though as I was stuck at home in bed with glandular fever, to find out Stoke had won 5 0 actually made me feel even worse as I had missed out on a goal fest and we all know we don't have too many of those down Stoke.. Also note in the bottom right hand corner of the pic The old Disabled Stand for wheel chairs in the Paddock area..  It looked crap!!!

STOKE 1 READING 1 (12/8/95) DIV 1

Another view of the Butler Street Stand.. this time from the centre circle as Stoke City get ready to kick off their successful 95/96 season against Reading at the Victoria Ground.. Seen in the picture areVince Overson and Reading skipper Adrian Williams tossing up to see who kicks off, I have no idea who the poncy ref with a white perm is though but when I look at him the name Roger Milford seems to ring a bell.. You wouldn't of found me at this game either.. I was stuck in Tenerife till the follwing week!..

STOKE 1 MILLWALL 0 (25/11/95) DIV 1

This was from when our 95/96 Promotion season was just gathering steam and table toppers Millwall visited the Vic. Pictured is Nigel Gleghorn attempting to loop a header over Lion's keeper Kasey Keller, behind him both the Butler Street stand and Paddock look full to capacity.. Stoke eventually went on to win the game thanks to one of Nigel Gleghorn's famous "Deflected" free kicks of which he seemed to get many of during this particular season.. As for Millwall.. well, whilst Stoke went on to finished fourh the Lion's completely fell apart and ended up slipping in to the relegation zone very late on in the season, falling down to division 2 where they remain  to this day...

STOKE 3 IPSWICH 1 10/2/96 

Another view of the Butler Street in the Background, this time the section that used to be occupied by away supporters..  This  time its Ipswich Town, and their supporters watch on in the background as ex Town player Nigel Gleghorn glances in a header over future England Goalkeeper Richard Wright..  the insert shows ex Norwich City Striker Mike Sheron netting the opening goal for Stoke in the first half in front of the Boothen End, one of two goals he scored on this particular day.

THE DISABLED STAND

Okay, a bit further up this page I described the disabled stand as crap.. well in all honesty it was, but then again it was very low down at pitch level and I suppose it enabled scenes like this to happen.. The picture shows former Stoke midfielder Richard Forsyth in celebrations with wheel chair stricken fans on the scaffolding that made up the disabled section. Come to think of it this stand seemed  so old and rickety that every time some one in a wheel chair rolled on to it looked like it would collapse under the weight of  them and cause them countless more injuries.. Still though, this was a nice touch by Richard Forsyth on what was a very emotional day..

...IN THE MIST...

This is a photo I took from the corner of the Butler Street Stand and Stoke End Stand in the section of the Butler Street where away fans used to occupy on occasions.. The view shows what is almost a split section of the rows of seats in the Butler Street stand as well as the white walls that break up the Butler Street paddock into several separate sections.. The Boothen End can be seen through the mist in the distance, completely empty and deserted..

Look in the bottom right hand corner and you will see four figures.. they are Mike Pejic, Mike Sheron and Mark Prudoe who were doing laps around the Victoria Ground pitch the morning that I was there.. Prudoe actually saw me with the camera and came over to kindly inform me "..to not dare get a shot of his bald patch.." when he ran past me.. Prudders.. another great character...

ON THE HORIZON...

This was a picture that appeared in the final ever league game program at the Victoria Ground..

It shows the Corner section of the Butler Street Stand and the Boothen End where in between can be seen the Structure of the Britannia Stadium forming in the distance over on a hill by Trentham Lakes.. 

The Corner section was never used in later years and at one stage was the placaloe for a big ang  clock but this seemed to blow down every week in the wind so I think they finally dumped it in the last few years.. The first Aid tunnel was used for ambulences when either a player got injured, someone in the Boothen End got  crushed or if an away fan getting the shit kicked out of him by the Stoke nutters!..