It sounds like the location in a cheap horror film. ‘They came from the swamps of Oozehead…”. Instead it was the first place that Blackburn Rovers could ever call home. It was never much of a home admittedly but after having had to play all their games away from home since their foundation, well…some things could be overlooked. At least while they searched a more suitable venue.

Before finding their own ground, Rovers had been required to travel for games to places like Church, Darwen and Cob Wall. No team wishing to the best could be without a home ground. Luckily for Rovers, money was no problem as they had the backing of many prominent industrialists of the town. ‘Loadsamoney Rovers’ started in the 1870s, not as some have thought in the 1990s.

The ground at Oozehead was situated near the St Silas area of Blackburn, just off Preston New Road and near Livingstone Road. Oozehead Lane remains and offers a reminder that although a long time ago, this was once the home of the mighty Rovers. Not that they were so mighty then of course, which is why they rented what was nothing more remarkable than a piece of farmland to be their home ground. As a testament to the agricultural history of the site, there was a large pool of water in the middle of the field to serve as a watering place for the cattle and the farm stock. A less suitable ground for football is difficult to think of.

Yet Rovers had plenty of pluck. An artificial surface (mainly wooden boards covered with turf!) was engineered to hide the peculiar pool-cum-ditch and Rovers were able to play out the 1876/77 season at Oozehead. It’s unknown how many games Rovers played at Oozehead, although they definitely hosted Darwen (their first hated local rivals) there to a goalless draw on November 25th 1876. The gate receipts for the season were 6s 6d, although this may have included takings from games played at another venue they used as a home ground, Pleasington. Oozehead was simply an unsuitable location to host football. This despite Rovers having done their best and muddled along despite the obvious drawbacks to what was essentially a farmer’s meadow rather than a football pitch. It has a place in the history of Rovers as not only their most humble home ground but also their first.

Streetmap overview of the area - Oozehead Lane remains as a signpost to where the team once (briefly) called home