Fellows Park, Walsall. You might get a rotten view, and you might get wet even in the stand. Ah, fond memories of Walsall FC of yesteryear and its characterful home, which is now long gone.
Fellows Park, which until the mid-1960s only had three sides, the fourth being occupied by Orgills laundry, was eventually sold off to make way for a Morrisons supermarket.
The final league game played there was against Rotherham, on May 1, 1990, and was a 1-1 draw.
The replacement £3 million Bescot stadium beside the M6 hosted its first league clash against Torquay on August 25, 1990.
There is now a new generation of supporters of The Saddlers who just don’t know what it was like all those years ago. So for those who do, let’s revisit those times and relive some memories, and for those who don’t, prepare to have your eyes opened to a disappeared era.
1. Fine for ducks
When you hear about matches being abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch, this is what they mean. The players had soldiered on during the rain, but things got worse and a half time deluge created this scene at Fellows Park in May 1963 during the match between Walsall and Charlton. Referee Gordon Roper and his linesmen waded across the pitch for one of two inspections for which the verdict was a formality, especially when he put the ball down and it floated. Match abandoned. | Express & Star archive
2. Five new Saddlers
These five newcomers were among the players reporting back for duty for the 1934 to 1935 season. Left to right, T Grice, A Haddleton, F Higgs, A Tilford, L Morgan. | Express & Star archive
3. Wearing winter warmers
Looks cold, doesn't it? And it will have been, as this was taken at Fellows Park in January 1935. Standing: Tilford, G Wiles, Bennett, McSevich, Reed, Morgan, Leslie, and H Wait (trainer). Seated: Griffith, Ball, Alsop, Sheppard, Woolhouse, H Wiles. | Express & Star archive
4. You can work it out
There are no names with this August 1935 shot, so you'll have to look at the previous 1935 picture and do a DIY job putting names to faces yourselves. | Express & Star archive