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Lost Football Grounds


Mahatma Coate

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Scunthorpe's ground was only built 25 or so years ago and they're already looking to move again.

 

It's a horrible ground, you'd struggle to believe anything relatively modern would have such a poor design.

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Anyone know how many Archibald Leitch stadia are still in use? There was a certain style to them.

East stand WHL is still leitch's in essence...it was refurbished in the early nineties including a new roof, but the basic structure remains intact. The famous 'shelf' is still visible in the southern corner.

Part of leitch's main stand at ibrox still exists also.

As someone mentioned, goodison park also retains some elements of his work, although his great main stand was torn down years ago.

Can't think of any more off top of my head but don't think there can be many more left now.

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In the 1960's, Third Lanark FC, originally formed as the football team for a rifles regiment 3rd Lanarkshire, went bankrupt only a few years after finishing third in Scottish League One (now SPL).

Their stadium, Cathkin Park in Glasgow is still there, with some terracing and is still a football pitch.

Now that might be an option for the new stadium of the Blue Few?

Still fighting to survive though.

http://www.third-lanark.co.uk/index.html

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In the 1960's, Third Lanark FC, originally formed as the football team for a rifles regiment 3rd Lanarkshire, went bankrupt only a few years after finishing third in Scottish League One (now SPL).

Their stadium, Cathkin Park in Glasgow is still there, with some terracing and is still a football pitch.

Now that might be an option for the new stadium of the Blue Few?

I have visited there, its quite spooky, but well worth a look around. They used to play internationals there, I think im right in saying the first Scotlnd England game in 1872 was there.

edit

Just googled it and the first game wasnt there, pretty sure internationals were played there though

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I've been to 4 Glos city grounds; Horton Road, the Lawn, Whaddon Road and the old (new) Meadow Park, but not the Corinium Stadium. Anybody beat 4 grounds for 1 team!?

 

I've seen City Vs Charlton at 3 any good ??  I think we lost all 3 2-1 after being 1-0 up , could be wrong though.

 

There's a good Facebook group if anyone does FB....  https://www.facebook.com/groups/8744082721/?fref=ts

 

 Archibald Leitch , talented guy Carey Grant wasn't he   :ph34r: 

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Part of leitch's main stand at ibrox still exists also.

As someone mentioned, goodison park also retains some elements of his work, although his great main stand was torn down years ago.

Can't think of any more off top of my head but don't think there can be many more left now.

Raith Rovers, Starks Park.

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I believe Scunny were the first club in recent times to move to a new ground followed by Derby.

Derby's Baseball Ground has become an unofficial waste dump. Hull's Bootham Crescent is now a run down patch of wasteland. Ideal for walking dogs on.

Either M'boro's Ayresome Park or Sunderland's Roker became a supermarket and there is a gold coloured football painted into the floor of one aisle to record the fact.

Soton's Dell became luxury appartments. I felt sad looking at them and recalling I had seen George Best score a hat trick there.

As for Glos at four venues; how about Eastville, Ashton Gate, Twerton & the Mem in less that thirty years for a group of nomads (or Rovers as they prefer to be termed)?

I read that a large number of Stoke fans would still prefer to be at the Victoria Ground rather than the Britannia.

The East & West stands of Arsenal's Highbury are still there as they have a preservation order on them. They are now luxury flats. Ironically no ball games are permitted on the grass between the two structures.

 

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I believe Scunny were the first club in recent times to move to a new ground followed by Derby.

Derby's Baseball Ground has become an unofficial waste dump. Hull's Bootham Crescent is now a run down patch of wasteland. Ideal for walking dogs on.

Either M'boro's Ayresome Park or Sunderland's Roker became a supermarket and there is a gold coloured football painted into the floor of one aisle to record the fact.

Soton's Dell became luxury appartments. I felt sad looking at them and recalling I had seen George Best score a hat trick there.

As for Glos at four venues; how about Eastville, Ashton Gate, Twerton & the Mem in less that thirty years for a group of nomads (or Rovers as they prefer to be termed)?

I read that a large number of Stoke fans would still prefer to be at the Victoria Ground rather than the Britannia.

The East & West stands of Arsenal's Highbury are still there as they have a preservation order on them. They are now luxury flats. Ironically no ball games are permitted on the grass between the two structures.

Walsall moved from Fellows Park to Bescot in 1990, before Derby moved.

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In the 1960's, Third Lanark FC, originally formed as the football team for a rifles regiment 3rd Lanarkshire, went bankrupt only a few years after finishing third in Scottish League One (now SPL).

Their stadium, Cathkin Park in Glasgow is still there, with some terracing and is still a football pitch.

Now that might be an option for the new stadium of the Blue Few?

Still fighting to survive though.

http://www.third-lanark.co.uk/index.html

I did a bit more reading on the rifles regiment. It is interesting if you like that sort of thing.

http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/livingston.htm

 

On this link second article down at Cathkin Park title there is some more reading on the club. It is nice to see they are making a come back. https://llandudnojetset.wordpress.com/2012/02/

 

I often wondered if Bristol Southend didn't merge with Bedminster, what Southend's ground would have become as a stadium if they survived. Also wondered who you would support? Bedminster or Southend?

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Walsall's old ground, Fellows Park is about 5 minutes drive from their current ground at Bescot. The site of the old ground is a Morrisons however, inside the shop along the wall behind the checkouts are a number of pictures of the old ground to keep a link to its history.

I bet they haven't got a picture of this one behind the counter. City boys trying to tidy up, the place was looking a mess.

http://fellowspark.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/bristol-city-hooligans-outside-fellows-park-1988/

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I've been enjoying reading this post. Anyone recognise these old turnstiles (apologies for the poor quality photo, by the way)? I have another (equally poor quality) photo if any needs a clue.

 

1af99ca2-0a4b-4ddb-afff-99de14bf6e17.jpg

 

Might need another clue on this one but the big building behind looks familiar.

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Very interesting. Would have been good to see some arial shots of how the grounds look now, as like the Arsenal one. Would like to see Walsall and Cardiff myself. Went to Cardiff a few years ago and the old Ninian Park was half old stadium and half housing estate. Very surreal.

 

As a Bristol ex pat living in CF i can tell you that the whole place is now just housing. There is a small garden on the centre spot. The new stadium is opposite so it's not a big deal and Ninian park really had no redeeming features so it's not really missed.

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East stand WHL is still leitch's in essence...it was refurbished in the early nineties including a new roof, but the basic structure remains intact. The famous 'shelf' is still visible in the southern corner.

Part of leitch's main stand at ibrox still exists also.

As someone mentioned, goodison park also retains some elements of his work, although his great main stand was torn down years ago.

Can't think of any more off top of my head but don't think there can be many more left now.

 

This is also true at Anfield. The Main Stand is still the Leitch stand. Just with a 1970's roof and expanded seating at the back. The paddock is still as was when built (aside from now having seating in) They're even keeping it when they build the new whopping main stand starting this year, they just building two more tiers on top of it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/QX3Yhfz.jpg?1

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The Vetch ?

Spot on. Its now a 'community space' (??). There are allotments in one corner, and the rest is a park. There is a circle marked out in the grass where the centre circle used to be, and another set of old turnstile entrances still preserved (poss the away end?).

 

Apparently it was due to be developed just before the financial crash...

 

I was surprised how small the area seemed now its been flattened. In this photo, you can see the last remnant of the old double tier stand (complete with swan :) ):

 

5532ce78-784a-4e60-9e1c-a4993b59bf1d_zps

 

 

Although Swansea isn't exactly the nicest place, if you're ever there its actually worth a look (especially if you ever visited in its heyday) and only a few minutes walk from the town centre.

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Spot on. Its now a 'community space' (??). There are allotments in one corner, and the rest is a park. There is a circle marked out in the grass where the centre circle used to be, and another set of old turnstile entrances still preserved (poss the away end?).

Apparently it was due to be developed just before the financial crash...

I was surprised how small the area seemed now its been flattened. In this photo, you can see the last remnant of the old double tier stand (complete with swan :) ):

5532ce78-784a-4e60-9e1c-a4993b59bf1d_zps

Although Swansea isn't exactly the nicest place, if you're ever there its actually worth a look (especially if you ever visited in its heyday) and only a few minutes walk from the town centre.

I wonder if they managed to detox the toilet areas. Took my late wife there for an FA Cup tie and she found a dead canary in the ladies loo. (Used to detect methane gas in coal mines)

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