congo_red_49
Ale Ape
I thought they demolished that and plonked a housing estate where it was?
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The World Famous City Ground - Home of the PROPER WORLD‘S OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB
- Thread starter donny
- Start date
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
I think you’re right actually-I remember seeing it a few years after I saw Forest play there
(it had fallen into disrepair).
I think the adjacent cricket pitch may still be there.
congo_red_49
Ale Ape
I remember reading an article on it years ago, when they were planning to sell, there was some controversy due to a 1900's deed that stated the land should only be used for sports purposes.
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
After a period of time restrictive covenants can fall, and possibly sooner if the land hasn't been used for the reason the covenant was originaly placed on it.
Lady Penelope
First Team Squad
Temporary, as are the containers. Once (if) the PT is rebuilt the lights will be on that. The old pylon (circa 1964 I gather) was in the way of the containers.
Container corner decision was "pending' on the Rushcliffe planning portal a couple of days ago. Forest are obviously confident that itnwill proceed because they've spent a lot of money on the development already.
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
I still have a fairly vivid memory of experiencing our first ever game under the lights at the CG as a 12-year-old (I think it was 1961?), even if I can't recall the opponents and I can't recall the scoreline either (Cloughie75?), but it seemed a magical sight to me and everyone else walking across Trent Bridge that night and then seeing the pitch bathed in light for the first time.
Living in The Meadows, I'd seen the floodlights shining from Murder Lane a few times before we finally acquired a set, and although it pains me enormously to make this confession, it's the one and only time that I felt a little envious of the Saddies.
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
1961 was before my time watching Forest,Otis-but apparently the first league game under floodlights at the City Ground was against Wolves in September of that year.
Edit-the first game was against Gillingham in the League Cup a week or so earlier.
I don’t think I saw a floodlit game until 1969 (against Manchester United).
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
Thanks Cloughie, I knew I could rely on you, but having succesfully hunted-out my Ken Smales book in the meantime, I can actually correct you as our first game under the CG lights was against Gillingham in the League Cup, with us winning 4-1, and which probably explains why that detail escaped me. The Wolves game was our first floodlit league match shortly after, and which we won 3-1.
I do have a fairly strong memory of our first European match under the lights that season, when we were well-and-truly gubbed by Valencia on the night.
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Cloughie1975
John Robertson
Yes-I edited my original post,Otis-interesting that the crowd was only 11,000
against Gillingham.
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
Considering the excitement of the occasion which I remember was genuinely palpable, that is low - not that it occured to me at the time.
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
I suppose the League Cup wasn’t that popular then,Otis-I think the competition got a big boost when
the final was first played at Wembley in 1967.
I wonder how many of the 11,000 at the Gillingham game are still with us?
Chappers85
Can't Play Left-Back
That used to be a great cheat on one of the old Football Managers (2005 or 2006). Manage Darlington, arrange as many home pre-season friendlies with Liverpool and Man Utd as you could, rake in a load of money from sellout crowds, and buy some Brazilian wonderkids and piss League Two and League One in successive seasons! According to the game, I think it was 27,000 capacity...which was mental!
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
Not the majority of us who were there I'd guess? My brother, Doug, who is 8-years older than me was there and is still with us I'm happy to say. He's 83 now.
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I'm Red Till Dead
Stuart Pearce
It wasn't like it was the first time a Forest game had been under lights though Otis.
Forest played under Well's lights against Notts Rangers on March 23rd 1889 at the Gregory Ground. That drew a crowd of 5,000.
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
I'm happy be corrected Nicola.It wasn't like it was the first time a Forest game had been under lights though Otis.
Forest played under Well's lights against Notts Rangers on March 23rd 1889 at the Gregory Ground. That drew a crowd of 5,000.
View attachment 36650
I'm Red Till Dead
Stuart Pearce
It's not a correction Otis, you're right the Gillingham game was the first game under lights at the City Ground. I was just making a comment that it wasn't our first home game under lights.
Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness
I realised that Nicola. My comment was meant solely as an acknowledgement of your always impressive grasp of our history.
I'm Red Till Dead
Stuart Pearce
Thanks Otis.
donny
Grenville Morris
Not that I ever did that of course..
The Darlington White Shed on the Outskirts of Town that was built by a convicted (but now dead) criminal, is now owned by Darlington Mowden Park RFC. From what I recall, they're at National 1, so, a couple of steps below the Premier, and also have one of the bigger youth setups in the North West.
MagicalQuakers
just happy to be here
The 'new' ground, whilst bankrupting Darlo and George Reynolds was done on the cheap, so it looks terrible and needs all the steel work treating/painting. Mowden sold their ground (on the other side of town) off for housing and bought this one off the people who it had defaulted too.
It was a ridiculous sight to see less than 2k in a 27k stadium! I shall never set foot in that place ever again!
Feethams was supposed to have a covenant on it, but the Council happily let the cricket club (which is still there) sell it off for housing. The new main stand there was only a few years old and was more than sufficient for our normal crowd levels.
Sadly Darlo still need to find a new permanent home if they are ever to get back into the Football League. The current ground share cannot easily be upgraded to meet ground grading requirements.
duncanmckenzie
First Team Squad
The first game I saw under lights I think was against Liverpool 63/64 season and they'd just come up to div 1 and just afterwards I saw Henry's debut under lights against Leicester and we won 2-0.
The rugby club use it now, I've been to a couple of corporate days there with a mate who sponsors them (I live just up the road in Durham), there are literally a few hundred attending games I would imagine. Not sure how the rugby club afford to keep it open.
Steve B
Jack Armstrong
Why won’t you step foot in the ‘new’ stadium? I don’t know the background.
Real shame about Darlo, I remember them having some fiery battles with Boro when they were in the old Div 3.
MagicalQuakers
just happy to be here
We had a nice little (ageing) ground in a nice town centre location (next to a river).
We developed one new stand that held almost 4k, overall ground capacity was limited to around 7k (although had held 10k+ previously). The other 3 sides were old and needed developing.
When successful we got crowds of around 5k at best, with some big games selling out.
The land the ground was on was owned by the cricket club, but was ours for as long as we wanted it - sporting covenant type thing with very low rent.
Building the new stand put us into a bad financial position, ITV Ditigal collapse, poor ownership, usual lower league stuff. Reynolds came in and did save us financially and backed the team, which boosted attendance. He always was a clown, trying to sign Gascoigne and Asprilla (I was there the game he was paraded around the pitch - madness).
All that was needed was a modest rebuild to get Feethams to 10k. But he then decided to build a massive out of town stadium to "get us to the Premier League". If he had build something that could be expanded in the future then fair enough, but 27000 capacity.
Suffice to say it bankrupted us and him in the process. That shows how mad he was, spending all his money on a vanity project that lost him his house.
The ground got sold out from under us (or taken off subsequent dodgy owners). The costs to run it were far too high for us, and any extra income was no where near enough and as tenants I am not sure we saw any of it anyway.
Worse than that the atmosphere was atrocious, less than 10% full was embarrassing and didn't help us at all.
We finally went truly bust and have started back at the very bottom, but have paid off all of debts we had.
We now ground share with a different rugby club and talk often turns to shouldn't we move back there and share with Darlington Mowden rugby club.
For me personally it is just is totally soulless and doesn't represent who or what Darlington Football Club are. It also represents the worst times as a supporter. We would never ever prosper there. Oh for a time machine!
We developed one new stand that held almost 4k, overall ground capacity was limited to around 7k (although had held 10k+ previously). The other 3 sides were old and needed developing.
When successful we got crowds of around 5k at best, with some big games selling out.
The land the ground was on was owned by the cricket club, but was ours for as long as we wanted it - sporting covenant type thing with very low rent.
Building the new stand put us into a bad financial position, ITV Ditigal collapse, poor ownership, usual lower league stuff. Reynolds came in and did save us financially and backed the team, which boosted attendance. He always was a clown, trying to sign Gascoigne and Asprilla (I was there the game he was paraded around the pitch - madness).
All that was needed was a modest rebuild to get Feethams to 10k. But he then decided to build a massive out of town stadium to "get us to the Premier League". If he had build something that could be expanded in the future then fair enough, but 27000 capacity.
Suffice to say it bankrupted us and him in the process. That shows how mad he was, spending all his money on a vanity project that lost him his house.
The ground got sold out from under us (or taken off subsequent dodgy owners). The costs to run it were far too high for us, and any extra income was no where near enough and as tenants I am not sure we saw any of it anyway.
Worse than that the atmosphere was atrocious, less than 10% full was embarrassing and didn't help us at all.
We finally went truly bust and have started back at the very bottom, but have paid off all of debts we had.
We now ground share with a different rugby club and talk often turns to shouldn't we move back there and share with Darlington Mowden rugby club.
For me personally it is just is totally soulless and doesn't represent who or what Darlington Football Club are. It also represents the worst times as a supporter. We would never ever prosper there. Oh for a time machine!