Tims 92

Eastwood Hanley

Trentmill Road

Dating back to 1946, Eastwood Hanley were a team that had become defunct long before I really got into non-league football, the club leaving the North-West Counties League in 1997, despite a credible 6th place finish. I’d first become aware of them, or more precisely, their Trentmill Road ground after reading the excellent groundhog blog (see here) a few years back.

Situated just south of Hanley, (in Stoke-on-Trent) despite 10 years without football, the ground was still intact, or at least its remains were, so I was determined to visit, and whilst in Stoke to revisit Vale Park, then I made my way up.

The ground is situated quite a way back from the main road, past a small wooded area at the far end of some fields with a railway line the other side. This out of the way location is probably what has seen it go undeveloped for so long, but after finding my way there I was a bit disappointed to see that all remained was a series of posts for the pitch rail and no stands like featured on the groundhog website. After taking a few pictures, it soon became apparent I was being stupid (a recurring theme!), and had in fact mistaken it for what was perhaps a training pitch at one time, and noticed that the ground was in fact a bit further down the overgrown path that leads off the road bearing its name!

Finally in the right place, it was a sight that groundhoppers have dreams of! The pitch is still marked out with the goalposts up, and like the previous pitch, posts for the rail were around all four sides, with even a rail itself for some parts! The near end is now an overgrown path which was once hard standing, the same for most of the far side opposite until going down to the far end where the skeleton of a shelter runs to the far corner, before another shelter, this time with part of the roof intact starts behind the goal, coming up to the 18 yard box. The rest of the far end is hard standing, as is most of the near side except in the middle where stands the pièce de résistance, the former Main Stand. With 8 steps of terracing, it even still has two crush barriers, and the structure of the roof gives you a real feel for what it must have been like at one time. Adjacent is the floor of what were presumably the changing rooms, although these have since been demolished.

Whilst it is sad to see a ground in this state, at the same time it’s absolutely fascinating, a real genuine find for the stadium enthusiast. What will happen to it is anyone’s guess. Because of its location, housing or the usual supermarket development seems out of the question. There probably isn’t much really salvageable to make it worthwhile another club moving in, but whilst it is still there, then a visit is highly recommended.