Loftus Road is actually a former Isthmian League venue, a team called Shepherds Bush FC played here, before they folded in 1915, & QPR took over the tenancy, in .1917.
I first saw a match here when I was at school, in the early eighties. It was a mid-season friendly, during bad weather, when they had their awful artificial pitch, nothing like modern ones, when they played Notts County. In the late eighties I saw Dulwich Hamlet lose here, also on the 'carpet', in an FA Youth Cup replay, losing 6-0!
It is also a ground where I have been arrested at! In the mid eighties a controversial christian preacher Maurice Cerullo hired the venue, & I was part of a demonstration disrupting it!
The ground, to the right, is nestled into the community, a local council estate next to it.
Approaching the ground, this is the main side, on South Africa Road, and will be the only stand open this evening.
Some of the turnstiles.
The usual things of items not allowed. Cameras? Ahem....
The main entrance.
And the players one, note the frosted glass to the right of the steps.
Former club greats listed on it.
Just inside, can't recall if it was the players entrance, or the other one, to be honest, was this trophy & plaque. An 'Oi! You can't come in here!' moment!
Moving along the street, we're almost at the next corner of the ground.
The club shop is here, but it was closed when I took this.
A map of the ground.
Only one entrance was open for spectators, up these steps.
A little graffiti, ironically from the 'Tidy Boys'!
At the top of the steps is this concourse.
Refreshment areas.
At and the end the press area.
The windows are nicely done, with programme covers from some of their major games of the past.
And pictures of heroes from yesteryear.
Inside the ground, we are in the South Africa Road stand, I go toward the corner on the right, where we see the two tiered School End,behind the goal, where away fans are housed.
Across the pitch is the Ellierslie Road stand.
Here we glance along the South Africa Road stand.
While to the left is the Loftus Road end.
Many of the seats in the main stand are reserved for season ticket holders, with their own names on them.
Back in the corner, I can't get right to the end, as it's taped off.
From the back rows we see over the penalty area.
Then turn left, along the main stand again.
Toward the centre there are press seats at the back.
Not many in use, unsurprisingly, this evening.
Same spot, but looking more down to the pitch.
This was the view, from the area I chsoe to sit.
Turning the other way...
Here we try to see the rest of the South Africa Road stand, which was closed, like the rest of the stadium.
Over the halfway line area.
The stand fuller, with the match underway.
Another almost identical view across the pitch.
Similar view, but not zoomed in.
At the end of the game I tried to lean over the front, I presume these are roofs of executive boxes, below?
And now for a few photos from the game itself, not the best, as my camera doesn't do night games, but I thought I'd give it a try under the powerful Premiership floodlights.
No comments:
Post a Comment