The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: Shrewsbury Town, Gay Meadow and the New One - SAFC Blog

Contents:

• BOOK OF THE WEEK: GOODBYE GAY MEADOW, BY MATTHEW ASHTON ( ASSOCIATN WH SHREWSBURY TOWN FC, £24.99)
• THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR GROUND: SHREWSBURY TOWN, GAY MEADOW AND THE NEW ONE
• GOODBYE GAY MEADOW
• GAY MEADOW SHREWSBURY STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG
• FA CUP MAGIC: WHEN SHREWSBURY UPSET EVERTON DOWN THE GAY MEADOW
• GAY MEADOW
• GAY MEADOW STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG
• CONTROVERSY OVER GAY MEADOW SE
• FOTTEN GROUNDS: GAY MEADOW, SHREWSBURY
• SHROPSHIRE STARHOMENEWSSPORTSERVICENTERTAMENTNOTIFITN SETTGSSUBSCRIBE TO ONE OR ALL NOTIFITN SOURC OM THIS ONE PLACE.NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO GET THE DAY'S TOP STORI SENT DIRECTLY TO YOU.SIGN ME UPSPORTALL SPORT FOOTBALLGRASSROOTSTELFORD TIGERSRUGBYBOWLSCRICKETBOXGGOLFMORE UK & TERNATNAL SPORTSVIRAL SPORTS NEWSSHREWSBURY TOWN FCSHREWSBURY TOWN FCSHREWS VIEWSSQUADFIXTURTEN YEARS ON OM THE GAY MEADOWBY JOE EDWARDSSHREWSBURY TOWN FCPUBLISHED: MAY 15, 2017COMMENTSTHE HOME OF SHREWSBURY TOWN FOR 97 YEARS – GAY MEADOW HOSTED S FAL EVER ENUNTER A AGO.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!SIGN UPTHE FAL GAME AT THE GAY MEADOWIT WAS THE FIRST LEG OF A LEAGUE TWO PLAY-OFF SEMI-FAL AS GARY PETERS’ CHARG WENT UP AGAST MILTON KEYN DONS – TWO CLUBS VERY MUCH AT DIFFERENT POTS, SALOP ENDG A BIG CHAPTER THEIR HISTORY AND MK ONLY THREE YEARS TO THEIR NTROVERSIAL EXISTENCE.AND AS IF FOR OLD TIM’ SAKE, THE BALL SAILED OVER THE STAND AND LAND THE RIVER SEVERN AT ONE POT.THE GAME SELF WAS NOT A CLASSIC – NO GOALS AT EHER END – BUT PROVID TOWN WH A STABLE FOOTG ENTERG THE SEND LEG, WHICH THEY WON 2-1 AS SHREWSBURY-BORN ANDY COOKE SRED TWICE, EHER SI OF A KEH ANDREWS STRIKE FOR MK, TO SET UP A BIG DAY OUT AT WEMBLEY AGAST BRISTOL ROVERS.WNG THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PERFECT WAY TO MARK THE END OF AN ERA AT THE MEADOW, BUT DID NOT TURN OUT THAT WAY AS, SPE SHREWSBURY TAKG THE LEAD THROUGH STUART DMMOND, THE PIRAT RAN OUT 3-1 VICTORS.BEG JT OUTSI OF THE TOWN CENTRE, ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER SEVERN, THE GAY MEADOW PCH OFTEN FLOOD, LEADG TO QUE A FEW GAM OVER THE YEARS BEG POSTPONED.AND DUE TO BEG NEAR THE RAILWAY TOO, THERE WAS PRETTY MUCH NO ROOM FOR EXPANSN OR RENOVATN.HAVG WNSED THAT FAMO FA CUP THIRD ROUND W OVER EVERTON 2003, A N TO THE LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FAL 1961, FA CUP QUARTER FALS 1979 AND 1982, AND THIRD AND FOURTH TIERS WS ‘79 AND ‘94 AT THE GAY MEADOW, WAS A HUGE SHAME TO SEE THE STADIUM ABANDONED AND EVENTUALLY MOLISHED. BUT, SPE OPPOSN OM LOLS, THE MOVE TO THE NEW GROUND OTELEY ROAD – A 9,875-SEATER STADIUM WAS THE RIGHT LL.STEVE WELLBELOVED, FORMER SHREWSBURY CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SAID FEBARY 2007: “AT THE MOMENT THE SIZE OF GAY MEADOW LIMS OUR ACTIVY BUT MOVG TO THE NEW GROUND SHOULD GENERATE MORE E WHICH SHOULD ALLOW TO VT MORE THE TEAM. WE NEED TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE MOVE.”SHREWSBURY WERE MOVG WH THE TIM, MAKG SURE THEY STAYED AHEAD, BUT NOT IGNORG THE GLOR TIM AT GAY MEADOW, WHICH WAS REPLACED BY A MAJOR HOG VELOPMENT.FOR THAT FAL GAME AGAST MK DONS, WH JT MUT REMAG THE FANS CHANTED “ONE GAY MEADOW, THERE’S ONLY ONE GAY MEADOW” A FTG TRIBUTE TO THE OLD GROUND.AND AT THE FAL WHISTLE, THE FANS IGNORED THE PLEAS OF TANNOY ANNOUNCER RYAN JERVIS AND CHARGED ON TO THE PCH.AFTER THE PLAY-OFFS AND END TO THE TIME AT GAY MEADOW, PETERS SAID: “ALL OUR YOUNG PLAYERS WILL LEARN SO MUCH OM THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE – LEAVG THE GAY MEADOW, THE MK DONS GAM AND NOW WEMBLEY. THIS IS A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR THE CLUB.”SHREWSBURY TOWN FCFOOTBALLSPORTBY JOE EDWARDSMULTI-MEDIA SPORTS JOURNALISTWALSALL FC RRPONNT FOR THE EXPRS & STAR.MOST READ

BOOK OF THE WEEK: GOODBYE GAY MEADOW, BY MATTHEW ASHTON ( ASSOCIATN WH SHREWSBURY TOWN FC, £24.99)

The Gay MeadowThe Old Meadow was formerly named The Gay Meadow. The orig of the name, The Gay Meadow, is not entirely clear, although is wily believed to be related to s e for entertament purpos, for fairs, rnivals and circ.

There is reference to The Gaye, an orchard area setback om the river providg plums, appl, cherri and pears for the abbey. Some say that the land was origally owned by the Gay was certaly known as The Gay Meadow 1642. Wh The Shropshire archiv you n see an etchg of Kg Charl I addrsg the loyal Shrewsbury gentry at The Gay Meadow.

THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR GROUND: SHREWSBURY TOWN, GAY MEADOW AND THE NEW ONE

CadmanIn 1740, stuntman Robert Cadman, a 'steeple-flyer', attempted to 'fly' across the River Severn g a rope attached to St Mary's Church steeple and attached to a tree across the river at the Gay Meadow, some two hundred feet below.

Shrewsbury Town Football ClubThe Gay Meadow was home to Shrewsbury Town Football Club (STFC) om 1910 -2007. The end of The Gay MeadowThe fal season for STFC at Gay Meadow was moln of the stadium began September 2007. Mary's area of the town centre, over the River Severn to land on the Gay Meadow pch, emulatg Robert Cadman's heroic attempt 1740.

In addn, sectns of the Gay Meadow turf were sold for a small fee for Severn Hospice, the anisg chary. This was the fal public event to ever take place at Gay Meadow before the re-velopment of the se. The Riversi Meadow 2007 The Gay Meadow beme The Riversi Meadow for a short time before beg renamed The Old Meadow.

GOODBYE GAY MEADOW

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Readg the Game newsletter sent straight to your box for eeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s ee weekly newsletter You uld not hontly claim that Gay Meadow – that most polilly rrect of ground nam – was a thg of trsic bety. "If you uld, Gay Meadow would be the most valuable football ground the world. John McCormick wr: I’ve walked past the Gay Meadow ground once or twice and I’ve driven past the New Meadow, though probably before there was a football ground there, but I’ve never been si eher ground and I don’t thk I’ve ever seen Shrewsbury play at all.

This is another new one for , although we have played Salop four tim at the old ground, the wonrfully named Gay Meadow. Gay Meadow. We had seen off the Mags 1-0 at Roker on Good Friday (Stan Cumms, 73), had won 1-0 at Wrexham on Easter Monday (Alan Brown, 3) and went to the game at Gay Meadow top of the league as our rivals, particularly Newstle Uned, fell away.

Gay Meadow was a short stagger om the town centre. The team that turned out that night was the same one that had played at Wrexham the day before and at home to Newstle on the Friday, wh one exceptn – Gordon Chisholm me for Jeff Clarke at Gay Meadow. Gay Meadow picture David Ingham, creative Commons Licence.

GAY MEADOW SHREWSBURY STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG

Gay Meadow vio posted on Youtube Jul 2011 by footballgroundgui by agreement wh the pyright holr. Goodbye Gay Meadow thor Matthew Ashton talks to ESPN 2017 durg the CONCACAF Gold Cup about the book.

That is a long story -sce I was about five I always went to Gay Meadow to watch Shrewsbury I was eight I started to go to away gam too.

Shrewsbury Town played Ipswich Town, the UEFA Cup champns, the FA Cup the early 1980s and the televisn meras me to Gay Meadow. I had photographed Espanyol’s old stadium beg molished and I was very aware that one day soon the Gay Meadow would be no Meadow was unique that spectators had an utterly different view pendg on what si of the ground they watched the game om. We ed to have a guy go and llect the ball when was kicked over the roof of the many people said that Gay Meadow was the most betiful stadium that they had ever been looked amazg the summer beg surround by green tre, Autumn was so lourful and even wter was still nice!

FA CUP MAGIC: WHEN SHREWSBURY UPSET EVERTON DOWN THE GAY MEADOW

The Gay Meadow, Shrewsbury Town's former home that sat rather absent-mdly on the banks of Bra's longt river, was always a victim when the water rose.

4, 2003, the river threatened but stopped jt short of floodg, allowg 7, 800 to pack to the Gay Meadow. The club fished bottom of the fourth tier and a prehensive eight pots adrift of inic and terraced Gay Meadow ground was also to drop four years later favour of a plh 10, 000 all-seater, currently lled the Greenho Meadow for sponsorship what of the men behd that historic rult? I managed to get to two 4th Round match this year, Derby v Telford at the Baseball Ground and Shrewsbury v Ipswich at Gay Meadow.

GAY MEADOW

The ma chang to Gay Meadow durg Salop’s years the Send Divisn were to this stand, and reflected the club’s need for more seats. Gay Meadow is ually remembered as “picturque”, an over-ed term if ever there was one. For all s real or imaged quatns, the Popplewell Report was bad news for Gay Meadow.

The Gay Meadow remas unveloped after two years. When the last football match was played at the Gay Meadow Shrewsbury, the stadium was molished and plans to revelop the se for hog were was expected that work would beg almost straight was more than two years ago and sce then the old ground has remaed empty wh no sign of any rintial velopment gog ahead apart om some earthworks. But Barratt Mercia, which owns the se, says the project for the Gay Meadow is on hold and they have no plans to landspe the area at the moment.

GAY MEADOW STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG

The pch at the Gay Meadow was prone to floodg.

" Shrewsbury Town FC moved om the Gay Meadow to their new Prostar Stadium Oteley Road time for the start of the 2007-2008 season. The Gay Meadow was home to Shrewsbury Town Football Club for almost 100 years wh the first match beg played at the ground 1910.

The last league game was played at the Gay Meadow May 2007 and more than 200 ems om the old ground were sold off at ctn. In 1910, after beg told they uld no longer e the army ground the club accepted an offer om Shrewsbury Corporatn to play at a field known as Gay Meadow which had recently bought. The reason for the field beg named Gay Meadow is not clear, wh theori beg was rived om the Welsh word Cae, meang a field, or Old English words galla, barren wet land, or gat, a goat.

CONTROVERSY OVER GAY MEADOW SE

After the war further Midland League champnships me 1945 and 1948 which year Gay Meadow staged an amatr ternatnal between England and Wal.

The first ever Football League game at Gay Meadow saw neighbours Wrexham beaten 2-1 on 21 Augt 1950. The attendance of 11, 019 was to rema the largt ever to see a match at Gay Meadow between the two clubs. No further ground improvements took place until the mid-1950s when tre lg the road to Gay Meadow, known as The Narrows, were felled to improve accs and the roof on the Riversi Terrace was extend to the north.

FOTTEN GROUNDS: GAY MEADOW, SHREWSBURY

The Imps’ relegatn after ne seasons Divisn Two rulted their send vis to Gay Meadow mid-April 1962 on their way to a further relegatn. In a memorable game agast a si wh the bt fensive rerd the divisn Cy went 2-0 up through wger Dick Krzywick and striker Peter Graham, prerved their lead wh a penalty save by Peter Grotier, then sealed an emphatic w wh late goals om midfielr Dave Smh and Graham’s fellow striker John Ward to rerd their biggt ever w at Gay Meadow.

SHROPSHIRE STARHOMENEWSSPORTSERVICENTERTAMENTNOTIFITN SETTGSSUBSCRIBE TO ONE OR ALL NOTIFITN SOURC OM THIS ONE PLACE.NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO GET THE DAY'S TOP STORI SENT DIRECTLY TO YOU.SIGN ME UPSPORTALL SPORT FOOTBALLGRASSROOTSTELFORD TIGERSRUGBYBOWLSCRICKETBOXGGOLFMORE UK & TERNATNAL SPORTSVIRAL SPORTS NEWSSHREWSBURY TOWN FCSHREWSBURY TOWN FCSHREWS VIEWSSQUADFIXTURTEN YEARS ON OM THE GAY MEADOWBY JOE EDWARDSSHREWSBURY TOWN FCPUBLISHED: MAY 15, 2017COMMENTSTHE HOME OF SHREWSBURY TOWN FOR 97 YEARS – GAY MEADOW HOSTED S FAL EVER ENUNTER A AGO.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!SIGN UPTHE FAL GAME AT THE GAY MEADOWIT WAS THE FIRST LEG OF A LEAGUE TWO PLAY-OFF SEMI-FAL AS GARY PETERS’ CHARG WENT UP AGAST MILTON KEYN DONS – TWO CLUBS VERY MUCH AT DIFFERENT POTS, SALOP ENDG A BIG CHAPTER THEIR HISTORY AND MK ONLY THREE YEARS TO THEIR NTROVERSIAL EXISTENCE.AND AS IF FOR OLD TIM’ SAKE, THE BALL SAILED OVER THE STAND AND LAND THE RIVER SEVERN AT ONE POT.THE GAME SELF WAS NOT A CLASSIC – NO GOALS AT EHER END – BUT PROVID TOWN WH A STABLE FOOTG ENTERG THE SEND LEG, WHICH THEY WON 2-1 AS SHREWSBURY-BORN ANDY COOKE SRED TWICE, EHER SI OF A KEH ANDREWS STRIKE FOR MK, TO SET UP A BIG DAY OUT AT WEMBLEY AGAST BRISTOL ROVERS.WNG THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PERFECT WAY TO MARK THE END OF AN ERA AT THE MEADOW, BUT DID NOT TURN OUT THAT WAY AS, SPE SHREWSBURY TAKG THE LEAD THROUGH STUART DMMOND, THE PIRAT RAN OUT 3-1 VICTORS.BEG JT OUTSI OF THE TOWN CENTRE, ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER SEVERN, THE GAY MEADOW PCH OFTEN FLOOD, LEADG TO QUE A FEW GAM OVER THE YEARS BEG POSTPONED.AND DUE TO BEG NEAR THE RAILWAY TOO, THERE WAS PRETTY MUCH NO ROOM FOR EXPANSN OR RENOVATN.HAVG WNSED THAT FAMO FA CUP THIRD ROUND W OVER EVERTON 2003, A N TO THE LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FAL 1961, FA CUP QUARTER FALS 1979 AND 1982, AND THIRD AND FOURTH TIERS WS ‘79 AND ‘94 AT THE GAY MEADOW, WAS A HUGE SHAME TO SEE THE STADIUM ABANDONED AND EVENTUALLY MOLISHED. BUT, SPE OPPOSN OM LOLS, THE MOVE TO THE NEW GROUND OTELEY ROAD – A 9,875-SEATER STADIUM WAS THE RIGHT LL.STEVE WELLBELOVED, FORMER SHREWSBURY CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SAID FEBARY 2007: “AT THE MOMENT THE SIZE OF GAY MEADOW LIMS OUR ACTIVY BUT MOVG TO THE NEW GROUND SHOULD GENERATE MORE E WHICH SHOULD ALLOW TO VT MORE THE TEAM. WE NEED TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE MOVE.”SHREWSBURY WERE MOVG WH THE TIM, MAKG SURE THEY STAYED AHEAD, BUT NOT IGNORG THE GLOR TIM AT GAY MEADOW, WHICH WAS REPLACED BY A MAJOR HOG VELOPMENT.FOR THAT FAL GAME AGAST MK DONS, WH JT MUT REMAG THE FANS CHANTED “ONE GAY MEADOW, THERE’S ONLY ONE GAY MEADOW” A FTG TRIBUTE TO THE OLD GROUND.AND AT THE FAL WHISTLE, THE FANS IGNORED THE PLEAS OF TANNOY ANNOUNCER RYAN JERVIS AND CHARGED ON TO THE PCH.AFTER THE PLAY-OFFS AND END TO THE TIME AT GAY MEADOW, PETERS SAID: “ALL OUR YOUNG PLAYERS WILL LEARN SO MUCH OM THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE – LEAVG THE GAY MEADOW, THE MK DONS GAM AND NOW WEMBLEY. THIS IS A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR THE CLUB.”SHREWSBURY TOWN FCFOOTBALLSPORTBY JOE EDWARDSMULTI-MEDIA SPORTS JOURNALISTWALSALL FC RRPONNT FOR THE EXPRS & STAR.MOST READ

But after a rerd-breakg 1975/76 season unr Graham Taylor Cy quickly renewed acquatance wh Shrewsbury back the Third Divisn wh a vis to Gay Meadow towards the end of January 1977. Both clubs fished the 1976/77 season jt above mid-table so Cy were back at Gay Meadow January 1978.