Quote from: mr underhill on February 21, 2016, 12:31:00 PMjust going back to the team that lost 2-4 to Stourbridge in April 1959 is that Big Ron named as the Atkinson in the team?More than likely. He was still here then and the lack of recognisable names indicates that it was a third or fourth team that played, which was his level, rather than the reserves. Kevin Keelan, later of Norwuch, was in goal. Good spot.
just going back to the team that lost 2-4 to Stourbridge in April 1959 is that Big Ron named as the Atkinson in the team?
Quote from: dave.woodhall on February 21, 2016, 12:46:25 PMQuote from: mr underhill on February 21, 2016, 12:31:00 PMjust going back to the team that lost 2-4 to Stourbridge in April 1959 is that Big Ron named as the Atkinson in the team?More than likely. He was still here then and the lack of recognisable names indicates that it was a third or fourth team that played, which was his level, rather than the reserves. Kevin Keelan, later of Norwuch, was in goal. Good spot.Wasn't Graham Atkinson here at the same time though. Could it have been him?
Quote from: Ron Manager on February 21, 2016, 01:51:50 PMQuote from: dave.woodhall on February 21, 2016, 12:46:25 PMQuote from: mr underhill on February 21, 2016, 12:31:00 PMjust going back to the team that lost 2-4 to Stourbridge in April 1959 is that Big Ron named as the Atkinson in the team?More than likely. He was still here then and the lack of recognisable names indicates that it was a third or fourth team that played, which was his level, rather than the reserves. Kevin Keelan, later of Norwuch, was in goal. Good spot.When I saw Ron score with a towering header for Oxford against the Blues in the sixties or early seventies. Graham Atkinson was playing in the half back line.Actually I think I can check that hang on a minute!Wasn't Graham Atkinson here at the same time though. Could it have been him?A bit later and I think he was a forward.
Quote from: dave.woodhall on February 21, 2016, 12:46:25 PMQuote from: mr underhill on February 21, 2016, 12:31:00 PMjust going back to the team that lost 2-4 to Stourbridge in April 1959 is that Big Ron named as the Atkinson in the team?More than likely. He was still here then and the lack of recognisable names indicates that it was a third or fourth team that played, which was his level, rather than the reserves. Kevin Keelan, later of Norwuch, was in goal. Good spot.When I saw Ron score with a towering header for Oxford against the Blues in the sixties or early seventies. Graham Atkinson was playing in the half back line.Actually I think I can check that hang on a minute!Wasn't Graham Atkinson here at the same time though. Could it have been him?
According to Wiki (yes I know) he was a striker but could have still been at the club "He was released for the occasional game for Headington United (the team later to become Oxford United) during 1959-1960 and before reaching his 17th birthday (when he could have signed full-time for Aston Villa), he signed for the Southern Leaguers." His 17th birthday would have been in 1960. Ron moved to Oxford in the summer of 1959.
Quote from: PeterWithesShin on February 21, 2016, 02:01:06 PMAccording to Wiki (yes I know) he was a striker but could have still been at the club "He was released for the occasional game for Headington United (the team later to become Oxford United) during 1959-1960 and before reaching his 17th birthday (when he could have signed full-time for Aston Villa), he signed for the Southern Leaguers." His 17th birthday would have been in 1960. Ron moved to Oxford in the summer of 1959. You're more likely to have a 20 year old who's on his way out playing in a friendly against a Birmingham League club than a 16 year old.
Quote from: Pete on February 20, 2016, 09:06:08 PMQuote from: Steve R on February 19, 2016, 06:06:27 PMDid the club not own land further up Trinity Road - probably where the cricket pitch now is?I think this was the land used as a training ground until the mid sixties when it was sold by the then board in order to help make ends meet. Bear with me on this, I'll get to the point. It all comes from the Aston Unity link.Unity played on the actual Lower Grounds pitch from 1880 to 1881. They then played on the existing Cricket pitch from 1881 to 1908. They then moved to adjacent land, the Hercules factory sports club, until 1954. Villa shared this with them, using it as our training ground. (all three cricket sites are referred to as Aston Lower Grounds in Wisden). Villa might have bought it at some point, but at least to start with it belonged to Hercules. If you look on a map, Townley Gardens was built on the site.Most of this comes from a book called aLost Teams of the Midlands by Mike Bradbury. I'm not sure how reliable it is. I'm trying to do a bit of fact checking, I'll post some other early Villa related stuff later.Whichever site it was, Villa definitely bought it at some point, I remember it being sold in the sixties to make ends meet.There certainly must have been more than one cricket ground in the Aston Lower grounds. The main one that I have seen on maps is adjacent to Villa Park. I have also seen it as an athletics ground.The Aston Lower Grounds actually spawned three major sports clubs - Villa, Warwickshire CCC and Birchfield Harriers.The ALG has hosted two first class cricket games - Gentleman of the North vs London Gentlemen and Australians vs an England XI, it also hosted several minor counties games, being used by both Warwickshire (before the move to Edgbaston) and Staffs.
Quote from: Steve R on February 19, 2016, 06:06:27 PMDid the club not own land further up Trinity Road - probably where the cricket pitch now is?I think this was the land used as a training ground until the mid sixties when it was sold by the then board in order to help make ends meet. Bear with me on this, I'll get to the point. It all comes from the Aston Unity link.Unity played on the actual Lower Grounds pitch from 1880 to 1881. They then played on the existing Cricket pitch from 1881 to 1908. They then moved to adjacent land, the Hercules factory sports club, until 1954. Villa shared this with them, using it as our training ground. (all three cricket sites are referred to as Aston Lower Grounds in Wisden). Villa might have bought it at some point, but at least to start with it belonged to Hercules. If you look on a map, Townley Gardens was built on the site.Most of this comes from a book called aLost Teams of the Midlands by Mike Bradbury. I'm not sure how reliable it is. I'm trying to do a bit of fact checking, I'll post some other early Villa related stuff later.
Did the club not own land further up Trinity Road - probably where the cricket pitch now is?I think this was the land used as a training ground until the mid sixties when it was sold by the then board in order to help make ends meet.
Quote from: Steve R on February 21, 2016, 09:47:21 AMQuote from: Pete on February 20, 2016, 09:06:08 PMQuote from: Steve R on February 19, 2016, 06:06:27 PMDid the club not own land further up Trinity Road - probably where the cricket pitch now is?I think this was the land used as a training ground until the mid sixties when it was sold by the then board in order to help make ends meet. Bear with me on this, I'll get to the point. It all comes from the Aston Unity link.Unity played on the actual Lower Grounds pitch from 1880 to 1881. They then played on the existing Cricket pitch from 1881 to 1908. They then moved to adjacent land, the Hercules factory sports club, until 1954. Villa shared this with them, using it as our training ground. (all three cricket sites are referred to as Aston Lower Grounds in Wisden). Villa might have bought it at some point, but at least to start with it belonged to Hercules. If you look on a map, Townley Gardens was built on the site.Most of this comes from a book called aLost Teams of the Midlands by Mike Bradbury. I'm not sure how reliable it is. I'm trying to do a bit of fact checking, I'll post some other early Villa related stuff later.Whichever site it was, Villa definitely bought it at some point, I remember it being sold in the sixties to make ends meet.There certainly must have been more than one cricket ground in the Aston Lower grounds. The main one that I have seen on maps is adjacent to Villa Park. I have also seen it as an athletics ground.The Aston Lower Grounds actually spawned three major sports clubs - Villa, Warwickshire CCC and Birchfield Harriers.The ALG has hosted two first class cricket games - Gentleman of the North vs London Gentlemen and Australians vs an England XI, it also hosted several minor counties games, being used by both Warwickshire (before the move to Edgbaston) and Staffs.It might well have been the Hercules ground. We already trained there, and there were big redundancies at Hercules from the mid 1950s, with all production moving to NottinghM in 1960. So it is very likely that they let it go during that period.I've come across reference to at least half a dozen cricket grounds in the proximity to Villa Park.- two on the Lower Grounds, another in Aston Park, the two further up Trinity Road, one near the HP Sauce factory, one on Rocky Lane, another on the Broadway school site. It was pretty rural back then, so there was plenty of room.
Great pic..any idea on which end/angle this is? And date?
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