Few rivalries are as intense as West Ham and Millwall‘s – but one of their firms was feared more than the other by an ex-Chelsea hooligan.
‘Fat Pat’, real name Pat Dolan, was one of the most notorious troublemakers from the 1980s. He opened up on his football fights in the explosive 2003 tell-all book ‘Terrace Legends’ by Cass Pennant and Martin King. Despite being no stranger to a scrap, Dolan confessed the old Upton Park was one ground he didn’t relish visiting.
Dishing the dirt on a hair-raising visit, he recalled: “West Ham’s the scariest ground I’ve ever been to. In 1980/81 we put leaflets out in the Shed to get everybody to go together for the game at West Ham the following week. A mob of us got off at Upton Park and walked down to the ground.
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“As we got outside the back of the South Bank we could hear, ‘Hello, hello Chelsea aggro’ followed by an even louder, ‘Hello, hello West Ham aggro’ as we were queuing to get in. A mob of West Ham steamed into us and we were run into the ground, many jumping the turnstiles without paying.
“Inside, it was mental. A few West Ham were on the pitch down by the corner flag. Nearly everyone there had the green or blue flight jackets on so no one really knew who was who. West Ham was one hell of a place to go to in those days.”
The revelation might come as a surprise to some given the historical notoriety for hooliganism attached to Millwall, especially during the tense decades of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. ‘Football Factory’ actor and ex-hooligan Frank Harper recalled an especially savage clash between their firm, the Bushwackers, and Leeds United’s in ‘Terrace Legends’, remarking: “Leeds at home in the league.
(Image: Mirrorpix)
“I was in a pub and suddenly it emptied. The ones that couldn’t get out the door were climbing out the toilet windows to get out onto the street. Thousands of Millwall came out of nowhere as bottles and glasses rained down on the Leeds lot. The Old Bill pulled a transit van across the pub doorway to try to stem the flow of Millwall fans. That day Leeds were dead lucky to reach the ground.”
Despite his aversion to Upton Park visits, Dolan did have fond memories of other trips, with a standout memory being his journey to Turin for the England vs West Germany semi-final at the 1990 World Cup. Highlighting his best away days, he said: “Turin, when England played Germany and we lost on penalties.
“That was some stadium. And also Wembley, because I was there when Chelsea beat Man City in the Mickey Mouse Cup [the Full Members Cup which ran from 1985 to 1992 after English clubs had been banned from Europe]. Still, it was a nice feeling to win a trophy after all those years.”