Doing the 92

It started in 1968, Belle Vue Stadium, Doncaster Rovers v Barnsley, an evening game in front of a crowd of 18,000, I was aged 10, totally unaware that it was a local Derby, but enthralled by the noise,  the chanting,  the passion, the smell of No10’s and Woodbines, the aroma of bovtril on a cold winter’s night,  all of which the ramshackle ground struggled to contain.

Fifty six years later I am still working my way through the 92  English football league grounds. Initially it was haphazard but by the late 1980’s there was some method to it. I was immediately hooked after the first game but beholden to the vaguaries of where we happened to be living at the time. Next up was Elland rd on Boxing day 69, v Newcastle Utd, when the Scratching Shed/ Cowshed teetered where the South Stand is now and we perched on the Lowfields steps

Inevitably the question, which is your favourite arises.  But the experience is coloured by the occasion, the time of year, the time of day and the importance of the fixture

Belle Vue R 1968

Elland Rd 1969

Baseball Grnd R 72

City Ground Nottingham 71

Meadow lane, Nottingham 72

Upton Park, West Ham R 72

Kenilworth Rd Luton 73

Stamford Bridge , Chelsea 73

Abbey Stadium, Cambridge 72

London Rd, Peterborough 74

Sincil Bank, Lincoln 73

Filbert St, Leicester  R74

Highbury, Arsenal R 75

White hart lane, Spurs R  76

Brisbane Rd- Orient 81

Craven Cottage – Fulham 81

Vetch Field, Swansea R 82

Villa Park, Birmingham 82

The Hawthorns, West Brom 83

St Andrews  Birmingham 83

Highfield Rd – Coventry R 82

Portman Rd, Ipswich 83

Vicarage rd – Watford 84

Goldstone Grnd , Brighton R  86

Manor Ground – Oxford R 87

The Den, Millwall  R 88

Layer Rd- Colchester R – 88

Priestfield Stadium- Gillingham 88

Carrow Rd – Norwich 88

Prenton park – tranmere88

Boothferry Park, Hull  R 88

Vale Park, Port Vale 89

Bescot Stadium _ Walsall 92

Anfield , Liverpool 92

King Power, Leicester 94

Old Trafford, Manchester 95

The Valley – Charlton

Fratton park – Portsmouth

Madstad       – Reading

St Marys, Southampton

DW Wigan

Goodison – Everton

Riverside, Boro

St James’ Newcastle

SOL, Sunderland

Ethiad, Mancheter 05

Wycombe

Wrexham

New Victoria gernd, Stoke

2023/24

Crewe23

Field Mill Mansfield23

Pride park Derby

Keep Moat, Doncaster

 Crown GroundAccrington

Harrogate

The Moo Camp, MK

2024/25

Barnsley

Barrow – holker St

Chesterfield- new saltergate

Oxford -Kassam

Coventry – Ricoh

Preston – Deepdale

Bristol City- Ashton Gate

Cardiff City- Cardiff City stadium

Huddersfield – John Smiths