Record attendance

[houstonhibbee]

Hadn't realized that the record attendance of 65000 in 1950 was before the east terracing was extended and was the reason why it was extended. Must have been some crush.
also there were plans to extend the north and south terraces as well to make it a 100,000 capacity
makes talk of filling in the corners now pale in comparison!

[Keith_M]

Hadn't realized that the record attendance of 65000 in 1950 was before the east terracing was extended and was the reason why it was extended. Must have been some crush.
also there were plans to extend the north and south terraces as well to make it a 100,000 capacity
makes talk of filling in the corners now pale in comparison!


My Dad was at that game, as a ten year old, and he's always said that he's amazed nobody was crushed to death.

I think the accepted wisdom regarding stadium capacity in those days was that it was only full when you couldn't squeeze anybody else in.

[MB62]

My Dad was at that game, as a ten year old, and he's always said that he's amazed nobody was crushed to death.

I think the accepted wisdom regarding stadium capacity in those days was that it was only full when you couldn't squeeze anybody else in.

My Dad was there too. He once told me there was as many people clambering to get out as there was to get in as everybody was just crushed.
He reckoned the 65,000 gate would be those that paid to get in, but as there was so many left that didn't see the game, doubts there was that many in at any one time. Also said though that there was probably thousands that climbed the various walls that wouldn't have been included so who knows how many were actually there.

[bigwheel]

My Dad was at that game, as a ten year old, and he's always said that he's amazed nobody was crushed to death.

I think the accepted wisdom regarding stadium capacity in those days was that it was only full when you couldn't squeeze anybody else in.


my Dad ended up under countless people at the dunbar end..tells a story that someone saved his life by grabbing his hand and helping pull him out...watched the game from sitting around the font of the wall at that end of the ground with many others...intense crowds often spooked him after that.

[erin go bragh]

Hadn't realized that the record attendance of 65000 in 1950 was before the east terracing was extended and was the reason why it was extended. Must have been some crush.
also there were plans to extend the north and south terraces as well to make it a 100,000 capacity
makes talk of filling in the corners now pale in comparison!
65840 :)

[delbert]

Hadn't realized that the record attendance of 65000 in 1950 was before the east terracing was extended and was the reason why it was extended. Must have been some crush.
also there were plans to extend the north and south terraces as well to make it a 100,000 capacity
makes talk of filling in the corners now pale in comparison!

My Dad, God Bless him, was there too and remembers just being carried along by the crowd movement, said it was very scary and ultimately a disappointing night as Hearts came out on top. However, the most unbelievable thing waa as the crowd moved in the area where the old scoreboard used to be, he ended up behind a taller man who was half blocking his view, and when he asked the guy if they could try to move a little, it turned out to be his Dad, who wasn't meant to be going but got a shift change on the day as he was a policeman.

[SirDavidsNapper]

Hadn't realized that the record attendance of 65000 in 1950 was before the east terracing was extended and was the reason why it was extended. Must have been some crush.
also there were plans to extend the north and south terraces as well to make it a 100,000 capacity
makes talk of filling in the corners now pale in comparison!

Sure there was also talk of rotating the pitch 90 degrees back then in order extended the capacity

[Arch Stanton]

Sure there was also talk of rotating the pitch 90 degrees back then in order extended the capacity

Wow, filling in the corners seems pretty tame after that idea.

Of course, if the pubs were still closed between 2:30 and 5 then we would get a few more punters in - maybe not quite as much as 65,000 though:greengrin

[houstonhibbee]

Wow, filling in the corners seems pretty tame after that idea.

Of course, if the pubs were still closed between 2:30 and 5 then we would get a few more punters in - maybe not quite as much as 65,000 though:greengrin
1950 - the year you were born?

[pollution]

Has anyone seen photos of the crowd at this match?

[Bostonhibby]

Has anyone seen photos of the crowd at this match?
Was it against the yams on new years day? if so here's an original press photo - the crowd on the east seems to go on forever - Gordon Smith scoring the first is the photo.