The First 50

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