The closure of a famous old stadium is a tearful day for everyone involved, but it’s also an opportunity for the players involved to write themselves into club folklore as that stadium’s last ever scorer.
We have to draw the line somewhere – we’re not going to go through every club ever to have moved grounds – and so we’re going to go only with stadiums that was home to Premier League football at some point before closing its doors, even if their move came when they were outside the Premier League.
Just for funsies, we’ll also include a quick bit on the first scorer at the new home too. And no, we’re not counting friendlies, behave. Competitive games only.
Roker Park, Sunderland (1997) – Allan JohnstoneEverton know what it’s like to be present at the last game of an historic old stadium having been the final visitors to Roker Park before Sunderland moved to the Stadium of Light.
It wasn’t just an occasion for the sake of it, either; Sunderland desperately needed a win to stand any chance of avoiding relegation. And they got it, with Paul Stewart’s penalty putting them ahead and Chris Waddle adding a second, but Allan Johnstone was the man to write his name into the history books with a 68th-minute strike.
It proved to be in vain on the relegation front, however, with a final-day defeat to Wimbledon sending Sunderland down.
First scorer at the Stadium of Light: Niall Quinn, because of course it was.
The Baseball Ground, Derby (1997) – Ian WrightAshley Ward got the last Derby goal as they bade farewell to the Baseball Ground, putting them 1-0 up against Arsenal nine minutes in to raise the prospect of a memorable victory for Jim Smith’s side – especially after Gunners skipper Tony Adams was sent off just a few minutes later.
But despite having nothing left to play for, Arsenal decided to be absolute ruiners. Ian Wright equalised shortly after half time, Dennis Bergkamp put the visitors ahead with eight minutes to go, then Wright struck again in injury time.
First scorer at Pride Park: Well, this is an interesting one. It was Ashley Ward, who opened the scoring in a Wednesday night game against Wimbledon – only for the floodlights to go out thanks to an electrical failure at the new stadium, causing the match to be abandoned early in the second half with Derby leading 2-1.
That meant the game never actually officially counted, leaving it to Stefano Eranio to score Pride Park’s first official competitive goal against Barnsley a couple of weeks later.
Burnden Park, Bolton (1997) – John McGinlay1997 was a busy year for stadium moves, wasn’t it? Bolton played one Premier League season in their old ground in 1995/96 before being relegated and then immediately bouncing straight back up in some style.
Promotion had already been assured by the time Burnden Park hosted its final game, then, and they signed off with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Charlton.
Gerry Taggart looked to be on course to be the final goalscorer, making it 2-1 after Alan Thompson had cancelled out Mark Kinsella’s opener for Charlton – but then top scorer John McGinlay stepped up to convert an 89th-minute penalty before adding another moments later.
First scorer at the Reebok Stadium: After a goalless draw with Everton in their first game at their new home, Alan Thompson christened the new ground with a penalty-spot opener against Tottenham.
The Dell, Southampton (2001) – Matt Le TissierWell, it had to be Matt Le Tissier, didn’t it? And he did it in dramatic style.
The Saints were drawing 2-2 with Arsenal after Southampton twice fought back from a goal behind, with Hasan Kachloul responding both to Ashley Cole’s opener and Freddie Ljungberg’s second-half strike.
Enter Le Tissier as a late substitute to score the winner, swivelling around to smash a brilliant left-footed strike into the top corner off a half-cleared long ball. That was not just the last goal ever scored at The Dell, but the last of Le Tissier’s 209 goals for Southampton.
First scorer at St Mary’s: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who headed home a cross provided by future Southampton man Graeme Le Saux to give Chelsea the advantage in a 2-0 victory.
Filbert Street, Leicester City (2002) – Matthew PiperLike Sunderland before them, Leicester’s last season at their old home was one to forget as they were relegated from the Premier League. Unlike Sunderland, they already knew they were down by the time that final game came around.
Teddy Sheringham’s penalty gave Spurs the lead in the second half, but Paul Dickov equalised just six minutes later. Academy product Matthew Piper had the final word, scoring his first-ever senior goal and the last-ever goal in Filbert Street’s 111-year history. It was to be his only ever goal for Leicester, and he retired at 26 years old after an injury-hit career.
First scorer at the Walkers Stadium: Brian Deane got a brace against Watford in a 2-0 victory, setting Leicester on their way to immediate promotion back to the Premier League.
Maine Road, Manchester City (2003) – Michael SvenssonManchester City’s beloved Moss Side home made way for the City of Manchester Stadium after a year adapting the Commonwealth Games stadium for the club to move into.
But being Manchester City pre-petrostate billions, they of course lost in true damp squib style to a Southampton side who will have been far more bothered about appearing in the following weekend’s FA Cup final.
There was no magic from captain-for-the-day Shaun Goater, playing his last game for the club. Instead, Southampton centre-back Michael Svensson, of all people, got the winner for the visitors. A 1-0 defeat to West Ham in the previous game at Maine Road leaves the late Marc-Vivien Foe as the last City player to score at Maine Road, scoring the final goal in a 3-0 win over Sunderland.
First scorer at the City of Manchester Stadium: A fair play slot in the UEFA Cup qualifying round meant City’s first competitive game was, weirdly, against Wales’ Total Network Solutions. Trevor Sinclair got the first goal in a 5-0 win.
Highfield Road, Coventry (2005) – Andy WhingProbably the best sign-off on the list. Coventry City needed a win against Derby County in Highfield Road’s last game, just to make sure there was no risk of getting relegated from the Championship ahead of their final-day trip to Crewe the following week.
By half-time Coventry were 4-0 up thanks to Gary McSheffrey’s brace and goals from Dele Adebola, and Stern John.
Adam Bolder and Paul Peschisolido each scored for Derby either side of John’s second, but 20-year-old academy graduate and right-back Andy Whing absolutely walloped home a deflected sixth and final goal for Coventry before running almost the full width of the stand giving a running high fives to everyone in the front row. Lovely stuff.
First scorer at the Ricoh Arena: Claus Bech Jorgensen opened the scoring in a 3-0 win over QPR, with Dele Adebola getting the other two.
Highbury, Arsenal (2006) – Thierry HenryThe specifics of Arsenal’s last game at Highbury have been curiously erased from the popular consciousness, coinciding as it did with Tottenham’s infamous lasagnegate.
The two North London clubs were both vying for the fourth and final Champions League place on the closing day of the Premier League season. Spurs held a point’s advantage, only for ten of their players to be struck down with a stomach bug initially attributed to a dodgy lasagne but later revealed to be norovirus.
Spurs’ request to delay their kick-off time against West Ham was denied, and a below-strength side lost 2-1. Meanwhile, Arsenal emerged 4-2 victors over Wigan Athletic. Paul Scharner and David Thompson had levelled things up after goals from Robert Pires and Thierry Henry, with Henry going on to complete a hat-trick and claim the last Highbury goal.
First scorer at the Emirates Stadium: The first season at the Emirates was a bit of a nightmare for Arsenal, so it seems apt that Aston Villa’s Olof Mellberg got the first competitive goal there. Gilberto Silva’s late equaliser in a 1-1 draw marked the Gunners’ first goal at their new stadium.
Boleyn Ground/Upton Park, West Ham (2016) – Winston ReidThe controversial move into the Olympic stadium meant West Ham said a tearful goodbye to their iconic old ground in 2015/16, with Manchester United the last side to visit.
It was a bit of a belter, too. Diafra Sakho got the first goal early on, but Anthony Martial looked to have spoiled the party with a pair of second-half strikes to put the visitors ahead.
Michail Antonio took just four minutes to restore parity, and it was only another four minutes before Winston Reid got Upton Park’s last-ever goal – helping the Hammers to finish above Liverpool and claim a Europa League qualifying place in the process.
First scorer at the London Stadium: That, in turn, meant West Ham’s first game of the following season was a second-leg encounter with Slovenian side NK Domzale. Cheikhou Kouyate scored a brace before Sofiane Feghouli added the extras in a 3-o win for Slaven Bilic’s side.
White Hart Lane, Tottenham (2017) – Wayne RooneyA year later, Manchester United were Tottenham’s guests for their final game, too.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side had enjoyed a brilliant season, finishing as runners-up to Chelsea, while United needed a win to keep alive any hope of claiming a top four finish place. Spurs made sure that didn’t happen claiming a 14th straight home win. Victor Wanyama and Harry Kane put them 2-0 up, each scoring in the first few minutes of either half.
But Wayne Rooney got the last goal at White Hart Lane, which also turned out to be the last of his 253 goals for United (who then got a Champions League place anyway by winning the Europa League).
First scorer at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: It was nearly two years before Spurs finally moved into their new ground after a spell at Wembley, hosting Crystal Palace in April 2019. Son Heung-min got the first goal with a deflected strike, before Christian Eriksen wrapped up a 2-0 win.
Goodison Park, Everton (2025) – Iliman NdiayeIt’s only just happened, so we’ll keep it brief. Iliman Ndiaye produced a lovely finish to put Everton ahead against Southampton, Beto had two goals disallowed for offside, then Ndiaye scored again just before half time.