Lower Towneley Playing Fields

[Passing Clouds]

For those who played there in their schooldays what are your memories? Permanently waterlogged pitches, ice cold changing rooms, the tap of metal studs on concrete?

...No jumpers for goalposts but netting was a luxury!

I saw a mention in the Aidy Randall thread about the concrete side buildings. Me and my brother used to hang out in here with Maurice, the long departed groundsman, when my dad was managing/reffing. We’d sit by his coal burner for the game and then help make the huge jugs of sugary, post match tea - good times

(Disclaimer- had a glass of wine and feeling nostalgic)

[cricketfieldclarets]

On a related note the pitches have never looked so good typical isnt it!

For me the smell of deep heat in the old changing rooms still sticks in my mind (and nose haha).

[TVC15]

Disgusting changing rooms where the water beneath the wooden slats was a dark mud colour.
Freezing cold - so cold you could hardly put your jeans back on after a match
Sweet tea that one of you had to go get yourself from the old bloke in the hut.
Hoping you were on one of the 2 pitches directly outside the changing rooms.
Playing with an orange ball on frozen pitches

That all sounds pretty horrible when in actual fact it was the best of times !!

[Passing Clouds]

Nice... Apologies about the tea!

Here’s more -

Watching opposing team emerge from the changing rooms and wondering why they were always bigger than you!

Losing the ball in river

[RMutt]

I remember. I broke my leg there playing for the school in the third year. Tibia and fibula. I watched it balloon under a cold tap in the changing room. It ruined my promising career, haha.

[Chester Perry]

My abiding memories of lower Townley is of deliberately slide tackling the visiting striker early in the game, making sure we broke the ice over the puddles and landing them in the middle of them - it kept the majority of them quite for the rest of the game as they shivered through it - it was a truly "Happy Place" for me. You have to say football was very different then though.

[wilks_bfc]

My memory of lower Towneley were that when compared to Prairie, they were like Wembley

[RMutt]

My abiding memories of lower Townley is of deliberately slide tackling the visiting striker early in the game, making sure we broke the ice over the puddles and landing them in the middle of them - it kept the majority of them quite for the rest of the game as they shivered through it - it was a truly "Happy Place" for me. You have to say football was very different then though.

You weren’t playing for Theodore’s in 1975 were you? You menace, ha.

[Chester Perry]

You weren’t playing for Theodore’s in 1975 were you? You menace, ha.

right school wrong era - traditions and all that

[Burnley1989]

Going in for a 50/50 with Ali Akbar aged 14 and coming out with stud marks the length of my thigh, then getting the ball kicked in my face and ******** stood on by the winger, all inside the first 10 minutes on a Saturday morning for school. I’d have gone off but for the fact we had no subs and I’d have been destroyed by my mates for being soft

Always water logged on there, I used to ping a few golf balls around whilst walking the dog as a young lad and they were our home pitches when I played for Foulridge Colts for a few years in around 2002/2004

[rayzer]

Rmutt. I played for Ted's circa 1975. I would have been 13/14 yrs old.

[RMutt]

Rmutt. I played for Ted's circa 1975. I would have been 13/14 yrs old.

You might have playing rayzer. I have half a memory of a big lad at the back, Joe or Jim, also seem to remember a lad called Hitler.

[The Enclosure]

Played football on Lower Towneley when i attended Towneley Technical HS in the early 60's
Sports masters were Frank Saul,Keith Green and Roy Bracewell.
Those changing rooms in winter were horrendous.bl***dy freezing,windows never closed properly.showers usually barely warm and concrete floor under the wood slatted boards.
Pitches were rock hard in winter and mud baths the rest of the time.
God those days bring back memories .

[Bfc]

For me it was when nobody was allowed to even kick a ball about on those pitches, other than when there were games.
I was on my own one Sunday kicking a ball about close to the river, when I was about 8. A voice shouted out loud and when looked I saw Police motorcyclist. He told me to pick my ball up and get off the pitches. My reply was I'm not doing any harm and ignored him, thinking he can't get at me, from he other side of the river.
At the time I was sleeping in the front room, while my bedroom was being decorated. When in bed there was knock on the front door. All I heard was hello *****, my dad replied hello, what brings you here in uniform Sunday evening. Your lad, I saw him playing with a ball on the education pitches and asked him to pick his ball up and leave there. Trouble was he ignored my warning and answered me back. Next thing my door opens and my dad sternly telling me to get up. Stood there was the police officer. I was given a real roasting and warned he could've prosecuted me, which aged 8 frightened me to death. I was then sent back to bed. My Grandad had served 30 years in the Burnley Police and he knew me, through both my dad and Grandad.
A few years later Jimmy Adamson did some coaching with us, as schoolboys, while still a Burnley player.

[rayzer]

The big lad at the back was Joe Manta and Hitler was Paul Smith.

[Stan Tastic]

Had a tooth removed by a dentist (Pearson) on Tod Road before playing. In those days they knocked you out with gas and then I went straight to Lower Towneley to play for a St Teds first year team. How's that for pre-match preparation?

[RMutt]

The big lad at the back was Joe Manta and Hitler was Paul Smith.

Crikey! I was out near the wing, passed the ball sidefooted and took a late tackle as my leg was at an angle to the ground. Hurt like mad. I’ve forgiven whoever it was now, after all these years.

[rayzer]

What school were you playing for Rmutt?

[Dazzler]

Lower Towneley pitches were like Wembley compared to Marle Pits.

[Rileybobs]

I remember playing for BRGS against St Teds and making what I thought was going to be a heroic clearance off the line. Our keeper was caught in no-mans land and they shot into an open goal from outside the box, I chased the ball 20 yards to stop it going in and rather than booting the ball away from goal I attempted to retain possession by doing a really fancy back-heel on the line. I turned round to play the ball out and one of their players was there to tap it into an open net.

It's weird, the personal sporting moments that stick in your mind.

[RMutt]

BRGS rayzer.

[rayzer]

I scored a hatrick against Grammar!

[RMutt]

Must have been after I’d gone off injured, haha.

[rayzer]

It was a late tackle, I never was the quickest

[RMutt]

Haha. Forty odd years to get that admission.

[bfcjg]

Thinking you had scored only for the ball to stop dead in the mud.

[get stuck in tracy]

Had a tooth removed by a dentist (Pearson) on Tod Road before playing. In those days they knocked you out with gas and then I went straight to Lower Towneley to play for a St Teds first year team. How's that for pre-match preparation?

Dicky Pearson, the Sweeney of Tod Rd. sent a boy home in front of me a to have bath, sorry I digress.

[exilecanada]

Played football on Lower Towneley when i attended Towneley Technical HS in the early 60's
Sports masters were Frank Saul,Keith Green and Roy Bracewell.
Those changing rooms in winter were horrendous. Bl***dy freezing, windows never closed properly. Showers usually barely warm and concrete floor under the wood slatted boards.
Pitches were rock hard in winter and mud baths the rest of the time.
God those days bring back memories .

I remember the teachers you mention and the conditions at Lower Towneley playing fields.

Didn't Mr Saul also teach geography? Mr Green taught maths if I remember correctly. Green, again if memory serves, used to like throwing the blackboard eraser at talking pupils. I forget what other subjects Mr Bracewell taught.


Fun times for sure

[Malvern claret]

I used to be able to see some very muddy pitches on Towneley from my bedroom window. I never played on them but when they got rid of them and extended the golf course to 18 holes I did play golf there. Also played cricket on pitches on the other side of the river. Did play on the mud heap that was the prairie and also on cherry fold. Most of my football in Burnley was played on the grammar school pitches.

[rayzer]

You must have lived on Brunshaw estate Malvern.

[Wile E Coyote]

i virtually lived on those pitches as a kid, never away. the end near sheerloom carpets was usually under about 2 foot of water. for lads from brunshaw and burnley wood it was brilliant. especially if the goalposts were left up. we used the brick buildings by the river and top wooden changing rooms to play 3 and in or cuppies as there was a goal painted on the brick. you could always get a game down there with someone. it was hellish as a kid though, freezing so much after games that you could barely fasten the buttons on your shirt the hands were that numb. happiest days of my young life though.

[rayzer]

Coyote, I virtually spent my entire free time on the lower Towneley playing fields. I used to play with my mates against other groups of pals(mainly from olympia St, Lyndhurst Rd, Mitella St. Sheerloom carpets wall was excellent for a game of 'Wallie'?

[ClaretTony]

My memory of lower Towneley were that when compared to Prairie, they were like Wembley

Neither were good but the Prairie pitches are topical with them having been mentioned recently on my 1972/73 reports with Trevor Little (then a referee and a really good bloke too) was battling the council to try and stop them having the Burnley Show there which had ruined the pitches.

[Wile E Coyote]

Coyote, I virtually spent my entire free time on the lower Towneley playing fields. I used to play with my mates against other groups of pals(mainly from olympia St, Lyndhurst Rd, Mitella St. Sheerloom carpets wall was excellent for a game of 'Wallie'?

yes, the huge area of pitches was great to see, large and small pitches everywhere right up to the small holdings and the river. I miss it, and felt a bit nostalgic when i see the site fenced in by that college, i wish it was still as it was. park rangers were always fighting a losing battle trying to keep us from playing . it was like guerilla warfare at times, we used to evade them by hiding in the rough grassy bits that led down to the pitches from morse street and darnley street.

[rayzer]

Always dodging the park ranger was a full time hobby. Me and my mates used to build dens in that long grass, or be setting fire to it.!I remember when the only building at the top of Morse St was Brunshaw youth club. Also used to love messing about on the small holdings

[burnmark]

Some great times playing for St Ted’s on Saturday mornings and Bank Hall Juniors on a Sunday. Unlike the Higher Towneley ones, the changing rooms were unique in that you shared with up to four or five other teams on either the left or right hand side or ‘Home’ or ‘Away’ side. The one directly infront was labelled as the ‘town team’ pitch by my dad and grandad so it was always a bonus if you were allocated that for your game.

[Brunlea]

Lower Towneley and Prairie pitches were like Wembley compared to Cherry Fold!

[Wile E Coyote]

prairie was often just gloopy mud, they did a huge drainage job around 2002.

[Malvern claret]

No not on Brunshaw, Rayzer but on the other side of Towneley. Just across the road from Towneley high school.

[LeadBelly]

Lower Towneley and Prairie pitches were like Wembley compared to Cherry Fold!

Haha. Played Junior School footy up there. In the mud, it was very difficult to pass the ball more than about 20 yards when you were about 10yo. My other memory is (what I remember as) a sort of old barn for changing rooms that had a big communal bath - very difficult to get clean if you were late getting in there.
Also I recall having to clatter over a hard path to get from the changing area to the actual pitches, sharpened your studs up. My little school always lost but I looked forward to playing there Saturday mornings.

[rayzer]

Ah OK Malvern. Near St Stephen's school??

[Bfc]

Along with FCBurnley and other mates, who I knocked about with as a lad, we created our own little mini football pitch in the grass above the Education pitches. We built posts out of scrap wood and made the nets from used netted onion bags from his mothers shop, or the fruit n veg shops on Lyndhurst Rd. We even called the ground Mudbank and it's still fondly remembered as that.

[Willy]

Lower Towneley actually hosted a Lancashire Under 19's Cup Final between St Teds and Burnley Grammar School (may have been the first year as Habergham High School) in the early 80's.St Teds were winning 4-1 with minutes to go with the match finishing 4-4.
BGS won the replay 2-0 at Byron Road.

[Awayfromburnley]

Now all pitches were amazing compared to dog5hit Disraeli St.....

[charlyt]

Town Team pitch with nets.

[tim_noone]

Now all pitches were amazing compared to dog5hit Disraeli St.....

We used to play on Rakehead cinder track till it got dark.... or on the grass...... coats down for posts.... nothing serious ...well Mick kilbride apart!!

[Wile E Coyote]

We used to play on Rakehead cinder track till it got dark.... or on the grass...... coats down for posts.... nothing serious ...well Mick kilbride apart!!

and because we all did things like this on a daily basis, we are the lost generation. local players with more ability than Maradona, but dumped into the world of factories or unemployment. I know for a fact I was the finest footballer planet earth ever produced. but, some of my pals were half decent. Academies are all well and good, but they churn out half hearted types with one eye on the playstation, nowhere near good enough. that's why we settle for second best when we go on the Turf. We all know we were Burnley based Brazilians.

[basil6345789]

Malvern, I played a few times on those pitches on the "other side" (Saturday adult league sometimes used those pitches- people turning up at the wrong shop) before the golf course was extended - that was a long time ago! They were so wet that I thought (being a single figure boy mesel) "what are they playing at putting those holes on there?". Towneley GC has done a marvellous job on drainage over the years but it's still a tad damp, so I've never left Royal Glen.

[Passing Clouds]

and because we all did things like this on a daily basis, we are the lost generation. local players with more ability than Maradona, but dumped into the world of factories or unemployment. I know for a fact I was the finest footballer planet earth ever produced. but, some of my pals were half decent. Academies are all well and good, but they churn out half hearted types with one eye on the playstation, nowhere near good enough. that's why we settle for second best when we go on the Turf. We all know we were Burnley based Brazilians.

Love this. Playing on crap surfaces, in crap weather, with older, bigger lads, sometimes using a tennis ball cos you couldn’t afford a ‘casey’. Best footy education you can get

[tim_noone]

and because we all did things like this on a daily basis, we are the lost generation. local players with more ability than Maradona, but dumped into the world of factories or unemployment. I know for a fact I was the finest footballer planet earth ever produced. but, some of my pals were half decent. Academies are all well and good, but they churn out half hearted types with one eye on the playstation, nowhere near good enough. that's why we settle for second best when we go on the Turf. We all know we were Burnley based Brazilians.

Yes.... the greatest footballer I was ever likened to was the great .." I never saw him play" Dixie Deans by Mr Wild at Barden playing fields one day...... it was my first encounter with black humour....the Player had actually just had a leg amputated.!!