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Plastic Pitch

Plastic Pitch

Didn’t realise we had the plastic for nearly 9 yrs, from ‘86 to ‘95. Bloody odd when you think back and no ’3g’ then.
 
Preston Lad said:
You might as well have been playing on the road when playing at Deepdale.
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True. I played in goal on it nearly 100 times for different amateur and works teams etc. There was really coarse-grain sand on it for drainage reasons and I used to find it in my kit days later. I went down to make a save in one game and the gravel ripped through my tracksuit bottoms and a knee support and ripped all the skin off my knee, blood everywhere.

Apparently North End were getting through gallons of Vaseline before John Beck eventually made everybody wear tracksuit bottoms in matches. Looked really strange.
 
'Well PNESC said:
True. I played in goal on it nearly 100 times for different amateur and works teams etc. There was really coarse-grain sand on it for drainage reasons and I used to find it in my kit days later. I went down to make a save in one game and the gravel ripped through my tracksuit bottoms and a knee support and ripped all the skin off my knee, blood everywhere.

Apparently North End were getting through gallons of Vaseline before John Beck eventually made everybody wear tracksuit bottoms in matches. Looked really strange.
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I think that’s a story for another time😳
 
'Well PNESC said:
True. I played in goal on it nearly 100 times for different amateur and works teams etc. There was really coarse-grain sand on it for drainage reasons and I used to find it in my kit days later. I went down to make a save in one game and the gravel ripped through my tracksuit bottoms and a knee support and ripped all the skin off my knee, blood everywhere.

Apparently North End were getting through gallons of Vaseline before John Beck eventually made everybody wear tracksuit bottoms in matches. Looked really strange.
Click to expand...

I played on it once. Scored at the Kop End. Grazed knees = 1... one of those that would weep for 2 or 3 days and when it finally dried up, I'd inevitably bend the knee a bit too far, and it would open up again. Rinse and repeat for a couple of weeks!

It really was a travesty that league football was allowed to be played on it from an injury viewpoint but primarily from a football viewpoint. A different game.
 
Regardless said:
I played on it once. Scored at the Kop End. Grazed knees = 1... one of those that would weep for 2 or 3 days and when it finally dried up, I'd inevitably bend the knee a bit too far, and it would open up again. Rinse and repeat for a couple of weeks!

It really was a travesty that league football was allowed to be played on it from an injury viewpoint but primarily from a football viewpoint. A different game.
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Did you attempt a knee slide? Not advisable on a plastic pitch.
 
Waddie said:
Hey, you need to get together with Ando. Rumour has it that he has scored a goal or two at Deepdale!
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Ando was playing without pressure.

I took a penalty at half time in front of the Kop on my 9th birthday. No baby nets like they have now at the side of the pitch, these were in the full, regulation sized nets.

I was first up so I had to lead by example and I did just that.

I buried it in the bottom corner(it bounced about 4 times and took about 5 seconds to go in).🤨

Everything went a bit hazy then but I’m pretty sure there was a bit of a pitch invasion!

The players must have got wind of my heroics and were galvanised in the second half, coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Port Vale, a certain Tony Ellis getting the winner on his debut I think.

Whilst Ellis would get the praise in some circles, I think the North End fans in Deepdale that day know exactly who was behind that comeback.
 
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