Ground #396 - Elderstubbs

Date: 14th October 2023
Location: Daventry, Northamptonshire
Ground: Elderstubbs

My twenty-first new ground of 2023 was on Saturday 14th October at Elderstubbs in Daventry, Northamptonshire. The game was Daventry Town vs. Histon in the United Counties League Premier Division South.

Elderstubbs is on the western edge of Daventry, a couple of miles from the town centre. It is part of Daventry Sports Park which includes two full-size pitches (one grass, one 3G), four mini 3G pitches, an indoor bowls club and a physical fitness centre. The complex is mostly surrounded by farmland except for a recycling centre to its eastern side. Daventry does not have a railway station with the nearest to the ground being Long Buckby station, 4.5 miles to the north-east. Elderstubbs has been home to the club since 1990 when they left 'The Hollow' which was closer to the town centre.

The entrance to the ground is in the south-east corner. This leads into a section of eight pub/picnic benches in the corner. Moving down the south flank is a 117-seat covered stand then the clubhouse. This is a smart little bar which has an upstairs balcony overlooking the pitch. In front of the clubhouse, underneath the balcony overhang are five more picnic benches and a food outlet. The dressing rooms are located within this main building and access to them is next door to the club house. Towards the western end there is a second, slightly larger, all-seater stand with 125 seats and then a storage area for several goals and a few shipping containers.

The northern side of Elderstubbs is hard standing though there is a small covered section in the middle known as The Hobbs Stand. The two dugouts are located either side of this covered area. The eastern and western ends are narrow uncovered standing so more akin to walkways. The four 3G mini pitches back directly onto the eastern end.

This United Counties League Premier Division South game saw 8th place Daventry taking on 18th place Histon. The hosts had seven wins and six defeats from the opening 13 games whilst Histon had only recorded two wins from their opening 12 games. It didn't take Daventry long to score - in the 7th minute John Dean's cross from the left resulted in Histon keeper Sam Roach colliding with Daventry striker Connor Furlong with the ball spilling into the bottom corner of the net. Histon tried to hit back straight from the kick-off as Marcus Cole's 25-yard chip was palmed over by a backpeddling Iustin Cerga. This little spate of action was all there was to write home about a dull first 45 minutes. Into the second half the game was determined by an eight minute spell when three more goals arrived for Daventry. The first came in the 54th minute when Leon Lobjoit kept the ball well on the edge of the box and his deflected shot snuck past Roach in the Histon goal. A couple of minutes later John Dean was the provider again as he got in behind the defence down the left and as the keeper closed him down he squared for Lobjoit to knock into an empty net. Lobjoit then completed an eight-minute hat-trick in the 62nd minute when he picked up Oran Jackson's ball to knock home. Daventry were gifted a fifth goal the 77tth minute when a defensive mix-up saw the ball cannon off a Histon defender straight to Archie May who stroked into the bottom corner. This final goal rounded off a very comfortable win for Daventry against a Histon side that offered little.

Result: Daventry Town 5-0 Histon

Division: United Counties League Premier Division South

Attendance: 219