Lost football grounds...

[LBNo11]

...we are blessed with having Craven Cottage as our ground (not stadium) as it still has enough character to hint at the echoes of how many football grounds used to look until recent years.

What grounds do you remember going to that are no longer there, or have been changed beyond recognition into yet another featureless concrete bowl? Days of Feethams, Belle View, Filbert Street, Plough Lane, the Manor ground, Elm Park - Highbury etc.,

[Rhys Lightning 63]

Ninian Park had a certain atmosphere to it

[SP]

Kettering?

[cmg]

Funny you should mention Feethams first. Wonderful, little place, wasn't it?. Sacrificed to actual criminal stupidity.

Maine Road - for that magic moment (and for being BIG).

Burnden Park had a certain fascination, although Highbury would have been my favourite alien venue.

Plough Lane was a dump (sorry it's gone. though)

Even some that still remain have changed out of all recognition. I've watched dogs racing at the Dog Track, stood on a terrace where they built a stand that they then pulled down to build another one.

[jms]

No contest....only one wonderful football ground......even away supporters agree.....the cottage, every time 049:gif

[yatewhite]

The Shea, Halifax's old ground. I saw Steve Earle score 5 (i think) in an 0-8 away win!!
I went to that game because I was living in Doncaster at the time. It wasn't my idea, my Dad got moved with his job. Anyway, Belle Vue was Donny Rovers old ground and I played on it in an under-16 boys cup final! At the time, it had the biggest playing area in all the 4 leagues!

[spikey norman]

Goldstone brighton

[cmg]

Of course if you wanted something "different" the walk from the old Den to New Cross Gate station could be something of an experience (particularly if we had got a result). 'Character forming', I think they call it; if you survived that you could be taken into the SAS without further training.

[Supermitch]

The Shea, Halifax's old ground. I saw Steve Earle score 5 (i think) in an 0-8 away win!!
I went to that game because I was living in Doncaster at the time. It wasn't my idea, my Dad got moved with his job. Anyway, Belle Vue was Donny Rovers old ground and I played on it in an under-16 boys cup final! At the time, it had the biggest playing area in all the 4 leagues!

The Shay is still standing (and sitting).  Halifax and the RL team still play there.

There are many grounds I've been to now demolished, too many to list but Somerton Park was very memorable as being the worst league ground I saw Fulham play at.  Went there 3 times - 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat.

[alfie]

For me i really don't mind football grounds evolving, Craven Cottage did not always look like it does now and it did not always look like it did before now. I love going to the Emirates to me it feels comfortable, and it does show a sign of progress. I am sure that if Archibald Leach had access to the design technology and materials around now when he designed the JH stand he would have used it. To be honest i think from the outside the JH stand is ugly, i have no lasting love for it, for me it is the team that counts.

Please i have no desire or intention to upset or annoy anyone over this it is just my opinion.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

For me i really don't mind football grounds evolving, Craven Cottage did not always look like it does now and it did not always look like it did before now. I love going to the Emirates to me it feels comfortable, and it does show a sign of progress. I am sure that if Archibald Leach had access to the design technology and materials around now when he designed the JH stand he would have used it. To be honest i think from the outside the JH stand is ugly, i have no lasting love for it, for me it is the team that counts.

Please i have no desire or intention to upset or annoy anyone over this it is just my opinion.

Does anyone know when the Stevenage Road (JH) stand and the Cottage were listed? I suppose that I am thinking in the light of Alfie's post when was the last chance for the club to redevelop them. I imagine that it was more recently than we might guess.

[SouthfieldWhite]

Plough Lane Wimbledon, use to get free tickets off my school and go whenever Fulham werent playing, yes a bit of a dump but good atmosphere when hosting bigger teams in cup games, also there was a nightclub in the ground called Nelsons where i met my missus, so not all bad ;-)

Also my local non league team, Tooting and Mitcham Sandy Lane ground, spent alot of time there in my real younger days


Some real good old fasion grounds already been mentioned ninian Park wasnt one of the most enjoyable away days, but have been to alot of the grounds that are no longer there and enjoyed them more than the new style type grounds


One of the more Bizarre ones was Northamptons where it had 3 sides and the other side if i remeber correctly was part of Northamtonshire Cricket ground

[ffc73]

I played for Kingstonian (briefly) and I understand that is now a housing estate

For a time I lived on the south coast and the Goldstone at Brighton was the easiest Fulham game I could get to.  Also made it once to the Dell at Southampton when we beat them in the League Cup.

Roker Park, Sunderland was possibly my first mid-week long distance away trip.  Came back on the 'night train' having lost 2-4.  Good crowd and better atmosphere then than at their new Stadium of Light.

[Ged]

the Johnny Haynes Stand is the Oldest Stand in the world used by a Professional club . Great Yarmouth have an older stand
and it was Jimmy Hill who got it Grade 2 Listed thus saving us
voted one of the best in Europe  http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pitchside-europe/search-europe-greatest-stadium-201902267.html
best in World    http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11979/8568510/Top-ten-stadiums

[E.I.Adio]

surely one of the most memorable away grounds must be The Baseball Ground even if it's for all the wrong reasons.

[SuffolkWhite]

I remember The Goldstone,Plough lane, Elm Park, Manor Ground, Kettering, Baseball ground, Highbury, Ninian Park and the Huddersfield ground? cant remember the name of it or is that the same ground?

[cmg]

Huddersfield used to be Leeds Road - enormous place.

[cmg]

One of the more Bizarre ones was Northamptons where it had 3 sides and the other side if i remeber correctly was part of Northamtonshire Cricket ground

Bramall Lane had a similar set-up on an even bigger scale. Yorkshire CCC played there until 1973.

Another Yorkshire football/cricket ground, and a lovely place, was Bradford Park Avenue. But here the grounds were divided by a double-fronted stand (a bit like the one at Headingly). Cricket is still played there, but Bradford FC are long gone.

[Fulham Tup North]

 049:gif I used to like Feethams - Darlington - back in the day.  A good away game and nice pies.
They moved to a 25,000 all seater arena and went into administration and now can only let 10,000 in.
Gotta be careful what people wish for!
Northampton's 3 sided ground, was the County Ground which they shared with Northamptonshire Cricket Club.  I remember watching Cobblers v Aston Villa there in a FA Cup match back in 1983 and the Northampton fans started fighting amongst themselves?  Sixfields is ok. 
COYW

[Alan_C]

The Mcain Oven Chip stadium Scarborough. Nothing special only went there once freezing cold the saturday before Christmas we won 2:0 in the Adams season.

It's always the one that isn't matched in the grounds I have been to discussions.

I will always remember, although it was cordoned off, the huge terrace at the Valley.