Old pitches from yester-year

[daven37]

Was out for a walk this evening and walked through the queen's Park recreation ground.

Reminiscing about playing bb football there 35 years ago, I was a good player back then.

About how the 7 pitches would be full from saturday morning until the afternoon and the same on Sundays. In summer you would sometimes get midweek games there. Remember playing a cup replay there on a Wednesday night and winning 3-1.

Was few better sights than a summers day with every pitch with a game in progress.

The old changing rooms are still there but the pitches are sadly long gone as has any football talent I once had.

 

[JMCK]

That was a favourite of mine, after Nether Pollok.

 

[kilbirnie bear]

St James ,across from Glasgow airport.

Used to love playing there with the BB’s on a Saturday morning.

Sometimes your mind would drift and you would watch an attack on one of the other games only for my dad to roar at me to mind my own game !

 

[superallythe2nd]

Westwoodhill pitches in EK was the central point between my mates houses and my own so we always met up there as kids. Old blaes pitches where we'd always play. Either at one of the goals or if it had been raining heavily, we'd use the changing pavilion windows for target practice. Usually at least 3 or 4 amateur games there on a weekend and we'd stand and watch.

Only ever played 2 proper games there myself as my club tended to play our games at nearby Dunedin pitches or Brancumhall on the other side of town. On one of the occasions we played at Westwoodhill I curled a belter into the top bin with my left foot.

Pitches and pavillion are still there but are overgrown with weeds now. Shame as used to be very well used back in the day. Incidentally, I believe they can still be booked - not sure the council have actually seen the pitches in the last 20 years

 

[basel_faulty]

Queens Park rec AKA the rex, was my local went from watching my da's works team to playing for the BB and organising games there most nights as a wean, Hated St James , it was always wet when i payed there.

 

[Saudiger]

50 pitches just at the Clyde tunnel cut off coming from airport side

 

[Twosignals]

Cynder football pitches, go sliding down on them you knew about it, get hit with a wet Bladder football and you knew about it. I came from the old Toonheid and you played basically on cleared ground of demolished buildings. This is where we got the tanner baw players.

 

[Clicker]

50 pitches just at the Clyde tunnel cut off coming from airport side

I remember a pub opened near there called the Fifty Pitches and the locals quickly renamed it the Fifty Stitches,

 

[lordlucanrfc]

All our primary school games were up at Nethercraigs, I reckon I've still got some of the red ash under the extra layers of skin on my arse!

 

[daven37]

Westwoodhill pitches in EK was the central point between my mates houses and my own so we always met up there as kids. Old blaes pitches where we'd always play. Either at one of the goals or if it had been raining heavily, we'd use the changing pavilion windows for target practice. Usually at least 3 or 4 amateur games there on a weekend and we'd stand and watch.

Only ever played 2 proper games there myself as my club tended to play our games at nearby Dunedin pitches or Brancumhall on the other side of town. On one of the occasions we played at Westwoodhill I curled a belter into the top bin with my left foot.

Pitches and pavillion are still there but are overgrown with weeds now. Shame as used to be very well used back in the day. Incidentally, I believe they can still be booked - not sure the council have actually seen the pitches in the last 20 years

Think it was Dunedin where I played a match against East Kilbride district BB - I was playing for Cathcart district - think we won 6-1.

Playing for the district team felt like you were playing for Scotland - we even had dark blue tops.

We had three really outstanding players in that team - two guys from the 83rd BB (which was my BB) and one guy from the 231st BB.

 

[Camby loyalist]

The old third lanark pitch I loved playing there knowing the history and seeing the old terracing still there was brilliant.

Actually preferred that than actually playing inside Hampden, hated that place.

 

[superallythe2nd]

Think it was Dunedin where I played a match against East Kilbride district BB - I was playing for Cathcart district - think we won 6-1.

Playing for the district team felt like you were playing for Scotland - we even had dark blue tops.

We had three really outstanding players in that team - two guys from the 83rd BB (which was my BB) and one guy from the 231st BB.

Played one season with 6th EK in the Glasgow Battalion league (not enough for an EK league). Lost every single game.

Particularly painful day was playing on a fucking freezing cold Saturday morning at the old Toryglen - only pitch that didn't have too much glass on it. Mate playing in goals copped a broken wrist blocking an Albertz-esque shot.

 

[Tormusk1872]

Played on Rugby Park
Glasgow Schools v Ayrshire, won 3-0.

Best Park I've played on, great grass pitch, there never was a game postponed through snow, frost or waterlogging. Stupid decision to make Scotlands best weatherproof pitch plastic.

 

[daven37]

Played one season with 6th EK in the Glasgow Battalion league (not enough for an EK league). Lost every single game.

Particularly painful day was playing on a fucking freezing cold Saturday morning at the old Toryglen - only pitch that didn't have too much glass on it. Mate playing in goals copped a broken wrist blocking an Albertz-esque shot.

Toryglen pitches were nowhere near as good as the Queens Park pitches. Still enjoyed playing there though.

Played our final league game of the season there which we had to win or our opponents would win the league. We won 2-0. Had a play off and we won that 4-2 and I scored twice (the highlight of my football life apart from playing in a trial match for Rangers boys and beating the tims 4-2 at Toryglen)

The 231 BB must've hated us - we beat them 3-1 in the cup final on the Hampden ash pitch as well.

 

[Muay Bouk]

Cynder football pitches, go sliding down on them you knew about it, get hit with a wet Bladder football and you knew about it. I came from the old Toonheid and you played basically on cleared ground of demolished buildings. This is where we got the tanner baw players.

Mitre Mouldmaster "shudders"

 

[Tormusk1872]

Toryglen pitches were nowhere near as good as the Queens Park pitches. Still enjoyed playing there though.

Played our final league game of the season there which we had to win or our opponents would win the league. We won 2-0. Had a play off and we won that 4-2 and I scored twice (the highlight of my football life apart from playing in a trial match for Rangers boys and beating the tims 4-2 at Toryglen)

The 231 BB must've hated us - we beat them 3-1 in the cup final on the Hampden ash pitch as well.

Queens Parks pitches were like swimming pools during most of the year, terrible drainage. 217 Flemington (Halfway BB)

 

[Dingmeister]

Played for years at Glasgow Green. Still remember having to wait until the play in the adjoining park was up the other end, if you were taking a throw in next to that pitch. There was probably 1-2 feet between each pitch and around 20 pitches all used every Saturday and Sunday. Mass changing rooms as well. Good old days...

 

[daven37]

Mitre Mouldmaster "shudders"

Getting on of the smacking you on the thighs in the first couple of minutes when you were not really warmed up yet was hellish.

Queens Parks pitches were like swimming pools during most of the year, terrible drainage. 217 Flemington (Halfway BB)

Pitch 1 was always playable - seemed to have a different type of gravel on it.

Pitch 7 over at the changing rooms was probably 2nd best as the groundsman seemed to have the idea that he would go out and clear all the pitches, start at 7 and give up.

 

[mfgorm]

Our BB played at Croftfoot Recs. 2ash pitches one grass. A few amateur teams played there too. Croftfoot AFC used it as their home ground and King's Park Rangers and Park Royal used it occasionally. There was a fence separated it from the Spittal pitches which were both grass. Our school played there(Spittal) ,which was strange since the pitches were in Rutherglen and our school was in Glasgow.
Croftfoot Recs is now houses and I think the Spittal pitches are part of the same development.

 

[willemtway]

Cowlairs

 

[WinkieWATP]

Westwoodhill pitches in EK was the central point between my mates houses and my own so we always met up there as kids. Old blaes pitches where we'd always play. Either at one of the goals or if it had been raining heavily, we'd use the changing pavilion windows for target practice. Usually at least 3 or 4 amateur games there on a weekend and we'd stand and watch.

Only ever played 2 proper games there myself as my club tended to play our games at nearby Dunedin pitches or Brancumhall on the other side of town. On one of the occasions we played at Westwoodhill I curled a belter into the top bin with my left foot.

Pitches and pavillion are still there but are overgrown with weeds now. Shame as used to be very well used back in the day. Incidentally, I believe they can still be booked - not sure the council have actually seen the pitches in the last 20 years

Corners were always flooded even if it hadn’t rained for weeks.

 

[The Janny]

Whiteinch park red blaze pitches with primary school and bb 60s 70s, all gone now parking area i believe.

 

[Arty]

Whiteinch park red blaze pitches with primary school and bb 60s 70s, all gone now parking area i believe.

Correct, a parking area for the rugby fans,

 

[Arty]

Knightswood pitches next to the golf course, been turned into a place for mountain bikes /skate board freaks,

 

[johnny1872]

Westwoodhill pitches in EK was the central point between my mates houses and my own so we always met up there as kids. Old blaes pitches where we'd always play. Either at one of the goals or if it had been raining heavily, we'd use the changing pavilion windows for target practice. Usually at least 3 or 4 amateur games there on a weekend and we'd stand and watch.

Only ever played 2 proper games there myself as my club tended to play our games at nearby Dunedin pitches or Brancumhall on the other side of town. On one of the occasions we played at Westwoodhill I curled a belter into the top bin with my left foot.

Pitches and pavillion are still there but are overgrown with weeds now. Shame as used to be very well used back in the day. Incidentally, I believe they can still be booked - not sure the council have actually seen the pitches in the last 20 years

Played loads of times on all the pitches you mention. My favourites in East Kilbride as a youngster were Kirktonholme and Whitemoss as at least they had a bit of grass down the sides
All grass parks in EK now but they were very rare years ago. Youngsters now a days dont know how good they've got it. No ash pitches or mitre mouldmasters

 

[Stephen Johnston]

Mitre Mouldmaster "shudders"

Inflated to 2500 psi,you heard the ping and preyed it wasn’t about to hit your ear...

 

[bullen an la]

Cowlairs black ash

 

[Muay Bouk]

Inflated to 2500 psi,you heard the ping and preyed it wasn’t about to hit your ear...

January, in the wall waiting for a free kick to be hit, BANG!! He hits the free kick......... as it comes straight towards your head you instinctively duck to get your head out the way, you breath an enormous sigh of relief as it misses your ear by a baw hair..............3 seconds later....... it hasnt missed, its skiffed your ear on the way past....."YA BASSSSSTTTTTAAARRRRRDDDDDDDDDD"

 

[superallythe2nd]

Played loads of times on all the pitches you mention. My favourites in East Kilbride as a youngster were Kirktonholme and Whitemoss as at least they had a bit of grass down the sides
All grass parks in EK now but they were very rare years ago. Youngsters now a days dont know how good they've got it. No ash pitches or mitre mouldmasters

Ash/ blaes parks were always an advantage for us at Westwood though. We trained at Ballerup from not long after the new synthetic pitch was opened up. Train on that during the week then go play on grass on the weekend and we struggled. However, if it was ash then we were pretty solid.

A few cup ties were (cynically) moved to suit us against certain teams.

 

[Stephen Johnston]

January, in the wall waiting for a free kick to be hit, BANG!! He hits the free kick as it comes straight towards your head you instinctively duck to get your head out the way, you breath an anourmosu sigh of relief as it misses your ear by a baw hair..............3 seconds later....... its hasnt missed, its skiffed your ear on the way past....."YA BASSSSSTTTTTAAARRRRRDDDDDDDDDD"

You were playing under 13s and it was always a boy about 6foot 2 with a beard!!

 

[Shengus Malengus]

We managed to get a let for Hillpark school pitches for our Sunday team.

If there was such a thing as a good red ash pitch then it would have been Hillpark.
The bigger of the two was massive.

Also played a lot of home games at Cowglen bank.
Again both excellent pitches.

 

[superallythe2nd]

Corners were always flooded even if it hadn’t rained for weeks.

A burn runs right underneath the pitches according to my dad. Probably clogged with years of silt getting in.

 

[Muay Bouk]

You were playing under 13s and it was always a boy about 6foot 2 with a beard!!

Big mouth breather wearing rugby boots.

 

[superallythe2nd]

Mainly one for the Lanarkshire players but played a few times in what I believe was part of Strathclyde Park between the 90s and early 2000s. Used to hold a lot of football festivals in it's time - met Davie Cooper at one of them.

Not sure if it is still there but think it was at the top of Motherwell and there also used to be a school overlooking the pitches.

Been annoying me for years trying to remember exactly where it was but mind there was a big pavillion and a (possibly) floodlit ash pitch out the front - tended to be parking for food vans at the aforementioned festivals mind.

Probably houses now to be honest.

EDIT - looks like I've found it and sadly it seems that the pavillion is no longer there going by Google maps

School overlooking it was St Bernadettes

 

[Carson's Cat]

Auchenhowie Training Centre Upgrade​

Having read through a thread on a significant Rangers message board the directors of Rangers Football Club are delighted to announce a large investment in their elite training centre. Enhancements include:

The replacement of all 4G training surfaces with red ash. Half bricks will be placed at strategic points on all pitches and local dog owners will be encouraged to walk their dogs during training sessions and will receive a bonus if Fido does a shite and the owner doesn't pick it up.

All practise balls will be replaced by Size 5 Mitre Mouldmasters and the initial warm-up will consist of players with a good shot firing balls at the thighs of wee fannies and a bonus of half a week's wage will be paid if said strikers manage to replicate the dimple pattern of the ball on said fanny's thigh.

Goalposts have been taken away and, for practise games, players have to use their jumpers. In practise games goals are scored only if they are between said jumpers and at a height that a wee goalie could be expected to reach the ball.

Kerby is an important training exercise to develop the strategic skill of taking a shy.

The pitches for 18 and under have all been tarred over and made to look like a street of a typical Glasgow or Motherwell suburb of the 1960s with strategic placement of Ford Anglias or Vauxhall Vivas. Driveways are to be used as goals but they need not be opposite each other, The club has also employed a few auld codgers to use the script, "If that ball comes in to my gairden again I'll put a knife through it" to teach the development squad the importance of close control.

The main match practise drills will be 'combine' and 'three and in' but when there's a big training game the ball will be assigned to one player picked at random who may, at any point during the game, pick said ball up and announce, "Right, that's ma tea ready" and walk off.

With regard to rehydration needs glass bottles of Red Kola and American Cream Soda will be available at all times.​

When asked about the changes a Rangers spokesman said, "This young team don't know they're born so we're paring back fitba to its bare essence"

 

[Arkansasgerstill]

Was out for a walk this evening and walked through the queen's Park recreation ground.

Reminiscing about playing bb football there 35 years ago, I was a good player back then.

About how the 7 pitches would be full from saturday morning until the afternoon and the same on Sundays. In summer you would sometimes get midweek games there. Remember playing a cup replay there on a Wednesday night and winning 3-1.

Was few better sights than a summers day with every pitch with a game in progress.

The old changing rooms are still there but the pitches are sadly long gone as has any football talent I once had.

Happy memories. Scored 4 one night there. Never did it again.

 

[Arkansasgerstill]

Auchenhowie Training Centre Upgrade​

Having read through a thread on a significant Rangers message board the directors of Rangers Football Club are delighted to announce a large investment in their elite training centre. Enhancements include:

The replacement of all 4G training surfaces with red ash. Half bricks will be placed at strategic points on all pitches and local dog owners will be encouraged to walk their dogs during training sessions and will receive a bonus if Fido does a shite and the owner doesn't pick it up.

All practise balls will be replaced by Size 5 Mitre Mouldmasters and the initial warm-up will consist of players with a good shot firing balls at the thighs of wee fannies and a bonus of half a week's wage will be paid if said strikers manage to replicate the dimple pattern of the ball on said fanny's thigh.

Goalposts have been taken away and, for practise games, players have to use their jumpers. In practise games goals are scored only if they are between said jumpers and at a height that a wee goalie could be expected to reach the ball.

The pitches for 18 and under have all been tarred over and made to look like a street of a typical Glasgow or Motherwell suburb of the 1960s with strategic placement of Ford Anglias or Vauxhall Vivas. The club has also employed a few auld codgers to use the script, "If that ball comes in to my gairden again I'll put a knife through it" to teach the development squad the importance of close control.

The main match practise drills will be 'combine' and 'three and in' but when there's a big training game the ball will be assigned to one player picked at random who may, at any point during the game, pick said ball up and announce, "Right, that's ma tea ready" and walk off.​

When asked about the changes a Rangers spokesman said, "This young team don't know they're born so we're paring back fitba to its bare essence"

Quite brilliant my friend Happy memories of the good old days when Scottish players were highly sought after.

 

[When we were young]

I remember playing for BB on Kelvinhaugh black ash pitch and the ref was using the Haugh Clock to time game !
Happy days

 

[Danger Zone]

Westwoodhill pitches in EK was the central point between my mates houses and my own so we always met up there as kids. Old blaes pitches where we'd always play. Either at one of the goals or if it had been raining heavily, we'd use the changing pavilion windows for target practice. Usually at least 3 or 4 amateur games there on a weekend and we'd stand and watch.

Only ever played 2 proper games there myself as my club tended to play our games at nearby Dunedin pitches or Brancumhall on the other side of town. On one of the occasions we played at Westwoodhill I curled a belter into the top bin with my left foot.

Pitches and pavillion are still there but are overgrown with weeds now. Shame as used to be very well used back in the day. Incidentally, I believe they can still be booked - not sure the council have actually seen the pitches in the last 20 years

When I was in primary school we played Canberra at the Dunedin pitches and got scudded, largely due to Craig Bryson who was already far better than everyone else by that point.

 

[Red White &Blue]

Loads of pitches mentioned I remember.
The worst one I played was the red ash one at Fernhill.
Not because it was the worst, but because it got abandoned after some nutter came onto the park and tried to mow our team down in a Mk2 Ford Cortina! He got a puncture too. Mad.

 

[Tom1974]

Our BB played at Croftfoot Recs. 2ash pitches one grass. A few amateur teams played there too. Croftfoot AFC used it as their home ground and King's Park Rangers and Park Royal used it occasionally. There was a fence separated it from the Spittal pitches which were both grass. Our school played there(Spittal) ,which was strange since the pitches were in Rutherglen and our school was in Glasgow.
Croftfoot Recs is now houses and I think the Spittal pitches are part of the same development.

The Spittal pitches were grass but unfortunately when playing for the BB it was the black ash pitches over the fence. Third Lanark used the Kings Park side for training. If I remember rightly there was one grass park but we were never allowed to play on it.

 

[Fingers1872]

Loads of pitches mentioned I remember.
The worst one I played was the red ash one at Fernhill.
Not because it was the worst, but because it got abandoned after some nutter came onto the park and tried to mow our team down in a Mk2 Ford Cortina! He got a puncture too. Mad.

You don't see that very often in top flight football.

 

[superallythe2nd]

When I was in primary school we played Canberra at the Dunedin pitches and got scudded, largely due to Craig Bryson who was already far better than everyone else by that point.

Yip, he was in my year. As you say, ridiculously good. Was a few decent players in my year but Bryson was the only one that made it. A combination of being "too wee" and losing interest, not to mention drink and lassies. Couple of them did make it to the juniors but should really have followed Bryson into the senior game at least.

 

[mfgorm]

The Spittal pitches were grass but unfortunately when playing for the BB it was the black ash pitches over the fence. Third Lanark used the Kings Park side for training. If I remember rightly there was one grass park but we were never allowed to play on it.

The grass pitch sat at right angles to the 2 Ash pitches and had the shape of a running track round it. I can only remember it being used once for a school game, any other time it was one of the amateur teams.
Croftfoot had wooden changing rooms and next to it was a big flat roofed building no one could remember being used. In the early 70s it was broken into and left open. Inside it was a cracking big gym. But, as usual, someone set it on fire.

 

[the nowhere man]

Mainly one for the Lanarkshire players but played a few times in what I believe was part of Strathclyde Park between the 90s and early 2000s. Used to hold a lot of football festivals in it's time - met Davie Cooper at one of them.

Not sure if it is still there but think it was at the top of Motherwell and there also used to be a school overlooking the pitches.

Been annoying me for years trying to remember exactly where it was but mind there was a big pavillion and a (possibly) floodlit ash pitch out the front - tended to be parking for food vans at the aforementioned festivals mind.

Probably houses now to be honest.

EDIT - looks like I've found it and sadly it seems that the pavillion is no longer there going by Google maps

School overlooking it was St Bernadettes

Would have been the Watling Street pitches maybe.
Now gone pavilion knocked down the grass a foot high.Being in North Lanarkshire i always found the pitches in South Lanarkshire better maintained and a better standard.
The old King George in Wishaw next to Wishaw General was always a good pitch that was used only for cup finals and semi final. Now anyone can play on it.

 

[John MacKenzie]

Whiteinch park red blaze pitches with primary school and bb 60s 70s, all gone now parking area i believe.

Were "black ash" originally then became red blaize,now just wasteland and old changing rooms long gone.not a car park but sometimes used by traveling circuses and hopefully in dry weather as the ground becomes a quagmire.
Known affectionately as Whiteinch Park but is actually Queen Victoria Park which has undergone many changes due the construction of the Clyde Tunnel and associated roads.

 

[Carltonblue]

Mind the red blaes pitches about half a mile down the road from the old Williamwood School in Clarkston. The PE class used to get led down there in the biting rain and wind for an hour of brutal fitba. Mind one of our guys nutmegged the PE teacher one time who then fell on his arse in the permanent puddle near the corner flag.

 

[superallythe2nd]

Would have been the Watling Street pitches maybe.
Now gone pavilion knocked down the grass a foot high.Being in North Lanarkshire i always found the pitches in South Lanarkshire better maintained and a better standard.
The old King George in Wishaw next to Wishaw General was always a good pitch that was used only for cup finals and semi final. Now anyone can play on it.

That's a shame, used to like those pitches too. Well, as long as it wasn't the 11s pitch right next to the trees - if it had been raining, the tree side was always a swamp or really heavy going. A bastard if you were playing on the wing.

 

[bluetonic]

Westwoodhill pitches in EK was the central point between my mates houses and my own so we always met up there as kids. Old blaes pitches where we'd always play. Either at one of the goals or if it had been raining heavily, we'd use the changing pavilion windows for target practice. Usually at least 3 or 4 amateur games there on a weekend and we'd stand and watch.

Only ever played 2 proper games there myself as my club tended to play our games at nearby Dunedin pitches or Brancumhall on the other side of town. On one of the occasions we played at Westwoodhill I curled a belter into the top bin with my left foot.

Pitches and pavillion are still there but are overgrown with weeds now. Shame as used to be very well used back in the day. Incidentally, I believe they can still be booked - not sure the council have actually seen the pitches in the last 20 years

The Murray pitches were my favourite playing for EK boys clubs, always better conditioned that Westwood Hill

 

[Templbluenose]

School's home pitches were the old Scotstoun showgrounds. They were great pitches.
Now leisure centre built on top of them.