Keep A Record Of Your Ground Visits

Remember they were only part time then and a somewhat "veteran" bunch including Dave Donaldson and "Harry" Bassett.

I remember sitting watching horrified as they did indeed appear to take a "breather" before finishing us off......................a devastating performance from a quality side.

Proof indeed of just what a really motivated and committed team could achieve under a very astute manager (Allen Batsford) who had learned his trade in the non league scene of London where to turn up after work and train hard three nights a week, travel away on the Friday night play the game and then start all over again on a Monday morning makes men out of boys and indeed puts boys' legs again on old men's bodies.

We were only discussing this on the touchline last night as the players rushed in, in dribs and drabs hurrying as best they could in the Friday night traffic to be ready for the 5pm kick off. Living nearby, I always try to be on hand for the manager to help him put the kit out for the boys in a professional manner with their squad numbered shirts up on hangers with the number facing out. Socks, foot supports and bandages all neatly set out on the table. We have a "warm up man" who takes the boys out and gets them ready to then return to the dressing room for the privacy of a moment or two with their manager before filing out as a team (not dribble out in ones and twos like some teams) ready and focussed on the task ahead.

It's attention to detail (like I guess Batsford had with Wimbledon) that can level the playing field or even tilt it in your favour before a match. The sort of thing critics of managers never see and probably never even think of.

I should only be credited for posting the original story on the forum (hence my name after). As can be seen below (which i've put on the correct page as well) there was, once again, a problem at the printing stage which ended up making a non-sense of what was sent and which does really start to grate as the whole essence of the piece gets lost... That's three times now that what I have sent, and just needs cutting and pasting at the printers stage, has been changed and lost the meaning... So apologies for that.


Unfortunately the 'Magpies' story, which I gleaned from Alec Adrian's book, wasn't headed correctly, a gremlin at the printers again methinks.
Although all the words are there in the programme it isn't set out as I sent it so doesn't really make sense. It should be as follows:



Former Plainmoor pre-war Amateur Alexander ‘Alec’ Adrian.
(From his autobiography ‘Dunkirk Sportsmen’ published in the early 1940’s.)

“The Magpies”
The road to football fame may be long: but if young footballers have the ability they can make the grade, and they will get many a helping hand en-route.
I can remember that when I was nearly nineteen years old, I put in some football training at the Plainmoor ground of the Devon professional club, Torquay United A.F.C. (English League Division Three, English Cup, Southern League, Western League, Devon Professional Competition)
It was in season 1931/32 and it is a memory I can always look back on with pleasure and delight.

Etc, etc.....

Manchester City
Wembley (New)
Bournemouth
Shrewsbury
Grimsby
Torquay
Aston Villa

Thought you would have completed the Scottish league by now!!

.....Well, the time has come to go for one big collation effort, I've been doing the grounds thing since 1987 and putting this off for years, I probably hit a peak in the 1987-1997-ish period, starting with the never to be forgotten Cyril Knowles era on the away coaches along with bruv Nige, Cav, The Tabbster, Tattooed Dave, Big Darren, The Famous Five and the rest of the gang and carrying on from there - its' been a bloody long haul from watching us at Peterborough away on Sat 25 April 1987, but so, so enjoyable..........

..........the lists are a wee bit lacking when it comes to modern grounds due to personal circumstances these days that involve me helping out in caring for our parents, but I've split it up into two sections, what I have done is to use the excellent site www.footballgroundguide.com/ as a reference point - the first section is the dedicated "Current Grounds ("The 92") Completed Listing", the second one is a "Various Defunct, Derelict, Demolished, Otherwise Inadmissible Or Just Plain Non-League Grounds Completed Listing".........

(TU) = I have seen Torquay United play there

SECTION ONE - CURRENT GROUNDS ("THE 92") COMPLETED LISTING

PREMIER LEAGUE

Bournemouth (Dean Court) (TU)
Chelsea (Stamford Bridge)
Crystal Palace (Selhurst Park)
Fulham (Craven Cottage) (TU)


CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE

Bristol City (Ashton Gate) (TU)
Hull City (KC Stadium) (TU)
Plymouth Argyle (Home Park) (TU)
Portsmouth (Fratton Park) (TU)
Preston North End (Deepdale) (TU)
Queens Park Rangers (Loftus Road Stadium)
Sheffield United (Bramall Lane) (TU)
Sheffield Wednesday (Hillsborough) (TU)
Watford (Vicarage Road)

LEAGUE ONE

Barnsley (Oakwell) (TU)
Blackpool (Bloomfield Road) (TU)
Burton Albion (Pirelli Stadium) (TU)
Crawley Town (Broadfield Stadium) (TU)
Northampton Town (Sixfields Stadium) (TU)
Peterborough United (London Road) (TU)
Shrewsbury Town (Greenhous Meadow) (TU)
Wycombe Wanderers (Adams Park) (TU)

LEAGUE TWO

Accrington Stanley (Fraser Eagle Stadium aka Crown Ground) (TU)
Bradford City (Coral Windows Stadium, Valley Parade) (TU)
Carlisle United (Brunton Park) (TU)
Crewe Alexandra (Alexandra Stadium aka Gresty Road) (TU)
Gillingham (Priestfield Stadium) (TU)
Morecambe (Globe Arena, Christie Way) (TU)
Port Vale (Vale Park) (TU)
Swindon Town (County Ground)
Walsall (Banks's Stadium aka Bescot Stadium) (TU)


CURRENT TOTAL - 30/92 GROUNDS COMPLETED

...................................................

SECTION TWO - VARIOUS DEFUNCT, DERELICT, DEMOLISHED, OTHERWISE INADMISSIBLE OR JUST PLAIN NON-LEAGUE GROUNDS COMPLETED LISTING

Aldershot (Recreation Ground) (TU) (I have only managed to see these as Aldershot back in the day, and NOT as Aldershot Town to date)
Barnet (Underhill Stadium) (TU)
Basingstoke Town (Camrose Road) (TU)
Bolton Wanderers (Burnden Park) (TU)
Boreham Wood (Meadow Park) (TU)
Boston United (York Street) (TU)
Brentford (Griffin Park) (TU)
Brighton & Hove Albion (Goldstone Ground)
Brighton & Hove Albion (Withdean Stadium) (TU)
Bristol Rovers (Memorial Stadium) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2015)
Bury (Gigg Lane) (TU) (Expelled from Football League August 2019)
Bristol Rovers (Twerton Park - ground-share at time) (TU)
Cambridge United (Abbey Stadium) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2014)
Cardiff City (Ninian Park) (TU)
Charlton Athletic (Selhurst Park - ground-share at time)
Chelmsford City (Melbourne Community Stadium) (TU)
Cheltenham Town (Abbey Business Stadium aka Whaddon Road) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2016)
Chesterfield (Saltergate aka Recreation Ground) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2024)
Clevedon Town (Hand Stadium) (TU - friendly)
Colchester United (Layer Road) (TU)
Coventry City (Highfield Road) (TU)
Dagenham & Redbridge (London Borough Of Barking & Dagenham Stadium aka Victoria Road) (TU)
Darlington (Feethams) (TU)
Dartmouth United (Long Cross)
Dawlish Town (Playing Fields, Exeter Road) (TU - friendly)
Doncaster Rovers (Belle Vue) (TU)
Dorchester Town (Avenue Stadium) (TU - friendly)
Eastleigh (Silverlake Stadium) TU)
Exeter City (St James' Park) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2008)
Fareham Town (Cams Alders)
Fylde (Mill Farm) (TU)
Gosport Borough (Privett Park) (TU - youth match)
Halifax Town (Shay) (TU)
Hartlepool United (Victoria Park) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in June 2021, relegated again to National League in May 2022)
Hereford United (Edgar Street) (TU)
Hull City (Boothferry Park) (TU)
Kidderminster Harriers (Aggborough Stadium) (TU)
Leyton Orient (Matchroom Stadium aka Brisbane Road) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2022)
Lincoln City (Sincil Bank) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2017)
Luton Town (Kenilworth Road) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2014)
Macclesfield Town (Moss Rose) (TU)
Maidstone United (Watling Street, Dartford - ground-share at time) (TU)
Maidstone United (Gallagher Stadium) (TU)
Mansfield Town (Field Mill) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2013)
Newport County (Somerton Park) (TU)
Northampton Town (County Ground) (TU)
Oxford United (Kassam Stadium) (TU) (needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in May 2010)
Reading (Elm Park) (TU)
Rochdale (Spotland) (TU)
Rotherham (Millmoor) (TU)
Royal Navy (Burnaby Road, Portsmouth)
Rushden & Diamonds (Nene Park) (TU)
Salisbury City (Raymond McEnhill Stadium) (TU)
Saltash United (Kimberley Stadium) (TU - friendly)
Scarborough (McCain Stadium) (TU)
Scunthorpe United (Glanford Park) (TU)
Shrewsbury Town (Gay Meadow) (TU)
Slough Town (Wexham Park) (TU)
Southampton (Dell)
Southend United (Roots Hall) (TU)
Stoke City (Victoria Ground) (TU)
Swansea City (Vetch Field) (TU)
Torquay United (Plainmoor) (TU - of course!!)
Tottenham Hotspur (White Hart Lane) (TU)
Wellington (Somerset) (Wellington Playing Fields, North Road) (TU - friendly)
West Ham United (Boleyn Ground aka Upton Park)
Weymouth (Wessex Stadium) (TU)
Wigan Athletic (Springfield Park) (TU)
Wimbledon (Plough Lane)
Wimbledon (Selhurst Park - ground-share at time)
Woking (Kingfield Stadium) (TU)
Worcester City (St Georges' Lane) (TU)
Wrexham (Racecourse Ground) (TU) {needs to be re-done as I have not been back since they came back into the League in April 2023)
Yeovil Town (Huish (old ground)) (TU)
York City (Bootham Crescent) (TU)

....also....

Wembley Stadium (old and new (pre-2001 and post-2001) versions) (both TU)

Old Trafford (May 2011 version) (TU)

..............................................................


CORRECT AS AT 1 JUNE 2024

.........I thank you Mr_Barton sire........

Great list Mr W

interesting to see, like me, you stick to the rules....

Everyone has their own rules but interesting to see the the NEW owner of the 92 Club since the sad death of funder Gordon Pearce, has changed rules.... now neutral games count.... ill stick to first team and home teams thanks very much!!!

www.ninetytwoclub.org.uk/nineq.htm