Forgotten Football Grounds | Highfield Road 

Watched so many games at Highfield Road, many great memories. We never should have left Highfield Road, the stadium was fine and fairly modern. If the corners had been filled in next to the west terrace, the stadium would still have had around 28000 capacity. Take me home Highfield Road.

Im an Evertonian went there in 1971 as a six year old we were 4 -0 down (and we were reigning champions) so my Dad dragged me away. When home my Mum said "Well atleast you saw them get a goal". No as we had left before the consolation goal. 😣We lived in Coleshill as we had left Merseydide when I was four because my Dad got a great job near there.And in his wisdom he chose that as my first match😆Anyway I remember a blur is all und3r floodlights it was. I never returned But my Dad did in 1985 we lost 4-1 again as champions that season ( just prior to this the last match of that season) STRANGER STILL IN 1975 I WENT TO GOODISON OPENING GAME OF THE SEASON LOST 4-1 TO COVENTRY Saw us beat you 6-0 in 77 though YOURE A PROPER GOOD CLUB Also went to Wembley against you in 87 GOOD LUCK SKY BLUES Until we meet again that is from a royal blue best wishes💙

I emigrated to New Zealand in 2005 when they started dismantling the place,first went there in the mid 70's as a little kid and held season tickets for many years and hundreds of games,one of the saddest times of my life when they knocked it down,still miss the place.

It had a great old school atmosphere you don’t get in the modern arenas. Night games were magic when the West Stand were on song.

some great memories at highfield road. my dad took me to the wolves game in 67 and you had barely enough space to breathe it was so tightly packed. over 50,000 fans for a division 2 game! both teams ended up winning promotion to division 1, coventry for the first time ever. england were the new world champions too. magical times

Great old school footy ground. Lucky enough to be in there when we had 30,000+ in there...the atmosphere would certainly take some beating. PUSB

Ahh Highfield Road the scene of one of the most beautiful goals ever scored.... The 1970 Ernie hunt free kick against Everton.... Leaving poor Everton keeper Andy Rankin clutching fresh air...... Unforgettable...

Great video and research - lifelong Sky Blue here. Leaving Highfield Road was the greatest mistake the club have made in their 140 odd year history. Season ticket holder in the West End for many years. The place just felt like home, parking in gosford st, walking through the streets lined with terraced houses, the smell of the burger vans. Some of my lifes favourite memories were at that place. The Ricoh/CBS is a souless place, even on the rare occasion it was full the atmosphere couldnt hold a candle to even 15000 at HR. Ambition/Greed/trying to run with he big boys - call it what you will but it got the better of us and we have never recovered, we have been let down terribly by our council and owners yet the fans still turn out in good numbers. We werent the first and wont be the last club to fall on hard times. Just hope one of these days our fortune turns.

I lived on Swan Lane, knew it would be crap once they sold the ground, I was also a special constable got into a couple of spats in the ground but not a bad fanbase

This was a brilliant ground, the CBS Arena still looks good but Highfield Road looks more original.

My first away ground with Liverpool 1987. Won 4-1. Coventry had just won the cup. Loved the place.

The first time I went to Highfield Rd. Telstar was being piped through loud speakers It was about 1964.

Many happy memories standing in the West End 🙂

You are correct, as a sky blue boy,we should never have left.

As a Coventry City fan born in 1980, I simply loved watching this video. And you’re spot on, moving away from Highfield Rd was a massive mistake, the atmosphere of the West Terrace has never been replicated at the Ricoh (now CBS Arena) and not actually owning our own stadium, financially has massively hampered the club.

Went to Highfield Road in 98 and managed to watch Coventry dismantle Everton 3-0, with Steve Froggatt opening the scoring with an absolute worldie. They never should have moved out.

Oh the memories from this wonderful football ground. From that glorious sunny Sunday morning in 85 when we beat the champions Everton to stay in the First division to Greg Downes and his blond wig in the last game of the season before we won the FA cup in 87 🙂. PUSB.

You couldn’t beat the atmosphere at a night match at Highfield road. Ricoh could never match it. Lost my enthusiasm to go and watch at the new place. Great video reminding me of good times at Highfield road. PUSB

I reckon they'd be better off if they still played here

Money and greed messed it up

I had a season ticket in the west terrace, we should never have left

1 May 1980. Highfield Rd, FA Cup Semi LFC v Arsenal. Arsenal won 1 - 0. Att: 35000 I was there, the 3rd replay! As I'd been at the other 3 matches - including the match 3 days earlier (Monday) at Villa Park. There were many more than the official attendance (IMHO). I had a ticket but I also bought a *photo copy* of a ticket so I could go in with the bulk of the Liverpool fans. I paid £1 for it from someone already in the ground: the exchange took place in the gap under the exit doors.

My dad used to play for Cov in Highfield Road before I was born I saw a field of him inside in a photo, Highfield Road is now a park surrounded by buildings and the park has a plaque saying that Highfield Road used to be on the spot, Cov have never been the same since they left, they could’ve been a better stadium, it was still growing

BOSS ground Great days Coventry city inacity ground with house's everywhere around it the way it should be Grand video keep them coming 🥊🥊🍀

Cooovveeennttrrryyyyyy 🎉 woow, check out those crowds back in the day... love the old pics

Great video mate. Coventry must be the prime example of how moving to a new ground is not always progress. Leaving Highfield Road to go to the Ricoh has been one the most catastrophic decisions ever

Luton fan here in peace. I now live in a CV postcode and have taken an interest in Covs history. Went to Highfield Rd once and thought it was still a special ground despite the all seater

Our English football grounds mean more than the clubs themselves in terms of tradition and heritag... It's a crime what was done with The Dell, Bootham Crescent, Highbury (the London one, not the Fleetwood one), Roker Park, Goodison Park, Filbert Street, Baseball Ground, Leeds Road... Many more now defunct/demolished... I do think revamping and turning the stadiums more accessible are really welcomed, and positive, but disfiguring them... They simply vanish with the club's soul... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚽❤️...

Nice bit of history here ,been a sky blues fan all my life .had some brilliant memories from Highfield Rd, loved the place ,should never have left. "Play Up Sky Blues" !!!!!

I've seen Coventry City play at three grounds. I went to Highfield Road with a mate who was a 'Gooner' - Arsenal won with an Ian Wright strike midway through the second half and, yes, it was 'boring, boring'. I've also seen them whilst supporting my club, Bristol Rovers, at The Ricoh Arena and at St. Andrew's. Highfield Road seemed a perfectly good stadium, so I agree with everyone who says they shouldn't have left there. Off to Hillsborough tonight - Up The Gas!

Great video mate, a lot of effort put in to it! I only went there once and Coventry beat us👍

Fond memories of this ground. I attended in later years to install some equipment there.

Managed to go there in swindon's one season in premiership 1993/94 . 1-1 draw . Thought it was a strange decision for them to move out I thought the ground was fine. Great vid by the way.

Really interesting video. Such a big decision to leave your ground. During the seventies I was fortunate to watch games at lots of grounds. So many of them have gone and it is great you are doing these videos.

Loved the video . Play up Sky Blues

Its a disgrace that we were forced out of highfeild road just for our council to turn on us and invite wasps into the ricoh not to mention our horrific owners. The world has a funny way of working , with wasps liquidating,however there r more worries that we may be homeless again,however we will reach the prem again.Wish i was old enough to visit this ground

forgotten football grounds? No one will ever forget highfield rd!!!!

Correct we should have never left I grew up at Highfield Road I loved it

Very informative I actually enjoyed this video. Very well put together. Any chance you do a future video about middlesbroughs ayrsome Park

Still remains one of my favourite ever away grounds. Seems one way or another Coventry fans have been constantly screwed over.

My first soccer game that I witnessed in England was in Sept 1975 between Coventry City and Burnley which Burnley won and it was at Highfield Road.

Fancy spending 7 million on the stadium in the 90s when they knew they planned to move away (wrongly) - just total poor management of money and resources

I visited high field road in October 1993 for a match against Southampton

Played at highfield road for cov school boys. Some great memories

I had 2 seasons tickets around 2000 2001 when thy first went down to the championship it felt like there was much more of a presence there compared to ricoh

I went there a few times with Charlton and always thought it was a cracking day out. Proper football ground, Coventry City should never have left. Look at the problems they have had since. Playing home games at Northampton and Birmingham can't have been good. I can understand that because during the 1980's Charlton had to leave The Valley for 7 years. We played home games at Selhurst Park and Upton Park before returning home. I wish the Sky Blues all the best for the future and remember their fans protesting alongside ours against both of our crap owners.

Very interesting. I’m glad to say that Craven Cottage isn’t likely to be featured in the near future - although we got close a few years back! Amazing accent - where are you from? Kind of Geordie mixed with Scouse?

Loved this ground, should never of left it

In our Coventry home We speek with an accent exceedingly Rare If you want a cathedral we got one to Spare In our Coventry home!

Watford 🐝 🇧🇪 were talking about moving to a new stadium a couple of years ago with a capacity ofcirca 33,000 .Thank 😊 God they shelved the plans.They are planning to increase the capacity to circa 30,000 eventually if we ever get promoted again and manage to stay more than one season in the Premier league lol.

SBA

Should never have left Highfield Rd, at least not until they had a full plan in place whereby they would actually own their new stadium and the commercial developments around the site so they would profit from the income generated. Instead they somehow messed up the deal to partner with Tesco, so they didn't have the money to fund the stadium themselves and so the council owned it, they rented it, none of the income went to the club and they are where they are now. At least if they had stayed at Highfield Rd they would still have their own stadium until they could have secured funding to build a new stadium that they would own themselves.

That plaque has long disappeared

Your right we should never have left highfield road,no atmosphere at the CBS Arena but we will be back in the Premier league one day pusb

Bob Wesson was in goal.

PUSB!

It's were Nottingham Forest won the league title and as a Forest fan i was lucky to be there

Good video mate, although if you were looking for ways to improve I'd suggest just doing a second take for your fluffs.

The new ground is good but it doesn't have that feeling of being part of the city, part of the community as Highfield road.

Love the photos of spectators............. no Darkies in it !!

Should of just stayed there,there was nothing wrong with the stadium.

Hello sir and May I call you mr HOF as I’ve been enjoying your videos and as for CCFC as a Chelsea fc fan I’ve visited HR on 3 or 4 occasions in the late 1970s and latter 1980s to the early 1990s and remember the ground very well for its unique early modern design and lively atmosphere and it’s urban location and although the Richo is a neat modern stadium it’s very bland in design and set away from the community so May I suggest CCFC move into town and design and build a retro version of a modern stadium that will have endearing qualities but of course that depends on the club owners hey also I’d assume that you’re a Middlesbrough fan as you come from there as I’m aware they’re called the smoggies due to the heavy industry there but I’ve gone one further by calling them the S Moggies or Scarlett Moggies why because of the shade of read that is their kit and club crest and the big cat that’s on the crest anyway thanks for reading my response message and I’ve just subscribed so take care and cheerio

What is your accent mate?

Moving from a stadium with tons of character into a soulless pile of misery. When will us fans learn? Luton probably need to move but I’d even argue against that. With the tools we now have space isn’t such a big issue anymore. I’d rather refurbish Kenilworth Road. Most fans who have moved into new stadiums wish they’d stayed put. Sunderland. Middlesbrough. West Ham. Arsenal. Doncaster. Wigan. Northampton. Derby. Man City. Southampton. Plymouth are in the process of demolishing the only beautiful stand they have left to replace it with the same stands as the other three sides. Spurs fans have been duped. Their new stadium is identical to Arsenals stadium except they made one stand a single tier. Colours and roofs are the only differences between these dull stadiums. As for Everton? Goodison Park is the loudest atmosphere I’ve ever experienced with Luton. They did win the league and collected their trophy that day though. But their new stadium is boring.