Ground #96 - Hertingfordbury Park

Date: 3rd April 2012
Ground: Hertingfordbury Park
Location: Hertford, Hertfordshire

My eighth new ground of 2012 was on Tuesday 3rd April at Hertingfordbury Park in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The match was Hertford Town vs. Broxbourne Borough in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.

Hertingfordbury Park is situated to the west of Hertford town centre with the venue in a rural environment out in the fields, a decent way from any housing. It is placed within 1 mile of both Hertford North railway station and Hertford East railway station. The ground has been home to the club since it was formed through a series of mergers in 1908.

The ground contains one all-seater stand which sits level with the half-way line on the western side of the venue. It contains just over 170 seats as well as some additional benches and also contains the players dressing rooms. Adjacent to this stand is a small but pleasant club bar as well as a food outlet. Behind the goal at the southern end of the ground is the Stable End, a covered stand with raised concrete steps which stretches almost the full end of this side of the venue.

The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing although there is a small section of raised concrete steps which sit level with the half-way line on the eastern side of the ground. Unlike many grounds at this level the ground is fairly spacious with plenty of viewing space along the wide concrete walkway which encircles the pitch. Behind the wall at the northern end of the ground there is also a small training pitch where the players were warming-up before the match.

The game saw Hertford start brightly as they attacked the Broxbourne goal but in the 14th minute they were dealt a blow when against the run of play the visitors scored from a tidy half-volley from the edge of the box which went into the bottom corner of the net. Just three minutes later Broxbourne doubled their lead when a close-range shot was fumbled by the goalkeeper and a Broxbourne striker tapped in the rebound from a couple of yards out. The visitors dominated the rest of the half but had to be content with a 2-0 lead at the break. The hosts began the second half well and in the 57th minute scored when the away defence failed to deal with the ball and it was poked into the net from six yards out. In the 67th minute Broxbourne had a golden opportunity to restore their two-goal cushion when one of their strikers was presented with an open goal from a yard out. Incredibly he somehow managed to lift the ball over the bar much to the derision of the home fans but two minutes later the away side did get their third goal when they split the home defence and tucked it home. With 15 minutes remaining Hertford got back into the game when a looping cross bamboozled the Broxbourne keeper with the ball coming off the crossbar before being headed in on the line by a Hertford attacker. The home side laid siege to the away goal in the closing stages and in the 88th minute got their reward when one of their strikers danced through the Broxbourne defence and shot low into the net to tie the game at 3-3 which was how it finished with Hertford pleased at their spirited comeback.

Result: Hertford Town 3-3 Broxbourne Borough
Division: Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Attendance: 65

Ground #95 - St Margaretsbury Recreation Ground

Date: 27th March 2012
Ground: St Margaretsbury Recreation Ground
Location: Stanstead St Margarets, Hertfordshire

My seventh new ground of 2012 was on Tuesday 27th March at the St Margaretsbury Recreation Ground in Stanstead St Margarets, Hertfordshire. The match was St Margaretsbury vs. Leverstock Green in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.

The St Margaretsbury Recreation Ground is located on the western edge of the village of St Margarets and sits within a larger sports and social club which lies less than half a mile from St Margarets railway station. The ground has been home to the club since 1962 when they moved from  their former ground in the neighbouring village of Stanstead Abbots and changed their name from Stanstead Abbots FC to St Margaretsbury FC.

All the ground's facilities are located on the western side of the venue with three adjoining stands level with the half-way line. Two of these, the Jack Smith Stand and the Lyndon Groucott Stand, are all-seater structures with 50 seats in each giving a total of 100 seats. Next to this is a covered terrace with raised steps and a few chairs located along the back wall.

The remainder of the venue is taken up by general uncovered standing behind the metal fence which goes round the pitch. As the River Lea borders the east side of the ground space is at a bit of a premium in this area compared to the west side of the ground. There is sufficient space for viewing behind the goals at the northern and southern end of the ground with netting put up behind the goal at the northern end to prevent errant balls hitting nearby buildings.

The game featured a frenetic opening quarter of an hour as both teams went for it from the first whistle. In the 8th minute the home side took the lead with a stunning volley from the edge of the box which dipped over the keeper and into the top corner of the net. Barely two minutes later it was almost 2-0 as one of St Margaretsbury's strikers expertly lifted the ball over a Leverstock defender before cannoning a shot off the crossbar. After 15 minutes however, the scores were tied when a goal kick was headed onto a Leverstock frontman who looped the ball over the advancing keeper. Unfortunately the exciting opening period was not maintained as both sides settled down to a slower pace with no more goals forthcoming before the interval. In the 58th minute the home side were given the chance to regain the lead from the penalty spot after a handball in the box, and the ball was duly dispatched into the back of the net, hitting the post on its way in. Towards the end of the game the two sides played some good end-to-end football with the hosts having a goal chalked off just before the end of the 90 minutes. However, it didn't matter for St Margaretsbury as they claimed a 2-1 victory upon the final whistle.

Result: St Margaretsbury 2-1 Leverstock Green
Division: Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Attendance: 22

Ground #93 - Tithe Farm

Date: 23rd February 2012
Ground: Tithe Farm
Location: Rayners Lane, London

My fifth new ground of 2012 was on Thursday 23rd February at Tithe Farm in Rayners Lane, London. The match was Rayners Lane vs. Hungerford Town Reserves in Hellenic League Division One East.

Tithe Farm sits in Rayners Lane, a suburban area of north-west London. The ground is just over half a mile from Rayners Lane tube station on the Metropolitan Line and has been the home of Rayners Lane FC since they were formed in 1933.

The ground is part of the Tithe Farm Social Club complex with the social club in the middle of a concrete pitch to the north and the grass pitch to the south. In addition to the social club, the north side of the pitch has several picnic benches where fans can sit to watch the game, and the team dugouts. The rest of this side of the pitch is general uncovered standing.

On the south side of the ground there are two small brick stands either side of the half-way line. These consist of two rows of benching with plastic seat covers with around 75 seats between them. The space behind the two goals is fairly restricted with tall trees separating the venue from housing at the western end and the road at the eastern end. As a result there is a thin concrete walkway which is perfectly sufficient for the level the club is playing at.

The game began with the visitors having the best start and took the lead in the 7th minute in comical circumstances. A misjudged backpass to the home goalkeeper saw him pass it straight back to his defender who then attempted to clear but only succeeded in cannoning the ball off a Hungerford striker with the ball bouncing into the net. The away side had chances to double their lead in the following minutes but instead found themselves pegged back to 1-1 in the 24th minute when the home side converted from the penalty spot after a trip in the box. Rayners Lane begun the second half brightly and took the lead in the 58th minute when a long ball caught out the Hungerford defence and the Rayners attacker rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home. However, just nine minutes later the game was all square again as a close range shot was palmed away by the Rayners Lane goalie only for Hungerford to hit the rebound into the roof of the net. The game was then decided by a three minute spell in which the home side scored twice. In the 79th minute a poor goalkick let in the Rayners Lane striker who lobbed the advancing keeper and then in the 82nd minute Rayners Lane wrapped up their win after one of their players surged into the area, beat two defenders and struck low into the bottom corner.

Result: Rayners Lane 4-2 Hungerford Town Reserves
Division: Hellenic League Division One East
Attendance: 98

Ground #92 - Gorings Mead

Date: 18th February 2012
Ground: Gorings Mead
Location: Horsham, West Sussex

My fourth new ground of 2012 was on Saturday 18th February at Gorings Mead in Horsham, West Sussex. The match was Horsham vs. Hastings United in the Ryman Isthmian League Premier Division.

Gorings Mead is located in a residential area close to the town centre. Horsham railway station is just under a mile from the venue. The ground has been home to Horsham since 2009 as their former Queen Street ground was sold to housing developers. The club initially groundshared at Worthing before moving back to Horsham to Gorings Mead which sits adjacent to their old Queen Street ground.

The main stand in the ground is the Victor Gladwish Stand which is positioned level with the half-way line on the south side of the ground. This stand has around 200 seats although as it sits behind one of the floodlights, the views are slightly interrupted. The two dugouts are on either side of the stand with the players dressing rooms also directly next to the stand. Two additional stands are also placed on the south side of the ground - both are small metal structures with one all-seater stand capable of holding 50 fans and one all-standing structure.

Opposite the two small stands on the west side of the ground is a larger covered terrace section. The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing behind the metal barrier which separates the pitch from the fans. The areas behind the two goals are rather narrow with the west side of the venue backing onto housing and the area behind the goal at the eastern end of the ground dedicated to a small car park.

The game started brightly for the home side as they took an early lead in the 3rd minute when a corner was crossed into the box and rifled into the top corner. Hastings came back into the game shortly after and had several chances to draw level with long balls over the top continuing to bypass the Horsham defence. Eventually in the 31st minute one of these chances was taken when Horsham failed to deal with another ball over the top leaving Hastings to score from close range. Just before the break the away side took the lead when they got into the Horsham box and after a bit of a scramble shot into the roof of the net. An entertaining first half was followed by an uneventful second period. Hastings looked to have more quality than a Horsham side who coming into the match had won just two games all season and the visitors were able to hang on to record a 2-1 victory.

Result: Horsham 1-2 Hastings United
Division: Isthmian League Premier Division
Attendance: 201