by Sam Hawcroft
An evening of candid stories, nostalgia and dark humour marked the launch of Special Attraction, Richard Lusmore’s second book charting Hull City’s turbulent journey through the late 1980s and 1990s.
A packed audience gathered at the Stags Head Inn at Lelley last Wednesday night to hear from Richard and former City and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Alan Fettis, in a Q&A hosted by broadcaster and fellow City fan Matt Rudd.
The event brought together fans, fanzine writers and former players for a wide-ranging discussion about one of the club’s most difficult eras. There was also a visual treat for supporters, with Les Motherby of Hull City Kits – and co-founder, with Matt Rudd, of the Amber Nectar fanzine and later online forum – bringing along a selection of matchworn shirts from the Fettis era.
Special Attraction follows on from Richard’s well-received debut Not All Ticket, which chronicled his early years following City in the 1980s. The new book begins with Eddie Gray’s appointment in 1988 and tracks a decade in which City lurched from optimism to crisis, culminating in the desperate struggle for survival in the mid-1990s.
Richard said the second book existed because the first had simply become too long. “By the time I’d exceeded my word count on Not All Ticket, I was only two-thirds of the way through,” he said. “This second book’s got to come out just for my own satisfaction, as much as anything.”
Much of the discussion centred on fanzine culture, which flourished during this period and provided supporters with a voice long before social media. Richard described the late 1980s and 1990s as a time when football fandom was changing and supporters needed a platform.
Stories were shared about the early days of From Hull, Hell and Happiness, the “legendary” Hull City Coasters football team and later From Hull to Eternity, including mishaps with photocopiers, legal brushes with club officials and the constant battle to convince buyers heading to the game that the fanzine was not the match programme.
“It was the supporters’ voice,” Richard said. “It was the one way the club could find out what the supporters really thought.”
Alan, who wrote the foreword to the book, reflected on arriving at Boothferry Park in 1991 as a young and determined goalkeeper unaware of the turmoil around him. “I didn’t care what was going on,” he said. “All I wanted to do was get my head down… it was just about me getting my chance.”
He spoke warmly of his early years at City, the camaraderie within the dressing room and the connection players had with supporters, often sharing post-match drinks in the Three Tuns. He also recalled the challenges of life as a keeper in the lower leagues, the lack of specialist coaching at the time, and the moments that stood out for him, including a strong performance against Bradford and memorable saves against Scarborough.
Supporters were keen to revisit Alan’s rare stints as an emergency striker, which produced two league goals and earned him a cult following. Despite the folklore, he was frank about the reality. “I was rubbish,” he said. “That was the worst game I’ve ever seen a centre-forward play… but scoring a goal was a great feeling.” He added that saving penalties still ranked higher, describing it as “oneupmanship”.
There were laughs, too, at the expense of the infamous Tiger-striped kits of the era. Alan admitted he “didn’t like them at all”, despite their later cult status. The shirts on display prompted reminiscing about City’s fashion choices in the 1990s and how they were received in the dressing room at the time.
The conversation also touched on the darker side of following City during the period, including disorder around games and difficult away trips. Richard shared several stories from long coach journeys, missed connections, late kick-offs and having your minibus smashed up. “I was a writer, not a fighter,” he said, “but it definitely entered your thoughts.”
Attention eventually turned to the club’s lowest periods of the decade: 1990-91 was, for Richard, the defining season in City’s slide, Stan Ternent’s spending spree causing long-lasting damage from which the club never recovered. Then there was the relegation to the basement division under Terry Dolan and the complicated legacy of chairman Martin Fish – the frustration felt among supporters and the sense that City had become marooned while the rest of the football world was changing. Yet there was also reflection, with Richard acknowledging the financial pressures that the chairman faced. “With hindsight, there’s some sympathy there,” he said.
Matt Rudd also highlighted Warren Joyce’s importance during the decade, with Richard noting the transformation in how he was viewed – from being seen as part of the old regime to being the hero who guided City out of danger, quite the reverse of Dolan’s trajectory. “There aren’t many figures more important when you look at the decade as a whole,” Richard said.
Despite the gloom of those years, both men emphasised the sense of bonding and belonging that came with following City through thin times. “They were enjoyable times to be had,” Richard said. “Coming back from somewhere like Swansea on a Friday night with 60 fans for a nil-nil draw felt like a badge of honour.”
Closing the evening, Richard paid tribute to Alan’s connection with supporters. “He was an ambassador for the club before we had such a thing,” he said, recalling his willingness to help with presentations, charity events, fanzine projects… and even band nights at the Adelphi.
Special Attraction, published by Pitch Publishing, is available now in all good bookshops, RRP £19.99, or directly from the author at [email protected].