More about the First Floodlights

Recently BN has published a couple of articles about the first floodlights at Edgar Street, the home of Hereford United.

There had been some discussion about which game was the first to be played under the 'new' floodlights back in 1953.

Ron Parrott, the Hereford United historian, is currently writing a book on the club and he has kindly allowed BN to print a couple of paragraphs about the floodlights.

Installation of the floodlights has been going well and preparations are well in hand for the grand opening. Southampton, Hereford’s first choice of opponents for the occasion have been suffering heavy injuries and are also involved in a dog-fight to avoid relegation to the Third Division and unfortunately, are forced to pull out of the fixture but promise to send their first team down next season. The Board decide therefore, to stage the Herefordshire Senior Cup replay with Merthyr Tydfil to mark the formal opening of the lights and the date is set for Thursday 5th (March 1953). The lights will be the most up to date of their kind in the country and will consist of four steel towers rising 60 ft. above the ground, situated well outside each corner of the playing field. Each tower is embedded in concrete to a depth of 7 ft. and will carry a battery of nine 1,500 watt floodlamps, being installed by the MEB.

With excitement growing amongst players and supporters alike, the scene is really set. Sadly, Mother Nature takes a hand and Edgar Street is shrouded in fog all day long and as darkness descends, it becomes obvious that football is out of the question. The fixture is rearranged for the following Thursday but it’s decided to go ahead with the Reserves game against Walsall on the Tuesday anyway, to act as a trial and correct any teething problems with the lights.


The Reserves beat Walsall under the Edgar Street lights on Tuesday 10th and Gordon Fox has the honour of scoring the first ever floodlit goal. There are no technical hitches and the only disappointment is that the fixture attracts no larger a crowd than may have been expected for a normal Birmingham League match. Perhaps they’re saving themselves for the grand opening two days later. This obviously proves to be the case as 7,508 turn up for the Merthyr game and witness a feast of good football, with United triumphing 3-1 with goals from Allen, Bowen and Farquhar, leaving fans cheering long after the final whistle.

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