Cammell Laird

Cammell Laird FC from Birkenhead in Merseyside were originally formed as Cammell Laird Institute FC in 1907 for workers of the shipbuilding yard. The club was based in Conway Street, Birkenhead with the team playing their games at Old Prenton Park on Temple Road in the West Cheshire League.

In September 1909, the club moved to their newly enclosed ground in Park Road North, Birkenhead Park. After the First World War ship building decreased and the company took the football club in house.

In 1922 the club were re established as Kirklands FC and joined the local Birkenhead League playing at Kirklands Stadium in Rock Ferry before they folded in 1935. In 1944 they were once again brought back and they rejoined the West Cheshire League. They went on to lift the title on a magnificent nineteen occasions.

'The Shipyarders' joined the pyramid in 2004 by becoming members of the North West Counties League. Consecutive promotions were then incredibly achieved to find Laird in the Northern Premier League as well as reaching the semi finals of the FA Vase before Nantwich Town ended their run.

A fourth successive promotion was only foiled by Eastwood Town in the play off final. The following season they finished second but were automatically promoted as champions Retford Town didn't meet the ground grading requirements. However, in a cruel twist of fate Laird were demoted the following season despite finishing in a safe position as they failed to upgrade Kirklands.

Cammell Laird FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One North for the 2011-12 season.


My visit

Tuesday 19th October 2010

It was a gloomy and showery final day of my few days of groundhopping, beer tasting and sightseeing on Merseyside. I had left my fine guest house north of the river in Waterloo and deposited by travel bag at Lime Street Station. A Merseyrail train dropped me at Rock Ferry.

I left the station and surveyed a rather run down area. I turned left down the hill and into Chester New Road before taking a turning after half a mile and ending up in St Peter's Road. To my dismay the ground was locked up and there was no sign of life over the road in the social club. I did my best to take some limited photos but I didn't get much of a view. I needed a plan B.

I walked back to the main road and noticed that the bus garage and large yard formed the boundary to the stadium. It only had a high rail fence and the ground could be seen through it. There was nothing else to do. I walked into the yard where there were many private cars. Nobody questioned me so I took some reasonable photos of the sides I hadn't previously seen.

The near St Peter's Road side had a low seated covered stand straddling the half way line with facilities towards the corner flag including the changing rooms. The Chester New Road or Bus Garage Side had two low covered stands, one offering seats and the other room for standing spectators. The rest of the ground consisted of flat open standing with a hard standing path around the pitch and then grass.

I left the bus yard and took a bus back past Rock Ferry station and some of the way to my next port of call, Prenton Park Tranmere.