Post by Steve T on Sept 26, 2022 16:59:28 GMT 1
Gloucester's post-2007 survival is almost heroic. Flooded out of their Sudmeadow Road ground in the summer of that year, they spent the next 13 seasons permanently on the road, playing home games around the county and outside it, before returning to a rebuilt Meadow Park in October 2020. Heroic? Gloucester won promotion from the Southern League in their second season 'away' from home (08-09) at Cirencester Town FC. A play-off final victory at Farnborough took them into Conference North. Their average league gate at their temporary residence was just 283. They have survived at Step 2 generally comfortably but occasionally nervously. The one season in which they were in real danger of relegation was 19-20, terminated in March by national events.
The new Meadow Park is built on the plot of the old. The land was raised several feet by the importing of 60,000 cubic yards of spoil. The stadium incorporates the old clubhouse, formerly in the corner of the ground but now looking across the halfway line with the pitch moved about 40 yards north-eastwards. Other buildings have been fashioned out of shipping containers.
Disappointingly for supporters, the stadium was finished just as grounds were closed around the country. Ten matches were played behind closed doors in that second aborted season. When the gates were finally opened for the 21-22 season, more than 2,000 spectators saw each of their first two homes games, with a record of 2,826 for the visit of Hereford on Easter Monday. The average for the season was 1,190 with only one attendance below 800. This season the novelty appears to have worn off a little – 798, 718, 698, 547, 611.
From 1935-36 to 2008-09, the clubs met 57 times in the Birmingham Combination, the Southern League and the FA Trophy. Banbury won 23 and Gloucester 20 but that doesn't tell the whole story. Banbury won 21 of 28 up to the end of 1978 but just 2 of 29 thereafter. Both of those wins were in 2006, 1-0 at home in April, the last match of that season, and 4-1 at Gloucester in December.
FA Cup – 1st round 6 times, once to 2nd.
FA Trophy – SF 96-97, QF 02-03 (the year they beat Banbury).
Gloucester's temporary homes:
2007-08 Forest Green Rovers [16 miles]
2008-10 Cirencester Town [24]
2010-17 Cheltenham Town [12]
2017-20 Evesham United [25]
Gloucester City on the Football Club History Database
The new Meadow Park is built on the plot of the old. The land was raised several feet by the importing of 60,000 cubic yards of spoil. The stadium incorporates the old clubhouse, formerly in the corner of the ground but now looking across the halfway line with the pitch moved about 40 yards north-eastwards. Other buildings have been fashioned out of shipping containers.
Disappointingly for supporters, the stadium was finished just as grounds were closed around the country. Ten matches were played behind closed doors in that second aborted season. When the gates were finally opened for the 21-22 season, more than 2,000 spectators saw each of their first two homes games, with a record of 2,826 for the visit of Hereford on Easter Monday. The average for the season was 1,190 with only one attendance below 800. This season the novelty appears to have worn off a little – 798, 718, 698, 547, 611.
From 1935-36 to 2008-09, the clubs met 57 times in the Birmingham Combination, the Southern League and the FA Trophy. Banbury won 23 and Gloucester 20 but that doesn't tell the whole story. Banbury won 21 of 28 up to the end of 1978 but just 2 of 29 thereafter. Both of those wins were in 2006, 1-0 at home in April, the last match of that season, and 4-1 at Gloucester in December.
FA Cup – 1st round 6 times, once to 2nd.
FA Trophy – SF 96-97, QF 02-03 (the year they beat Banbury).
Gloucester's temporary homes:
2007-08 Forest Green Rovers [16 miles]
2008-10 Cirencester Town [24]
2010-17 Cheltenham Town [12]
2017-20 Evesham United [25]
Gloucester City on the Football Club History Database
