WITH the redevelopment of the Memorial Stadium put on the back burner for a while it may be a time to reflect on life at the Pirates' old home of Eastville Stadium, a venue that saw its fair share of building work.

It is hard to imagine now, as one gazes down from the M32 at the Ikea superstore, that 38,742 people once gathered to watch a football match there. The date was January 30, 1960, and Division One side Preston North End were in town to play Second Division Bristol Rovers in a fourth-round FA Cup tie that ended 3-3.

It was Rovers seventh season in the second tier of English football and first with their new floodlights.

A new North Stand was put in place in 1958 and a cover over the Tote End terrace in 1962, as it appeared the club were taking giant strides to maintain their ground. But it had been a long, hard struggle.

Rovers certainly did their fair share of wandering in order to play football. From 1883 they appeared at Purdown; Three Acres, Ashley Hill; The Downs and Ridgeway, Upper Eastville before finally, in 1896, ending up at the Eastville Football and Athletic Ground in Stapleton Hill.

Known as Bristol Eastville Rovers, the ground was purchased for £150 by a syndicate of "well-wishers" in 1897 and the following year as the club turned professional, the name "Eastville" was dropped.

Soon after this work began on the 16-acre site as £1,225 was spent to add cover for the north side of the ground, which was in addition to the 500-seat stand opposite. With end terraces banked up the ground was now capable of holding 20,000.

Four years after joining the Football League as founding members of the Third Division in 1920/21 a new South Stand was erected – a 2,000 seated area behind a terraced paddock.

The major redevelopment of Eastville began in 1931 when the grounds at either end were altered in order to accommodate a greyhound track.

But as WW1 broke out in 1939, Rovers were reported to be £16,000 in debt and were facing re-election to the Football League finishing bottom of the Third Division South.

Club chairman Fred Ashmead sold the club to the greyhound company tenants, for £12,000 in 1940 and in 1944 two of the greyhound company members bought a controlling interest in Rovers, helping it survive through WWII.

In 1958 Bristol Rovers signed a 21-year lease on the ground, and at its expiry in 1979 were determined to stay put, especially after spending £70,000 on improvements.

But with a High Court hearing set for November 1981 over their tenancy dispute, a fire destroyed the South Stand in August 1980 to such an extent Rovers were forced to play five "home" matches at Ashton Gate instead.

The High Court awarded £280,000 in compensation to Rovers in 1981 and the use of Eastville rent free until May 1982.

Rovers went back to the Bristol Stadium Company and negotiated a £52,000-a-year rental deal for five years.

At the same time the board struck a deal with Bath City, 13 miles away, to groundshare if a new ground was not forthcoming by 1986.

Bristol Rovers played their final League match at Eastville on April 26 ,1986, in a 1-1 draw with Chesterfield before a crowd of just 3,576.

The ground soon became a multi-million pound retail park, but the memories for the Eastville faithful are priceless.