Nelson. FC beat Real Madrid 4-2 in Madrid. First UK team to do so. And no I wasn't there :

It is many moons since I was in Nelson but in the 60s (as a youngster I hasten to add) often went past Seedhill and it looked a decent ground for that era and my Dad told me that Nelson were once a 2nd division club. I presume it has gone now as I never hear of a Nelson football team anymore. Can anyone confirm?

Petersa wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 12:41 pm

It is many moons since I was in Nelson but in the 60s (as a youngster I hasten to add) often went past Seedhill and it looked a decent ground for that era and my Dad told me that Nelson were once a 2nd division club. I presume it has gone now as I never hear of a Nelson football team anymore. Can anyone confirm?

League below Padiham and Bury finished a few places above the relegation spots

Thanks Goobs..is Seedhill still standing?

Petersa wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 12:52 pm

Thanks Goobs..is Seedhill still standing?

No. Seedhill was demolished many years ago. Nelson play at Little Wembley, not too far away on the other side of Carr Road.

Petersa wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 12:52 pm

Thanks Goobs..is Seedhill still standing?

I attended the very last game at Seedhill. It was back at the end of the1971season. It was against Clitheroe and was notable for several reasons.
It was a 5-3 win, (or 5-2, I recall), and there was a gate of over 1,000 - significantly up on the usual, but not as many as they were getting for the Stock Car and Speedway meetings there.
I haven't checked the details, but as I recall it was the first ever Sunday game. You weren't allowed to charge admission on a Sunday in those days, but they got round this by selling programmes that allowed admission to the ground.
Sadly I didn't keep the programme.

Seems to me that Nelson and Real Madrid have gone in different directions since that match. Sack the board!

Pedant alert.....

I nearly posted this last night but it was 00:15 so just too late.

Petersa wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 12:52 pm

Thanks Goobs..is Seedhill still standing?

The only remnant of the old ground is a red brick wall with 'Visitors' in white paint, marking the boundary between Victoria Park and Seedhill at the western end of the ground. Used to be visible in the 80s and 90s but now lost beneath the scrub growth. The eastern end of Seedhill is under the M65.

Sausage wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 5:46 pm

The only remnant of the old ground is a red brick wall with 'Visitors' in white paint, marking the boundary between Victoria Park and Seedhill at the western end of the ground. Used to be visible in the 80s and 90s but now lost beneath the scrub growth. The eastern end of Seedhill is under the M65.

Just grabbed this from google maps - the football ground is basically the grey square below the cricket ground.

Thanks for all the replies, if the last match was in 1971 then where did the last 52 years go

Cheers Peter

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 1:01 pm

Just grabbed this from google maps - the football ground is basically the grey square below the cricket ground.


IMG_4164.jpeg

For anyone who needs further clarity, the photo is perhaps a little deceptive since it gives the impression that the pitch was the grey rectangle.
The pitch was actually at 90 degrees to this, and the penalty area, and changing rooms (behind the goals) were displaced by the motorway.
It may well have been that Nelson would have left Seedhill anyway, but it was building the motorway that hastened its demise.
The grandstand backed onto Carr Rd and was quite a decent structure with a paddocked terrace in front. It was a way better facility than some lower division grounds had at the time.

Couple of links here, first the NLS side by side which shows both the outline of the ground, and also the current aerial photo:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by ... =ESRIWorld

And what appears to be a photo of the ground with the foothills of Pendle towards Fence in the background:

https://www.footballgroundmap.com/groun ... ill/nelson

i played for nelson for 2 years ....the last season at seedhill...and the first season at little wembley,as a pupil at whitefield sec mod,we used little
wembley as our school football home games prior to nelson using it,Great memories for an old man of 75 ,who left the area many years ago,but still
proud to be a nelsoner,and a clarets supporter ,aged 6 first time my mum took me to turf moor ,have been an avid claret ever since,thanks boys
for a wonderful enjoyable season,all the best for the coming season

I played at Seedhill home of Nelson FC in the floodlight 7 aside Nelson and Colne schools league, our team Fisher More Colne won the treble that year, Harry Potts presented the cup in front of a1000 crowd. We were all 7 offered a trial at Burnley FC, I never went but Alan Yates did and made the reserves also Pete French went to his chosen club Bolton Wanderers, the game was in 1963. Coincidentally today we buried an old friend Johnny Brear of Nelson, he'd lifted that same trophy a year earlier in another outstanding Fisher More team which had young Peter Bourne playing alongside him, Peter played for Rossendale Utd, emigrated and was in the world cup squad for Australia. Johnny was an outstanding sportsman and Burnley gave him the chance to sign which I was told he did but never went along, he was always a maverick, rip Johnny Brear. As a kid in the 5ts I often watched Nelson,loved the old wooden stand. Speedway and Stock cars seemed to take over at Seedhill in the 6ts.

I played at Seedhill home of Nelson FC in the floodlight 7 aside Nelson and Colne schools league, our team Fisher More Colne won the treble that year, Harry Potts presented the cup in front of a1000 crowd. We were all 7 offered a trial at Burnley FC, I never went but Alan Yates did and made the reserves also Pete French went to his chosen club Bolton Wanderers, the game was in 1963. Coincidentally today we buried an old friend Johnny Brear of Nelson, he'd lifted that same trophy a year earlier in another outstanding Fisher More team which had young Peter Bourne playing alongside him, Peter played for Rossendale Utd, emigrated and was in the world cup squad for Australia. Johnny was an outstanding sportsman and Burnley gave him the chance to sign which I was told he did but never went along, he was always a maverick, rip Johnny Brear. As a kid in the 5ts I often watched Nelson,loved the old wooden stand. Speedway and Stock cars seemed to take over at Seedhill in the 6ts.

This photo is from about 1960 and shows the orientation of the pitch as described above

Can I just ask, in my ignorance, how the hell did they have speedway there, it looks square. I know they did of course but I’m struggling to work out from that pic where the track was.

houseboy wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 11:35 pm

Can I just ask, in my ignorance, how the hell did they have speedway there, it looks square. I know they did of course but I’m struggling to work out from that pic where the track was.

The speedway / stock car track basically followed the touchlines and bye lines with the corners "rounded off"

nil_desperandum wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 11:40 pm

The speedway / stock car track basically followed the touchlines and bye lines with the corners "rounded off"

Aah yes. I can get that. Wondered if it might take a bit of physical alteration. It also answers another question: what was viewing like at a game with a speedway track there? Answer: there pretty much wasn’t one.
I love old grounds. Wish I’d gone there.

nil_desperandum wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 2:05 pm

For anyone who needs further clarity, the photo is perhaps a little deceptive since it gives the impression that the pitch was the grey rectangle.
The pitch was actually at 90 degrees to this, and the penalty area, and changing rooms (behind the goals) were displaced by the motorway.
It may well have been that Nelson would have left Seedhill anyway, but it was building the motorway that hastened its demise.
The grandstand backed onto Carr Rd and was quite a decent structure with a paddocked terrace in front. It was a way better facility than some lower division grounds had at the time.

The building of the M65 also resulted in Nelson CC losing its grand old pavilion.

Some images of Stock Car racing at Seedhill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMlxxx6 ... studmarks1

nil_desperandum wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 11:59 pm

Some images of Stock Car racing at Seedhill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMlxxx6 ... studmarks1

Interesting.