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Display Ground information
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Drill Field was a League ground for 3 seasons;
from July 1st, 1892 to
June 30th, 1894
.
Drill Field was the 27th
ground
to be used for a League game.
Year opened 1874 Year closed 2002
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| GROUND HISTORY adapted from "The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds" |
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Located to the south of the town centre, the site had been used by the 22nd Co. 3rd Battalion Cheshire Rifle Volunteers as a drilling ground when Northwich Victoria FC moved in in c1875. At that time it was not ideal for use as a football pitch with a thorn fence around part of the perimeter, a deep ditch so close to the playing area that it had to be covered with planks in order to accommodate corner kicks and a persistent risk of flooding from the adjacent River Dane, meandering around the east side. Another cause for concern, to the pitch at least, was that it was also used as an agricultural showground but despite these problems Northwich Victoria was able to play matches here.
The ground itself was naturally enclosed with the aforementioned river and thorn fence and the drill hall on the west side, with players changing in adjacent hotels and by the time that they joined the Football League in 1892 a proper enclosure had been formed, the ditch had been removed and a seated covered stand installed on the east side. Subsequent improvements included the replacement of the stand with a covered enclosure, covered enclosures behind each goal and the construction of a new grandstand on the east side. The grandstand was later replaced and moved to the west side and the record attendance of 11,290 was set at a Cheshire League match v. Witton Albion on April 15th, 1949.
The main stand was replaced in 1968 with a 600 seat cantilever roofed structure and at the end of the 2001/2 season the ground was sold for housing redevelopment. The first team moved to groundshare with Witton Albion until their new ground at Wincham, Victoria Stadium, was ready. Planning difficulties ensued, however, and the reserves continued to play here until these were resolved in 2003 when the ground was demolished and the east side stand, still relatively new, dismantled for re-erection at the new venue.
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GROUND DETAILS adapted from "The Extreme Groundhoppers Guide" |
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