[quote=“eligorton” post=43866]The Central Ground pitch drained so well because it had ashes from ICI as drainage.
I never knew this and after 30 odd years of it puzzling me thank you eli! In a way, however, i now feel abit like i did when i found out santa wasn’t real :dry: Why don’t premier league clubs build an ICI plant near their ground surely it would save on under soil heating?? Dragons Den hear i come :lol:
So many happy memories of the old Central Ground. We lived in Weaverham so my mum used to drop me off outside the cinema and I’d walk down the side to the ground. I can’t remember if it was 2/- or 2/6d to get in. I think you used to get the programmes just to the left once you were through the turnstile - in 1965 they were 3d, but doubled to 6d a year later!
http://EXAMPLE.com/media/kunena/attachments/1290/CentralGround.jpg
The nice thing in those days was being able to walk round to whichever end we were kicking in to so that you could stand behind the goal (I seem to remember there was a red circle painted on the sectional concrete wall (which went round 3 sides of the ground) right behind the goal.
You needed your programme so that you could see which 1st Division matches were which when the bloke used to lean the half time scores up against the “A”, “B”, “C” etc. by the half way line.
http://EXAMPLE.com/media/kunena/attachments/1290/CentralGround2.jpg
I’ve joined in many chants of “Mellor for England”, long before Burnley stole him! Also playing then were the likes of Chris Nicholl, Ken Barnes, Trevor Ogden and Paddy Daly.
Happy days…
They used to call the pitch “The non league Wembley” it was Vics who had the swamp! I played in a pre season friendly for Lostock and when I ran out my left boot was “Sucked off” it was that boggy and this was in August!! (Can I say "Sucked off?).
WHS.
Great pics Central Grounder, although they have got my mind ticking over again :ohmy: I remember that if you looked over the wall behind the goal at the social club end there was a big DIY store, think it was called handy jacks, but for the life of me i can’t picture where that would be now. At the other end there was terraced housing behind the wall and there was an old guy that used to watch the game out of his window, i always wanted to live there! On the grass bank at that end there were white metal terraces, me and my mates used to take a tennis ball and use them as goals before the game started! And then of course there was the popular side that ran opposite the stand. Great memories.
Handy Jacks was where Matalan is now I think. My cousin Len used to live in Ash Street that backed onto the ground behind the goal. At the other end I think was Gladstone Club’s Bowling Green I think. Like you we used to play football on the grassy bank before the game until we got older and found other things to occupy us, girls cost Albion a lot of young supporters!!
WHS.
My old chap used to get me a copy of the pink too, would keep me entertained for hours on a saturday night and i’d even save a section for sunday morning even if it was just jocks corner!! As for Twitter two minutes on that and i’m ready for throwing my laptop out of the window after listening to these z list “celebraties” spouting complete nonsense. Bring back the pink, pleassssssssse!! (remember getting a copy in blackpool too once, it was the green in blackpool i couldn’t believe it!)
I seem to remember that about half the “popular side” was covered terracing (i.e. the part opposite the stand) - just corrugated tin over a bit of flimsy steelwork. There were always quite a few stalwarts who stood there every home game - oddly enough, they always seemed like “old men” to me at the time, but these days they would probably look young to me!
Another “flashback” I had this morning was that our penalties were always taken by Ken Barnes (he invariably scored!), and he always had a quite unique style when he took them. Can anyone recall what he used to do?
I’ve ordered a copy of Ken’s book “This Simple Game”, which should arrive anytime now. Looking forward to a good read. Nostalgia? Nah… that’s a thing of the past…
Witton get the briefest of mentions…as Ken relives his days playing at “Wincham Park”… :S
I used to call the “popular side” the grandads stand. I thought it was funny how some of the old regulars used to stand in exactly the same spot week in week out, as if it were their own reserved spot at the CG. Godforbid getting there before them! When it rained on the corrugated cover it sounded more like hailstones or, when really heavy, being sprayed with bullets! I’d love to see some pics of the rest of the ground sometime if anyone has any.
[quote=“WHS” post=44001]Handy Jacks was where Matalan is now I think. My cousin Len used to live in Ash Street that backed onto the ground behind the goal. At the other end I think was Gladstone Club’s Bowling Green I think. Like you we used to play football on the grassy bank before the game until we got older and found other things to occupy us, girls cost Albion a lot of young supporters!!
WHS.[/quote]
Is Ash Street still there? The road that goes down past sainsbury’s garage to the traffic lights at the bottom wasn’t there when the Central Ground was there, was it? Like you I remember the houses backed on to the ground. I had completely forgotten about the bowling green at the other end but do recall it now you’ve mentioned it!
There was Ash Street and Oak Street and I think they are still there. The road of course was not there then. My Granny Dunn lived in Warrington Road and at weekends the whole family would descend on the house, the women for a “catch-up” the men to go to the match and the pub. We young ones played football in the road and snook over the fence to watch the match when we could get away with it. On Saturday night all the parents would go off to the local and we kids would sit outside with crisps and pop. Then we would head back to Grandma’s and find somewhere to sleep, there would be as many as 6 or seven in a bed! Our parents would pick us up the next day. Wonderful days apart from the fact that we had no money!
WHS.
The Grandad shed /popular side
Brilliant, thanks Red Elvis
brilliant to see the pics, brings back many happy memories. the present time will als o be good for memories in the future.
Yes, both Ash Street and Oak street are still there.
Brilliant pictures, brings back some very happy memories.
WHS.
As a kid my grandad used to take me to the CG.We’d always sit in the stand and I remember one game v Fleetwood (I think), where their right winger jumped into the pop side and had a scrap with some fans.He was getting slaughtered by everyone because he had completely grey hair!
Other memories:
Tez Wilkinson
Fantastic pics, Red Elvis - thank you so much!
Seeing those pics dredged up one more memory from the old grey matter - does anyone recall those huge wooden rattles that about a dozen or so youngsters used to bring to every game? (the ones that you used to whirl round and round to make a damned good row!).
I recall that many of them were painted red and white, and I begged (unsuccessfully) my dad to make me one time after time 
Probably deemed to be an “offensive weapon” these days!
And finally…
Here’s probably the greatest keeper ever to grace the Albion…
http://EXAMPLE.com/media/kunena/attachments/1290/PeterMellor.jpg