Notts Rangers and Meadow Lane

[upthemaggies]

There's a reference to a game taking place between St. Matthias's and All Saints "on the Meadow Lane ground", reported on Monday 8th February 1886. St Matthias was a church in Sneinton. All Saints also played a home game there soon afterwards.

First reference to Rangers playing there that I can see is Thursday 07 October 1886. A few days later... "Clay started the ball for the Meadow-lane end, and immediately the Rangers were conceded corner" and the Monday report "This match was played on Saturday on the Rangers' new ground, in Meadow-lane, before thin attendance of spectators." Another reference in 1887 says " The visitors won the toss, and the ball was set rolling 3.30, the home team kicking towards Trent goal" so from that we get the idea that the pitch was not parallel to the road and, as the other goal is decribed as the "Meadow Lane end" it seems safe to presume that the ground was on the eastern side of the road.

Rangers' demise in May 1890 coincided with Forest moving to the Town Ground in October 1890, which was close to Meadow Lane in the Meadows, so it's possible that the majority of the Rangers support (which was over 1,000 for one of their final games) then began watching the reds rather than Notts, who would presumably have been considered as more of a rival club, being then based at Trent Bridge. You've literally got Notts as the West Bridgford club and Fword as the Meadows outfit for a decade. All of this moving about did nothing to encourage clearly defined rival catchment areas, which hasn't helped Notts in the long run.

After May 1890, the ground continues to be in use, Sneinton Institute Wanderers v St. Andrews Institute in January 1891, a few months later "Radcliffe and Trent Wanderers meet Good Friday Meadow-lane Ground", also reference to Grove Swift playing there but mostly Sneinton Institute. Last reference to the ground I can see is 1893.

[LilCrazyKim]

A Meadow Lane end and Trent end seems to imply it was on the opposite side of the road from the current ground seeing as our Meadow Lane end faces the Trent.

It's fascinating reading about the other clubs that sprang up in the city in the early days. It's interesting that Nottingham seems to be the only city where the first two clubs ended up becoming the main sides. Derby and Lincoln also had clubs by the late 1860s, but they were supplanted by much later arrivals (Derby County and Lincoln City were both 1884). Even in Sheffield, United were established later (1889).

[SwalePie]

What a fascinating delve into Nottingham footie history this thread is. Great research and even some new discoveries coming to light here. More of the same please folks

[feeb]

I agree.

When Notts decided on the location of their new ground in 1910, it was described as "a piece of Corporation waste land that lay off London Road between Meadow Lane and the Cattle Market, which served as a snow-tip in wintry weather."

Surely if it was the same place, it would have been described as "Notts Rangers old ground", especially as Notts had connections with the defunct club.

Apart from one of the Magpies players being partly responsible for the demise of the Rangers, Notts signed several players from them including two England internationals and members of Notts' cup winning team - goalkeeper George Toone and left-half Alfred Shelton.

Its a few years back now that i was delving into this subject, for a book on local footballers, and the above quoted, comes close to the chunk i remember.
however i do remember reading that Notts Rangers used to playwhere Notts County's meadow lane ground is,
before they purchased the land and moved across in 1910.
it also continued, that Notts Rangers used this venue infrequently from the turn of the century, their last game being recorded in 1903 , and in 1905 it was reported to be being abandoned and used as a tipping ground , i assumed for rubbish.
(comparisons with some of the teams we have fielded in the past should be avoided at this point)

[upthemaggies]

Just been homing in on Spring 1910 with a series of searches using different words. Wednesday 20 April 1910 a fixture listed at the Meadow Lane ground between Sneinton and "The Postmen".

On Friday 29th July 1910, the Nottingham Evening Post refers to Notts new stadium as "work at the London-road Ground" and back in January as " near Meadow-lane", so it would seem they were making a distinction between two different grounds at the time.