Just a little bit of SUFC history

[DoDTS]

Southend United played at the Stadium 1934 to 1955, but the greyhounds are long gone and the ground demolished and now is the site of the Greyhound Retail park off of Sutton Road. It is now the home of Bingo, Iceland, KFC etc and nothing left of the old ground.

The most southerly shop in the complex is I think Pound stretcher which is backed up by houses from Maldon Road, When you look at these houses they are all much the same built about the same time except for one house which is clearly more modern and is slightly higher than its neighbours. This was where the entrance to the ground was from Maldon Road which took you behind the goal (the other entrances being to the side from Sutton Road and Grainger Road). It was similar to the entrance to Roots Hall from Shakespeare Drive.

Bit of useless information over, rather sad that nothing remains.

 

[shallowshrimper]

As it goes I find that interesting, lived in nearby St Anns road and found myself sometimes walking down Maldon road and wondered what it must have been like on a Satuday afternoon when Southend were playing there. Next time i'm down that way I will look out for the house you mention. Hope they dont get worried by a short fat stranger peering in.:unsure:

 

[Ricey]

As it goes I find that interesting, lived in nearby St Anns road and found myself sometimes walking down Maldon road and wondered what it must have been like on a Satuday afternoon when Southend were playing there. Next time i'm down that way I will look out for the house you mention. Hope they dont get worried by a short fat stranger peering in.:unsure:

You are pretty strange :winking:

Very good bit of history something I didn't know. Thanks Pete :smile:

 

[DoDTS]

As it goes I find that interesting, lived in nearby St Anns road and found myself sometimes walking down Maldon road and wondered what it must have been like on a Satuday afternoon when Southend were playing there. Next time i'm down that way I will look out for the house you mention. Hope they dont get worried by a short fat stranger peering in.:unsure:

I was born in the upstairs flat in 66 Maldon Road overlooking this entrance which is why it is special to me. In those days many people would come to the game by bike and local residents would offer to look after their bikes safely in their back gardens for a small charge of probably 3d (1.25p).

There were not so many cars in those days so away fans coaches would often park in Maldon Road, with trips such as Bristol being an overnight trip, they would often arrive early morning and spend the day down the sea front.

incidentally my Dad worked for St Ann's Glass before the war as an office boy, after six years in the army when he returned his job was kept open in theory, but in reality he was too old to be an office boy. Such was the way for many of our returning hero's.

 

[Pak Power]

I attended one game there in the 1960's, it was something like a Southend United X1 v the all stars, like local celebrities of the day pop stars, mainly local I think.

I remember it being a lovely ground (oval shaped) with flower borders behind either goal. The dog track encircles (or enovallled if that's a word the pitch) Bit like Watford's ground. I think they concreted the pitch over (or something like)

and had a market/early form of boot sale on it before demolition.

In heavily populated part of town was very easy for most to get to.

 

[DoDTS]

I attended one game there in the 1960's, it was something like a Southend United X1 v the all stars, like local celebrities of the day pop stars, mainly local I think.

I remember it being a lovely ground (oval shaped) with flower borders behind either goal. The dog track encircles (or enovallled if that's a word the pitch) Bit like Watford's ground. I think they concreted the pitch over (or something like)

and had a market/early form of boot sale on it before demolition.

In heavily populated part of town was very easy for most to get to.

I was at that match too, Southend United XI v Radio One Disc Jockeys XI, My Dad used to take me to midweek late afternoon LEague matches but I was too young to remember them.

The Stadium was not popular with Southend fans, it had little atmosphere watching the match from behind a dog track and you were a long way from the pitch especially behind the goals. They had warmed to the Kursaal and enjoyed the closeness to the pitch and the banter with the players. However they were rather sold the Stadium as a brand new shiny stadium without realizing it's limitations until the Kursaal had been demolished. Eventually in the early 1950s the fans had had enough of the Stadium and set about financing and building Roots Hall, with the closeness to the pitch number one priority, and the added bonus of a bit of cover behind one goal.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I went a few times in early 70s to watch a side called Pegasus play football there. They were trying to work their way up to be a new "big" club in Southend but it all faded fast. Now a distant memory like the Rayleigh Rockets Speedway.

 

[RHB]

I went a few times in early 70s to watch a side called Pegasus play football there. They were trying to work their way up to be a new "big" club in Southend but it all faded fast. Now a distant memory like the Rayleigh Rockets Speedway.

Being a Rayleigh born boy I used to go to see the Rayleigh Rockets. On a scale of 1-10 the stadium was seriously naff, but at that age it didn't matter that much, the noise and the atmosphere was the business.

 

[McNasty]

Being a Rayleigh born boy I used to go to see the Rayleigh Rockets. On a scale of 1-10 the stadium was seriously naff, but at that age it didn't matter that much, the noise and the atmosphere was the business.

I used to go to watch the Rockets at a young age and loved the smell.

 

[Fiftyone]

I went a few times in early 70s to watch a side called Pegasus play football there. They were trying to work their way up to be a new "big" club in Southend but it all faded fast. Now a distant memory like the Rayleigh Rockets Speedway.

I went to watch Pegasus play as I worked with the wife of one of their players. I remember them playing a Southend United team with Gordon Hill on the wing - he never made it with us but went on the play for Man U and England!!.

Aah the Rayleigh Rockets, Terry Stone and co.:smile:

 

[shallowshrimper]

Ah those were the days, one two three four lets see the rockets score and guy on track leaping up and down geeing up the crowd (Len Silver?) Also Dingle Brown, Dinnnnngle Dinnnnnngle all with smell of bikes and 'young girl' by Gary Puckett and the union gap blaring out over pa system.

Wow its true what they say as you get older you remember the ancient stuff and forget what you did yesterday:sad:

 

[Csboy]

Remember it being a dog track though never went to a meeting there. Just think if if it was still there as a dog track we could be moving back there as Ron could easily sell off Roots Hall without having to worry about us finding another ground

 

[Firestorm]

I went a few times in early 70s to watch a side called Pegasus play football there. They were trying to work their way up to be a new "big" club in Southend but it all faded fast. Now a distant memory like the Rayleigh Rockets Speedway.

I saw pegasus play in the late 60s
A bloke my dad worked with played for Woodford town went on to play for Pegasus.
Graham Wadham...remembered it as i typed....

 

[tallboyblue]

Don`t forget the brass band.

 

[Mick]

I saw pegasus play in the late 60s
A bloke my dad worked with played for Woodford town went on to play for Pegasus.
Graham Wadham...remembered it as i typed....

The very late 60s :winking:

They had a season there in the Essex Senior League 1971/2, I believe.

 

[Mick]

I went a few times in early 70s to watch a side called Pegasus play football there. They were trying to work their way up to be a new "big" club in Southend but it all faded fast. Now a distant memory like the Rayleigh Rockets Speedway.

Speedway was a permitted sport for the stadium when it was built but when they got round to trying to stage it, along with stock car racing, in 1970, it was vetoed by the Council.

 

[lombard]

Southend United A played there in the late sixties early seventies.I played against SUFC A and beat them 2-1.Peter Taylor and Gordon Hill were both playing.I also was taken to my first ever game at the Greyhound Stadium/On Boxing Day 1952 versus Chesterfield.I don't remember anything about it,I was three months old !! SUFC are ,and have been the only team for me.

 

[DoDTS]

Southend United A played there in the late sixties early seventies.I played against SUFC A and beat them 2-1.Peter Taylor and Gordon Hill were both playing.I also was taken to my first ever game at the Greyhound Stadium/On Boxing Day 1952 versus Chesterfield.I don't remember anything about it,I was three months old !! SUFC are ,and have been the only team for me.

It wasn't Boxing Day 1952 we played Bristol City that day, probably the Cup match the following December. Does that make you a year younger than you thought you were? Match report:


F.A.Cup Round 2 Saturday 12th December 1953 Southend United 1-2 Chesterfield.
Shed no tears for Southend United, knocked out of the cup by Chesterfield, but it was a fate well deserved by the Blues who were unenterprising, unimaginative and leaden footed. But extend your sympathy to those loyal fans who paid as much as 5/- (25p) to watch a match that no more resembled football than flat beer does champagne. Three goals in as many minutes in the opening stages of the second half prevented this game going down in the history books as the worst ever, the football was dull, drab and dreary. Southend started the second half like third class world beaters and after five minutes took the lead when a McAlinden shot was only partially cleared and Dicker was on hand to place the ball in the net. Southend supporters were still cheering this goal when Chesterfield equalised with a header, and they were not over this shock when Chesterfield took the lead with a goal from close range. That was the excitement over for the rest of the half fans were treated to a repetition of the sorry show of the first half. Chesterfield were strong, hard tackling and robust and although on occasions they showed flashes of good football, they were a poor advertisement for the Third Division (North). Team: Threadgold; Young and Anderson; Lawler, Pavitt and Bridge; Lockhart, McAlinden, Grant Dicker and Bainbridge.

Well Lombard you certainly started at rock bottom!!!!

 

[getintoem]

The first match I attended was at the old Southend Stadium. My Dad, a life long shrimpers fan, took me but I don't remember much about the game as I was only four at the time. The experience obviously had an effect though because by the time I was about seven being a shrimper was in my blood. Now, sixty years on from that match at the stadium, I still feel the pain when we get beaten and enjoy the highs when we have success. I guess it's something that just stays with you.

 

[lombard]

You're right DoDTS.It was Dec 6th 1952 v Walsall. The Chesterfield match in 1953,I was also at.My mother was hit by the match ball and apparently partly dropped me.Not that I remember that either.