They joined Hughenden club members to express their anger as the Hepburn Stand was demolished yesterday.
They were also unhappy that a memorial to Glasgow’s First World War dead was destroyed when the bulldozers started work on the rugby ground.
The £4 million project, which has caused fury among members and nearby residents, will result in 45 flats being built.
Building work and the construction of two new pitches on the site will now begin.
The site was sold by Hillhead Sports Club to developers Manor Kingdom in 2008 at a time of financial difficulty.
And today club president Gordon Taylor admitted: “It was a sad, sad day when we found out. The whole thing isn’t particularly wonderful.”
Local residents say the pitch, in Hyndland, is a special place and has, over generations become central to their community.
Richard Low, of Hughenden Residents Association, said: “Not only will we lose a valuable and much-used rugby playing field, we will also see a part of Glasgow’s history lost forever.
“We want Hillhead Sports Club to survive and prosper, but we believe a disposal of this magnitude is not the best way forward for Glasgow in general and the West End in particular.
“Hughenden is the heart of our community.
“To have it taken away from us is not fair and just wrong.”
He said it was particularly sad as the Hepburn Stand was built as a memorial to former Hillhead High School pupils who died in the First World War.
The plans also include the partial demolition of the clubhouse and the erection of floodlighting and a 18ft boundary fence.
Although the work will bring a refurbished club house to Hughenden, members of Hillhead/Jordanhill RFC have been saddened by the project and say their ground will loose the “tradition” which defines it.
Mr Taylor added: “The whole thing came about because we had to sell part of the ground.
“It’s been hard for the club recently and we have been struggling with money.
“The whole ground will be shut down for six to nine months so we are homeless.
“It is especially hard on the players as they have no club house and no home ground.
“For a lot of the guys rugby is a huge part of their lives so for it to be taken away for several months is tough.
“Although we will get a refurbished club house and two new pitches it won’t be the same.
“There is going to be a row of flats built behind one of the stands so it takes away from Hughenden which has been home to us for decades.
“We just want the work to be done and the situation to finally come to an end as the whole team is anxious to get back to where we belong.”
Hughenden, which has been at the heart of rugby in Glasgow for decades, has hosted many great sides including the All Blacks, a star-studded Australia squad and Fiji, and hundreds of Scottish internationalists have graced the pitch.
A spokeswoman for builders Manor Kingdom confirmed work had started on the 45 flats and is expected to finish in 2012.
Times file...The history of Hughenden
1924... Hughenden was opened after the ground was purchased by a war memorial committee with many sports flourishing there in its early days before becoming a major part of rugby in Glasgow.
1930s... International greats, Ian McLauchlan, Jimmy Cotter and ‘Copey’ Murdoch, a famous stand-off/full-back duo, played their early matches at Hughenden before breaking into the Scotland squad.
1950s.. Described as the “golden era” by members, it was during the Fifties when the team rose up the senior ranks in club rugby. Jordanhill stars Alan Cameron and Ian MacGregor represented Scotland.
1958... Hughenden began to emerge as Glasgow’s rugby home when it played host to inter-city matches with Edinburgh, which were formally held in Anniesland. Since then Hughenden has become the home of terrific district matches with their rivals in the East, North, Midlands and the South.
1974... Hughenden became the home of Scotland rugby giants, Glasgow Warriors. Glasgow trounced world-class Tonga in 33-16 thriller.
1979... Perhaps one of the West End ground’s greatest days when it hosted a fiercely competitive international showdown which ended in Glasgow going down 12-6 to New Zealand. The match has gone down in Scottish rugby history.
1988... Jordanhill FP merged with Hillhead to form the current Hillhead and Jordanhill RFC
1989... A great Australia team claimed a 20-12 victory over Glasgow in a rare Country v City showdown at the ground.
2004... Hughenden provided a platform for flourishing world stars at youth level. It played host to the IRB Under-21 World Cup match between New Zealand and South Africa which featured a clutch of stars from the recent World Cup.
2007... In one of the famous ground’s darker days, Hillhead Sports Club, who own Hughenden, agreed to sell some of the main rugby pitch to a housing developer amidst financial difficulty. Members and locals hit out at plans for 46 flats to be built on part of the site.
2008... Housing developer Barratt pull out of plans to build flats on the site but the sight is bought over by Manor Kingdom who plan to go ahead with the project.
2011... Work begins on the project at Hughenden. As well as a new block of flats, two new pitches and a revamped club house are included in the plans.
