One particular non league club’s stadium left completely underwater this week following such wet weather as Christmas comes closer.
Lydney Town suffered heavy downpours, leaving the Gloucestershire based outfit shocked when discovering out much their stadium had flooded upon arrival.
The club, who are currently member of the Hellenic League Premier Division, have a ground situated on the west bank of the River Severn, in the Forest of Dean District. So no wonder it was looking so bad!
Pitch update… fuuuccckkkkkk pic.twitter.com/UMoBfSq42U
— Lydney Town AFC (@LydneyTownAFC) December 19, 2020
Until a few days before the flooding, they were to play a home league fixture against Shrivenham, however it had been postponed in line with current coronavirus guidelines.
The club uploaded the footage to their official Twitter account and it went from a couple hundreds likes to nearly 20,000 in just over 24 hours of posting online.
Many Twitter users took to see the lighter side of the flooding, with some suggesting it was playable, others said it was perfect for water polo, some wanted to have a swim and a lot joked that it was perfect diving conditions for the likes of Jack Grealish!
We can only hope and wish Lydney Town all the best, it’s tough enough for a club at their level with the pandemic right now.
It was back in 2007, Gloucester City’s Meadow Park was underwater, with the National League North side recently moving back to to where they once were for the first time since the devastation.
Gloucester City are famously exiled from their home ground Meadow Park after the 2007 floods. #COYY #Gloucester pic.twitter.com/6t5nFUesWH
— Football Grounds (@YardOfGrass) April 6, 2014
With it being the third time in 17 years that it has happened as well as contamination by sewage water, the club had no choice but to abandon the ground for the foreseeable future.
In between then and now, the have played their ‘home’ games at Forest Green Rovers (2007-08), Cirencester Town (2008-10), Cheltenham Town (2010-17) and their current home Evesham United since 2017.
It’s 13 years since the flood that nearly brought Gloucester City to its knees 🌧
🏡 Now they are gearing up for their homecoming – and have a generation of lost fans to win back!
Manager @James_Rowe1 talks us through the Tigers’ big return 🐯
👉https://t.co/LOQjnTvgTp pic.twitter.com/iisJ3YrV8I
— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL) June 9, 2020
Manager James Rowe, who has since gone to Chesterfield, was excited on their homecoming and targeted a promotion to the top tier of the non league pyramid come the end of the 2020/21 season.
He said to the National League: “There’s a buzz, a genuine excitement that the club is at last coming home.
“The new stadium has a 3G pitch and it’s our belief that will engage everyone. We not only have a boys’ academy, but a womens’ academy as well. It will be a club again.
“Just take a look at others who have turned their stadium into a community home. Sutton United and Bromley now play in front of big crowds, and Maidstone United – similar to us – were transformed when they returned to the town.
MEADOW PARK PROGRESS 🏟
This is going to be the place to be every other weekend, we can’t wait to be back home. 🏠🔴🟡 pic.twitter.com/ydApce0wuB
— Gloucester City AFC (@GCAFCofficial) June 11, 2020
“We’ve lost a generation of fans, but we’re determined to win them back.
“They are there. Yes, Gloucester is a huge rugby city but there are football people in it who have lost out on watching the team for a decade.
“I’m proud to be the one to be managing the club in their first years back and we’re up for the challenge of making up for that lost time.
View this post on Instagram
“13 years is a long time. Everyone remembers the photos from the flood, but I don’t know if everyone knows the story that followed it – the club left homeless and without a future.
“More than a decade has been lost and now we need to produce a good team and hopefully we can challenge for promotion. That’s our ultimate ambition.
“It’s been a very long road to get Gloucester City back in Gloucester and nobody deserves it more than the club’s loyal fans.
“Even last year at Evesham crowds were over 400. Our core support has always been there and the new ground is right in the city centre by the docks – it’s the perfect location and we can’t wait.”
Fans reacted after seeing that the non league club’s stadium left completely underwater this weekend…
@CarysAnnT: Oh god!! For a second I thought this was the video from
@GCAFCofficial back in 2007 then! Hope you guys manage to sort it!
@BristolOli: Better than Newport’s
@niallmoran_: They might aswell start a water polo team
@duncanburrow: “Pitch inspection 10 minutes before kick off lads, game should be on”
@gryba_liam: Not just the captains wearing armbands
@Gednoon16: All the lads ducking out of tackles and swaning about unacceptable
@dzfoster1985: Where do they play, middle of the sea?
@HarryTheHammer_: Blimey, I thought I was looking at a lake!
@henry_parish18: Perfect for Grealish that
@colinphoenix: Grounds man with a fork will get that sorted in no time…
@charlcox6: Bit of standing water in areas other than that looks fine
Get the ball down the channel….
— Scottish Cafu 21 (@21_cafu) December 20, 2020
Footwear sorted pic.twitter.com/fnbl8b9L7A
— Town Fan 🐴⚽️💙 (@ITFCphonein) December 20, 2020
A pitch made for Jack Grealish, good work lads 👏🏻
— Dan 🎯 (@DKWWBA) December 20, 2020
— Going to the Euros Ryan Jack 🏴 (@RampantRyanJack) December 20, 2020
Lydney Town won the toss and have chosen to defend the deep end.
— Stuart Rivers (@RiversStuart) December 20, 2020
Maybe poke the grass a few times with the corner flags
— Marton Suranyi (@marton_suranyi) December 20, 2020
I thought @TuffleyRoversFC had drainage problems. This is really heartbreaking 💔 to see. Especially in this year of all years.
— joseph cole (@ulyssesjoe) December 19, 2020
Only one thing left to do… pic.twitter.com/9tb0KBUSH7
— From Witton to Rotterdam: An AVFC Podcast (@WittonPodAVFC) December 20, 2020
Need to do the ball bounce test😁
— Mark Perryman (@mazzap24) December 20, 2020
Pitch inspection to take place in the next hour or so. 😂😂
— Tom (@wolvesladtom) December 20, 2020
Played on worse 🙈
— Dan (@Dan_GK23) December 19, 2020
I think that’s fine to play on, only a bit of water
— Pearce™️ (@NFFCWoodz) December 20, 2020
You must be logged in to post a comment Login