Canal Street (Runcorn)

Canal Street Stadium' was a sports Stadium used by Runcorn RFC and later Runcorn AFC, in Canal Street, Runcorn, a town now within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, and on the southern bank of the River Mersey. It was also used for other sports.

Brief History

Rugby league

The first owners of the Canal Street ground were Runcorn RFC, a rugby club formed sometime before 1886. The club were one of the founders of the Northen Union, which later became the Rugby League.

A comment found in an article written by David Sterry entitled Temperance in Victorian Halton, Runcorn and Widnes” and published by The Runcorn and District Historical Society which states “Rugby union was played at Canal Street until 1895, when Runcorn became one of the 22 northern teams to leave the Rugby Union to form a professional rugby league”“

The rugby club suffered badly during the First World War and failed to return to the league after hostilities ended.

Association football

At this point the ground was purchased by a Mr R H Posnett, the owner of a local company tannery and was used by the Highfield and Camden Tanneries Recreation Club (but known as Runcorn AFC from 1918). The Club continued to be run under the overall control of the tanneries until the formation of a limited company – Runcorn AFC – in 1953.

Rugby league returns in Ground share

Coincidentally, Huyton Rugby League Club, seeking to relocate from their ground in Liverpool, moved to Canal Street under a ground sharing agreement with Runcorn AFC from season 1984-85 to 1989-90 inclusive, changing their name to Runcorn Highfield RLFC,

Tragedy

The football club had mixed success on the field, but in later years had problems with the ground, which by the 1990’s was “tired” and in need of major works. Disaster struck three times off the field during the 1993/94 season.

A first round FA Cup tie against Hull City, attracted a larger crowd than expected (which should not have been the case given that Hull City were at that time in the second tier of English Football and had large home attendances and large away support - apparently over 1000 fans travelled from Humberside). The away supporters gathered in a central position and although the ground attendants tried to split them they resisted. The result was that in order to get a better view of a goalmouth incident and Hull City’s first goal the crowd surged forward and the perimeter wall collapsed. 40 to 50 spectators were trapped and 4 spectators and a police constable were injured – see You-tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8boFY1ihLo- The match was abandoned and replayed the following week at another local ground.

Later in the season, the roof blew off a stand in high winds, and the main stand was gutted by fire.

With the clubs precarious financial position, and the cost of rebuilding their Canal Street home, Runcorn suffered on the pitch and suffered relegation, which was to be the start of a downhill spiral.

The end

The last competitive game to be played at Canal Street was on 5 May 2001 and resulted in a defeat 2-1 by Gateshead. Runcorn player Liam Watson scored the club’s final goal in this match.

At the end of the 2000-01 season, the football club, struggling with large debts and dwindling attendances, sold the ground and moved to Stobart Stadium, home of Widnes Vikings Rugby League Club, where they stayed for several years before again struggling financially and ground sharing with Southport at Haig Avenue and Prescot Cables at Valerie Park; before finally closing after season 2005-0

The ground itself, by now in a dilapidated and a dangerous condition, was sold to developers and is now a housing development, the Linnets Park housing estate

Note

And a brief scribbled note on an old programme mentioning the name “Pavillions”, possibly as a nickname for the ground, but this is an assumption as no written evidence appears elsewhere.

See also

Runcorn RFC
Runcorn Highfield RLFC
British rugby league system
1985–86 Rugby Football League season

External links

• History of Runcorn FC
• Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News Dec 2008