West Ham Utd

The hardware at the Boleyn Ground wasn't always synonymous with poor ball retention.

In the 1930's, a pair of Sunderland-style square-o's stood at either end of the field.


You get a better, albeit brief, glimpse of them here, in 1935.


By the 1960's, the Hammers had installed a classic set of A-frames.



The skinny curved stanchions of yore were installed in the 1967/68 season.


And so commenced the glory years of spectacular rebounds out of the Boleyn goal nets, till the appearance of box nets in the aftermath of the Spain 1982 World Cup.

UEFA Champions League - Sporting de Gijon

Until the 1982 World Cup, los Rojiblancos had a great history of goal nets at El Molinon, the oldest professional football ground in Spain.




If you sight the way the nets are supported in La Liga, post Espana '82, do they remind you of a famous upset at that World Cup?



Yes, El Molinon was the venue for West Germany v Algeria.



Just another example of how the goal nets can instantly identify a stadium.

A-list A-frames - Crystal Palace FC

Involved as they were in one of football's greatest 'ghost goals' (which many erroneously credit with the box nets of today) the Eagles have a special place in the history of goal nets.




Selhurst Park - like those at Coventry's Highfield Road at the time of Clive Allen and the blind referee - was a long time home to classic English-style A-frames.

1972

1989

Then 1995, Eric Cantona and all that...

Leicester City FC

In their 111 years at Filbert Street, the Foxes switched from Continental D's (1960), to off-the-shoulder A-frames (till 1977) then back to Continental D's again (till Filbert Street closed in 2002).

1960

1976

2000