Grimsby Town are set to replace the floodlight towers at Blundell Park in the summer.
The sixty-year-old pylons were purchased second hand from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1958 and installed in 1960.
Wolves were British pioneers of floodlit football in the 1950s, hosting a series of high profile friendlies against European opposition including the famous night in December 1954, when they beat the Hungarian side Honved, who included in their ranks six of the national team that had famously humiliated England 6-3 at Wembley the previous year.
The lights are a local landmark, standing 128ft high and dominating the local residential area.
They have no doubt guided many away fans to Blundell Park before the age of satellite navigation but they have become increasingly difficult to maintain and now don’t provide enough light to be fit for purpose.
A specialist company will remove the towers over the summer, and the installation of new floodlights completed in time for the start of the new season.
Our View
There are not many grounds left with traditional floodlight pylons, and from a traditionalist, it is sad to see them go.
It is progress, but new fans will never experience the thrill of arriving in a strange town and looking above the rooftops to spot the lights and find the ground.
On a more serious note, it is good to see the club investing some money in its infrastructure.
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