Sealand Road
Encyclopedia
Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club
(until 1983 known as Chester Football Club) from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road. It was much-loved by supporters of Chester, who spend two years ground sharing with Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose before the completion of the Deva Stadium in 1992.
. Over the years The Stadium continued to take shape, with improved cover stands helping Chester win election to the Football League in 1931. The stadium was one of the first to have a public address system, with the matchday announcer regularly saying "Hello Spion Kop, Hello Albert". From 1990-2000, Chester had a fanzine called Hello Albert. Albert was believed to be a long-standing supporter.
Floodlights were installed in 1960, with the towering 126 ft (38.4 m) lights being used for the first time in a 2-2 Football League Cup
draw with Leyton Orient
in October 1960. They were officially opened later in the season with a prestigious friendly against Manchester United.
In 1979, the look of Sealand Road was significantly changed when a new grandstand was opened, replacing the previous small stand. Towering over the rest of the ground, the 2,874 capacity stand provided improved viewing facilities but was criticised for reducing atmosphere levels as it was detached from the rest of The Stadium. The paddock area in front was not open to spectators. In the final years, the other three sides were taken up with the open Kop End (away) and covered Sealand End (home) and Popular Side (half for home fans, half for away fans).
Chester suffered a major blow in August 1989, when it was announced the club had been refused a safety certificate for its away standing areas. This reduced the capacity of The Stadium to below 6,000.
This was to be Chester's last season at Sealand Road, as they were controversially moved out by their new owners and left homeless at Moss Rose
, Macclesfield
for the next two seasons. The decision to leave Sealand Road was taken at short notice, on 20 March 1990, when an Edinburgh
based consortium took the club over and announced its intention to redevelop Sealand Road as a supermarket, with a ground-share to take place elsewhere until a new stadium in the city was completed. The ground-sharing deal with Macclesfield Town
was not completed until 12 July, ending fears that the club could miss the deadline to find a stadium and end up being expelled from the Football League.
They returned to the city at the Deva Stadium in August 1992. They played there until they went out of business in March 2010, after which the ground was taken over by a reformed Chester club
.
, when they reached the League Cup semi-finals. League champions Leeds United were beaten 3-0 at Sealand Road in round four, with Newcastle United losing a replay on the same ground in the quarter-finals. This led to Sealand Road being the unlikely venue for a League Cup semi-final on 15 January 1975, when Chester drew 2-2 with Aston Villa in the first-leg in front of 19,000.
The record attendance at Sealand Road was set in an FA Cup
third round replay tie against Chelsea on 16 January 1952. Watched by 20,378, Chelsea won 3-2 in extra-time.
The first Football League match at The Stadium saw Chester thrash Wigan Borough 4-0 on 29 August 1931, with Frank Cresswell scoring the first goal. Unfortunately the result was later deleted from the records as Borough resigned from the league in October, meaning the first result to stand is a 3-1 win over Halifax Town the following month.
The final Football League match was a 2-0 home win over Rotherham United
on 28 April 1990, with Graham Abel scoring the final goal in front of 3,827. One of Rotherham's players that afternoon was Bobby Williamson
, who is a former Chester manager. On 3 May 1990 Chester Reserves draw 3-3 with Tranmere Rovers
in The Midland Senior League in The Stadium's final ever game.
The Stadium hosted Welsh Cup
finals, including when Chester beat Wrexham
in 1933, and was also often used for local cup finals and minor internationals. In 1935, The Stadium famously staged an England amateur trial match involving two referees - an experiment that was largely not considered to be a success.
Chester's record Football League victory was registered at Sealand Road in February 1936, when Chester hammered York City 12-0.
The Stadium was the venue for the Football League debut of Ian Rush
, when Chester drew 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday in April 1979.
The Stadium was finally demolished in 1993 and the site now houses the Sealand Road shopping park which has nearly 740000 square feet (68,748.2 m²) of retail space. The stand roof was soon in use by Port Vale
for their away enclosure. Chester's new Deva Stadium home is a short walk away along Bumpers Lane.
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
(until 1983 known as Chester Football Club) from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road. It was much-loved by supporters of Chester, who spend two years ground sharing with Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose before the completion of the Deva Stadium in 1992.
Moving In and Out
Chester moved to Sealand Road from Whipcord Lane in 1906, thanks to the help of local MP Alfred Mond. The first game was on 15 December 1906, when Chester beat Bangor City 4-0 in The CombinationThe Combination
The Combination was a minor league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across the Northern England and the Midlands, and was wound up before completion. The second was created for the 1890–91 season, but disbanded...
. Over the years The Stadium continued to take shape, with improved cover stands helping Chester win election to the Football League in 1931. The stadium was one of the first to have a public address system, with the matchday announcer regularly saying "Hello Spion Kop, Hello Albert". From 1990-2000, Chester had a fanzine called Hello Albert. Albert was believed to be a long-standing supporter.
Floodlights were installed in 1960, with the towering 126 ft (38.4 m) lights being used for the first time in a 2-2 Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
draw with Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
in October 1960. They were officially opened later in the season with a prestigious friendly against Manchester United.
In 1979, the look of Sealand Road was significantly changed when a new grandstand was opened, replacing the previous small stand. Towering over the rest of the ground, the 2,874 capacity stand provided improved viewing facilities but was criticised for reducing atmosphere levels as it was detached from the rest of The Stadium. The paddock area in front was not open to spectators. In the final years, the other three sides were taken up with the open Kop End (away) and covered Sealand End (home) and Popular Side (half for home fans, half for away fans).
Chester suffered a major blow in August 1989, when it was announced the club had been refused a safety certificate for its away standing areas. This reduced the capacity of The Stadium to below 6,000.
This was to be Chester's last season at Sealand Road, as they were controversially moved out by their new owners and left homeless at Moss Rose
Moss Rose
Moss Rose is a multi-purpose stadium in Macclesfield, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Macclesfield Town F.C....
, Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
for the next two seasons. The decision to leave Sealand Road was taken at short notice, on 20 March 1990, when an Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
based consortium took the club over and announced its intention to redevelop Sealand Road as a supermarket, with a ground-share to take place elsewhere until a new stadium in the city was completed. The ground-sharing deal with Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
was not completed until 12 July, ending fears that the club could miss the deadline to find a stadium and end up being expelled from the Football League.
They returned to the city at the Deva Stadium in August 1992. They played there until they went out of business in March 2010, after which the ground was taken over by a reformed Chester club
Chester F.C. (2010)
Chester Football Club is a supporter-owned English football club based in Chester. The club was founded in 2010 following the winding-up of Chester City F.C.. The club plays its home games at the Deva Stadium, and for its inaugural season played in the Northern Premier League Division One North...
.
Memorable Games
Although Chester have never played in the top two divisions of the English system, Sealand Road housed several prestigious games. The most memorable were in the 1974-75 season1974-75 in English football
The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and...
, when they reached the League Cup semi-finals. League champions Leeds United were beaten 3-0 at Sealand Road in round four, with Newcastle United losing a replay on the same ground in the quarter-finals. This led to Sealand Road being the unlikely venue for a League Cup semi-final on 15 January 1975, when Chester drew 2-2 with Aston Villa in the first-leg in front of 19,000.
The record attendance at Sealand Road was set in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third round replay tie against Chelsea on 16 January 1952. Watched by 20,378, Chelsea won 3-2 in extra-time.
The first Football League match at The Stadium saw Chester thrash Wigan Borough 4-0 on 29 August 1931, with Frank Cresswell scoring the first goal. Unfortunately the result was later deleted from the records as Borough resigned from the league in October, meaning the first result to stand is a 3-1 win over Halifax Town the following month.
The final Football League match was a 2-0 home win over Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
on 28 April 1990, with Graham Abel scoring the final goal in front of 3,827. One of Rotherham's players that afternoon was Bobby Williamson
Bobby Williamson
Robert "Bobby" Williamson is a former association footballer who is currently manager of the Uganda national football team. He previously managed Kilmarnock and Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League and Plymouth Argyle in the Football League Championship.-Playing career:As a player, Williamson...
, who is a former Chester manager. On 3 May 1990 Chester Reserves draw 3-3 with Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
in The Midland Senior League in The Stadium's final ever game.
The Stadium hosted Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
finals, including when Chester beat Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
in 1933, and was also often used for local cup finals and minor internationals. In 1935, The Stadium famously staged an England amateur trial match involving two referees - an experiment that was largely not considered to be a success.
Chester's record Football League victory was registered at Sealand Road in February 1936, when Chester hammered York City 12-0.
The Stadium was the venue for the Football League debut of Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
, when Chester drew 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday in April 1979.
Today
The Stadium remained in place for nearly three years after Chester moved out, much to the frustration of supporters who were being forced to travel across Cheshire to watch home games at Macclesfield until the Deva Stadium was opened in August 1992. Unfortunately it was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair during this period, with grass growing to incredible height.The Stadium was finally demolished in 1993 and the site now houses the Sealand Road shopping park which has nearly 740000 square feet (68,748.2 m²) of retail space. The stand roof was soon in use by Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
for their away enclosure. Chester's new Deva Stadium home is a short walk away along Bumpers Lane.