Ground #333 - Bristol Road

Date: 5th October 2019
Ground: Bristol Road
Location: Portishead, Somerset

My forty-eighth new ground of 2019 was on Saturday 5th October at Bristol Road in Portishead, Somerset. The match was Portishead vs. Longwell Green Sports in Western League Division One.

Bristol Road is on the southern edge of Portishead, a mile south of the town centre. The club are part of a sports complex which includes multiple pitches which can be found to the north, east and west. The north side also runs up to the larger of the two site car parks and an industrial estate. The southern side is bordered by the Gordano School playing fields giving the ground a very green feel. The town does not currently have a railway station and the closest stations as the crow flies are on the wrong side of the Avon estuary. This means Bristol Temple Meads station nine miles south-east is the best option for connections to the ground. The venue has been home to the club since 1976.

Outside the confines of the ground is a pleasant clubhouse including a patio area area with half a dozen picnic benches and a food outlet. Working through the car park leads to the ground entrance on the northern side of the pitch. This side is uncovered hard standing for its whole length though there is an additional large covered flat section set back from this to the east of the halfway line. Further along towards the eastern end is a building with the dressing rooms, boardroom and a snack outlet.

The southern side of Bristol Road has a small 50-seat all-seater stand on the halfway line which has a floodlight directly in front of it. There are brick dugouts either side of the stand and the rest of this side has a strip of concrete for uncovered hard standing with a large grass area behind. The eastern and western ends are similar in nature with both being fairly thin. The two ends have a strip of hard standing with the eastern end having hedges behind this and the western end a cage structure to separate from the rest of the sporting facilities.

This game saw 6th pitted against 12th and it ended up being a thoroughly competitive morning. In the 9th minute Portishead could have scored when a good move across field finished with Callum Eastwood shooting straight at Longwell keeper Jamie Powell when one-on-one on the right side of the area. Longwell reacted by going straight up the other end in the same fashion with Liam Oswin also shooting straight at home goalie George Shanks Boon. Another great opportunity fell to the hosts in the 19th minute when a smart pass by Mitch Osmond unleashed Charlie Aldom way out of his own. With all the time in the world Aldom miscontrolled and his shot was easily saved. After this Longwell started to get on top of the play and opened the scoring in the 31st minute. After a series of corners Eugene Keary was tripped in the box and Danny Carter sent the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle. Portishead so nearly went in level at the break as during first half injury time George Parsons lofted effort towards goal was headed off the line by Eugene Keary. Just after the restart Longwell missed a glorious chance - a cross from the right found Lovejoy Mafini steaming into the six yards box but he headed straight over when he should have scored. In the 52nd minute Portishead equalised with a penalty of their own - Luke Coghlan was fouled right on the far edge of the box and Mitch Osmond stroked the penalty to Powell's right as he dived the wrong way. The hosts were level for barely a minute though as they fell behind again when Sam Crumb beat the offside trap down the left and produced an excellent hanging cross which landed on the foot of Danny Carter at the back post who was barely a yard out. Six minutes later the visitors scored a very similar goal when another hanging cross was dropped by George Shanks Boon with the ball falling to Lovejoy Mafini who knocked in from a couple of yards. The lead was pegged back by one in the 64th minute with the third penalty award of the match. This one appeared the softest of the three, given for climbing on Charlie Aldom. Mitch Osmond took the penalty which was carbon copy of the first with him sending the keeper the wrong way. The goal spate continued and in the 68th minute a corner into the home box saw a Chris Alway shot saved only for Sam Crumb to prod home. A sixth goal in the space of 19 minutes quickly followed - after a bit of a scramble in the away area the ball was cleared out to Callum Eastwood on the edge of the penalty box and his low shot threaded its way through a sea of bodies into the bottom corner. Finally in the 85th minute Longwell wrapped up the points with a goal which was again similar to their second and third efforts. A hanging cross from Danny Carter from the left found Conor Britton who headed in on the line to secure a 5-3 win for the visitors.

Result: Portishead Town 3-5 Longwell Green Sports
Division: Western League Division One
Attendance: 262

Ground #284 - The Creek

Date: 20th November 2018
Ground: The Creek
Location: Sea Mills, Bristol

My thirty-second new ground of 2018 was on Tuesday 20th November at The Creek in Sea Mills, Bristol. The match was Bristol Manor Farm vs. Bideford in Southern League Division One South.

The Creek, as its name would suggest, lies close to the banks of the River Avon which runs along its western side. There is a narrow section of land between the ground and the river where the Severn Beach Line runs which provides commuter services into Bristol from north-west of the city. To the south of the ground is an inlet of the river and on the other side of this is the nearest railway station at Sea Mills which is just a few hundred yards from the ground. The eastern side is bordered by the A4 Portway road into the centre of Bristol so the northern end of the only one where the ground is not completely hemmed in. Beyond the northern end is the Portway Rugby Development Centre which also provides welcome car parking for the site which is otherwise limited for space. The venue was originally used as a sports club by the port authority but has been home to the club since 1965.

The eastern side of the ground slopes downhill from north to south and has three separate stands. The Geoff Sellek Stand was originally a three level metal terrace but the front two rows have since had 52 seats bolted onto them leaving just the back row for standing. There is then an 100 seat stand which runs over the halfway line and finally the Craig Franklin Stand which is just a covered hard standing section. The remainder of this side is uncovered hard standing. Behind the Geoff Sellek Stand are the dressing rooms and a club building with a bar and boardroom.

The rest of the ground is uncovered concrete. As alluded to the venue has little space around it so each side is fairly narrow leaving the eastern side as the ones for most fans to congregate on. The western side does have a covered section of hard standing in the middle and the two dugouts are either side of this. There is netting the entire length of the pitch due to the adjacent railway line. This netting is replicated behind the goals as well to prevent balls ending up in the river or the rugby club car park.

Bristol Manor Farm were towards the wrong end of the table going into proceedings and in the opening minutes went close to going behind. In the 5th minute keeper Ben John dropped a cross resulting in scramble with the ball not quite making it over the line. A minute later though John pulled off a great double save from close range efforts from Ryan Turner and Ben Wood. After this came an astonishing six minute spell where the hosts netted three times. The first came in the 8th minute as Jamie Bird's dipping 25 yard shot found the bottom corner of the net. Almost straight from the kick-off Bristol got the ball back and forced a corner. From this the ball was cleared as far as Ashley Kington who drilled a shot into the area, saw the ball bounce back to him, and then shot into the same area of the net as Bird had two minutes prior. The third goal arrived in the 14th minute when Kai Fisher headed in a corner from the left. Bideford had to arrest the slide and rejigged their tactics after this meaning the rest of the half was a more even contest. Even so it was the hosts who went closest before the break - in the 41st minute Lewis Bamford was in on goal but shot straight at the keeper as a defender closed in on him from behind. The game seemed dead and buried in the 52nd minute as Manor Farm went 4-0 up - a nice one-two between Jordan Metters and Jamie Bird was finished off by Metters stroking home from inside the area. Rather than heads droppping this actually signalled the start of Bideford's fightback. In the 59th minute Sean Dowling went on a mazy run before cannoning a shot back off the crossbar from just outside the box. As players in the area went for the rebound Ryan Turnet was felled and the referee pointed to the spot. Dowling dispatched his spot-kick into the bottom corner just out of reach of the keeper who dived the right way. Two minutes later Dowling was on the scoresheet again. He was assisted by Ben Woods who snuck past the home defence into the penalty area and squared for Dowling to knock in from six yards. The visitors were in the ascendancy and over the following minutes they had another couple of decent efforts. In the 81st minute Manor Farm were given a chance to kill the game off when away defender Craig Allan was dispossessed on the edge of his own penalty area and reacted with a shirt pull. Ashley Kington was looking for his second of the game but blazed a terrible penalty way over the goal. In the final minute of the ninety the score went to 4-3 when a Bideford free-kick was lofted into the area and nodded on for Jordan Ricketts to poke home. This nervy finish saw tensions boil over in injury time. Manor Farm's Jack Durrant appeared to intentionally stand on a Bideford player which sparked a lot of pushing and shoving. While Durrant escaped punishment the same couldn't be said for Bideford's Craig Allan who was sent off for raising his hands. This was the final action of an exciting game as Manor Farm held on for a 4-3 victory.

Result: Bristol Manor Farm 4-3 Bideford

Division: Southern League Division One South

Attendance: 113

Ground #280 - Norton Lane

Date: 24th October 2018
Ground: Norton Lane
Location: Hengrove, Bristol

My twenty-eighth new ground of 2018 was on Wednesday 24th October at Norton Lane in Hengrove, Bristol. The match was Hengrove Athletic vs. Cadbury Heath in the Western League Premier Division.

Norton Lane is located a couple of miles south of Hengrove with the village of Whitchurch sitting in between. The ground is very much in a rural setting and it is surrounded by fields bar a garden centre bordering the north-east end and the road running adjacent to the venue to provide access. The football club is not the only sporting site in the area as further along Norton Road there is also Whitchurch Cricket Club on the eastern side of the road and rugby union side Bristol Barbarians on the western side of the road. The nearest railway station is just over the county border in Keynsham which is four miles north-west of Norton Lane. The venue has been home to the club since 1964.

The north-west side of the ground has three separate stands - there is a 56 seat stand towards the south-west end with a covered standing section on a raised concrete platform just before the halfway line and finally another 56 seat stand the other side of the halfway line. This side is concrete for all but a section in the northern corner meaning hard standing for all the remaining areas in between the stands. The south-east side has the two dugouts by the pitch and strip of concrete behind the barrier for spectators. With one mini pitch and one full-size pitch behind this there is plenty of room to watch from this side. The section running alongside these two pitches is given over to car parking.

The north-east end backs onto a garden centre so is not available for supporters to watch the game from making the ground a three-sided one. There is a fence behind the goal to prevent balls going into the aforementioned garden centre. The south-west end is mostly uncovered concrete with a club building containing a fairly spacious bar and dressing rooms pointing at an angle towards the pitch. The concrete peters out in the southern corner to make way for grass and car parking. This end of the ground also has a small club shop operating out of a shed.

The visitors would have been confident of a result with Hengrove on a 12 game losing streak in all competitions. Indeed the hosts had picked up just a single victory on the opening day against fellow strugglers Shortwood which was the only thing keeping them off the bottom of the table. However Cadbury Heath made a bad start by gifting the home side a goal in the 10th minute. It came from an awful goal-kick by Jamie Powell straight to Jordan Chubb who raced into the box and squared for Asa White who curled the ball into the corner from 12 yards. This rocked the away side as Hengrove put them under concerted pressure in the early going. Cadbury Heath were almost celebrating in the 18th minute though as a header from a corner was aimed towards the top corner. Fortunately for Hengrove they had a defender on the line who directed the ball into the underside of the crossbar before booting the ball downfield. In the 26th minute the shock looked on as the hosts extended their lead. Craig Parsons crossed from the left wing and Mark Fear powered a header into the bottom corner. Hengrove went in two goals to the good at the break against a Cadbury Heath side who had been defensively sloppy. The visitors set about putting things right in the second half and just before the hour-mark reduced the deficit. It came from a counter attack which left George Boon in acres of space in the area giving him time to coolly slot past keeper Aaron Greatbanks. In the 72nd minute Cadbury Heath restored parity when a long ball to the far side of the area found Matt Huxley who nudged the ball in from close range. With a quarter of an hour to go Hengrove had to call upon keeper Greatbanks to prevent them going behind. The chance occurred when a corner was neatly flicked on by Sacha Tong and with the looping ball en route to the top corner a stretching save was required to prevent a goal. The hosts held out under the 93rd minute when Cadbury Heath were awarded a penalty. Matt Huxley dispatched the kick to complete the turnaround as Hengrove's losing streak was cruelly extended to 13.

Result: Hengrove Athletic 2-3 Cadbury Heath
Division: Western League Premier Division
Attendance: 58

Ground #99 - Memorial Stadium

Date: 14th April 2012
Ground: Memorial Stadium
Location: Horfield, Bristol

My eleventh new ground of 2012 was on Saturday 14th April at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, Bristol. The match was Bristol Rovers vs. Burton Albion in Football League Two.

The Memorial Stadium is nestled in a residential area in the Horfield area in the north of the city of Bristol. The nearest railway station is Filton Abbey Wood which is 1.7 miles away. The ground has been home to the club since 1996 when they moved back to the city after spending a decade playing in nearby Bath. Prior to this Bristol Rovers had played at Eastville Stadium for 89 years up until 1986 when financial difficulties forced them out. The Memorial Stadium itself was built in 1921 and was primarily used as a rugby venue until the football club moved in.

Despite a capacity of nearly 12,000 the stadium has just 2,500 seats split across three separate stands. The 1,060 seat Uplands Stand was built on top of a terrace in the late 1980s and looks very tall compared to the rest of the ground. The stand is level with the half-way line and takes up around a third of the north-eastern side of the venue. The rest of this side of the ground is uncovered terracing which sits to the left, right and in front of the Uplands Stand and has a capacity of just over 2,300. On the opposite side of the pitch is the DAS Stand, a dramatic structure that looks more like a cricket pavilion than a conventional football stand. This stand contains 710 seats and like the Uplands Stand has terracing in front of it with room for a further 1,100 fans. Next to the DAS Stand there is the small Family Terrace stand which adds another 720 spectators to this side of the ground.

Behind the goal at the south-east side of the ground is the South Stand, an all-seater stand which can place just over 1,000 supporters. This was initially erected as a temporary stand and has no less than ten stanchions holding up the roof meaning that almost all the seats in this area will have their view partially blocked. Behind the opposite goal is the Blackthorn End, a covered terrace where around 3,700 home fans can watch the match from.

The game was a drab affair during a poor first half where neither team showed any real invention and with half-time approaching it looked like it would be a goalless first period. However, in the 39th minute the game sparked into life when Burton's Jimmy Phillips rounded the goalkeeper and when presented with an open goal managed to hit the post with his effort. The visitors were punished for not taking this opportunity just a couple of minutes later when Mustapha Carayol unleashed a speculative 25-yard drive which fooled Ross Atkins in the Burton goal and ended up in the back of the net. It took just 12 seconds of the second half for the hosts to double their lead when Burton defender Ryan Austin completely missed the ball with his attempted headed clearance and Eliot Richards snuck in to poke it into the goal. In the 54th minute Calvin Zola's looping shot from close-range pulled a goal back for the visitors but on the hour Rovers regained their two-goal lead as Matt Harrold converted from the penalty spot after Eliot Richards was felled in the area. Shortly after Jim Paterson added a fourth when he steered the ball into the bottom corner from 12 yards out to put the home side in control. In the 75th minute a deflected Matt Harrold shot from the edge of the box made it 5-1 and less than a minute late it was 6-1 after a terrible mix-up between Burton goalie Ross Atkins and defender Nathan Stanton saw them collide and allow Eliot Richards to tap home into the empty net. The scoring was completed in the 81st minute when a deflected shot from Eliot Richards allowed him to complete his hat-trick and ensure Bristol Rovers ran out 7-1 winners.

Result: Bristol Rovers 7-1 Burton Albion
Division: Football League Two
Attendance: 5,353

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