Hyde Road Stadium

berryblue said:
There was a football ground there, could see some large double iron gates with MCFC on them. "Manchester Central Football Club". Removed about 20 odd years ago.
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Manchester Central were a bigger club than United back then – City apparently voted against their election to the League to help out United... another example of us helping them out!
 
dario2739 said:
Just found this interesting drawing of Galloways by an ex employee that shows the Ground... also highlighted a bit where he mentions the main stand collapsing!?!
Not sure if Gary James can shed any light on that?

View attachment 73230
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That will be referring to the 1920 fire.

Lots to say on Hyde Road, Manchester Central and the other grounds. Happy to post images, story etc. but give me a bit of time as it‘s a bit difficult at the moment.

I have previously written this about Central though:

www.wsc.co.uk

Alternative Manchester

Seventy-five years ago, City and United clubbed together to strangle a new rival. Gary James explains how football history in the north-west could hav
www.wsc.co.uk www.wsc.co.uk
 
The episode after the 1920 fire is very revealing IMO about the true nature of our out-of-town rivals. Just after WW1, they were desperate to get us to go and share Old Trafford, given their own meagre gates in their new home. Suddenly, the grandstand at Hyde Road burned down and they started demanding extortionate rent because they thought we'd be desperate. Thankfully, we told them to do one and patched up Hyde Road instead.
 
berryblue said:
There was a football ground there, could see some large double iron gates with MCFC on them. "Manchester Central Football Club". Removed about 20 odd years ago.
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Manchester Central played at the speedway stadium from 1928 to 1932
The speedway stadium is in the foreground with the dog track stadium at the top of the picture - both facing north - south
FB_IMG_1680013382156.jpg
 
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Mad Eyed Screamer said:
Manchester Central played at the speedway stadium from 1928 to 1932
The speedway stadium is in the foreground with the dog track stadium at the top of the picture.
View attachment 73336
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The history of all this is quite interesting, at least to a geek like me. After Central disbanded, RL side Broughton Rangers came across from Salford to play at the speedway stadium in 1933 and were renamed Belle Vue Rangers. They went bust in 1955. Until 1933, they'd played at The Cliff, which was bought by the rags as a training ground in 1938.

The original speedway stadium closed in 1987 and, from 1988 to 2015, Belle Vue Aces then used the greyhound stadium as their home track before moving to the new National Speedway Stadium on Kirkmanshulme Lane for the 2016 season. As I understand, that's next to the greyhound stadium, which closed in 2020 and is now earmarked for housing.
 
Gary James said:
That will be referring to the 1920 fire.

Lots to say on Hyde Road, Manchester Central and the other grounds. Happy to post images, story etc. but give me a bit of time as it‘s a bit difficult at the moment.

I have previously written this about Central though:

www.wsc.co.uk

Alternative Manchester

Seventy-five years ago, City and United clubbed together to strangle a new rival. Gary James explains how football history in the north-west could hav
www.wsc.co.uk www.wsc.co.uk
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Always good to get your input Gary
 
petrusha said:
The history of all this is quite interesting, at least to a geek like me. After Central disbanded, RL side Broughton Rangers came across from Salford to play at the speedway stadium in 1933 and were renamed Belle Vue Rangers. They went bust in 1955. Until 1933, they'd played at The Cliff, which was bought by the rags as a training ground in 1938.

The original speedway stadium closed in 1987 and, from 1988 to 2015, Belle Vue Aces then used the greyhound stadium as their home track before moving to the new National Speedway Stadium on Kirkmanshulme Lane for the 2016 season. As I understand, that's next to the greyhound stadium, which closed in 2020 and is now earmarked for housing.
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Yes! (From a fellow geek!)

The Aces started out at the dog track in 1926 before moving to the speedway stadium in 1928, therefore returning to the greyhound track in 87.

Also - prior to the greyhound track opening in 1926, that site was one of the sites City looked at to relocate to, opting for Maine Road instead.

The site of the speedway stadium had been an athletics ground (opening in 1886) and a game between Ardwick and Newton Heath took place there in 1889. It was a benefit game.for the families of 23 miners killed in a mining disaster at the nearby Hyde Road collery.
The game was an evening game played using floodlights!
 
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Would be kind of nice if there could be some sort of item on it on the OS, wouldn't it? Given the resources they put into other things, I don't think it would be too much to ask.
Anybody on here got any clout whatsoever with them?
No, thought not…
 
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What a wonderful thread! - I have really enjoyed reading everyone's contributions.

I think the club might be interested in somehow marking the site with a plaque as the interest in City's history was demonstrated a couple of years ago when Sheikh Mansour purchased the old FA Cup trophy which was the first pot we won iirc.

A few questions spring to mind. Was Hyde Road unique in having a railway track between one of the stands and the pitch? Does anyone have links to photos or videos showing the ground? - I would love to see some trucks being shunted about whilst the ground has fans in it.
 
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