Ground #229 - Edge Green Street

Date: 16th April 2017
Ground: Edge Green Street
Location: Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester

My thirteenth new ground of 2017 was on Sunday 16th April at Edge Green Street in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester. The match was Ashton Town vs. Stockport Town in North West Counties League Division One.

Edge Green Street is in a residential area in the west of Ashton-in-Makerfield. It is bordered by housing on the northern, southern and western sides with a football pitch and a primary school to the east. The ground is 1.5 miles south-east of Bryn railway station and has been home to the club since 1964.

There are two stands on the southern side of the ground. The smaller of these is an all-seater stand towards the eastern end of the ground which has around 70 seats. The larger stand is close to the half-way line and consists of three levels of concrete. This is mostly standing though there are two rows of seating which have been bolted into the floor which adds around another 50 to the seated total.

The eastern end is uncovered standing with a car parking area behind the goal. In the north-east corner by the entrance there is a club bar and food outlet. Further down the northern side there is the dressing room building which has a thin concrete viewing area in front of it. Past this building there is a decent sized grass area behind the barrier with the two dugouts and a gantry as well. The western end has a smaller grass area with netting behind the goal in light of the housing estate behind.

With Ashton having only recorded five wins all season while rooted to the foot of the table it was unsurprising to see the visors start the game off better. In the 15th minute the ball was sent out to the right of the box and Ben Halfacre's shot stung the palms of the Ashton keeper. In the 26th minute a penalty was awarded to Stockport after a push on Adam Stubbs on the edge of the area. Stubbs landed awkwardly and was stretched off with the delay meaning it wasn't until the 30th minute when Halfacre stepped up and dispatched the penalty low to the keeper's right. A few minute after this the away side went close again when a crossfield ball found Alec Mudimu who saw his shot come back off the post. In first half injury time only a point blank save prevented Jamie Hinchliffe from making it 2-0. During the opening minutes of the second period the hosts had their first meaningful chance of the game when a defender flashed the ball wide from close range. Any hope of getting back into the game was extinguished in the 57th minute though as a cross from the right found Halfacre in the area and he headed downwards past the keeper to give Stockport a two-goal lead. The remainder of the game was comfortable for Stockport though late injuries to Aaron Dwyer and Syrone Allen meant they had to finish the game with only nine men. Even then Ashton failed to really threaten as they went out with a whimper.

Result: Ashton Town 0-2 Stockport Town
Division: North West Counties League Division One
Attendance: 315

Ground #228 - Brocstedes Park

Date: 16th April 2017
Ground: Brocstedes Park
Location: Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester

My twelfth new ground of 2017 was on Sunday 16th April at Brocstedes Park in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester. The match was Ashton Athletic vs. Squires Gate in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

Brocstedes Park is situated on the northern edge of Ashton-in-Makerfield - it is surrounded by fields or parkland on three sides with the M6 motorway bordering to the east. The venue is just over a mile from Bryn railway station to the south-east and Garswood railway station to the south-west.

The ground entrance is close to the half-way line on the western side of the patch. There is a demountable club shop directly by the entrance and then further forward a clubhouse with a bar, food outlet and dressing rooms. In front of this is a flat concrete area with a couple of picnic benches. There is a small roof overhang which provides a single line of covered viewing. By the half-way line itself there are the two dugouts and adjacent to this is a stand which runs almost half the length of the field down to the southern end. This covered stand is a mixture of seating and standing areas. There is a much smaller all-seater stand in the north-west corner of the ground which allows for another covered viewing area.

The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing. There is a large grass area behind the northern goal and it is a similar story on the eastern side where the confines of the ground run right up to the trees which border the M6. The area behind the northern goal is a narrow concrete walkway with a second full size pitch directly behind the ground at this end. There is netting behind the goal to prevent wayward balls ending up on this pitch.

The game burst into life early on as the visitors scored in only the 2nd minute of the tie. It came about when a shot at the near post was dropped by the keeper and Joseph Noblet reacted quickly to smash into the roof of the net. It took until the 10th minute for Ashton to equalise when a cross from the left of the box was backheeled into the corner from 10 yards out by Danny Smith. The rest of the half was fairly even but not many shots were on target so there wasn't a huge amount for the keepers to do. Ashton managed to get on top in the 2nd half and were clearly the better side in the final 45 minutes. They took the lead in the 63rd minute after a quick break down the left wing saw the ball squarded for Lee Vaughan to slot home from 12 yards out. The visitors best chance was in the 83rd minute when a free-kick was missed by the Ashton goalkeeper and the subsequent header was cleared off the line by a covering Ashton defender.

Result: Ashton Athletic 2-1 Squires Gate
Division: North West Counties League Premier Division
Attendance: 298

Ground #54 - Ashton Gate

Date: 30th July 2011
Ground: Ashton Gate
Location: Ashton Gate, Bristol

My forty-first new ground of 2011 was on Saturday 30th July at Ashton Gate in Ashton Gate, Bristol. The match was Bristol City vs. West Bromwich Albion in a friendly game.

Ashton Gate is quite a way from the main railway stations in Bristol but there is an hourly service to the Parson Street station which is just over half a mile from the stadium. The venue has been home to Bristol City since 1904.

Between 2014 and 2016 the stadium underwent a major development to modernise the venue. The Wedlock Stand has now been rebuilt as a large single-tier stand which connects with the Dolman Stand. On my visit it was a long, thin stand behind the goal at the south-east end of the ground able to hold 5,500 fans. It's low roof was supported by numerous pillars meaning blocked views were more common than elsewhere in the ground. At the opposite end of the pitch the Atyeo Stand sits behind the other goal and with a capacity of 4,200 is the smallest stand in the ground and is the only part not redeveloped in the mid 2010s.

Running alongside the north-east side of the pitch is the Dolman Stand. During the redevelopment it kept its general structure but was upgraded to add more seating to take it to around 6,000. Opposite this was the Williams Stand where I watched the game from. When it stood the 5,500 capacity stand was a somewhat archaic looking structure which contained wooden seats in its upper sections. It has since been replaced with an impressive 11,000 capacity two-tier stand with corporate boxes separating the two tiers.

The game was a pre-season friendly between Championship side Bristol City and Premier League side West Bromwich Albion. Very little happened in a very dull first half with few clear cut chances to speak of as the teams finished the half goalless. The second half was a much better spectacle with both sides hitting the woodwork in the opening passages of play. Ultimately it was the visitors who grabbed the only goal of the game with a header in the 89th minute. The result was a little harsh on the hosts who persevered well in the second period.

Result: Bristol City 0-1 West Bromwich Albion

Friendly

Attendance: 7,346