These are the first 50 grounds that I visited. In some of these early years, I never envisaged that groundhopping would become a hobby in itself, so some of the programmes were not kept and I cannot be sure of where my first visit to the old Wembley, for example, fitted in chronologically.
Ground
|
Result
|
Comp
|
Date
|
Note
|
Fellowes
Park
|
Walsall 3 Wrexham 1
|
Old D3
|
20-Feb-71
|
1X
|
The
Hawthorns
|
WBA 0 Derby Co 0
|
D1
|
05-Apr-72
|
2
|
Abbey
Stadium
|
e.g. C'bridge U 1 WBA 1
|
CCC1:1
|
1975-6
|
3
|
Causeway
Lane
|
Matlock T v Stafford R (?3-2)
|
NPL
|
18-Feb-78
|
4
|
Baseball
Ground
|
Derby C 2 WBA 3
|
FACR5
|
22-Feb-78
|
X |
St
Andrews
|
B’ham C 1 WBA 2
|
D1
|
28-Feb-78
|
|
Portman
Road
|
Ipswich T 2 WBA 2
|
D1
|
04-Mar-78
|
|
White
Hart Lane
|
Tottenham H 1 WBA 0
|
D1
|
14-May-79
|
X |
Wembley
(old)
|
e.g. WBA 3 Port V 0 (92-3)
|
D2POF
|
?
|
5
|
Villa
Park
|
e.g. Aston Villa 0 Norwich 0
|
Prem
|
?
|
6
|
Top
Field
|
e.g. Hitchin T 1 Bedford T 3
|
Isthmian
|
?
|
7
|
Vicarage
Road
|
Watford 3 WBA 0
|
D1
|
11-Sep-82
|
8
|
Molineux
|
e.g. Wolves 0 WBA 1 (97-8)
|
D1
|
?
|
9
|
New
Writtle St
|
e.g. Chelmsford C 0 Grays 0
|
FACupQual
|
?
|
X |
Craven
Cottage
|
Fulham 1 WBA 1
|
D2
|
05-Sep-92
|
|
Brisbane
Road
|
Orient 2 WBA 0
|
D2
|
07-Nov-92
|
|
Field
Mill
|
Mansfield T 0 WBA 3
|
D2
|
17-Apr-93
|
|
Elm
Park
|
Reading 1 WBA 1
|
D2
|
21-Apr-93
|
X |
Oakwell
|
Barnsley 1 WBA 1
|
D1
|
14-Aug-93
|
|
Meadow
Lane
|
Notts County 1 WBA 0
|
D1
|
11-Sep-93
|
|
Roker
Park
|
Sunderland 1 WBA 0
|
D1
|
23-Oct-93
|
X |
Roots
Hall
|
Southend 0 WBA 3
|
D1
|
11-Dec-93
|
|
The
Valley
|
Charlton 2 WBA 1
|
D1
|
03-Jan-94
|
|
London
Road
|
Peterborough 2 WBA 0
|
D1
|
15-Jan-94
|
|
Selhurst
Park
|
Crystal P 1 WBA 0
|
D1
|
12-Mar-94
|
|
Kenilworth
Road
|
Luton T 3 WBA 2
|
D1
|
09-Apr-94
|
|
Edgar
Street
|
Hereford U 0 WBA 0
|
CCC1:1
|
16-Aug-94
|
|
County
Ground
|
Swindon T 0 WBA 0
|
D1
|
31-Aug-94
|
|
Blundell
Park
|
Grimsby T 0 WBA 2
|
D1
|
?
|
|
Sixfields
|
Northampton 2 WBA 4
|
CCC1:2
|
22-Aug-95
|
|
Boundary
Park
|
Oldham A 1 WBA 2
|
D1
|
09-Sep-95
|
|
Victoria
Ground
|
Stoke C 2 WBA 1
|
D1
|
24-Sep-95
|
|
The
New Den
|
Millwall 2 WBA 1
|
D1
|
28-Oct-95
|
|
McAlpine
Stadium
|
Huddersfield 4 WBA 1
|
D1
|
16-Dec-95
|
|
Loftus
Road
|
QPR 0 Blackburn R 1
|
Prem
|
13-Jan-96
|
|
Bramall
Lane
|
Sheffield U 1 WBA 2
|
D1
|
20-Feb-96
|
|
Fratton
Park
|
Portsmouth 0 WBA 2
|
D1
|
30-Mar-96
|
|
Filbert
Street
|
Leicester C 1 WBA 2
|
D1
|
09-Apr-96
|
X |
Carrow
Road
|
Norwich 2 WBA 2
|
D1
|
20-Apr-96
|
|
Hillsborough
|
Denmark 3 Turkey 0
|
Qual
|
19-Jun-96
|
|
Akureyrarvöllur
|
KA Akureyri 1 Fr R’javik 4
|
2 Deild
|
08-Aug-96
|
10
|
Layer
Road
|
Colchester U 2 WBA 3
|
CCC1:1
|
20-Aug-96
|
X |
Prenton
Park
|
Tranmere R 2 WBA 3
|
D1
|
21-Sep-96
|
|
Griffin
Park
|
Brentford 4 Rotherham 2
|
D2
|
05-Oct-96
|
11X
|
Priestfield
Stadium
|
Gillingham 2 Coventry C 2
|
CCC3
|
22-Oct-96
|
|
Underhill
Stadium
|
Barnet 3 Wycombe W 3
|
FAC2
|
07-Dec-96
|
X |
Stamford
Bridge
|
Chelsea 3 WBA 0
|
FAC3
|
04-Jan-97
|
|
Burnden
Park
|
Bolton W 1 WBA 0
|
D1
|
02-Mar-97
|
X |
Manor
Ground
|
Oxford U 1 WBA 0
|
D1
|
08-Mar-97
|
X |
Gresty
Road
|
Crewe A 2 WBA 3
|
D1
|
16-Aug-97
|
X A ground that is no longer in use - in most cases now demolished and replaced
1 The first game of professional football I saw live
2 My first visit to The Hawthorns - I was born in West Bromwich and remain a Baggies fan, albeit dormant for most of the time
3 Not sure of the date of the first visit to The Abbey Stadium - it was during my student days, college scarf left back in the hall of residence - and I have vague memories of a game against Reading for whom Robin Friday was playing (and getting roundly abused)
4 My first "non-league" game, played on snow - Derby v WBA was called off that morning
5 I cannot be certain of the chronological order for grounds 9-13. I went to Wembley for several midweek England games with school parties in the late 70s/early 80s
6 My first visit to Villa Park was to stand on the Holte End for a Villa-Blues derby game
7 I lived 50m away from Hitchin's ground during my second year of teaching, but I no longer have the date of my first visit
8 This fixture was my last for some time - I was very much out of love with the experience during the days of segregation and crowd trouble
9 I am not certain of the date of my first visit to Molineux
10 First game outside England
11 This is arguably the game that launched my groundhopping - there was no other reason to go to this game except that I had not been there before
