Anyone remember this place?

[bog]

It's me again. What happened to Wimbledon was a disgrace, as usual the FA showed they did not give a toss about the smaller clubs. I also think that the tributes given to AFC Wimbledon for getting back in the league in such a short time after starting from scratch have been rather limited and sparce.


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[Travers Barney]

Never went to Plough Lane, but grew up nearby and would often pass it on the way to/from Fulham games and so consider it part of the footballing landscape of my youth

Apart from that was standing on the station platform where they had that stuffed dog in a glass case.

This I do remember...was on Platforms 7/8 if memory serves.  Must have been there up until the mid-90s.  A champion Greyhound wasn't it - had something to do with the dog track if I remember rightly?

It wasn't a greyhound, but it was a big dog (breed uncertain) who collected money for the BR Orphan's home in Woking, and was stuffed and presented to platform 7/8 to continue collecting after his death. Sadly it disappeared during the BR sell off and I believe is now at the Childrens Home itself.

I remember the stuffed dog in a class case well on the platform, and as quoted think it collected money for an orphans home

It was a Airedale terrier and was called laddie I think, my uncle use to work on the railways and as a youngster he took me to a lot of places on trains

Apparently the dog is no in the national railways museum up in York, if we ever draw York in the cup I think I will have to make a visit

Going back to plough lane, my old football manager was the press officer there and once or twice he took me in the press box and met all the players after, Dario Gadi was manager back then and remember him being a top bloke, also got to play on the pitch as Wimbledon FC hosted our leagues annual 5 a side tournament

Good few year later, in the nightclub nelsons, I was knocking off Andy sayers girlfriend who went on to play for Fulham

Laddie indeed resides at the Transport Museum....took the wife there in April and we tracked the dog down (sad or what)....anyway there are a lot of refurbishment works going on at the Museum and Laddie was tucked away without the name plate...needless to say in the questionairre you had to fill out when you left I voiced my disapproval....wifey took a pic so when I get home I'll see if someone can post it on here.

As regards Wimbledon my Grandad was the Sports Editor for the Wandsworth Borough News from 1977 to the early eighties....one of the perks for me was free cinema tickets each week but one of the setbacks was having to help him at Plough Lane each Saturday afternoon (quite liked it really)...remember Dave Bassett playing midfield and getting booed unmercifically seemingly every other week....remember most teams taking 'the west bank'...Bradford City and Southend caused a bit of mayhem and Watford (Graham Taylor era) packing both ends out...scandalous what happened to Wimbledon.

[Two Ton Ted]

Is that the museum in York or London?

Laddie was very much part of my past I spent many years admiring him, and it'll be nice to know exactly where I could see him.

I also remember the snack bar on plat 7/8. Huge cheese wedge rolls and a decent cup of tea. Now it's replaced by the ubiquous overpriced coffee bar.

[Travers Barney]

Same here Ted..Its at York....took us a while but we tracked him down..well pleased when we located him!

Remember perishing cold evenings waiting for the Motspur Park train to come in on Platform Eight staring at Laddie whilst pondering why Fulham had played so well in the last fifteen minutes only to go down by the odd goal in three.

BTW If you google Laddie/Wimbledon station you should be able to get a pic...he looks just the same mate!

[Two Ton Ted]

http://www.nrm.org.uk/OurCollection/UsingTheRailway/CollectionItem.aspx?objid=1990-7629&pageNo=313

Brings back many memories freezing on that platform waiting for the Stoneleigh train!

[The Doctor]

A champion Greyhound wasn't it - had something to do with the dog track if I remember rightly?

It wasn't a greyhound, but it was a big dog (breed uncertain) who collected money for the BR Orphan's home in Woking

Not a greyhound then.  The memory's going...I'm clearly on the downslope!

[earlbeatty]

It is very sad going past there now and thinking of what it used to be. It was certainly an experience watching football at Plough Lane!!

EB

[Travers Barney]

Another Plough Lane memory..recall dodging loads of Pompey who chased me and my mate and running on to a 77 bus back in the day....for some reason ended up at loftus road watching rangers v spurs 2=2 draw..ralph coates played...seem to recall fulham won 5-1 at home to cambridge that day and quite why i wasn't there i dont know.

[Burt]

My main Plough Lane memory...

I scoffed a load of MoJo sweets. They had really sticky wrappings on, and I stuck them to the hoarding that I was standing behind. After some time I went to the opposite side and was impressed with the amount of wrappers stuck to this hoarding.

Not very interesting, I admit, but I was only about 6 or 7 at the time and was quite chuffed with my efforts.

You have my permission to yawn now.

[CorkedHat]

I went to school in Merton Road and we played a fair bit of football in Wimbledon Park. We were always being hounded by scouts from Wimbledon to go to Plough Lane for a trial. I remember one kid saying, "No thanks. If I'm going to play football for a living I want to do it with either Fulham or Chelsea."
The strange thing is that although we were only a threepenny bus ride from their ground I don't remember anyone at school supporting Wimbledon – mind you back then they were mainly in the Isthmian League but were still considered one of the top "amateur" teams of the day.

[cmg]

A champion Greyhound wasn't it - had something to do with the dog track if I remember rightly?

Not a greyhound then.  The memory's going...I'm clearly on the downslope!

Can't comment on that...but you might not be too far off the (dog)track.
Although the dog in a glass case on Wimbledon station was not a greyhound, Mick The Miller most certainly was a greyhound (possibly the greatest ever to race) and he also lived (well not 'lived' exactly, but you know what I mean) in a glass case, in his case it was exhibited at the Natural History Museum in Kensington (where you may have seen him) and is now at Tring. There is even a connection with Wimbledon as Mick The Miller was, in the latter part of his racing career, trained by the Wimbledon trainer, Stanley Orton.

[JimmyDunnesBum]

anyone remember the sportman pub ( at the bottom of the photo ) ? got wrecked in there on many an occasion :)