Canal Street Stadium was a (mainly) Association Football Stadium used by Runcorn FC, in Canal Street, Runcorn, a town 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.
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(from the history of Runcorn FC, Runcorn FC Halton - see http://www.runcornlinnetsfc.co.uk/page.asp?HistoryAFC)
Runcorn Association Football Club was founded in 1918 when a local tannery owner and benefactor acquired the Canal Street Ground and the Club became one of the many activities of the Highfield and Camden Tanneries Recreation Club (but known as Runcorn FC). The Club continued to be run under the umbrella of the tanneries until the formation of a limited company – Runcorn AFC – in 1953.
Runcorn Highfield RLFC played here, ground sharing with the owners Runcorn AFC, from 1984-85 to 1991-92.
Despite their success on the field, disaster struck three times off the field during the 1993/94 season. A perimeter wall collapsed in a FA Cup tie against Hull, the roof blew off a stand in high winds, and the main stand was gutted by fire. With the club crippled by the cost of rebuilding their Canal Street home, Runcorn suffered on the pitch, and were relegated for the first time in their history in 1995/96 after fifteen years of top-flight non-league football. Back in the Northern Premier League - now the Unibond League - Runcorn aimed to bounce back to the Conference as soon possible, but despite Presidents Cup success in 1997/98, the Linnets have yet to achieve their goal. In 1999/2000, and with crowds dwindling, Runcorn sold their Canal Street home to move into the 11,000 capacity Halton Stadium in nearby Widnes. The club also changed their name to Runcorn FC Halton to reflect the borough in which they now play.
The story behind the ground, the team and the people[2]
An article dated Dec 11 2008 by Dave Bettley in the Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News, entitled "Canal Street stories are brought to book" reviews the book.
The book may be out of print, but the following shows what you are missing if you have an interest in sporting history.
It is seven-and-a-half years since Canal Street closed its doors for the last time.
But Chris Darlington was determined Runcorn’s sporting theatre should be kept open at least in the public’s consciousness.
The writer spent three years researching the story of his hometown football ground, sold by debt-ridden Runcorn AFC and demolished to make way for what is now the Linnets Park housing estate.
His first book Gone But Not Forgotten: Memories of Canal Street is a potted rather than definitive history of the old ground, giving a flavour of its personalities and atmosphere.
“This book is not a memorial, but a tribute to the great players, managers and wonderful fans that made Canal Street the special place it was,” said Darlington.
The ground, of course, pre-dated the now dormant football club, which called it home for 83 years – before ill-fated spells at Halton Stadium and in Prescot as Runcorn FC Halton.
Before the Great War, Canal Street had been the headquarters of Runcorn’s internationally-renowned Northern Union rugby team.
It is this team which provided Darlington with a personal link to the past as his grandfather Frederick Darlington played for them in the 1890s.
In fact, since finishing the book, the author has found out that Frederick represented Cheshire.
At the end of hostilities, the rugby team was not restarted.
R H Posnett, the owner of Highfield and Camden Tannery, acquired the ground and Runcorn Football Club was launched in 1918 as part of the works recreation club.
This association continued until 1953, when a limited company was formed to take over the Linnets.
Canal Street was the scene of many memorable matches down the years, the most famous being a 1939 third-round FA Cup tie against the holders Preston North End, whose team included Bill Shankly.
Preston won 4-2 in front of a record 10,111 crowd. The author, having already written and staged a play about this game, features it again as he runs through the eras.
Darlington does not rely solely on his trawls through the archives but also includes the reminiscences of supporters and humorous anecdotes from club legends including Eddie Moss, John Williams and Tim Rutter.
Of as much interest are the 11 pages of photos, including some rarely-seen action shots from the 1930s.
But images of the derelict ground, being stripped bare ready for the bulldozers, will haunt supporters.
The last competitive game there was against Gateshead on May 5, 2001, with Liam Watson hitting the Linnets’ final goal on the ground (celebrating inset above left) in a 2-1 defeat.
Darlington said: “Whatever the reasons for the loss of the ground, the long-standing fans will continue to grieve and feel its loss.”
Printed in Runcorn by VoicePrint, the book – priced £4.95 – is available via the official Runcorn Linnets website or from their club shop on matchdays at Wincham Park.
It is also on sale at Curiosity Bookshop in High Street, Runcorn.
Linnets will receive a small percentage of all sales towards their efforts to build a new ground in Runcorn.
Runcorn Highfield RLFC
British rugby league system
1985–86 Rugby Football League season