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Last Updated: Friday, 4 May 2007, 13:49 GMT 14:49 UK
Curtain comes down at Gay Meadow
Gay Meadow during flooding
Gay Meadow's proximity to the River Severn has caused problems
Shrewsbury are to stage a special build-up for the game against Grimsby as they prepare to leave their Gay Meadow home after 97 years.

There will be a parade of former Shrewsbury players, including ex-manager Alan Durban, Ian Atkins, Alf Wood and keeper Steve Ogrizovic.

Shrewsbury will move to New Meadow on Oteley Road next season.

And it could be a momentous occasion, with a victory guaranteeing Shrewsbury a place in the League Two play-offs.

The 8,000-capacity ground has provided a picturesque setting for the Shrews, with the River Severn flowing just behind the Riverside Stand.

The close proximity of the river has presented its own problems, making the ground prone to flooding.

And for many years, one of the more quirky aspects of Gay Meadow was the presence of Fred Davies - a local coracle maker whose namesake was Shrews' manager in the mid-90s.

He would be posted in the River Severn in his coracle, ready to retrieve footballs that had flown out of Gay Meadow during the course of a match.

The biggest crowd to attend a match at Gay Meadow was for the visit of local rivals Walsall on 26 April 1961, when 18,917 packed into the ground.

And despite the mostly lowly status of the club, Gay Meadow has played host to its share of giant-killing acts.

In 1979, a star-studded Manchester City side were beaten 2-0 in the FA Cup third round, while another top flight giant, Ipswich Town, lost 2-0 in the fifth round three years later.

Shrewsbury lost 5-2 to Leicester in the quarter-final, with a young Gary Lineker on target at Filbert Street.

In 2003, an Everton team flying high in the Premiership - with Wayne Rooney in their ranks - lost 2-1 at a packed Gay Meadown in the third round.

It was a win inspired by then manager Kevin Ratcliffe, ironically the most successful captain in the Merseysiders' history.

Everton boss David Moyes, the losing manager on that day, also played some of his league football at Gay Meadow.

Moyes will be chasing a Uefa Cup spot in charge of Everton as the curtain comes down on his former footballing home.

And with a host of former Shrewsbury stars in attendance, it will be an emotional day at the famous old ground.



SEE ALSO
Shrewsbury v Grimsby
04 May 07 |  League Two


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