Ground #282 - Crown Ground

Date: 10th November 2018
Ground: Crown Ground
Location: Accrington, Lancashire

My thirtieth new ground of 2018 was on Saturday 10th November at the Crown Ground in Accrington, Lancashire. The match was Accrington Stanley vs. Colchester United in the F.A. Cup 1st Round.

The Crown Ground is situated in the north of Accrington around a mile from the town centre. The site is mostly nestled amongst housing though there are two full-size pitches to the east of the ground. The Crown Ground is nearest to Accrington railway station one mile south though there are two other lesser used stations within walking distance with Huncoat station one mile east and Church & Oswaldtwistle station a mile and a half south-west. The venue was opened in 1968, the same year the club reformed after the collapse of the original club which existed between 1891 and 1966.

The west side of the ground has what looks like a single stand but is in fact two adjoined stands - the Thwaites Stand and Main Stand (also known as the Jack Barret Memorial Stand) is all-seater and almost runs the length of the field. The two stands are split around the halfway line by a separate area containing a handful of seats for home and away management and substitutes. Above this middle section there is a TV gantry atop the roof. At the back of the stand on the northern side of the halfway line there is a small corporate area which can be accessed externally via a hospitality bar. Non-corporate fans are catered for in the Redz Bar Fanzone; a tented drinking area for both sets of supporters. This side of the ground also includes the ticket booth and a very small club shop. The south-west corner has a separate building for the player and officials dressing rooms.

The newest stand can be found running down the eastern side of the Crown Ground. The Whinney Stand was opened in October 2018 and is an all-seater structure with 1,100 seats spread across six rows. This stand can be partially or fully assigned to away fans wishing to sit while watching the game. The traditional away section is the Coppice End. This is an uncovered terrace consisting of 16 levels of concrete with an additional 7 levels of temporary metal terracing which have bolted onto the back of the original stand. Around 1,800 supporters can view the game from one of the few remaining uncovered stands in the Football League. Behind the stand is a food outlet while the south-east corner houses a police control box and a big screen TV. The remaining stand behind the northern goal is the Clayton End. This concrete terrace is for the noisier home fans and was uncovered up until 2007 when a roof was added to it.

The match was an F.A. Cup 1st Round tie between Football League One side Accrington Stanley and Football League Two side Colchester United. The first clear chance of the game fell to the visitors after 15 minutes. The ball broke kindly for Colchester in the middle of the park and with Accrington pushed up Frank Nouble had a clear run at goal. After going for 30 yards Nouble reached the edge of the area and shot straight at Connor Ripley who deflected the ball just over the bar. The early going saw the U's on top but they failed to make the most of their opportunities. One thing that did not help the visitors was being forced into making two substitutions in the opening half-hour with defender Tom Eastman and goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin going off injured. Unfortunately for substitute goalie Dillon Barnes he had to pick the ball out of his net just four minutes after coming on. A poor pass out of defence by Luke Prosser found Accrington's Dan Barlaser. He was allowed far too much time to advance into the area before he fooled Prosser and Tom Lapslie by sending them the wrong way and then cracked a shot at goal which deflected off Frankie Kent before looping into the bottom corner of the net. This goal perked up the hosts and they enjoyed a good spell in the game either side of the break. In the final minute of the half they almost went 2-0 up as a 25-yard effort from Sean McConville went just the wrong side of the post. In the 52nd minute a great chance went begging for Accrington when Billy Kee played Jordan Clark in on goal and from the right side of the area with just Barnes to beat he shot into the palms of the Colchester keeper. The remainder of the half was fairly even with chances at a premium. It wasn't until the final few minutes that the hosts began to sit back allowing Colchester time on the ball. In truth Connor Ripley was rarely threatened and the home side saw out the game to move onto Round 2 at the expense of the U's who exited the competition at the 1st Round stage for the third year running.

Result: Accrington Stanley 1-0 Colchester United
Competition: F.A. Cup
Attendance: 1,267

Ground #153 - Crown Avenue

Date: 29th July 2014
Ground: Crown Avenue
Location: Pitsea, Essex

My thirteenth new ground of 2014 was on Tuesday 29th July at Crown Avenue in Pitsea, Essex. The match was Bowers & Pitsea vs. Maldon & Tiptree in a friendly.

Crown Avenue, also known as the Len Salmon Stadium, is located on the outskirts of Pitsea with trees and fields on three sides and housing on the other. The venue is 1.5 miles from Pitsea railway station.

The south side of the ground has a covered all-seater stand at the centre of it with room for around 180 people. To the east of the main stand is a covered area containing a food outlet and to the west of it is a small uncovered concrete terrace. The rest of this side of the ground is uncovered hard standing.

As the northern side of the ground is hemmed in by trees there is only room for the the two dugouts with nothing in the way of spectator areas. The remaining areas for fans to view from are behind the two goals - there is a covered terrace behind the goal at the eastern end of the ground and uncovered hard standing behind the goal at the western end of the ground.

The game was a friendly match between Essex Senior League side Bowers & Pitsea and Isthmian League Division One North side Maldon & Tiptree. There was a dramatic start to the match as the visitors went 2-0 up in under 2 minutes. After 50 seconds the ball was lifted over the top to a Maldon striker who lobbed the advancing keeper and just 55 seconds after this Bowers failed to clear their lines and a 25 yard strike found its way into the net. The home side were really struggling and only some good fortune prevented the visitors from extending their lead until the 24th minute when another 25 yard effort was shot into the bottom corner. In the 27th minute it was 4-0 as a corner was whipped into the box and nodded home by a Maldon player. In the 32nd minute the hosts grabbed one back after the Maldon goalkeeper lost possession on the edge of his box and the ball was squared for a Bowers striker to tap in. The respite did not last long though as Maldon then scored another 2 goals within a minute - the first from the edge of the box and the second when a ball was sent across the box and with all the defender missing it the midfielder at the back post was able to slot home. The hosts saw out the 10 minute before the break but went in 6-1 down. Having being torn apart in the first half the home side re-organised at the break and put on a significantly better display in the second 45 minutes. On the hour mark there was an unsavoury incident when a visiting player appeared to headbutt a home player who then raised his arms in retaliation. The referee sent both for an early bath. In the 66th minute Maldon had a chance to notch up their 7th goal of the game when they were awarded a penalty but the goalkeeper was able to palm the ball away. Bowers were able to dig in and stop the score getting any worse which, after their first half display, must have been a big relief.

Result: Bowers & Pitsea 1-6 Maldon & Tiptree
Friendly
Attendance: N/A

Ground #125 - Crown Meadow

Date: 6th May 2013
Ground: Crown Meadow
Location: Lowestoft, Suffolk

My fourteenth new ground of 2013 was on Monday 6th May at Crown Meadow in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The match was Lowestoft Town vs. Concord Rangers in the Isthmian League Premier Division Play-Off Final.

Crown Meadow is located in Lowestoft town centre and is around half a mile north of the town's railway station. The ground has been the home of Lowestoft Town since 1894.

The Main Stand is the sole all-seater structure in the venue and this sits level with the half-way line on the eastern side of the ground. The stand has enough seating for around 450 fans. Adjacent to this is a covered terrace consisting of raised concrete steps. This stand extends down to the southern end of the ground. Fans in these two stands are likely to have their views somewhat restricted by the four floodlights which sit in front of the barrier, right by the side of the pitch.

The remainder of the ground consists of uncovered standing except for a very small covered section directly behind the goal at the northern end of the ground. The ground is quite cramped behind both goals which are little more than concrete walkways. However, this game's attendance of 2,490 was three-times the usual gate for the club so lack of space isn't a major issue. The player dressing rooms are situated next to the Main Stand and the remainder of the facilities, including the clubhouse, are at the southern end of the ground.

The game was an important one for both clubs with the winner guaranteed promotion to the 6th tier. Concord started the stronger and took the lead in the 13th minute when Ben Greenhalgh's free-kick was met by the head of Steve King who directed his header into the bottom of the net. A couple of minutes later it was almost 2-0 to the visitors as a cross was curled into the box and just missed an advancing Concord player at the back post. Fortunately for Lowestoft they were shaken into action by this and shortly after they equalised. It was another header from a cross, this time Scott Mitchell glanced the ball into the far corner of the net with Dan Gleeson claiming the assist. The away side then had to withstand a lengthy spell of pressure as Lowestoft had numerous set pieces to try and score another goal. Concord weathered this storm and the two sides reached the interval all-square. The second half never really got going as there were several stoppages for injuries which disrupted the flow of the game. Lowestoft had plenty of the ball but didn't really look like doing a lot with it and in the 85th minute the visitors grabbed the winner as Leon Gordon struck from close range. The frequent injury stoppages meant there were seven additional minutes at the end of normal time for the home side to try and get the equalising goal which would force the tie into extra-time. Their best chance came from a mad scramble from a corner but Concord were able to clear their lines meaning Lowestoft were consigned to their third successive play-off final defeat with Concord Rangers gaining promotion to Conference South.

Result: Lowestoft Town 1-2 Concord Rangers
Division: Isthmian League Premier Division
Attendance: 2,490