ATHLETICS, rugby union, tennis, bowls and even cycling are among the sports to have graced Penrith’s Southend Road playing fields over the past century.

But it is football that has dominated the sports scene in that area during that time and, specifically, the fortunes of Penrith Football Club.

Car parks and other development have see many of the playing fields lost to the town, and the club’s stadium is the last remanant of grass roots sport in that area.

Penrith FC is soon to relocate to an out of town site at Frenchfield as the ground is swallowed up by a multi-million pound retail and housing development.

It has been granted something of a stay of execution, with work on the development having been stopped due to a lack of finance. But its eventual loss will be mourned by many football enthusiasts.

Here, Penrith Football Club committee members, officials, supporters and former players share their memories of the stadium:

John Hurst: “A great day in the long history of the football field, which drew a massive crowd, brightened the war years of 1939-1945. A team of soldiers, representing a unit based in Lowther Park, used the Penrith ground for home matches and the highlight was a visit by Blackpool RAF, a side made up of top professionals, notably the famous right winger Stanley Matthews, of Stoke City and England.

This promised to be a showpiece occasion. Other stars were to include Stanley Mortensen, Jock Dodds and Bill Nicholson (Tottenham Hotspur), and the Lowther Park team also had a top player in Johnny Morris, an inside forward who was on the “books” of Manchester United and became a “Busby babe” in the post-war team at Old Trafford.

A group of boys attending Penrith Grammar School, myself included, decided that to guarantee a front-row spot in the crowd we should skip an afternoon class, ahead of the early evening kick-off.

This was a wise move as people travelled from miles around to see the famous Matthews. Army personnel ringed the ground with military vehicles to provide mini-grandstands for soldiers, looking over the heads of standing spectators.

Stan Matthews did not disappoint with his ability to dribble past defenders and cross the ball inside the goalmouth for his inside men, notable Mortensen, to pounce. Seeing his skills at close range was a rare treat.”

George Lancaster, now aged 83, as at one time employed at town grocery shop J. & J. Graham. He worked on Saturdays, which was not condusive to watching Penrith FC, but admitted he used to sneak away from his place of work to watch the games.

For years, Jack Varty was the matchday announcer at Southend Road. “They asked me if I would take it on, which I did and I have always enjoyed it,” said George, who has been a familar voice at the ground for around 15 years.

The grandstand, which was a popular venue for courting couples during the evening, was occupied by such characters as Daddy Nicholson, who always brought with him a flask of coffee. “We used to hang around for the dregs in a can,” George recalled. “Around the pitch there was a big wire rope, and there used to be two brothers who played, Arthur and John Bell. They were very good defenders and never used to take any prisoners.

“I remember the players used to come from the Horse and Farrier next door. They used to get changed there and you could hear the clatter of boots coming down the street before kick-off,” he said.

An imminent move for the club away from Southend Road would bring great personal sadness, he admitted. “I will miss the fantastic crack. It will be disappointing and I am just sorry it will be going,” he said.

David Noble, latterly chairman of the club, was brought up in a house at Southend Road and was encouraged to become a supporter by his mother, who helped to run the canteen at the ground.

“At home games I had to crawl on hands and knees past spectators three-deep around the ground to get to watch games from the touchline. The old grandstands were always an attraction for us youngsters living in Southend Road, and many hours were spent looking for dropped coins under the wooden seating. From those early days, Penrith FC was always in my blood,” he said.

Walter Brogden, the current secretary, is another of those who can call truly call Southend Road his sporting home. He was first appointed in that role in June, 1962. However, his first experience of the ground came far earlier than that.

“I was sat there aged 14 years old and watched the first Northern League match against Bishop Auckland it was 1948 and they built the dressing rooms that season,” said Mr. Brogden.

The period that ensued, under manager Alan Ashman’s leadership, was a golden era for supporters. “You will never get a place like Southend Road. There has always been a tremendous atmosphere. The ground will never be as homely as it is in the centre of town.”

A move to the new ground at Frenchfield would be a “bit of a culture shock”, said Mr. Brogden, adding: “It will take some getting over.”

He added that he has treasured his years of involvement with the club and the support given by a host of volunteers, saying: “When you get into it like I have it gives you a lot of pleasure.”

Brian Williams, a former player and three-times manager, says his first memory of Southend Road was when he lived in Brewery Yard, situated where Briggs shoe shop now stands. His grandfather and uncle, Arthur and Billy Douglass, both ex-players, would take him to the ground before it was enclosed.

“The ground was full. I was smitten,” he said. While there were successful cup runs which gave Penrith national headlines and a charity match which attracted Emlyn Hughes and Kevin Keegan to Southend Road, it was work behind the scenes that Mr. Williams said had helped to preserve the club.

“Finance was always a problem but the enthusiasm of volunteers to keep the club afloat was infectious,” he said. “There were many ups and downs. The social club at Southend Road was a popular place for all to be and a Sunday league side was formed comprising local lads who all helped in the running of the club.

“Indeed it was one of the players, Tony Murray, who built the extension to the club with many other tradesmen helping out.

“This has been the story of Southend Road, built by enthusiasts the walls, the stands, the floodlights, the dressing rooms. A big thank-you is due to all, for without them there is no doubt that a new stadium would not be being built at Frenchfield.

“It will be a sad day when Southend Road is a thing of the past. There have been good people, many ups and downs and a lot of hard work to do to make the new stadium at Southend Road work,” he said. “From 1894 until the present day, we are very proud of our history a new day dawns. I am so grateful to have played a very small part in the club’s past and hopefully will help to create new memories at Frenchfield.”

Mr. Williams was manager of Penrith when they embarked on their famous 1981 FA Cup run.

Mike Paterson, a committee member for the past 25 years and supporter for a decade longer, spoke fondly of the famous 1-0 first round victory over Chester in front of 2,700 spectators at Southend Road.

It was a great achievement for them,” said 60-year-old Mr. Paterson, who has run the catering facilities at the ground for more than 10 years. “I remember the crowd that day and the atmosphere it was absolutely tremendous.

John “Doc” Airey and Terry Mulryan were members of one of the club’s most successful ever sides in the early 1960s. When Penrith won six consecutive Cumberland Cups between 1961 and 1966, Mulryan claimed five winner’s medals and Airey three.

Mr. Airey, the current club president, said one of his most vivid memories was the FA Amateur Cup run during season 1960-61. In the last 16 Penrith took on West Auckland and the first match, in front of 4,000 spectators, was played at Southend Road. It ended 1-1 and was followed by another draw in a replay in the North East the following week. West Auckland won 1-0 in a third match, played at Carlisle United’s Brunton Park, and went on to reach Wembley that season.

Airey, a wing half, spent his entire playing career at Penrith FC, from the ages of 17 to 32, and used to look forward to match days. “The gates were about 1,500, up to 2,000 on some occasions,” he said. “The atmosphere used to be tremendous, and there used to be buses parked right up Victoria Road.”

He also remembered the contribution of Alan Ashman. “He changed the whole structure when he arrived. The committee used to pick the team but then Alan Ashman came in as manager and brought a whole new concept, with training schedules and healthy eating,” said Mr. Airey.

Full back Mr. Mulryan, now aged 71, also recalled the contribution of Alan Ashman, who went on to manage Carlisle United twice either side of a spell of West Bromwich Albion, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1968.

“He was the first person to bring in man-management at Penrith and was a unique disciplinarian,” said Mr. Mulryan. “You would get invited into his office one by one. He would talk really nice to you, give you a sweet and then say that just for the time being you were being omitted from the team.”

With the football, cricket and rugby teams all based in the Southend Road area in those days, it was a good time for sport in the town. “We wanted the rugby and cricket lads to do well and they were the same. There was a great camaraderie there,” he said.

Brian Kirkbride, a latter day committee member, said: “My first memory of Southend Road would be when I was about six or seven and my dad took me down to watch a game. I have no idea who was playing, or what competition it was in, but I remember being so excited at the prospect of seeing a proper game of football. Unfortunately, my dad usually had to work on Saturdays, so the opportunities to attend matches were few and far between.”

Mr. Kirkbride said his father, Roly, who served on the town’s swimming club committee for 60 years, used to instill in him the importance of helping out at clubs. This was advice that Mr. Kirkbride took when he joined the football club committee five years ago.

His early memories of Southend Road were vivid. “Whenever we managed to get to a match at Southend Road, we invariably stood in the scratching shed next to ‘Tucker’ Clark, who lived next door to my parents on Askham Crescent. At home he was a very quiet man, but at a football match was very vociferous. His shouts of ‘Come on, you Bonny Blues’ echoed round the ground, and he was always ready to give the referee the benefit of his opinion and undoubted experience. It was such a strange transformation because he was so quiet at home,” he said.

Reg Redhead, of Stainton, is an 81-year-old who watches the Blues regularly home and away. He cast his mind back 60 years as he reflected on one particular group of visitors to Southend Road.

“There was a team of Italian prisoners of war who came to Penrith and had a game. They had a few internations in the team and Penrith beat them,” he said. There was also a less savoury end to the match. “Penrith had two lads, the McKenzie twins. They fell out with these players and tried to board their bus. They were throwing them out of the windows,” said Mr. Redhead.

Ronnie Hodgson, a retired referee who lives in Penrith at Brent Road, was one of many “wall watchers” at games just after the Second World War.

“We used to watch from the wall because we couldn’t afford to go in,” recalled Mr. Hodgson, who these days watches the club’s matches from the main grandstand. “When we were kids I remember it was just the excitement, the patter of it all.”

Educated at the town’s Boys’ National, he said matches between the school’s own football teams were held at Southend Road. That was at a time before any stands were built to overlook the pitch and when there was only wire around the playing surface. “I will miss going down to see Penrith there when the ground goes,” he said.