Old Grounds

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Selby White
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Old Grounds

Post by Selby White »

With so many new grounds around and plenty of us on here that remember those days before health and safety was invented how about a few memories of trips to old stadiums following Leeds United.

Baseball Ground - Reckon I went here more than any other away ground and anyone old enough will remember it for the worst pitch in football, would have been better suited to Mud wrestling. Probably my first trip there was 72/73 season as a youngster and never seen such a dump it wasn't only the pitch that was a mess under the stand we had to walk across planks to get on the terracing as the place was flooded.
Great game though we came from behind twice and eventually won 3-2 so happy days and found this on youtube :-


I was behind the goal to the left.

Went again the following year and can anyone remember some Leeds fans getting banded from going in because the newspapers had called them "Gay Gang". Basically a few had started painting their faces with make up Alice Cooper style and the newspapers branded them trouble makers so they got banned from entering.
Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.
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johnh
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by johnh »

In 1953 I got changed in the ER home dressing room in the stand that got burned down in 1956. It was prior to training on the Fullerton pitches. Doubt if there are many of us left. :D
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mapperleywhite
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by mapperleywhite »

Living near Derby the lads used to come down from Leeds and we'd have several pints before and after the game when we played at the Baseball Ground. This happened a few times in the 1980's.

My room mate at first year uni was from Sunderland so we went to Roker Park to see them beat Man City 3-1 in the FA cup. Unfortunately we all know what happened later in that competition.

My father, a son of Hull, wasn't really a football fan, but we went to Boothferry Park for a bit of distraction after my mother had recently passed away. Leeds won 1-0 that day.

Also was at the Manor Ground when Lorimer got sent off against Oxford United, the most ridiculous dismisal I've ever seen. John Aldridge scored a hat-trick and, having led at half time, we fell to a 5-2 defeat. (In checking my facts I found a video of this game from 1984 in three parts on youtube, well worth watching)

Gay Meadow is also on my list. Memorably I said to my mate that Shrewsbury is "just past Birmingham"- WRONG! Consequently we didn't arrive until half time. Think that was another 1-0 to us.

Finally went to the Victoria Ground to see us play Stoke and I think we went Burnden Park to see Bolton.
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NottinghamWhite
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by NottinghamWhite »

My old grounds visited are :-

The Dell - Southampton
Highfield Road - Coventry
Baseball Ground - Derby County
The Manor Ground - Oxford United
The Feethams - Darlington
Maine Road - Manchester City
Burnden Park - Bolton Wanderers
Gay Meadow - Shrewsbury Town
Highbury - Arsenal
White Hart Lane - Tottenham Hotspur
The Fetch Field - Swansea City
Filbert Street - Leicester City
The Withdean - Brighton
Leeds Road - Huddersfield Town
Victoria Ground - Stoke City
Millmoor - Rotherham United
Springfield Park - Wigan Athletic
Belle Vue - Doncaster Rovers
Layer Road - Colchester United
The County Ground - Northampton Town
Saltergate - Chesterfield
Underhill - Barnet
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Selby White
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by Selby White »

NottinghamWhite wrote:My old grounds visited are :-

The Dell - Southampton
Highfield Road - Coventry
Baseball Ground - Derby County
The Manor Ground - Oxford United
The Feethams - Darlington
Maine Road - Manchester City
Burnden Park - Bolton Wanderers
Gay Meadow - Shrewsbury Town
Highbury - Arsenal
White Hart Lane - Tottenham Hotspur
The Fetch Field - Swansea City
Filbert Street - Leicester City
The Withdean - Brighton
Leeds Road - Huddersfield Town
Victoria Ground - Stoke City
Millmoor - Rotherham United
Springfield Park - Wigan Athletic
Belle Vue - Doncaster Rovers
Layer Road - Colchester United
The County Ground - Northampton Town
Saltergate - Chesterfield
Underhill - Barnet
Been to a good few of those NW and reckon you may have missed at least two off your list, I'd put money on you've been to Upton Park and Ayresome Park.
Bet a few stories to tell :thumbup:
Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.
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johnh
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by johnh »

Slightly off thread this but I remember once playing against Reckett & Coleman in a preliminary round of the old FA Amateur Cup (about 1965). It was an 'away' fixture and played on the Reckett & Coleman sports ground. There was no 'crowd', only the officials of both clubs. The pitch was like a bowling green, the best I had ever played on. Only one word can describe the club house - luxury! The changing rooms were expensively tiled with under floor heating (welcome in the winter). Showers were power showers and everything was top class. After the game, all our players and officials were presented with a large package of Reckett & Coleman products. They really looked after us. It was a shame really that we beat them 10 - 0.
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Another Northern Soul
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by Another Northern Soul »

Selby White wrote:
NottinghamWhite wrote:My old grounds visited are :-

The Dell - Southampton
Highfield Road - Coventry
Baseball Ground - Derby County
The Manor Ground - Oxford United
The Feethams - Darlington
Maine Road - Manchester City
Burnden Park - Bolton Wanderers
Gay Meadow - Shrewsbury Town
Highbury - Arsenal
White Hart Lane - Tottenham Hotspur
The Fetch Field - Swansea City
Filbert Street - Leicester City
The Withdean - Brighton
Leeds Road - Huddersfield Town
Victoria Ground - Stoke City
Millmoor - Rotherham United
Springfield Park - Wigan Athletic
Belle Vue - Doncaster Rovers
Layer Road - Colchester United
The County Ground - Northampton Town
Saltergate - Chesterfield
Underhill - Barnet
Been to a good few of those NW and reckon you may have missed at least two off your list, I'd put money on you've been to Upton Park and Ayresome Park.
Bet a few stories to tell :thumbup:
Never been to Vetch Field, or Brentford, or Highbury. Of Phil's list above, I went to Brighton's Goldstone Ground but not the Withdean. Haven't done Southampton, Darlington, Layer Road (new stadium these days at Colchester?) or Barnet.

Old, (maybe) no longer with us grounds not listed here, for me include Ayresome, Roker, Hartlepool, Ninian Park, Plough Lane, Scunthorpe (Old Showground?), Maine Road, Old Den millwall, West Ham, Coventry's Ricoh.
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NottinghamWhite
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by NottinghamWhite »

The Vetch Field was next door to Swansea prison if memory serves me correctly. Yes forgot Ayresome Park & Upton Park. UP was a quality ground to visit proper nasty atmosphere, now in their new stadia it couldn’t be more far removed. Got to thinking of this thread this morning & one thing that still haunts me was visiting Millmoor back in the 70’s & they used railway sleepers which due to the sheer volume of Leeds in that stand gave away, how there wasn’t any fatalities is beyond me.
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mapperleywhite
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by mapperleywhite »

mapperleywhite wrote:Living near Derby the lads used to come down from Leeds and we'd have several pints before and after the game when we played at the Baseball Ground. This happened a few times in the 1980's.

My room mate at first year uni was from Sunderland so we went to Roker Park to see them beat Man City 3-1 in the FA cup. Unfortunately we all know what happened later in that competition.

My father, a son of Hull, wasn't really a football fan, but we went to Boothferry Park for a bit of distraction after my mother had recently passed away. Leeds won 1-0 that day.

Also was at the Manor Ground when Lorimer got sent off against Oxford United, the most ridiculous dismisal I've ever seen. John Aldridge scored a hat-trick and, having led at half time, we fell to a 5-2 defeat. (In checking my facts I found a video of this game from 1984 in three parts on youtube, well worth watching)

Gay Meadow is also on my list. Memorably I said to my mate that Shrewsbury is "just past Birmingham"- WRONG! Consequently we didn't arrive until half time. Think that was another 1-0 to us.

Finally went to the Victoria Ground to see us play Stoke and I think we went Burnden Park to see Bolton.
Thanks to NW for reminding of a few more:

Highfield Road
Maine Road
Highbury
Upton Park
Filbert Street

Also remember being at White Hart Lane for an FA Cup tie, probably around 1980, with, oddly, my first wife. I recall it being pretty scary afterwards in the stair well with a lot of jostling and shouting from Spurs fans. Think the game ended 1-1.

Then there was the old Den with my dad to see Millscum play Hull. Well I survived to tell the tale......
Might have to take an interest in the Premier League now....
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NottinghamWhite
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Re: Old Grounds

Post by NottinghamWhite »

Another Northern Soul wrote:
Never been to Vetch Field, or Brentford, or Highbury. Of Phil's list above, I went to Brighton's Goldstone Ground but not the Withdean. Haven't done Southampton, Darlington, Layer Road (new stadium these days at Colchester?) or Barnet.

Old, (maybe) no longer with us grounds not listed here, for me include Ayresome, Roker, Hartlepool, Ninian Park, Plough Lane, Scunthorpe (Old Showground?), Maine Road, Old Den millwall, West Ham, Coventry's Ricoh.
Surprised you never did Highbury, probably my most visited of all the London grounds. Hartlepool are still at Victoria Park. I can’t remember if I did the Old Showground or if it was Glanford Park I went have a feeling it’s the latter. I went to Layer Road for the infamous FA Cup defeat. Yes they have a new ground something Community Stadium, went there in the League One days. I suppose the Ricoh is classed as an ex stadium, sadly for Coventry fans.
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