Pike's Lane
Location | Bolton, England |
---|---|
Coordinates | 53°34′13″N 2°27′00″W / 53.5704°N 2.4499°WCoordinates: 53��34′13″N 2°27′00″W / 53.5704°N 2.4499°W |
Record attendance | 20,000 |
Surface | Grass |
Opened | 1880 |
Closed | 1895 |
Tenants | |
Bolton Wanderers |
Pike's Lane was a football ground in Bolton, England. It was the home ground of Bolton Wanderers between 1880 and 1895, and the venue of the first-ever goal scored in league football anywhere in the world.[1]
History[]
Pike's Lane opened in 1880, with the first match played against Great Lever on 10 September. The ground initially had embankments on both sides of the pitch, and later developments included a grandstand on the northern touchline and wooden terracing behind the eastern goal.[2]
Bolton were founder members of the Football League in 1888, the world's first association football league. The first League match was played at Pike's Lane on 8 September 1888, with Bolton losing 6–3 to Derby County in front of 5,000 spectators.[2] Bolton's Kenny Davenport scored the first goal after two minutes, the first-ever goal scored in the Football League.[1] The first-ever Football League hat-trick was also scored at Pike's Lane a week later by Burnley's William Tait in a match that Burnley won 4–3.[2]
The ground's record attendance of 20,000 was set for an FA Cup third round match against Liverpool on 24 February 1894.[2] The highest attendance for a League match was 14,000 for a game against Blackburn Rovers on 28 March 1891.[2] Pike's Lane hosted the first "inter-league" match between The Football League XI and the Scottish Football League XI, in April 1892.[3]
At the end of the 1894–95 season the club moved to Burnden Park. Pike's Lane was unpopular with players and supporters due to a poor pitch and inadequate spectator facilities.[2] The last match at the ground was played on 13 April 1895, as Bolton beat West Bromwich Albion 5–0 with 10,200 spectators in attendance.[2] The site was later used to build terraced housing.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c Solving the mystery of the first goal in league football BBC Football, 29 July 2013
- ^ a b c d e f g Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005, Yore Publications, p101 ISBN 0-9547830-4-2
- ^ Bob Crampsey (1990)The First 100 Years. Scottish Football League, p245 ISBN 0-9516433-0-4
- Defunct football venues in England
- Buildings and structures in Bolton
- Defunct sports venues in Greater Manchester
- Bolton Wanderers F.C.
- Sports venues completed in 1880
- English Football League venues