Forgotten Football Grounds | Highfield Road
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- Опубліковано 22 жов 2022
- Forgotten Football Grounds | Highfield Road
Tonight I bring you another forgotten Football Ground video, this time it is Highfield Road, the former home ground of Coventry City between 1899-2005.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos in this presentation. Images, videos and Statistics are sourced from google and all rights go to the respective owners. UA-cam's fair use statement "allows the reuse of copyrighted protected material under certain circumstances without needing the permission of the copyright owner". Fair dealing exceptions allow the use of copyrighted material for the purposes of review, criticism or quotation. The videos posted on this channel are intended to provide the channels personal opinion, commentary or reviews of Football Stadiums and other events - Спорт
Watched so many games at Highfield Road, many great memories. We never should have left Highfield Road, the stadium was fine and fairly modern.
If the corners had been filled in next to the west terrace, the stadium would still have had around 28000 capacity.
Take me home Highfield Road.
They should never have left, Coventry hasn't been the same club since.
Yep, as a visiting supporter it always seemed a decent ground to me.
Me too mate , been to loads of games at Highfield Road when I was a wee guy , scottish sky blues !! Been to Roker Park and Hillsborough for cov games, I need to get back to a game just for the crack of it..
I emigrated to New Zealand in 2005 when they started dismantling the place,first went there in the mid 70's as a little kid and held season tickets for many years and hundreds of games,one of the saddest times of my life when they knocked it down,still miss the place.
Thanks for watching and commenting
Sad 😔 man no good , can't imagine it, you still living NZ?
@@keithrobertson5110 Yeah mate,17 years now,maybe I'll come home one day,I keep up to date and watch the uploads people put up of all the current games.
@@grahampye9353 come home Coventry need your help. We all sing together.
some great memories at highfield road. my dad took me to the wolves game in 67 and you had barely enough space to breathe it was so tightly packed. over 50,000 fans for a division 2 game! both teams ended up winning promotion to division 1, coventry for the first time ever. england were the new world champions too. magical times
My old man took me there to on that fantastic day.
It had a great old school atmosphere you don’t get in the modern arenas. Night games were magic when the West Stand were on song.
Thanks for watching this video
Im an Evertonian went there in 1971 as a six year old we were 4 -0 down (and we were reigning champions) so my Dad dragged me away. When home my Mum said "Well atleast you saw them get a goal". No as we had left before the consolation goal. 😣We lived in Coleshill as we had left Merseydide when I was four because my Dad got a great job near there.And in his wisdom he chose that as my first match😆Anyway I remember a blur is all und3r floodlights it was. I never returned But my Dad did in 1985 we lost 4-1 again as champions that season ( just prior to this the last match of that season) STRANGER STILL IN 1975 I WENT TO GOODISON OPENING GAME OF THE SEASON LOST 4-1 TO COVENTRY Saw us beat you 6-0 in 77 though YOURE A PROPER GOOD CLUB Also went to Wembley against you in 87 GOOD LUCK SKY BLUES Until we meet again that is from a royal blue best wishes💙
I support Everton as well however you have seen the good times.
Great old school footy ground.
Lucky enough to be in there when we had 30,000+ in there...the atmosphere would certainly take some beating.
PUSB
Great video and research - lifelong Sky Blue here. Leaving Highfield Road was the greatest mistake the club have made in their 140 odd year history. Season ticket holder in the West End for many years. The place just felt like home, parking in gosford st, walking through the streets lined with terraced houses, the smell of the burger vans. Some of my lifes favourite memories were at that place. The Ricoh/CBS is a souless place, even on the rare occasion it was full the atmosphere couldnt hold a candle to even 15000 at HR. Ambition/Greed/trying to run with he big boys - call it what you will but it got the better of us and we have never recovered, we have been let down terribly by our council and owners yet the fans still turn out in good numbers. We werent the first and wont be the last club to fall on hard times. Just hope one of these days our fortune turns.
We've seen with other teams that sometimes a move to the new stadium brings better times but for Coventry leaving Highfield Road has ruined the club I feel.
Ahh Highfield Road the scene of one of the most beautiful goals ever scored.... The 1970 Ernie hunt free kick against Everton.... Leaving poor Everton keeper Andy Rankin clutching fresh air...... Unforgettable...
Me and my Bro were standing behind the goal when that magic goal was scored !
I lived on Swan Lane, knew it would be crap once they sold the ground, I was also a special constable got into a couple of spats in the ground but not a bad fanbase
My first away ground with Liverpool 1987.
Won 4-1.
Coventry had just won the cup.
Loved the place.
I were born the same year Coventry won the FA Cup.
My dad and stepmum got married on the day Coventry won the FA Cup. Some people were trying to keep tabs on the game during the reception. Among the throng present was my great uncle Johnny,a broke-the-mould Cockney character who as a dyed-in-the-wool Spurs supporter was semi-inconsolable by the end,while the Best Man was loving it because he was an Arsenal fan and took the opportunity for a quick gloat in his speech! That night we got to see the highlights of what was one of those classic FA Cup finals we almost took for granted for a while back then (before they turned to being usually shit from about 1992 onwards).
As a Coventry City fan born in 1980, I simply loved watching this video. And you’re spot on, moving away from Highfield Rd was a massive mistake, the atmosphere of the West Terrace has never been replicated at the Ricoh (now CBS Arena) and not actually owning our own stadium, financially has massively hampered the club.
Thanks for enjoying the video.
Many happy memories standing in the West End 🙂
The first time I went to Highfield Rd. Telstar was being piped through loud speakers It was about 1964.
You are correct, as a sky blue boy,we should never have left.
Thanks for watching
You couldn’t beat the atmosphere at a night match at Highfield road. Ricoh could never match it. Lost my enthusiasm to go and watch at the new place. Great video reminding me of good times at Highfield road. PUSB
Thanks for watching the video. The new ground does look a bit empty and soulless.
Went to Highfield Road in 98 and managed to watch Coventry dismantle Everton 3-0, with Steve Froggatt opening the scoring with an absolute worldie. They never should have moved out.
Was at that game as well, we (Everton) were torn apart that day. Coventry are a great club, deserve to be back in the big time.
Cooovveeennttrrryyyyyy 🎉 woow, check out those crowds back in the day... love the old pics
Nice bit of history here ,been a sky blues fan all my life .had some brilliant memories from Highfield Rd, loved the place ,should never have left. "Play Up Sky Blues" !!!!!
Thanks for watching this video
Oh the memories from this wonderful football ground. From that glorious sunny Sunday morning in 85 when we beat the champions Everton to stay in the First division to Greg Downes and his blond wig in the last game of the season before we won the FA cup in 87 🙂. PUSB.
Remember that Coventry won sent my team Norwich down that year . A familiar feeling somewhat.
Went to Highfield when Cov beat us 4-0 and Ferguson scored a hat trick . Both similar sized clubs and both done lots of transfers between the club's .
Perhaps we should have our old boy Mark Robins back .
Almost 40 years have gone by extremely frightening.
Anyways PUSB
That was the most incredible relegation escape ever! Snow and ice had decimated the fixture programmes for two months from the second week of January onwards,resulting in some clubs having big fixture backlogs. Perversely,Coventry were left with three unplayed matches at the regular season's end while League Cup winners Norwich completed all theirs on time. Trailing the Canaries by 8 points,the Sky Blues had to win all three of those matches - away to Luton and hopelessly-relegated Stoke before hosting champions Everton - and,astonisghingly they did it! Both of the League Cup finalists,Norwich and Sunderland,were relegated that year.
I had a season ticket in the west terrace, we should never have left
This was a brilliant ground, the CBS Arena still looks good but Highfield Road looks more original.
Great video mate. Coventry must be the prime example of how moving to a new ground is not always progress. Leaving Highfield Road to go to the Ricoh has been one the most catastrophic decisions ever
I would have to agree. Thanks for watching.
They had to borrow up their eyeballs to get it financed,just as their fortunes on the pitch were declining,with the loss of top flight status in 2001 coming after they'd committed to building the new stadium,so their revenue took a huge hit just when they needed it most.
BOSS ground Great days Coventry city inacity ground with house's everywhere around it the way it should be Grand video keep them coming 🥊🥊🍀
Thanks for watching and commenting
1 May 1980.
Highfield Rd, FA Cup Semi LFC v Arsenal. Arsenal won 1 - 0.
Att: 35000
I was there, the 3rd replay! As I'd been at the other 3 matches - including the match 3 days earlier (Monday) at Villa Park.
There were many more than the official attendance (IMHO).
I had a ticket but I also bought a *photo copy* of a ticket so I could go in with the bulk of the Liverpool fans. I paid £1 for it from someone already in the ground: the exchange took place in the gap under the exit doors.
Great video mate, a lot of effort put in to it! I only went there once and Coventry beat us👍
Thanks for tuning in and watching the video.
I went to Highfield Road once,for an FA Cup 4th round tie at the end of January 1988,when they were the holders. Coventry were all over us with Cyrille Regis and company but somehow couldn't get the ball in the net,and we knocked them out with the jammiest of smash-and-grab style wins,courtesy of a single goal by a striker who couldn't score for toffee for the rest of his sole season with us! I went to the Ricoh Arena three times between 2005 and 2010.
My dad used to play for Cov in Highfield Road before I was born I saw a field of him inside in a photo, Highfield Road is now a park surrounded by buildings and the park has a plaque saying that Highfield Road used to be on the spot, Cov have never been the same since they left, they could’ve been a better stadium, it was still growing
Thanks for watching
I reckon they'd be better off if they still played here
I believe so too
Luton fan here in peace. I now live in a CV postcode and have taken an interest in Covs history. Went to Highfield Rd once and thought it was still a special ground despite the all seater
I'm a Watford fan but when I worked with a group of Luton fans in the early 90s they told me that Coventry was their bogey team and Highfield Road their bogey ground (Villa Park was usually our bogey ground,and we could never win a sausage at Goodison Park,or for that matter Anfield - but hardly any other visiting team won there back then).
Really interesting video.
Such a big decision to leave your ground. During the seventies I was fortunate to watch games at lots of grounds. So many of them have gone and it is great you are doing these videos.
Cheers, thanks for watching
Considerably more developed than many of Coventry's rivals' grounds were back then,it must have looked ultra-modern for its time back in the 70s and early 80s -perhaps a bit like the redeveloped city centre!
Loved the video . Play up Sky Blues
Thanks for watching and commenting
Managed to go there in swindon's one season in premiership 1993/94 . 1-1 draw . Thought it was a strange decision for them to move out I thought the ground was fine. Great vid by the way.
Thanks for tuning in to watch
Money and greed messed it up
I've seen Coventry City play at three grounds.
I went to Highfield Road with a mate who was a 'Gooner' - Arsenal won with an Ian Wright strike midway through the second half and, yes, it was 'boring, boring'.
I've also seen them whilst supporting my club, Bristol Rovers, at The Ricoh Arena and at St. Andrew's.
Highfield Road seemed a perfectly good stadium, so I agree with everyone who says they shouldn't have left there.
Off to Hillsborough tonight - Up The Gas!
Thanks for watching this video
You're welcome - looking forward to the next one mate!
Fond memories of this ground. I attended in later years to install some equipment there.
Thanks for watching Danceup2001
Very informative I actually enjoyed this video. Very well put together. Any chance you do a future video about middlesbroughs ayrsome Park
I did Ayresome Park the other week, its in the playlist
@@historyoffootball87 awesome ty for replying
Very interesting. I’m glad to say that Craven Cottage isn’t likely to be featured in the near future - although we got close a few years back! Amazing accent - where are you from? Kind of Geordie mixed with Scouse?
I live in the North East of England near Middlesbrough. Hopefully Fulham stay at Craven Cottage.
My first soccer game that I witnessed in England was in Sept 1975 between Coventry City and Burnley which Burnley won and it was at Highfield Road.
Thanks for watching this video
Football
Correct we should have never left I grew up at Highfield Road I loved it
They should have definitely stayed.
forgotten football grounds? No one will ever forget highfield rd!!!!
It is more of a clickbait title if anything from my part but in some ways it is true, how often do you hear Sky Sports or these football shows mention the old grounds?
@@historyoffootball87 mate, you do a good job. Fair play to youfor shining a light. Keep doing what you are doing. much respect.x You put time and effort into your videos and you take time to learn about each ground, i take my hat off to you mate. and all the editing too... mate youre a good man who cares about this. best wishes to you x
@@jamiew1664 Thanks for the kind words. Most of these grounds I already knew a fair deal about but obviously just never done videos on them before.
@@historyoffootball87 Have you seen Simon Inglis's series The Football Grounds of England and Wales (1983,updated version 1987) and Football Grounds of Great Britain (1996)? If you haven't,I recommend them.
yeah thanks bud, ill check him out!@@rjjcms1
Played at highfield road for cov school boys. Some great memories
I had 2 seasons tickets around 2000 2001 when thy first went down to the championship it felt like there was much more of a presence there compared to ricoh
I heard they are looking to move away from the CBSS.
Its a disgrace that we were forced out of highfeild road just for our council to turn on us and invite wasps into the ricoh not to mention our horrific owners. The world has a funny way of working , with wasps liquidating,however there r more worries that we may be homeless again,however we will reach the prem again.Wish i was old enough to visit this ground
It's been a total mess the Ricoh Arena or the Coventry Building Society Ground or whatever its called now.
Our English football grounds mean more than the clubs themselves in terms of tradition and heritag...
It's a crime what was done with The Dell, Bootham Crescent, Highbury (the London one, not the Fleetwood one), Roker Park, Goodison Park, Filbert Street, Baseball Ground, Leeds Road... Many more now defunct/demolished...
I do think revamping and turning the stadiums more accessible are really welcomed, and positive, but disfiguring them... They simply vanish with the club's soul...
🏴⚽❤️...
I think everyone would agree with you on that.
@@historyoffootball87 Don't think so... These last generations simply don't care. They don't enjoy their roots, nationalism, respect to proper traditions... All people care now is party, show, not football, turnstiles, the essence of the game...
I, particularly, dedicate my passion for the game, supporters histories, firms, football grounds on lower levels, League One, Two and our beloved Non-League leagues!!! Nothing like watching Notts County Lane Road, or Oldham's Boundary Park...
I went there a few times with Charlton and always thought it was a cracking day out. Proper football ground, Coventry City should never have left. Look at the problems they have had since. Playing home games at Northampton and Birmingham can't have been good. I can understand that because during the 1980's Charlton had to leave The Valley for 7 years. We played home games at Selhurst Park and Upton Park before returning home.
I wish the Sky Blues all the best for the future and remember their fans protesting alongside ours against both of our crap owners.
I visited high field road in October 1993 for a match against Southampton
Loved this ground, should never of left it
Thanks for watching and commenting
Watford 🐝 🇧🇪 were talking about moving to a new stadium a couple of years ago with a capacity ofcirca 33,000 .Thank 😊 God they shelved the plans.They are planning to increase the capacity to circa 30,000 eventually if we ever get promoted again and manage to stay more than one season in the Premier league lol.
There is nowt wrong with Vicarage Road
@@historyoffootball87 Thanks! COYH!
Still remains one of my favourite ever away grounds. Seems one way or another Coventry fans have been constantly screwed over.
Things haven't been the same since they left Highfield Road.
@@historyoffootball87
Yet they still managed to make it to the PL play-off final. Extraordinary achievement.
In our Coventry home
We speek with an accent exceedingly Rare
If you want a cathedral we got one to Spare
In our Coventry home!
Thanks for watching and commenting
That plaque has long disappeared
SBA
Should never have left Highfield Rd, at least not until they had a full plan in place whereby they would actually own their new stadium and the commercial developments around the site so they would profit from the income generated. Instead they somehow messed up the deal to partner with Tesco, so they didn't have the money to fund the stadium themselves and so the council owned it, they rented it, none of the income went to the club and they are where they are now. At least if they had stayed at Highfield Rd they would still have their own stadium until they could have secured funding to build a new stadium that they would own themselves.
Thanks for watching the video and commenting
Your right we should never have left highfield road,no atmosphere at the CBS Arena but we will be back in the Premier league one day pusb
The new ground is out of Coventry as well from what I have seen and read, its on the motorway or something like that
@@historyoffootball87 its on the edge of the city by m6 but near me so I don't complain 😉
It's straight off Junction 3 of the M6 - easy to get to by road,and next to a retail park. A bit north of the centre of Coventry but nowhere near as out-of-town as Bolton's stadium.
Fancy spending 7 million on the stadium in the 90s when they knew they planned to move away (wrongly) - just total poor management of money and resources
It's just bad ownership and the wrong people in charge that ruin clubs.
@@historyoffootball87 yes, with incorrect priorities and no long-term vision for the benefit of the club and the fans
Bob Wesson was in goal.
It's were Nottingham Forest won the league title and as a Forest fan i was lucky to be there
Thanks for watching
Oh I hink I was at that game when I was a wee guy from scotland , Pearce scored a screamer of a free kick and it broke my heart hahaha I might be wrong though 😉
PUSB!
Good video mate, although if you were looking for ways to improve I'd suggest just doing a second take for your fluffs.
Thanks for watching the video. If you mean by stuttering, there is nothing I can do about that like.
@@historyoffootball87 Well that's why I'm saying it's worth just doing another take for where you stutter.
Love the photos of spectators............. no Darkies in it !!
The new ground is good but it doesn't have that feeling of being part of the city, part of the community as Highfield road.
The new ground is out on the motorway from what I have seen.
Should of just stayed there,there was nothing wrong with the stadium.
I agree
Hello sir and May I call you mr HOF as I’ve been enjoying your videos and as for CCFC as a Chelsea fc fan I’ve visited HR on 3 or 4 occasions in the late 1970s and latter 1980s to the early 1990s and remember the ground very well for its unique early modern design and lively atmosphere and it’s urban location and although the Richo is a neat modern stadium it’s very bland in design and set away from the community so May I suggest CCFC move into town and design and build a retro version of a modern stadium that will have endearing qualities but of course that depends on the club owners hey also I’d assume that you’re a Middlesbrough fan as you come from there as I’m aware they’re called the smoggies due to the heavy industry there but I’ve gone one further by calling them the S Moggies or Scarlett Moggies why because of the shade of read that is their kit and club crest and the big cat that’s on the crest anyway thanks for reading my response message and I’ve just subscribed so take care and cheerio
Thanks for enjoying the channel. I am actually an Everton supporter. I am not originally from the North East, my heritage is mainly all from Liverpool. I did a few reviews of Everton matches early on in my channel but haven't done many lately.
What is your accent mate?
From the North East
It's very specific.
Where abouts?
@@kokobwild2413 Stockton-on-Tees
Moving from a stadium with tons of character into a soulless pile of misery. When will us fans learn? Luton probably need to move but I’d even argue against that. With the tools we now have space isn’t such a big issue anymore. I’d rather refurbish Kenilworth Road. Most fans who have moved into new stadiums wish they’d stayed put.
Sunderland. Middlesbrough. West Ham. Arsenal. Doncaster. Wigan. Northampton. Derby. Man City. Southampton.
Plymouth are in the process of demolishing the only beautiful stand they have left to replace it with the same stands as the other three sides. Spurs fans have been duped. Their new stadium is identical to Arsenals stadium except they made one stand a single tier. Colours and roofs are the only differences between these dull stadiums. As for Everton? Goodison Park is the loudest atmosphere I’ve ever experienced with Luton. They did win the league and collected their trophy that day though. But their new stadium is boring.
I think in some of those cases especially Ayresome Park, there was no way to expand the capacity or redevelop the ground to what was required by The Taylor Report or what the club was looking to achieve by being in the premier league. I think if by some way they could redevelop, it would of meant the houses around the ground got flattened.
@@historyoffootball87 it was tight. Boca Juniors La Bombanera is tighter. Wouldn’t you rather think outside the box than get a soulless new stadium? Ayresome Park was a beautiful stadium with tons of character. Unique to Middlesbrough. Stands don’t need to cover a load of space because they can be built high. There are always options mate.
@@jamisbillson4872 I am a staunch traditionalist and I don't really like the new stadiums, I prefer the old ones. I am not a fan of the Bramley Moor Dock stadium. As an Everton supporter I would rather better performances on the pitch than having a brand new stadium and being an awful team.