Somerton Park

[Maindeeboy]

somerton park waas great i loved it

Here Here, I loved it too.

[michael]

i think most people did mate and being in the middle of loads of boozers was a big plus

[mike wilks]

I can actually remember my first two visits to Somerton Park, as an eight year old, and being lifted over the turnstile by my father we drew both games 2-2 against Aldershot and Darlington!
I also recall the first evening game V Manchester City in the league cup which we lost 1-2, alas I wasn't allowed any other night matches because of school (the "adjoining" st.Pats next door) early days, but remember being a tad peeved, when he woke me up after the Barrow game to let me know we'd triumphed 6-0 I saw some memorable games and will always have a lifelong affection for the place, warts and all, and even recall some of the familiar "fragrances" , that the old place gave up, including from entry on the Somerton bridge side of the ground, the smell of onions from the Social club food outlet, then on route to the Cromwell end, the aromatic delight of the open air "pi--house",and on a crisp evening under floodlight, the smell of linament, wafting from the players during warm up!
In my last year at st.Pats, I had the privelige of being in the only classroom that partially overlooked the ground, and when the weather was bad and we had an evening match would sit fingers crossed that the "Flag" would stay aloft above the main grandstand, so I could return hours later to my "second home"......Yeah I must say.....I really loved Somerton Park....and miss it like a lost love one!

[Guest]

Err. Not really. Unfortunately.[/quote]

That's a sad comment. Can't see beyond the end of your nose?[/quote]

So you think that Somerton was 'lovely' then do you?

I liked the place because it was ours, but it was possibly the biggest dump in football.

I refer you to Bad Boy Bubby's post above.[/quote]

Forrester: Looks like your in the minority as most posts seem to reflect that Somerton Park is very much loved!!!

[michael]

I can actually remember my first two visits to Somerton Park, as an eight year old, and being lifted over the turnstile by my father we drew both games 2-2 against Aldershot and Darlington!
I also recall the first evening game V Manchester City in the league cup which we lost 1-2, alas I wasn't allowed any other night matches because of school (the "adjoining" st.Pats next door) early days, but remember being a tad peeved, when he woke me up after the Barrow game to let me know we'd triumphed 6-0 I saw some memorable games and will always have a lifelong affection for the place, warts and all, and even recall some of the familiar "fragrances" , that the old place gave up, including from entry on the Somerton bridge side of the ground, the smell of onions from the Social club food outlet, then on route to the Cromwell end, the aromatic delight of the open air "pi--house",and on a crisp evening under floodlight, the smell of linament, wafting from the players during warm up!
In my last year at st.Pats, I had the privelige of being in the only classroom that partially overlooked the ground, and when the weather was bad and we had an evening match would sit fingers crossed that the "Flag" would stay aloft above the main grandstand, so I could return hours later to my "second home"......Yeah I must say.....I really loved Somerton Park....and miss it like a lost love one!

kin ell mike felt like i was actually there reading that

[spyttyarmy]

I loved somerton too. of course it wasnt the best ground in the world- far from it. But it was a good old fashioned football ground. I had lots of good times over there.

sad its gone.

spyttyarmy

[Forester]

Err. Not really. Unfortunately.

That's a sad comment. Can't see beyond the end of your nose?

So you think that Somerton was 'lovely' then do you?

I liked the place because it was ours, but it was possibly the biggest dump in football.

I refer you to Bad Boy Bubby's post above.[/quote]

Forrester: Looks like your in the minority as most posts seem to reflect that Somerton Park is very much loved!!![/quote]

I refer you to the second line of my second post that you have tried to quote.

Do you not understand the difference between something being "loved" and something being "lovely"?

[michael]

dont be pedantic you know wot he meant

[Cred]

Err. Not really. Unfortunately.

That's a sad comment. Can't see beyond the end of your nose?

So you think that Somerton was 'lovely' then do you?

I liked the place because it was ours, but it was possibly the biggest dump in football.

I refer you to Bad Boy Bubby's post above.

Forrester: Looks like your in the minority as most posts seem to reflect that Somerton Park is very much loved!!![/quote]

I refer you to the second line of my second post that you have tried to quote.

Do you not understand the difference between something being "loved" and something being "lovely"?[/quote]

No good arguing your point of view any more "Forrester" as you clearly are not going to win. Stooping to making pedantic comments is no good either.

[JonD]

Somerton was the third ground I visited (Ninian, to my eternal shame, was the first, followed by Ashton Gate). Yet despite being the smaller, grottier ground Somerton had some things the other two lacked.

1) It was full of people from my home town, so I felt an immediate sense of belonging.

2) Its proximity to the railway line and heavy industry made it feel like a proper "amphitheatre" for the working man's game. A stadium like (off top of my head) Mansfield's new one simply cannot ever compare.

I take on board Forester's comments on its "unattractiveness" if that's the right word but I simply never had that perspective. My heroes played there, and that was where I would go to see them. Thus it will remain, in my memory, a place of unparalleled beauty. Looking at that photo evokes nothing but sweet memories and a sense of loss.

[George Street-Bridge]

I have lost the link, but there is/was a site which carried video of football grounds as they used to be, some now gone and some now modernized beyond recognition, but taken not on match days. A minute or two each, with mournful music. The one of Somerton was done in a pre-season, with building work in progress.

Two or three others were every bit as tatty but have now been transformed, e.g Rochdale which was possibly the only one a neutral would have said was in as bad shape.

When was the decision to develop the Somerton site taken? If someone other than Sherman had come in and the original club had survived, would we still be there but in a modern stadium?

And does anyone have the link to videos I am thinking of? Ta.

[Bad Boy Bubby]

Foresters taken a savaging here, lol. Any supporter of the old Newport County would called Somerton park "home" and miss it very badly once it went, i'm pretty sure everyone has a soft spot for the old place..........but having seen the overhead, i'm not sure anyone could dispute that it was an eyesore, especially towards the end.

I think that's all he was saying, the fact that it doesn't look good cant even be debated imo.

[Forester]

No good arguing your point of view any more "Forrester" as you clearly are not going to win. Stooping to making pedantic comments is no good either.

You and others have clearly failed to understand my original post(s).

I said that the place wasn't "lovely". Nowhere have I said that I didn't like the place.

I have yet to see a post in this thread in which Somerton is described as being "lovely" by anybody.

Plenty of people have said that they "loved" the place and that is something with which I cannot and would not argue (indeed I have spent many a happy (and sad) afternoon or evening there myself). But that is a completely different argument and not one to which I contributed.

[Cred]

No good arguing your point of view any more "Forrester" as you clearly are not going to win. Stooping to making pedantic comments is no good either.

You and others have clearly failed to understand my original post(s).

I said that the place wasn't "lovely". Nowhere have I said that I didn't like the place.

I have yet to see a post in this thread in which Somerton is described as being "lovely" by anybody.

Plenty of people have said that they "loved" the place and that is something with which I cannot and would not argue (indeed I have spent many a happy (and sad) afternoon or evening there myself). But that is a completely different argument and not one to which I contributed.

Take your mind back because I could have swore that your first post was in response to Bad Boy Buddy remarking that Somerton Park was "lovely". So there is one who thinks it was lovely and I do as well.

[excessbee]

I have lost the link, but there is/was a site which carried video of football grounds as they used to be, some now gone and some now modernized beyond recognition, but taken not on match days. A minute or two each, with mournful music. The one of Somerton was done in a pre-season, with building work in progress.

Two or three others were every bit as tatty but have now been transformed, e.g Rochdale which was possibly the only one a neutral would have said was in as bad shape.

When was the decision to develop the Somerton site taken? If someone other than Sherman had come in and the original club had survived, would we still be there but in a modern stadium?

And does anyone have the link to videos I am thinking of? Ta.

There is also a great book in existence of ex league grounds, some from way back in time, not including the rash of relocations over the last ten years.