Colin Peel

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

Ahead of Saturday's derby between @SuttonUtdFC and @SCTFC here is an action pic from around 1985, when Town's Reserves met SUFC in the B'ham Junior Cup (I think) at Coles Lane. Only player I can identify is Mark Whitehouse (jumping). Think Town won 4-2 (not sure).

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

Groundtastic 31-36 for sale, plus several issues of Stadionwelt, rare football ground books, and an original contract from 1925. Many are post-free. More later this week. https://t.co/aoxgaOx6uS

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@boshobinna @tobyasky It's a paradigm shift, for sure. I've seen Brentford play in the third and fourth tiers, that's their 'natural' historic level, but the TV money dwarfs matchday income. I think even Wolves would have reached Conf League Final this year if they were in it.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@boshobinna @tobyasky They try, but their domestic markets are not as 'mad for it' as the UK is for top flight football. In short, UK consumers value the product more highly, and demonstrate this by actually paying for it either themselves or through pubs/clubs.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@boshobinna @tobyasky I think it stems from extracting the full value for TV rights, especially at home but also abroad. Value way more than France, for example. And then the TV money is distributed more evenly, making the league more competitive overall compared to, say, Spain or Germany.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@JackJmatt @BBCNews Strike pay probably, which is not taxable.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@MikeFloate @redcartownfc @NorthernHop2026 I visited just over 20 years ago and this was the only pic I took, as the ground was undeveloped. Nice to see they seem to have the same goalposts!

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@groundhopper23 Looks like a braw bricht moonlicht nicht, as I believe they say in Hutchison.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@paul_gtastic Crewe (pic by Bob Lilliman 1978)

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@steveb2307 @CheshireFL @WiganTownFC @Sandbachtownfc Saw a game here in 1986 - College FC were in the North Lancs Lge. The pitch (now the 3G) was surrounded by a small cinder track and there was a block of 50 open seats on the west side.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@PeterRMiles Did you go up the mound visible behind the covers? Always wondered what the view is like.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@groundhopper23 Nice to see this one with an upgrade. Here it is looking a bit 'tired' back in 2003.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

Rare Aston Villa shirts on sale from The Football Cabin (A51 in Lichfield, WS13 8JA, inside Plant Pot Centre) this weekend #AVFC

Retro 1960s shirt in heavy cotton, size L
The excellent 1997/98 away shirt, size 46-48 (Large, essentially). Both are (were) official product.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@paul_gtastic Originally the sports ground of (Joseph) Lucas Industries. Their annual Sports Day in 1967 drew an estimated 30,000 visitors. The football team of Lucas in Birmingham only played in the Works AFA.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@steveb2307 This pitch used to be the cricket field of Palethorpe's, the sausage maker. The adjacent primary school was built over their football pitch. There was even an open-air swimming pool. In Tipton!

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@paul_gtastic If this is the design they chose, I'd love to see the ones they rejected.

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@paul_gtastic There used to be 11 clay pits and brickworks within a half-mile radius of St Andrews but lots of cities needed nearby brickworks because the UK was essentially made of brick. Anyway, I instinctively dislike the design, it looks so heavy. Even steampunk?

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@PeterRMiles The ground in 2007

[Colin Peel @Wobs67]

@boundarymike @paul_gtastic It was on the east side of Henderson Ave at the junction with Doncaster Rd, so quite a prominent position. When first used it was surrounded by farmland and the town grew up around it.