Ground #76 - Brentwood Centre Arena

Date: 27th September 2011
Ground: Brentwood Centre Arena
Location: Brentwood, Essex

My sixty-third new ground of 2011 was on Tuesday 27th September at the Brentwood Centre Arena in Brentwood, Essex. The match was Brentwood Town vs. Enfield Town in Ryman Isthmian League Division One North.

The Brentwood Centre Arena is around 1.5 miles from Brentwood railway station and is located next to the A12 on the outskirts of the town. It has been home to Brentwood Town since 1993.

The venue sits in The Brentwood Centre leisure complex with various football pitches and a main building. The ground part of the complex is referred to as 'The Arena'. It has one main all-seater stand level with the half-way line on the south side. This can house 180 fans and it also contains the changing rooms and a small clubhouse.

In addition to the main stand there is also a covered standing section behind the goal on the west side of the venue with elevated concrete steps. This can hold around 100 people if necessary. The remainder of the ground is general uncovered standing with a wooden fence encircling the pitch to separate fans from the field of play.

The game was unable to flow in the opening half-hour after being plagued by frequent stoppages for injuries. Up until this point it had been one-way traffic by Enfield Town and the visitors deservedly took the lead when they capitalised on Brentwood giving the ball away with a lovely team passing move being finished off by a low drive past the goalkeeper from 12 yards. In the 45th minute Enfield Town doubled their lead after the ball was lifted into the box and a forward lobbed the advancing keeper. Brentwood were much improved in the second period and got a goal back on 51 minutes when a superb 25-yard shot into the top corner. A few minutes later Brentwood thought they had equalised only for their goal to be ruled out for offside. Ultimately the hosts were unable to get back on level pegging and Enfield Town were victorious.

Result: Brentwood Town 1-2 Enfield Town
Division: Isthmian League Division One North
Attendance: 115

Ground #75 - Adams Park

Date: 24th September 2011
Ground: Adams Park
Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

My sixty-second new ground of 2011 was on Saturday 24th September at Adams Park in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The match was Wycombe Wanderers vs. Sheffield United in Football League One.

Adams Park is around 2.5 miles from High Wycombe railway station although there is transportation available in the form of a matchday bus which leaves the station around an hour before kick-off and heads back from the ground ten minutes after the final whistle. The venue is located in an industrial estate on the outskirts of High Wycombe and has been home to Wycombe Wanderers since 1990.

The Frank Adams Stand runs alongside the pitch on the south side of the venue and is by far the largest stand in the ground. It was originally single-tiered like all the other stands in the ground but in 1996 was converted to a two-tiered structure with a capacity of 5,000. Opposite this on the north side of the ground is the Bucks New University Stand, a rather small all-seater stand which can hold around 1,250 fans. Because of its short height it does allow a picturesque view of the surrounding countryside for fans watching the game from the other stands.

The only terraced section in the ground is the Greene King IPA Terrace which sits behind the goal on the west side of the ground. This has a capacity of just under 2,000. Behind the other goal is the all-seater Dreams Stand which can hold up to 2,000 away fans. As I was attending the match with my friend who is a Sheffield United fan this is where I watched the action from.

The game saw Sheffield United dominate much of the opening play, with large spells of possession albeit with little to show for their pressure. On the half-hour mark the hosts scored against the run of play when the ball fell to Stuart Beavon in the box who fired into the top corner. This goal buoyed Wycombe who put the visitors on the back foor for the rest of the half. In the second period Sheffield United came back into the game and rattled the crossbar from 25 yards. The close of the match saw the away side have a whole host of chances but were let down by poor finishing with Wycombe holding out for a 1-0 win.

Result: Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Sheffield United
Division: Football League One
Attendance: 5,506

Ground #74 - Stamford Bridge

Date: 21st September 2011
Ground: Stamford Bridge
Location: Fulham, London

My sixty-first new ground of 2011 was on Wednesday 21st September at Stamford Bridge in Fulham, London. The match was Chelsea vs. Fulham in the Carling Cup 3rd Round.

Stamford Bridge is 300 yards from Fulham Broadway tube station on the District Line. The venue was built in 1877, and was initially used primarily for athletics until Chelsea FC were formed in 1905, with them becoming the main occupiers of the ground from this point onwards.

The ground has four distinct stands which have undergone varying levels of development in recent years. The Matthew Harding Stand sits behind the goal on the north side of the ground and is a two-tiered stand with a capacity of just under 10,900. It was completed in 1996 and houses the most vocal Chelsea support in its lower tier. Behind the opposite goal on the south side of the ground is The Shed End - a smaller two-tier stand which can hold 6,800. It was finished in 1997 and is where away fans are positioned.

The oldest stand in the venue is the East Stand - a three-tiered structure running alongside the pitch with a capacity of just over 10,900. This was built in 1973 though has been refurbished and modernised since then. This stand also contains the dugouts, dressing rooms and media centre. Across from this is the largest stand in the ground - the West Stand. This 13,500 capacity three-tiered stand was built in 1998 though not fully completed until 2001. I watched the game from the upper tier of this stand.

The game was a League Cup 3rd Round tie between Premier League sides Chelsea and Fulham. The first period had sporadic bursts of action and the home side thought they'd taken the lead just before the break only to have a Daniel Sturridge goal ruled out for offside. Immediately after the restart the visitors were awarded a penalty and Chelsea reduced to ten men after Alex was sent off for a tackle on Kerim Frei. However, Fulham missed the penalty and Chelsea seemed to be spurred on by this creating a host of chances in the second half. They were unable though to find the net and so after 90 minutes the scores were tied at 0-0. Another half-hour of extra-time also failed to produce a goal so it was left to a penalty shoot-out, with Chelsea triumphing in this 4-3 to go through to the next round.

Result: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham (Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties)
Competition: League Cup
Attendance: 37,632

Ground #73 - Emirates Stadium

Date: 20th September 2011
Ground: Emirates Stadium
Location: Holloway, London

My sixtieth new ground of 2011 was on Tuesday 20th September at the Emirates Stadium in Holloway, London. The match was Arsenal vs. Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup 3rd Round.

The Emirates Stadium is around 350 yards from Holloway Road tube station on the Piccadilly Line although there are several other tube stations in the vicinity of the ground. The stadium has been home to Arsenal since 2006 when they moved out of their Highbury which they had played at for the previous 93 years.

This wasn't my first visit to the Emirates having been on a stadium tour in April 2008, though this was my first experience of a game at the venue. The ground is a four-tiered bowl with the majority of this taken by the standard seating of the lowest and highest tiers. The lower tier of the bowl holds around 24,400 fans with the upper tier holding around 26,600. The non-standard areas consist of two premium tiers - the 7,100 capacity 'club level' tier and above this a 2,200 capacity tier of boxes which cost around £80,000 a year to hire.

Despite being a bowl structure, the stadium is divided into four quadrants - the East Stand, West Stand, North Bank and Clock End. These four stands are named after the four stands at Arsenal's previous ground Highbury and in recent years a replica of the original clock has been added to the Clock End. For the game I was sitting in the lower tier of the West Stand alongside my sister who is an Arsenal fan.

The game was a League Cup 3rd Round tie between Premier League side Arsenal and League Two side Shrewsbury Town. The hosts started brightly and almost opened the scoring in the first five minutes but Shrewsbury quickly got into the game and almost took the lead after 13 minutes when they struck the post. A couple of minutes later though the visitors made their chance count with James Collins nodding in a cross to give them the lead. They then continued to attack Arsenal and very nearly doubled their lead. Eventually the Premier League side got into gear and headed an equaliser ten minutes before the break through Kieran Gibbs. In the second half Arsenal got on top of the game and took the lead when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards just before the hour mark. Shrewsbury continued to threaten but the Gunners looked the more likely to grab another which they did though Yossi Benayoun with 10 minutes remaining to seal a 3-1 win.

Result: Arsenal 3-1 Shrewsbury Town
Competition: League Cup
Attendance: 46,539

Ground #72 - Cricklefields Stadium

Date: 14th September 2011
Ground: Cricklefields Stadium
Location: Ilford, London

My fifty-ninth new ground of 2011 was on Wednesday 14th September at Cricklefields Stadium in Ilford, London. The match was Ilford vs. Chatham Town in Ryman Isthmian League Division One North.

Crickefields Stadium is less than half a mile from Seven Kings railway station in a built-up area of north-east London. It has been home to Ilford since 1996.

The ground was built as a multi-use stadium in 1923 with the football pitch surrounding by a running track for the local athletics club. Ilford moved into the ground in 1996 and since then have undertaken development work building a clubhouse and additional viewing areas.

The venue's main stand is an all-seater structure level with the half-way line on the north side of the ground, which can hold 200 fans. The rest of this side of the ground is elevated concrete terracing which extends round to the area behind the goal on the east side of the ground. The west side of the ground holds the team dugouts as well as a covered standing area, built in 2004. The remainder of the venue is general standing.

The game was a pretty scrappy encounter with Chatham easily the better team on the night. The visitors should have opened the scoring on 3 minutes when they were presented with an open goal but contrived to hit the bar. However, they did get their goal after 16 minutes when Ilford failed to clear a corner and the ball was poked into the net from close range. Just past the half-hour mark the visitors had a great opportunity to extend their lead after being awarded a penalty but this was saved by the home keeper. In the second half Ilford were a little better but their sub-standard passing let them down and they never really looked like scoring as the game petered out to a 1-0 win for the away side.

Result: Ilford 0-1 Chatham Town
Division: Isthmian League Division One North
Attendance: 42

Ground #71 - The Valley

Date: 13th September 2011
Ground: The Valley
Location: Charlton, London

My fifty-eighth new ground of 2011 was on Tuesday 13th September at The Valley in Charlton, London. The match was Charlton Athletic vs. Preston North End in the Carling Cup 2nd Round.

The Valley is around 350 yards from Charlton railway station in a residential area close to central London. The original Valley was home to Charlton from 1919 to 1985 with the club returning to the newly renovated version in 1992 after several years away.

Despite the fact the club only moved into the renovated Valley in 1992, further redevelopments have been done on three of the four stands. The remaining stand, the Jimmy Seed Stand, is located on the south side of the venue and houses away fans. It is by far the smallest in the ground with a capacity of 3,000. Charlton were planning to also redevelop this but their fall from the Premier League down to the third tier has scuppered this for the time being.

At the opposite end of the ground sits the North Stand, a 9,000 capacity two-tiered stand with quadrants in both corners linking it to the East and West Stands. The East Stand is a single-tiered stand running down the side of the pitch which can seat over 5,000 fans. The other two-tiered stand in the ground is the West Stand. This is the largest stand in the venue, able to hold just under 10,000 supporters and this is where I watched the game from.

The game was a League Cup 2nd Round tie between League One sides Charlton Athletic and Preston North End. It was the visitors who opened the scoring on 11 minutes after knocking in a rebound to a saved shot from 12 yards, and for the rest of the first half Preston held the upper hand and could've put the game to bed by half-time after some dire Charlton defending. However, it was just 1-0 at the break and the home side came racing out of the traps in the second period, putting the Preston goal under a lot of pressure. However, when the second goal of the night came, it was for Preston who scored a dipping 25-yard effort against the run of play. This demoralised Charlton and the away side dominated the rest of the game, and almost extended their lead further. In the end they were unable to do so but would have been content with their 2-0 victory.

Result: Charlton Athletic 0-2 Preston North End
Competition: League Cup
Attendance: 5,130

Ground #70 - Notcutts Park

Date: 7th September 2011
Ground: Notcutts Park
Location: Woodbridge, Suffolk

My fifty-seventh new ground of 2011 was on Wednesday 7th September at Notcutts Park in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The match was Woodbridge Town vs. Hadleigh United in the Ridgeons Eastern Counties League Premier Division.

Notcutts Park is 1.3 miles from Woodbridge railway station and sits in a residential estate on the outskirts of Woodbridge. It has been home to Woodbridge Town since it was built in 1990.

All the facilities of the ground are placed on the south-east side of the venue. The viewing areas consist of one small all-seater stand mostly consisting of four rows of benches with eighteen seats positioned in the middle of two of the rows. Attached to the right side of this is a small covered metal terrace with raised viewing. Also on this side of the venue is an excellent clubhouse and bar area which is one of the best examples of its kind I have come across at this level.

The remainder of the ground is general uncovered standing behind a metal barrier which goes around the pitch. There is netting surrounding the north-east and north-west sides of the venue, with the former designed to stop balls hitting the nearby houses and the latter to stop balls from going over into the A12 main road which runs alongside the ground.

The game started with Woodbridge bursting out of the traps to net the opener after just 3 minutes. For the next quarter of an hour Hadleigh were under real pressure but against the run of play they then netted an equaliser which completely changed the game. From this point on it was the visitors who picked up the pace and they scored another two great goals in the space of three minutes to go into half-time leading 3-1. Both sides continued to play openly in the second half but it wasn't until the 80th minute until the next goal came with Hadleigh notching up their fourth of the game from a corner after the Woodbridge goalkeeper missed the ball and it was headed in on the line. With five minutes to go a woefully underhit backpass by a Woodbridge defender was picked up by a Hadleigh attacker who rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home and in injury time the rout was completed when the Woodbridge defence was once again taken apart allowing the visitors to score their sixth of the night to complete a 6-1 victory.

Result: Woodbridge Town 1-6 Hadleigh United
Division: Eastern Counties League Premier Division
Attendance: 120

Ground #69 - Goldsdown Road

Date: 6th September 2011
Ground: Goldsdown Road
Location: Brimsdown, London

My fifty-sixth new ground of 2011 was on Tuesday 6th September at Goldsdown Road in Brimsdown, London. The match was Enfield 1893 vs. Hatfield Town in an F.A. Cup Preliminary Round Replay.

Goldsdown Road is about 500 yards from the Brimsdown railway station in north London. The ground was built for Brimsdown Rovers in 1956 who played there until 2010 when they merged with Enfield 1893. This club then resided at the ground until 2014 before moving elsewhere. Goldsdown Road is now occupied by Brimsdown FC who formed in 2013.

The ground has one all-seater stand running alongside the pitch on the south side of the venue. This has just under 150 seats and looks like a work in progress with a sheet of tarpaulin covering the back of the stand from the elements. Opposite this on the north side of the ground is a covered standing area next to the team dugouts.

The rest of the ground is general uncovered standing behind the barriers on the edge of the playing surface. The venue itself is fairly spacious for this level of non-league with a decent clubhouse and cafeteria by the main entrance. There are also various football pitches in the surrounding grass areas next to the ground.

The game was an F.A. Cup Preliminary Round Replay between Essex Senior League side Enfield 1893 and Spartan South Midlands Premier Division side Hatfield Town. The first half was a pretty turgid affair with little in the way of quality. The only thing of note was the home side being reduced to ten men after just 18 minutes when their last defender brought down a Hatfield attacker after losing the ball to him. The game got better in the second half and Enfield took the lead with 15 minutes to go from an overhead kick. Just when it looked like they'd be going through to the next round Hatfield headed home in injury time to send the tie into extra-time. Early on in this the away side grabbed the deciding goal to win the game 2-1.

Result: Enfield 1893 1-2 Hatfield Town
Competition: F.A. Cup
Attendance: 65

Ground #68 - Vicarage Road

Date: 1st September 2011
Ground: Vicarage Road
Location: Watford, Hertfordshire

My fifty-fifth new ground of 2011 was on Thursday 1st September at Vicarage Road in Watford, Hertfordshire. The match was England Under 21s vs. Azerbaijan Under 21s in 2013 European Under 21 Championship Qualifying.

Vicarage Road is around half a mile from Watford High Street railway station although the more frequently used Watford Junction railway station is also close, as it is just a mile away. The stadium is the home of Premier League side Watford who have played there since it was built in 1922.

On my visit the ground consisted of three all-seater stands with the final section awaiting final demolition before building of the new Sir Elton John Stand could commence. The old structure was a mixture of seating and terraces and had been closed from 2008 up until the opening of the new 3,100 stand in December 2014. This was expanded by a further 700 seats upon the club's promotion to the Premier League in 2015.

On of opposite side of the pitch on the south-west side of the ground is the Rous Stand, the only two-tier stand in the ground. The two stands behind each goal were built in the mid 1990s - the Rookery Stand on the south-east side of the ground has a capacity of just under 7,000 and the Vicarage Road Stand on the north-west side of the ground has a capacity of 5,800. Ordinarily this houses away fans on the right side of the stand although this was not really an issue for this game. I took my place on the left side of the stand to watch the game.

The game saw a very comfortable victory for England over a weak Azerbaijan side. The home nation opened the scoring on just 4 minutes when Craig Dawson nodded in a corner and doubled the lead after 21 minutes with a smart overhead kick from Henri Lansbury. Just before the break a superb curling shot by Jordan Henderson made it 3-0 and though England were restricted until the 73rd minute to notch up their fourth goal it duly came thanks to Henri Lansbury bundling the ball over the line. The goal of the match came on 79 minutes when Martyn Waghorn scored a spectacular 30-yard drive and the rout was finished on 89 minutes with Craig Dawson heading in his second of the match to wrap up the 6-0 victory.

Result: England Under 21s 6-0 Azerbaijan Under 21s

Competition: 2013 European Under 21 Championship Qualifying

Attendance: 7,738

Ground #67 - Humber Doucy Lane

Date: 31st August 2011
Ground: Humber Doucy Lane
Location: Rushmere, Suffolk

My fifty-fourth new ground of 2011 was on Wednesday 31st August at Humber Doucy Lane in Rushmere, Suffolk. The match was Ipswich Wanderers vs. Debenham Leisure Centre in the Ridgeons Eastern Counties League Division One.

Humber Doucy Lane is in the village of Rushmere just on the outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk. It is about 3 miles from Ipswich railway station though buses from outside the station take you close to the ground which has been home to Ipswich Wanderers since the club formed in the 1980s.

The ground sits near Rushmere Sports Club and is just one of the many football pitches in the area. The venue  is almost entirely surrounded by corrugated metal giving it an interesting look. The facilities are all located on the south-west side of the ground near the entrance. In addition to the players and officials changing rooms, there is a cosy clubhouse next to the pitch as well as the main spectator areas. These are mostly covered standing areas with one small all-seater area consisting of around 60 wooden seats.

There is further covered standing areas behind the goal on the south-east side of the venue and for some of the north-east side of the venue which runs alongside the pitch. This stops just short of the half-way line to make room for the dugouts. The north-west side of the venue backs onto a field so there is no room for spectator viewing. The tall trees behind the goal on that side of the ground tend to catch any wayward shots.

The game was an entertaining one right from the off as inside the first minute a long-range shot from Debenham was seemingly fumbled over the line by the keeper though no goal was given. Ipswich opened the scoring after 5 minutes when a crossed free-kick deceived everyone ending up in the back of the net. A minute later Debenham were livid when they had a man felled while he was clean through with the referee handing out just a yellow card for a clear straight red card offence. However, they did score a smart overhead kick a couple of minutes later. The visitors then took the lead when the ball was intercepted from a home defender and lobbed over the goalkeeper. Home fan complaints of a handball fell on deaf ears and Debenham  then scored an injury-time penalty to lead 3-1 at the break. Ipswich got a goal back after an hour after sloppy defending by the visitors who quickly re-established their two-goal lead with an excellent curling finish on 70 minutes. No more goals were scored so Debenham took all three points with their 4-2 win.

Result: Ipswich Wanderers 2-4 Debenham Leisure Centre
Division: Eastern Counties League Division One
Attendance: 66

Ground #66 - Chalk Lane

Date: 30th August 2011
Ground: Chalk Lane
Location: Cockfosters, London

My fifty-third new ground of 2011 was on Tuesday 30th August at Chalk Lane in Cockfosters, London. The match was Cockfosters vs. Kentish Town in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One.

Chalk Lane is just 400 yards from Cockfosters tube station on the Piccadilly Line. The ground has been home to Cockfosters since they were founded in 1921.

Chalk Lane is a small venue that makes up a larger sports area which sits on the edge of a built-up residential area. The ground borders Cockfosters Cricket Club on its south side and Trent Park on its west side. As the ground is hemmed in on all sides it is quite basic in nature and feels quite small. The west side of the ground houses all the facilities including a decent clubhouse. It also contains the main spectator area - a covered seating section mostly consisting of wooden benching with around 30 plastic seats next to this.

The south and east sides of the ground is general standing behind the metal barrier that separates fans from the pitch. The team dugouts are also located on the east side of the venue. One issue the venue has is that the hedges on the north side of the ground encroach right up to the goal itself so there is no room for any people. However, for a small club like Cockfosters the space for spectating is more than adequate.

The game turned out to be a formality for Cockfosters who were the better team all evening against a poor Kentish Town who had conceded eight in their previous fixture. The scoring was opened however in contentious circumstances after a Cockfosters forward collided with the keeper and the ball was tapped in. At higher levels the goal would certainly have been disallowed but it was allowed to stand here and from this point on the floodgates opened with the home side adding two more before the break. Like the first half the visitors started ok but collapsed towards the end conceding another three goals in the last 10 minutes to go down to a heavy 6-0 defeat.

Result: Cockfosters 6-0 Kentish Town
Division: Spartan South Midlands League Division One
Attendance: 68