Venue

Ground Capacity

Record Attendance

At Central Avenue: 8741 v Chesterfield F.A.Cup 2nd Round 1925 

You must have come in a taxi

From Nottingham - take the A60 (Mansfield) onto the A611 (Hucknall) for 5 miles. Prior to the junction with Nottm Rd, Hucknall, continue on the A611 by pass for a further 1.5 miles. At the roundabout turn left. Entrance to the ground is 100 yards on the right.

From Mansfield - Head south  on the A60. After 6.8 miles turn right onto the B6011 (Papplewick). Continue through Linby, over a roundabout and over the railway line for 2.8 miles onto a roundabout. Turn left onto the A611. Go straight over the next roundabout, and after 0.6 miles, turn right at the next roundabout onto Watnall Road. Entrance to the ground is 100 yards on the right.

  TrentBarton Hucknall Connect - a circular route from Hucknall  train station around Hucknall town passes the ground.

Hucknall - There is a rail link between Nottingham and Mansfield called the 'Robin Hood Line'. The ground is about a 20 minute to walk from the station. Leave the station and walk up Station Road to the traffic lights (cinema/bingo club on far corner), turn right to the next lights, turn left and this is Watnall Road. Keep walking straight on over the roundabout. Entrance to the ground is 100 yards on the right.

  Hucknall - Regular trams terminate here from Nottingham. Follow the instructions from the train station to get to the ground, or hop on the Hucknall Connect.

For a map of the location, Click here.

My garden shed is bigger than this

Founded in 1861, Worksop are not only the oldest Club in Nottinghamshire, but can also claim to be the fourth oldest football club in the world, behind Cambridge University A.F.C. (1856), Sheffield F.C. (1857) and Hallam F.C. (1860). We know the foundation year to be correct as records show that the Club celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 1911. The first records referring to their existence were dated 1873 at a time when home fixtures were played at Netherton Road, an area now occupied by the Holy Family RC School. 

Playing in green and white striped shirts the team was a mixture of professional and amateurs. With the formation of the Sheffield Association League it became clear that a new ground of a more central situation was a priority. This was resolved in 1891 with the helpful assistance of  the Duke of Newcastle, who had decided to sell his Worksop Manor Estate. The Club intervened on a deal with the future proprietor of Nottingham's Home Brewery, and were successfully granted a lease on a portion of the land in the centre of the town bounded by Hardy Street, Allen Street, King Street and the River Ryton. Known as Bridge Meadow, the ground was enclosed by a wooden fence with the River Ryton as its northern boundary. Football matches were played on the eastern side, the western portion was reserved for cricket and there was also a quarter mile cycle track. The creation of this sporting oasis led to Whit Monday becoming Worksop�s annual sport day. In granting a lease,  the Duke of Newcastle also donated �50.00 to assist in developing the ground. As a result, the pavilions which had been on Netherton Road were transferred onto the new site. So proud were the Club's committee of their new home that they considered that the only ground to better it in Nottinghamshire was the Trent Bridge cricket ground. Fittingly during this period, given the Duke of Newcastle's generosity, Worksop changed their playing strip to Black and White stripes.

Soon after, with the lease on Bridge Meadow neared its end and the proximity of the River Ryton prompted fears of flooding, the freehold rights to new land between the River Ryton and the Chesterfield Canal were acquired by the Club's President, in exchange for the Bridge Meadow land. As part of the exchange a guarantee was made to build a wooden bridge that would give access to Central Avenue. Mortgage payments on Central Avenue were taken over, and as a result the Worksop FC finally had a permanent home, albeit as a tenant of the Worksop Cricket and Sports Club. The first job for the Club was to build changing rooms, which they did in the north-east corner, where the Riverside pub now stands. The changing facilities were basic and included a very large communal bath.

In the years prior to and after the Great War, Sheffield Association and Midland League football was attracting massive interest.  The 1907/08 season saw the Club, then affectionately know as the Donvans after the Duke of Portland�s racehorse, drawn away against Chelsea in the F.A. Cup 1st Round. Worksop lost 9-1, with the gates were closed with 70,184 fans inside the ground, the largest crowd ever to watch Worksop play. 

The Club gained their first success in 1922 winning the Midland League for the first time, remaining unbeaten all season at Central Avenue. They also reached the 1st round of the F.A.Cup again, this time going down to Southend United by the more respectable margin of 2-1.  

The 1922/23 season can be viewed as a missed opportunity. Worksop gained national recognition by holding Tottenham Hotspur to a 0-0 draw in the F.A. Cup 1st Round at the Division One  side�s White Hart Lane ground in front of 23,929. Records show that they almost scored a shock winner in the last minute. In goal for Worksop was Hodthorpe born Jack Brown, who went on to play for England. Worksop's supporters sensed a major scalp at Central Avenue. However, a decision was taken by the Club's directors to play the replay two days later, again at White Hart Lane. The official reason given for this was that other local sides were playing F.A. Cup matches back in Nottinghamshire. However, suspicion exists that the real reason was that the Directors were conscious that another big pay day could help relieve the remaining unpaid mortgage on the ground and other hefty debts,  Worksop lost 9-0 in front of 23,122 and took home �1,050.00. It was a decision which would prove unwise, as the Worksop supporters showed their disappointment by staying away from matches. As a result that the Club�s debts mounted and their Central Avenue ground fell into a state of disrepair. A stand had been built on the Netherholme side of the ground, but the roof blew off several times in storms. Additionally, the changing rooms became unusable and  teams had to prepare for matches at several town centre inns, including The King Edward VII, King�s Head and Marquis of Granby. Despite the decline, the club bucked the trend somewhat  in the F.A.Cup in 1925, beating Coventry City 1-0 in the 1st Round, before going down 2-1 to Chesterfield in front of a club record 8,741 at Central Avenue.

The Club had to wait until the 1955/56 season for an upturn in their fortunes. This was the season that the Club disposed of league club Bradford City 2-1 in the F.A. Cup 2nd Round, only to lose to Swindon Town in the next round. In the 1965/66 season, they again won the Midland League, scoring an incredible 155 goals in 42 games. They also added the Sheffield Senior Cup, beating Frickley Town 2-1 in front of 2,041 at Central Avenue. 

The highlight of the seventies came when Worksop, now nicknamed the Tigers, again reached the FA Cup First Round, this time going down to Barnsley 5-1. The decade also saw the need for extensive ground improvements. With the changing rooms in a poor condition, and with three-quarters of the popular stand once again missing, it was arranged for these facilities to be rebuilt on the halfway line. The derelict changing rooms made way for the Tigers Club (now the Riverside pub), floodlights were acquired for the playing area, and a license to sell drink was obtained.

The 1980�s was to see the end of an era when the Tigers lost their Central Avenue ground. Now owned by the Local Authority, it was sold on to extend a shopping car park. The Supporters Club took over the ailing club and guided it through three difficult seasons, ground-sharing 20 miles away at Gainsborough Trinity. 

The club moved to Sandy Lane in 1992 which was a former sand quarry landfill site and Council recreation ground. Because of the site�s history, nearly two years of ground work were necessary before the grandstand and Clubhouse could be erected and the new pitch laid. An ideal pitch for a superstar winger to grace. In the 2000/01 season the club signed such a man, former England legend Chris Waddle.  His impact both on and off the pitch saw another upturn in the club's fortunes. For the first time since 1955/56, they reached the First Round of the FA Cup away at Bournemouth, going down 3-0. Additionally, the Tigers were roared on to victory in the Sheffield Senior Cup beating Doncaster Rovers at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium. Financial difficulties led to the club's eviction from Sandy Lane in 2008. As a result, the club took up residency some 25 miles away at Watnall Road, home to Hucknall Town Football Club.

On the entrance path to Watnall Road the first thing you notice is that everything is decked out in yellow, there is no escape whichever direction you turn at Watnall Road. Once you've stuck your shades on, you notice that the old shed of a Social Club has been replaced by a spanking new facility, aptly named 'The Talk of the Town'. This is much more than a place just for a half time cup of tea, offering drinks, food and entertainment throughout the week. It also has extensive catering facilities for those wishing to hire out the splendid Byron Suite, named after Hucknall's famous son, Lord Byron. Favourite features include the numerous oppositions pendants hanging above the bar and the trophy cabinet, which now houses an F.A. Trophy Runners-Up Plaque, along with other various pieces of memorabilia.

Six tall and modern floodlights tower over the ground, each high standard holding three clusters each. all appear to have avoided a splattering of custard yellow at the time of going to press.

The traditional home end, the Doff Portland Stand, is a corrugated terrace occupying the majority of the Social Club end of the ground. The stand is set back a couple of meters from the pitchside barrier, enabling more room for level standing leading back to a three step terrace. The Stand is fully covered and held aloft by black nine steel beams, which can hamper the view a little on busier days. In recent years, an extra, slightly higher section has been added onto the end. The new section matches more closely he height of the Main Stand. to the rear of the added section are two large flag poles, one of which is guaranteed to be proudly flagging a yellow flag on matchdays. Refreshments can be sort  next to this part of the stand, from a burger van if The Talk of the Town is a bit busy.

At the opposite end of the ground is a simple four step open terraced area with a line of yellow crash barriers installed. Behind the steps is a 14-foot sloped graveled area, ripe for development. This end  backs onto a housing estate, an ideal location for Town supporters to set up home one would think. A high netting structure, held aloft by yellow posts, has been placed behind the stand to try and prevent any  wayward shots landing in these 'free view' premises. A burger van is also available for refreshments if the trek over the other side of the ground is a little too much.

To the south of the ground is the Main Stand, the only area to offer seated accommodation. Fully covered, the stand running the length of the pitch. Two thirds (running from left-to-right) now house approximately 480 seats bolted onto the old four step terrace. There are four different blocks of coloured plastic seats, black, red, yellow, then red again. All have been added in stages, though it is clear that the yellow seats on the half way line are for the V.I.P.'s due to their colour and location. If at all possible, avoid the back row, as the view is slightly restricted. The remaining terraced area to the right of the stand is the traditional away supporters section, and can be segregated if needs be.

Very little has changed in recent years for spectators on the north side of the ground, in that the area offers open level standing to the backdrop of a tall wooden fence. Thankfully this means that the old dug outs are still neatly incorporated into the pitchside barrier which stands at four foot high, making it the least ideal spot for smaller children, unless they've brought a crate with them. The dug outs are tall enough to stand up in, and the home & away dug outs are divided by the customary yellow painted pitchside barrier. In the north east corner is the Club's impressive souvenir shop and changing rooms, covered in, you've guessed it, yellow paint.

If the truth be told, not many of Nottinghamshire's Club's grounds featured on this website offer definitive ground capacities, as they have never had their estimates tested. Watnall Road is an exception. Some analysts have put the capacity as anything up to 5000. This is not the case. When they sold out for their F.A. Trophy Semi-Final in 2005, the ground capacity was set at 1900 by Safety Officials. The fact this left plenty of standing room in the ground demonstrates that there is still plenty of room for safety improvements.

Future Plans

Following their eviction from Sandy Lane in 2008, the future remains unclear. There have been several proposals tabled in recent years to relocate and set up a new, all purpose stadium. However, since Tigers went into administration with a  �300,000+ debt in 2005,  survival has been the priority. Things had been looking a little more rosy. In the summer of 2006, in order to meet Conference requirements, Worksop moved the two prefabricated stands previously awkwardly placed behind the dugouts. This was the first of a number of development plans that the Tigers have in mind. In 2007, they intended to add a swimming pool, disabled facilities and a sports injury clinic to their Sandy Lane Ground. However, with the Tigers now homelsss, all of these plans are in the balance.

Additional Photography

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