I find that really sad to watch, and I am a City fan! Grounds like Eastville were so full of character, atmosphere and history, totally unlike the soulless experience of watching football in the modern era.
I will always have fond memories of Eastville...I'm a Villa fan, we played Rovers in January 1980 in the FA cup 3rd round, the game was a night game and oddly for those days the game was played on the Friday if my memory serves me correctly. I remember it fondly because it was my first proper away game, until that point I'd only been to the derby games around the West Midlands. I was 15, a gang of us skipped school and caught the football special train to Bristol. Had a soft spot for Rovers ever since and I was gutted when I heard that Eastville was being demolished.
Hello Paul. I was there. 4th January 1980. You won 2-1. We also had some great games against Villa in the early 1970s. I always thought that Aston Villa was a great team with great support. Regards Dave.
There were epic cup and league clashes between the two clubs in 1970/1/2...I remember large numbers of Villa fans travelling by special trains especially in the League Cup on 17/11/70,...a 1-1 draw, crowd 28,870. I think the Gas Boot Boys were waiting for the Villa Army when they arrived at Stapleton Road railway station. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
As a very young Bristol City fan in the early 1980's I visited Eastville once or twice before it was demolished. Used to also enjoy being in a car and viewing it from the M32 especially if there was night game going on and the floodlights were lit.
Although I supported Chelsea I lived near Bath and watched Rovers and City a lot ....I can remember flowers being planted near the goals and the fact I never saw a nil nil draw there. My last game was the FA Cup replay against Chelsea in about 1976 which we won one nil ...after drawing one all at the bridge ....Rovers have been on the road since and even in Non League....I like to see both Bristol clubs do well and am saddened as many people have noted at the loss of some great football grounds. Reading is a prime example . Thankfully we have the Fulhams of the world and my bunch are still at Sramford Bridge.....thank you for the video......
I used to watch bristol boys there in early mid sixties great dog track great atmosphere great bus service specials the old green buses from hartcliffe a good honest world then
I remember watching night games there when Harold Jarman had his own enclosure fan club. Rovers played in blue and white stripes with white shorts. Not sure what the shorts were made of but they looked almost silver in the floodlights. I also saw Arsenal play the Rovers in a cup game as a young kid. It was so full, on the way out my feet never touched the ground😂 I’m actually a city fan but I still have great memories of those days, and the derbies between the two clubs. Football isn’t quite like that now!
Argyle here. Went a few times and it was a proper old skool ground, obviously just up the road for us! Looking forward to when the gas can get a better ground than they have now. They certainly deserve it!💙💚
Hello Shane. Yes it was a great shame we lost that stadium. Hopfully we can get something better in the future. Great improvements that they have made to your ground. Regards Dave.
@@dcgas5215 thanks for replying Dave! Love playing the gas, i just hope you can get a proper foothold in league 1, we very nearly went down in our first year back. Did you know that argyle have played the gas more times than any other club?( i think!😂)💙💚
I read that Ikea kept one of the four floodlight pylons standing as a reminder of the ground having been there - until it had to be taken down due to safety concerns in about December 2003 following a gale.
I read in the very early 90s,when Rovers were mid-way through their Twerton Park exile and trying to get a site,greenfield I think,at Mangotsfield,that a nightclub had been built on part of the Eastville site by then.
I was intrigued by the ground when I saw pictures of it in the 80s because it looked so unusual. However,I didn't get to visit it,or at least the site where it once was,until August 2011.
With the exception of Ashton thanks to the generosity of one man Bristol sporting and event facilities are all shxt. Cardiff a city half the size has about three times the facilities. It is dominated by NIBYs and woke who never achieve anything positive for the city.
Hello. I was also at that match on 18th November 1978. It is the only 5-5 draw I have ever seen. We also played you again at Eastville Stadium that season, on 5th February 1979 in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. We won 1-0. Thanks for the memory. Regards Dave.
@@dcgas5215 Yes, that's right,. You beat us 1.0 in the FA Cup. I am sure that we were booked on the coach to come down for the cup game but it was postponed. It was played during the week on a Tuesday or Wednesday night if I remember right. We didn't go because we had to go to school the following morning. I would have been 13 years old at the time lol
@@dcgas5215 Here are the highlights from the 5-5 draw. It might be 43 years ago but that's still never a penalty in a million years hahaha. ua-cam.com/video/zSIXUuYon_w/v-deo.html
Went once good Friday 1975 Rovers 1 Manchester United 1 great match and as I recall Rovers had a very handy crew one of the red army’s most difficult days!
I’m a gashead but I’m glad we went to twerton and then the mem. The view from the terrace at eastville was miles away behind flower beds and a speedway track. Must have been a crap experience watching from that distance
I find that really sad to watch, and I am a City fan! Grounds like Eastville were so full of character, atmosphere and history, totally unlike the soulless experience of watching football in the modern era.
Hello Phil. And it was a lot cheaper. Regards Dave.
so right
I will always have fond memories of Eastville...I'm a Villa fan, we played Rovers in January 1980 in the FA cup 3rd round, the game was a night game and oddly for those days the game was played on the Friday if my memory serves me correctly.
I remember it fondly because it was my first proper away game, until that point I'd only been to the derby games around the West Midlands.
I was 15, a gang of us skipped school and caught the football special train to Bristol.
Had a soft spot for Rovers ever since and I was gutted when I heard that Eastville was being demolished.
Hello Paul. I was there. 4th January 1980. You won 2-1. We also had some great games against Villa in the early 1970s. I always thought that Aston Villa was a great team with great support. Regards Dave.
There were epic cup and league clashes between the two
clubs in 1970/1/2...I remember large numbers of Villa fans
travelling by special trains especially in the League Cup on
17/11/70,...a 1-1 draw, crowd 28,870.
I think the Gas Boot Boys were waiting for the Villa Army
when they arrived at Stapleton Road railway station.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I remember watching bristol rovers playing here after the war. My grandfather took me. Both my aunties went to watch the speedway racing in the 50s
Hello Lynda. Thanks for sharing your memories. Regards Dave.
Read about Eastville a while ago! Their main end was the Tote End if I'm not mistaken? Good mob apparently? It was a good read! From a Toon fan 👍
Hello Gary. Thanks. We had some great games against Newcastle at Eastville back in the Seventies. Good luck for the season. Regards Dave.
Cheers mate same to you 👍
As a very young Bristol City fan in the early 1980's I visited Eastville once or twice before it was demolished. Used to also enjoy being in a car and viewing it from the M32 especially if there was night game going on and the floodlights were lit.
Hello Levi. Thanks for your memory. Such a shame that the ground was swept away as it was. Regards Dave.
You can almost taste the atmosphere and the heritage just by seeing those pictures
Hello Jack. You can't get that back once it is gone. Regards Dave.
Although I supported Chelsea I lived near Bath and watched Rovers and City a lot ....I can remember flowers being planted near the goals and the fact I never saw a nil nil draw there. My last game was the FA Cup replay against Chelsea in about 1976 which we won one nil ...after drawing one all at the bridge ....Rovers have been on the road since and even in Non League....I like to see both Bristol clubs do well and am saddened as many people have noted at the loss of some great football grounds. Reading is a prime example . Thankfully we have the Fulhams of the world and my bunch are still at Sramford Bridge.....thank you for the video......
Hello Stuart. Thanks for sharing your memories. Regards Dave.
Sad to watch this. From a Burnley fan.
It was replaced by Tesco and Ikea. What a waste. Regards Dave.
Often passed the site of the Eastville Stadium and wondered what it looked like. Fascinating video
Hello Mark. Such a shame it was demolished. Regards Dave.
Eastville will always be our home. My first game was at Eastville back in the late 60's. Still going now. Will always be a Tote End boy though. So sad
Hello Peter. My first game at Eastville was 1968. We beat Torquay United 1-0. Robin Stubbs was playing for Torquay. Regards Dave.
What was the worst fights and trouble you ever saw?
@@lennylaa1686 Rovers away at Millwall. Blood bath. Home either Chelsea or Spurs all back late 70s and early 80s
@@peterrandell8519 Did many travel over to the Den.......
and do you mean your lads got battered or did the Tote dish it out also?
I’m a City fan but really miss going there for a derby match.
Hello Paul. With a big crowd it had a great atmosphere. Regards Dave.
I used to watch bristol boys there in early mid sixties great dog track great atmosphere great bus service specials the old green buses from hartcliffe a good honest world then
Hello Philip. Great days. Regards Dave.
Great ---but very sad . Have you got a full picture of the old tote end ?
Hello Thomas. Yes i hope to put video of pictures i have of the 50s, 60s and 70s in the near future. Regards, Dave.
This is a great song and video of Eastville and Rovers
ua-cam.com/video/awmW-7GvTYo/v-deo.html
So sad. My dad took me to Eastville when I was a little boy for my first ever football match. The atmosphere was terrific.
The Eastville Roar, could be heard from where i lived which was about two miles away. Regards Dave.
This ground was massive.It had so much potential, but sadly there was no one with enough money to develop it.
Hello Peter. You are right. It should never have been demolished. Regards Dave.
Very sad I miss the Sunday market too and the dogs this place was so active back then now we got a stupid ikea 😔
If only we could turn back time. Regards Dave.
I remember going to Eastville as a young Pompey fan , proper old ground , got a lot of time for the gas heads proper fans
Hello Andrew. Been to Fratton Park many times. Always a cracking atmosphere. Regards Dave.
Can almost hear a whisper of the Eastville Roar on the wind
Hello Monty. Wembley of the West. Regards Dave.
I remember watching night games there when Harold Jarman had his own enclosure fan club. Rovers played in blue and white stripes with white shorts. Not sure what the shorts were made of but they looked almost silver in the floodlights. I also saw Arsenal play the Rovers in a cup game as a young kid. It was so full, on the way out my feet never touched the ground😂 I’m actually a city fan but I still have great memories of those days, and the derbies between the two clubs. Football isn’t quite like that now!
Argyle here. Went a few times and it was a proper old skool ground, obviously just up the road for us! Looking forward to when the gas can get a better ground than they have now. They certainly deserve it!💙💚
Hello Shane. Yes it was a great shame we lost that stadium. Hopfully we can get something better in the future. Great improvements that they have made to your ground. Regards Dave.
@@dcgas5215 thanks for replying Dave! Love playing the gas, i just hope you can get a proper foothold in league 1, we very nearly went down in our first year back. Did you know that argyle have played the gas more times than any other club?( i think!😂)💙💚
Ikea and Amazon, nothing like maintaining heritage!!
Hello Paul. Great shame. Regards Dave.
I read that Ikea kept one of the four floodlight pylons standing as a reminder of the ground having been there - until it had to be taken down due to safety concerns in about December 2003 following a gale.
I read in the very early 90s,when Rovers were mid-way through their Twerton Park exile and trying to get a site,greenfield I think,at Mangotsfield,that a nightclub had been built on part of the Eastville site by then.
I was intrigued by the ground when I saw pictures of it in the 80s because it looked so unusual. However,I didn't get to visit it,or at least the site where it once was,until August 2011.
We didn't need a big sporting venue in Bristol anyway, shops...that's what we haven't got enough of......
Loving the sarcasm!
And me. Regards, Dave
With the exception of Ashton thanks to the generosity of one man Bristol sporting and event facilities are all shxt. Cardiff a city half the size has about three times the facilities. It is dominated by NIBYs and woke who never achieve anything positive for the city.
Went there with kings lynn 8n about 84/5.
Hello Jamie. I missed that game. Regards Dave.
@@dcgas5215 Rovers won 2-1.
My first away game outside London with Charlton in 1978. Drew 5-5
Paul Randall scored a hat trick Rovers that day.
Hello. I was also at that match on 18th November 1978. It is the only 5-5 draw I have ever seen. We also played you again at Eastville Stadium that season, on 5th February 1979 in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. We won 1-0. Thanks for the memory. Regards Dave.
@@dcgas5215 Yes, that's right,. You beat us 1.0 in the FA Cup. I am sure that we were booked on the coach to come down for the cup game but it was postponed. It was played during the week on a Tuesday or Wednesday night if I remember right. We didn't go because we had to go to school the following morning. I would have been 13 years old at the time lol
@@dcgas5215 This is a great song about Rovers Tote End
ua-cam.com/video/awmW-7GvTYo/v-deo.html
@@dcgas5215 Here are the highlights from the 5-5 draw. It might be 43 years ago but that's still never a penalty in a million years hahaha.
ua-cam.com/video/zSIXUuYon_w/v-deo.html
Good video mate. UTG
Glad you enjoyed. Regards, Dave.
Does a floodlight servive? I always remember a security man on the bonnet of a car. A young me thought it was a friendly incident?
Did he do something to you?
Hello John. It stood a few years and then they took it down on safety reasons. Great shame. Regards Dave.
BRFC = We thought we had a football ground!
IKEA = Hold my beer!
Great shame. Regards Dave.
Rip
Wembley of the West. Regards, Dave.
Went once good Friday 1975 Rovers 1 Manchester United 1 great match and as I recall Rovers had a very handy crew one of the red army’s most difficult days!
Hello Bert. 28th March 1975. I was there. Division 2. Crowd was 19,000. Our crew were called the Tote End. Happy days. Regards Dave.
I’m a gashead but I’m glad we went to twerton and then the mem. The view from the terrace at eastville was miles away behind flower beds and a speedway track. Must have been a crap experience watching from that distance
It was all about the atmosphere at Eastville. Regards Dave.
It's worth googling ''Images...Eastville Stadium'' to see the old ground.
Yes, there are some good pictures out there. Regards Dave.
Sad to think that it's IKEA now
Hello Jamie. Great shame. Regards Dave.
Really sad
Hello Neil. It is. Regards Dave.
And now it’s an ikea
Hello Jack. Great shame. Regards Dave.
Shouldnt really be so keen to demolish stadia like this.
Yes it was done for short term gain. Tesco and Ikea. Regards Dave.
Make way for IKEA
Hello Charlie. What a waste. Regards Dave.