Ground #410 - Hargrave Park

Date: 29th March 2025
Location: Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
Ground: Hargrave Park

My third new ground of 2025 was on Saturday 29th March at Hargrave Park in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. The game was Stansted vs. Takeley in the Essex Senior League.

Hargrave Park is a combined football, cricket and tennis club venue near the centre of the village, just off the main road. Stanstead Mountfitchet is 3 miles west of London Stansted Airport. The ground is mainly surrounded by housing with the and sits is about a mile north-west of Stansted Mountfitchet railway station. The venue opened in 1935 with the club moving in a couple of years later.

The entrance the ground is at the eastern end. The clubhouse is located in the small car park outside the ground and has an electricity station next to it. Because of this there is a thin walkway behind the southern half of this end but after the clubhouse it opens up to the wide expanse of the neighbouring cricket pitch. The cricket pitch extends round to the northern side of the football pitch so there is lots of open space here. This side thins out as it heads west due to a wooded area with the dugouts just before this.

The western end has a strip of hard standing for its length but lots of space space behind with which runs up the back fences of the adjacent houses. The southern side has an old wooden stand with three rows of wooden benches and a number of supporting beams for the roof. The dressing rooms are contained within this structure. Towards the western end is covered standing area with wood decking at the back to slightly elevate viewing. There are a number of shipping containers beyond this close to the south-west corner.

The game was a local derby for the two clubs either side of Stansted Airport. The hosts came into the game 2nd bottom but only 3 points from safety. The visitors were 3rd in the table - in the playoffs but with an outside chance of the title. Unfortunately the derby was a very dull encounter with little to report on. The best chance of the first half fell to Takeley's Coby Miles who shot across goal and wide from the left side of the area. Shortly after the restart Charlie Allum saw his 25-yard volley palmed away by the Stansted goalkeeper as Takeley pressed. The key moment came a quarter of an hour from time when Lanrenaju Balogun was tripped in the Stansted box and the referee pointed to the spot. Jordan Westcott went low to the keeper's left as he dived right. The away side had a chance to notch another goal in the final minute when the ball went through to Coby Miles on the left but up against the keeper he blazed over. Takeley needn't have worried though as Stansted rarely threatened as they went down to a 1-0 defeat. 

Result: Stansted 0-1 Takeley

Division: Essex Senior League

Attendance: 234

Ground #374 - Westside Arena

Date: 10th December 2022
Ground: Westside Arena
Location: Stanway, Essex

My fourteenth new ground of 2022 was on Saturday 10th December at the Westside Arena in Stanway, Essex. The game was Stanway Pegasus vs. Wormley Rovers in the Eastern Counties League Division One South.

The Westside Arena is located in the grounds of The Stanway School in a residential area on the western outskirts of Colchester. The cage arena is nestled in amongst the school's other sports facilities with a grass pitch and running field to the west, basketball and tennis courts to the north-west and cricket nets to the south. The school itself lies directly north with a road and housing to the east. The venue is 3 miles west of Colchester and Colchester Town railway stations and 3 miles east of Marks Tey railway station.

The ground is a cage pitch with two sides accessible to spectators. The entrance in the north-west corner and located just outside of the entrance is a snack shed, a toilet demountable and the school car park. The dressing rooms are located in the school itself on the other side of the car park - this means all the facilities are located outside the confines of the arena. 

Inside the arena the sole stand is the Ron West Stand - a 50-seater positioned in between the entrance and the goal at the northern end of the ground. There a good amount of hard standing space for the whole length of the pitch down the western side and the two dugouts are also positioned here. The remaining two sides are not off-limits with just a small gap between the 3G pitch and the cage fencing.

The game was between 2nd and 3rd place in the league. Stanway were doing very well in their debut season since promotion from the county leagues but were looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat last time out at Cannons Wood. The visitors were on a rich vein of form on a seven-game winning streak across all competitions  A quiet start to the game was blown apart in the 18th minute when a 25-yard effort out of nothing from Bradley Empson gave Wormley the lead. The hosts battled back and went close in the 28th minute as Dan Ager jinked past two defenders before getting into the box and driving an effort just wide. In the 43rd minute Stanway's attack paid off with a beautiful goal - a great cross-field ball from the left went to the back post and Callum Griffith struck a sweet first-time volley past the keeper to level things up. Wormley could have grabbed another goal in first half injury time but George Beattie shot straight at Will Healy when one-on-one with the Stanway goalie. The second half was an even affair with another chance for Wormley going begging in the 63rd minute. This time it was a ball from the left which a Stanway defender was able to deflect away just before Luke Marshal could smash home on the right side of the goal. The home side had to play the final 20 minutes with ten men - George Barron flew in with a very late tackle as Wormley launched a counter on the right and with his name already in the book the referee had to send him packing. The final chance for the visitors to take all three points back with them came as the clock ticked beyond 90 minutes - the ball fell to Bradley Empson on the edge of the box but unlike his first half effort he lashed over to keep both sides occupying 2nd and 3rd as they had before the game.

Result: Stanway Pegasus 1-1 Wormley Rovers

Division: Eastern Counties League Division One South

Attendance: 107

Ground #355 - West Street

Date: 28th August 2021
Ground: West Street
Location: Coggeshall, Essex

My fifth new ground of 2021 was on Saturday 28th August at West Street in Coggeshall, Essex. The game was Coggeshall Town vs. Romford in the Isthmian League North Division.

West Street is, as the name suggests, to the west of the town of Coggeshall. The road runs close to the A120 with the venue surrounded by fields to the south and west. On the northern side is the road itself with houses beyond while there is a garden centre on the eastern flank. The site is three miles north-west of the nearest railway station in Kelvedon and has been home to the club since 1960.

The main stand is on the northern side of the ground consisting of three rows of covered seating. Either side of this is uncovered standing in front of a grass bank. There is no spectator viewing on the grass bank itself but at the top of it is more uncovered hard standing to get a higher view. The southern side of the ground is more limited on space. There is uncovered standing for the eastern and western thirds of this side with the middle not connected as it has to make space for the two dugouts with a gantry in between. 

The eastern side is uncovered standing with a sloped grass bank behind while the western end has a covered stand for the whole of its length. Behind it situated on an upper level is a decking section with picnic benches, a food outlet and a very nice modern clubhouse which would rival any others from this level of the pyramid. Finally there is a separate dressing room building at the top of the north-west corner.

This was the second game of the league season - visitors Romford had experienced a 7-0 hiding at home to Maldon & Tiptree on the opening day so were keen to put that behind them and get off the bottom of the table. They started the stronger of the two sides and took the lead in the 17th minute when Christian Adu Gyamfi did well to fend off defender on right before squaring for Steve Carvell in the box. Carvell had no-one near him so plenty of time to advance and smash into the roof of net from close range. Gyamfi almost grabbed a goal himself ten minutes later after a mix-up between Coggeshall goalie Matthew Cafer and defender Jayden Gipson saw the ball knocked in the direction of the goal. Gyamfi chased after it but couldn't prevent it going just the wrong side of the post. Coggeshall started to come back into the game around the half-hour mark with Jermain Francis heading just over from in the area. The hosts equalised in the 38th minute with a nice clipped ball into the box found Sam Bantick who deftly lofted over the Romford keeper from 12 yards. However the home side fell behind a minute before half-time after a goal-line scramble culminated in Jesse Olukuku poking in. The goals continued in the second half with Coggeshall achieving parity again in the 57th minute - a cross into the box saw Sam Bantick pushed over, play was waved on and the ball ended up with Tyler Christian-Law at the back post who powered a header home. The scorerline was short-lived though as Romford got their noses in front for the third time just five minutes later. A lofted ball from the right found Aundre Wholas-Spencer at far post who steered an excellent finish across goal into the far corner. The game continued back and forth and in the final minutes Romford fell back to defend Coggeshall's attempt to get something out of the game. However there would be no third equaliser and Romford put their opening day result behind them with a hard-fought win.

Result: Coggeshall Town 2-3 Romford

Division: Isthmian League North Division

Attendance: 108

Ground #324 - Memorial Ground

Date: 16th July 2019
Ground: Memorial Ground
Location: Little Oakley, Essex

My thirty-ninth new ground of 2019 was on Tuesday 16th July at the Memorial Ground in Little Oakley, Essex. The match was Little Oakley vs. Brightlingsea Regent in a friendly.

The Memorial Ground is located on the south-west tip of Dovercourt just to the east of the village of Little Oakley that gives the club its name. The complex is bordered by housing on the northern, eastern and southern sides with the western side taken up with mini grass pitches and fields beyond. The site is just under 3 miles from Dovercourt railway station to the east and Harwich International railway station & Harwich International Port to the north. The venue has been home to the club since they formed in 1947.

The northern section of the Memorial Ground has a club building by the car park and entrance. This building houses dressing rooms and a bar while the outside area has picnic benches and a playground. However this is not a place to watch the action due to a cage pitch separating it from the field of play. A pathway on the eastern flank takes you out to the main ground emerging in the north-east corner. Due the cage pitch the northern end has the least space and is mainly uncovered standing though there is a small covered metal terrace towards the north-east corner.

The western flank has two dugouts in the middle and an all-seater stand towards the southern end which has 50 seats spread across 4 rows. The rest of this side is hard standing with grass behind. The remainder of the ground is uncovered grass standing with no other structures. The eastern side is fairly contained on space due to it backing onto the gardens of adjacent houses but the southern end has a vast flat grass area behind the goal which can also double as a site for another mini-pitch.

This friendly was a match-up between Eastern Counties League Division One South side Little Oakley and Isthmian League Premier Division side Brightlingsea Regent. With the visitors three leagues above the hosts it was no surprise to see them well on top in the early going. Within the first five minutes a 25 yard half-volley had stung the hands of the home keeper before the resulting corner was cleared off the line by Little Oakley. The respite was brief though as Brightlingsea opened the scoring in the 8th minute - good work on the left side of the area saw the ball passed into the box where it was drilled low past the goalie from close range. The second goal came in the 14th minute after a ball in from the right was met by a fluffed attempted clearance by a home defender allowing the grateful Regent attacker to tuck the ball into the net. There were not even 20 minutes on the clock when the third went in - this time an attacker picked the ball up on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner. The visitors continued to harry Little Oakley - just after the half-hour point a 25-yard shot required a decent save from the keeper. Less than a minute later it was 4-0 after a well-worked short corner found a Brightlingsea striker in plenty of space and he drilled a shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner. This goal irked Little Oakley in particular as it was very poor defending on their part. The rest of the half passed without action as a dominant Brightlingsea took their foot off the gas with the contest already won. The home side barely made it out of their own half in the first 45 minutes but to their credit started the second period in a much improved fashion. After edging the opening quarter of an hour of the second half the away side edged the rest of proceedings and had a few good opportunities for fringe players to get on the scoresheet. In the 62nd minute a substitute did well to dance through a series of tackles on the left side of the area but after creating space well managed to drag the shot wide. The same player was denied by the keeper with 15 minutes left to go after attempting to finish off a quick attack but only shooting straight at the Little Oakley shotstopper. It just wasn't his night as he had the final chance of note in the 89th minute when a deflected shot from the left came back off the outside of the post. An easy win for Brightlingsea then who used the second half as a training session but Little Oakley would have been content to have prevented further goals going in after a very difficult first 35 minutes.

Result: Little Oakley 0-4 Brightlingsea Regent
Friendly
Attendance: N/A

Ground #301 - Eastcliff Recreation Ground

Date: 2nd April 2019
Ground: Eastcliff Recreation Ground
Location: Holland-on-Sea, Essex

My sixteenth new ground of 2019 was on Tuesday 2nd April at Eastcliff Recreation Ground in Holland-on-Sea, Essex. The match was Holland vs. Coggeshall United in Eastern Counties League Division One South.

Eastcliff Recreation Ground is located in the west of Holland-on-Sea which merges into the larger town of Clacton-on-Sea. The football arena forms the northern part of the wider recreation ground with a playground and additional pitches to the south. These pitches are a stone's throw from the beach and the North Sea beyond. Otherwise the site is surrounded by residential areas to the north, east and west. The venue is 1.5 miles east of Clacton-on-Sea railway station, the nearest to the ground. Holland FC formed in 2006 and Eastcliff was their home until the club applied for promotion to the Eastern Counties League in 2015. With the site not meeting ground requirements they groundshared with Clacton-on-Sea for three years before moving back to an upgraded Eastcliff in 2018.

The eastern side of the ground has a 90 seat covered stand just to the south of the halfway line. Close to this is an unusual uncovered seating section with 15 spread across three rows. Behind this stand is the club building which has dressing rooms and a small, but nice, new club bar. The south-east corner, where the entrance is situated, also has a gazebo with additional seating under cover.

Uncovered standing is the order of the day elsewhere at Eastcliff. The western flank has the two dugouts and a thin spectator viewing area due to the metal fencing separating the football venue for the rest of the recreation ground. The northern end is also a little limited space wise though there is more room at the southern end, hence the room the gazebo in the south-east corner.

The visitors Coggeshall United sat in 5th in the table before the game but with them having as many as 5 games in hand on some of the teams above them a late promotion charge was not out of the question. Holland meanwhile were in mid-table so little to concern themselves with. The away side opened the scoring in the 13th minute. George Smith sent Holland keeper Mitchell Potter the wrong way after a spot kick had been awarded for a trip on Matt Knowles just inside the area. In the 25th minute the away side went close to a second - good play on the right hand side culminated in Andy Fennel's low shot being well saved by Potter. Coggeshall were looking comfortable and it was no surprise when they did get the ball int he net in the 31st minute. It was George Smith again who calmly stroked low into the bottom corner from 12 yards after a cross from the right hand side. A few minutes later Smith was a whisker away from securing a first-half hatrick when he headed a free-kick onto the post. Sixty second later Coggeshall struck the woodwork again when Jamie Shaw's looping header clipped the underside of the crossbar as the home side cleared their lines. It really way one-way traffic now with the visitors peppering the home goal with shots - Smith was still causing problems for Holland when he created a one-two on the edge of the box before shooting just over the bar. An excellent first period for Coggeshall was rounded off a few seconds into stopping time when Laurence Hale smashed home a rebound after Danny Scott's initial shot had been saved. Ten minutes after the interval the visitors extended their lead to four as George Smith headed in a corner to grab that hatrick he had been so close to achieving in the first half. The chances continued in much the same vein as the rest of the evening - just after the hour Laurence Hale was put clean through but the ball bobbled just before he pulled the trigger resulting in the ball going wide. The ball was in the net once more in the 72nd minute when a long ball was nodded in by Jamie Shaw only for the offside flag to be raised. Funnily a minute later Holland thought they'd grabbed a goal when Jack Fuller tucked home from six yards out but the offside was held aloft once more. The final action of the evening came in the 79th minute and it summed up the differing fortunes of the two sides on the night. A horrendous mix-up between defender and keeper meant both failed to react to a backpass and Jamie Shaw was there to nip in and knock the ball into the empty net to finish off a resounding 5-0 away win for Coggeshall United.

Result: Holland 0-5 Coggeshall United
Division: Eastern Counties League Division One South
Attendance: 87

Ground #256 - Thames Road

Date: 27th March 2018
Ground: Thames Road
Location: Canvey Island, Essex

My fourth new ground of 2018 was on Tuesday 27th March at Thames Road in Canvey Island, Essex. The match was Concord Rangers vs. East Thurrock United in National League South.

Thames Road is in the south-west of Canvey Island a few hundred yards north of the Thames Estuary. The club are one of two on the island with Canvey Island FC a couple of miles east along the coastline. The ground is away from residential areas with its neighbours being a gas plant to the west, a sewage treatment centre to the south and the Thorney Bay Village caravan park to the east. The land to the north is unused besides being a makeshift car park for the club. As the island does not have a railway station the nearest to the ground is Benfleet, some three miles north. The venue has been home to the club since 1985.

Spectators enter through the north-west corner of the ground and find the clubhouse in this corner. This building houses the Sixty Seven Lounge for general fans as well as a separate room for officials. In front of this there is an open patio area with picnic benches which faces toward the pitch and there is also a food outlet adjacent to the turnstiles. Working towards the field of play there is an uncovered standing area and to the right of this a terrace which takes up just over half of the northern end. This stand is a mixture of concrete, metal, brick and wood and is split into three sections of three level terracing. It is all covered except for a small section next to the stand which is an uncovered concrete terrace area. Behind this stand there is netting to stop balls heading into the car park.

The club have experienced a fairly rapid rise up the leagues during the last decade and this is in evidence on the western side of the ground. In the middle of this side is the main stand which has 174 seats spread across two sections. In the centre of the stand is a press area with a commentary box at the back. There are then an additional two seating sections with 50 seats each which have been bolted onto either end of the main stand to help meet the seating requirements of this level. In the direction of the southern end there is an uncovered standing area with a decent amount of space which will be useful should the club ever need to expand the stand further this way. There are two more seating areas on the opposite side of the ground with two small stands of 50 seats towards either goal. The one near the northern end of Thames Road is cordoned off thereby reducing the active seats at the venue from 374 to 324. The rest of this side is uncovered standing with a structure of scaffolding in the middle which serves as a TV gantry. The two dugouts are below this and there is netting for the whole length of this side in light of the caravan site behind. Finally the southern end of Thames Road is fairly sparse with a strip of uncovered hard standing all the way along and one covered area of flat concrete set directly behind the goal.

Concord went into the game on a bad run of five defeats from their last six and it started to go wrong for them fairly early on. The visitors took the lead in the 9th minute when a corner found Max Cornhill at the back post and he headed in. Ten minutes later it was almost 2-0 when a scramble from another corner was cleared off the line. Unfortunately for the hosts a corner proved their undoing again in the 24th minute - once more there was a scramble in the box and this time the ball fell to Ryan Scott who lashed a shot into the top corner. Concord struggled throughout the half but had their best opportunity five minutes before the break when Khale da Costa was unleashed down the left, ran into the box and dragged his shot just the wrong side of the post. The home side came out positively for the second half and called East Thurrock goalie Lukas Lidavikicius into making a couple of saves. Any hope evaporated during a three-minute spell when Concord conceded twice. The first came in the 54th minute as a through ball played Sam Higgins in on goal and though his shot was saved by Louis Wells the ball was passed back into the danger zone straight to Lewis Smith who controlled the ball and slid into the bottom corner. Three become four in the 57th minute as Higgins was put clean through and this time made no mistake sending his shot into the roof of the net. With the game in the bag East Thurrock eased off after this allowing Concord to grab a consolation in the 72nd minute. It came from the penalty spot after da Costa was brought down when he looked likely to score. Substitute Femi Akinwande stroked the penalty down the middle to reduce the arrears. Akinwande did come close to getting on the scoresheet for the second time in the 89th minute as his low drive from just inside the area came back off the post. The final section of the game ended up being pretty even though there was too much work to do for the home side to launch a comeback.

Result: Concord Rangers 1-4 East Thurrock United
Division: National League South
Attendance: 295

Ground #248 - Parkside

Date: 4th December 2017
Ground: Parkside
Location: Aveley, Essex

My thirty-second new ground of 2017 was on Monday 4th December at Parkside in Aveley, Essex. The match was Aveley vs. Concord Rangers in the Essex Senior Cup 4th Round.

Parkside was opened in August 2017 off the Aveley bypass on the western edge of the town. The ground is within sight of the M25 but is mostly surrounded by fields with Belhus Park leisure complex to the north the main neighbours. Parkside is around 3 miles north-east of the nearest railway station at Purfleet. The venue became home to Aveley at the start of the 2017/18 season when they left their Mill Field ground where they had played since 1927.

The western side of the ground has the main stand - a 2 storey structure which runs around half the length of the pitch. There are 257 seats across four rows of seating including press seating at the back. The seating starts on a raised platform which leads back to the clubhouse and one 74 seat section is kept separate from the rest to allow the players tunnel to exit onto the pitch. The clubhouse itself is known as the Parkside Suite and is a very smart building which includes a balcony level which overlooks the bar on one side and the pitch on the other. Along from this on the top level is the boardroom. The club reception is through the bar and leads to a large car park and heading back towards the pitch there is a food outlet. Either side of the stand are uncovered standing areas.

The other seating area is opposite the main stand - the all-seater stand on the eastern side of the ground has room for 152 spectators and the two dugouts are either side of this. There are a pair of small covered metal terrace stands either side of the goals at both ends. This takes the total number of stands to six with the rest of the ground uncovered standing. The standing areas are all tarmac with no natural grass at the venue - the only grass is the 4G pitch placed atop the tarmac surface underneath.

The game was between Isthmian League North Division side Aveley and National League South side Concord Rangers. The hosts had a good chance to go ahead in the 6th minute when Sewa Marah crossed into the six-yard box for Jack West who brushed the side of the post with his header. From the goal kick the ball was sent up the other end of the pitch and found Concord's Femi Akinwande. As he went into the area a mistimed tackle by Alex Stephenson sent him over and a penalty was awarded. Steve Cawley went to the keeper's right but Rhys Madden in the home goal got down and palmed it away to avoid an early setback. In the 18th minute Aveley went close again when a ball from the back caught out the visitors and left Jordan Watson one-on-one with Louis Wells. However his shot was straight at Wells and the chance came to nothing. The rest of the half was fairly quiet with Conord having the upper hand but their shots were usually high and wide. The home side's best spell came in the opening ten minutes of the second half culminating in Alex Teniola's rasping half-volley from 20 yards which brought a good save out of Wells. A minute later the visitors grabbed the first goal of the match when Khale da Costa got on the right side of the area and pulled back for Steve Cawley to slot low to Madden's left. From this point Concord never looked back and would grab another four goals over the next twenty minutes. The higher league side notched goal number two in the 64th minute as Kyron Farrell's mazy run drew the home defence allowing him to pass to the free Akinwande to shot into the bottom corner. In the 70th minute Aveley had a lucky escape when Steve King's looping header was cleared off the line but within 60 seconds it was 3-0 anyway. Khale da Costa had a great run in on goal, showed neat footwork to beat the last defender before smashing in at the near post. Five minutes after this Billy Roast headed in a corner from a couple of yards out and in the 78th minute Concord were awarded their second spot-kick of the match for a chance to make it 5-0. Again it was Akinwande who drew the foul, this time from George Woodward, and he picked up the ball and dispatched the kick low to the keeper's left. Fortunately for Aveley this was the end of the scoring, though Steve King should have made it 6-0 when he missed an open goal with a header. In the end Concord's quality shone through in the final third of the match but the 5-0 scoreline was rather harsh on Aveley who had been a decent match for the opening hour of the tie.

Result: Aveley 0-5 Concord Rangers

Competition: Essex Senior Cup

Attendance: 174

Ground #232 - Station Road

Date: 18th July 2017
Ground: Station Road
Location: Takeley, Essex

My sixteenth new ground of 2017 was on Tuesday 18th July at Station Road in Takeley, Essex. The match was Takeley vs. Hertford Town in a friendly.

Station Road is located towards the south of the village of Takeley in the shadow of Stansted Airport. It is hemmed in by housing on three sides with the remaining western side runs next to the B183 opposite a farm guest house. As the name suggests the venue was once adjacent to Takeley railway station but this closed to passengers in 1966 so the nearest active railway station is now Stansted Airport station which is 1.7 miles north.

Upon entering through the turnstiles in the north-west corner the first structure to see is the clubhouse building which which also contains the dressing rooms and a food outlet. Next to this is a demountable for medical care of players and beyond this by the half-way line is the main stand. This consists of 5 rows of seating with a total of 118 seats and has a floodlight going through the roof in the middle of the stand. The section in front of the stand, and the rest of the northern side of the ground is uncovered standing.

The southern side of the ground houses two more stands - a 68-seat structure is located towards the western end of the ground and there is a covered flat standing section towards the eastern end. The two dugouts are between these two viewing areas with the remainder of the southern side uncovered standing. Space is at a premium at the eastern and western end. The small car park and road are behind the western end so there is a walkway with one row of raised concrete behind this. The eastern end has a little more space for a grass area behind the concrete strip of hard standing. Both ends having netting behind the goals to prevent balls going into the car park or road on the western end and adjacent houses on the eastern end.

The game was between Essex Senior League side Takeley and Isthmian League North Division side Hertford Town. The hosts took an early lead as they got their noses in front after barely a minute. It happened when the ball was played out to the left wing, the Takeley man cut inside a defender and crossed for an attacker to turn the ball in from a couple of yards. Both sides headed just over from corners in the opening 10 minutes before the match settled down into a fairly even contest. The home keeper had looked susceptible from corners early on and was punished for this in the 32nd minute when he dropped the ball in the box allowing Michael Toner to bundle the ball in. After the break Hertford had a great chance to go in front when they were awarded a penalty after a poorly timed tackle on Daniel Bond in the area. Tommy Wade went low to the keeper's right but the keeper guessed right and palmed the ball away. The third quarter of the game was a bad tempered affair with Hertford coming in with several nasty tackles. The visitors were then gifted a goal in the 71st minute when a very poor backpass near the edge of the area went straight to Sam Ruff and he calmly lifted the ball over the goalie from 12 yards. Hertford were on top after this and did get the ball in the net again with 10 minutes to go but it was ruled out for offside. With five minutes to go another bad backpass by Takeley was picked up by a Hertford substitute and he squared for a teammate who only had to stroke into an empty net from 10 yards. However the ball was blazed wide and meant the game finished 2-1 to Hertford.

Result: Takeley 1-2 Hertford Town
Friendly: 
Attendance: N/A

Ground #190 - Gardiners Close

Date: 2nd January 2016
Ground: Gardiners Close
Location: Basildon, Essex

My first new ground of 2016 was on Saturday 2nd January at Gardiners Close in Basildon, Essex. The match was Basildon United vs. Enfield 1893 in the Essex Senior League.

Gardiners Close is in the north of the town and is part of an area of green space which includes football pitches, cricket pitches and a leisure centre. The venue is 2.5 miles north-east of Basildon railway station and has been home to the club since 1970.

All of the covered areas are positioned on the west side of Gardiners Close. There is an all-seater structure by the half-way line which has a total of 104 seats divided into two sections with the entrance to the players dressing rooms in between. Behind the dressing rooms is the club bar building located in the car park. There are covered hard standing areas either side of the all-seater stand with both of these having picnic benches acting as seating.

The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing. On the eastern side of Gardiners Close there is a section of concrete steps built into the grass bank but because of the location of the two dugouts in front of it you cannot actually view the game from here. Behind the northern and southern ends there are grass banks with gentle slopes. Netting is in place directly behind the two goals to catch any wayward shots.

The game started with a spate of early goals as the players battled the wet conditions. Enfield gifted the opener to Basildon in the 7th minute after goalkeeper Jordan Warren ran out of his area to clear the ball only to play it straight to Rob Clark who lobbed into the empty net from 40 yards out. The away side got back on level terms almost immediately though as George Whitelock was able to push into the box before his bobbled shot snuck past the Basildon keeper. The home side restored their lead in the 12th minute when a free-kick was drifted into the box and an unmarked #4 Callum Leahy headed in. Basildon began dominating after this and despite missing a couple of one-on-ones did manage to add a third in the 33rd minute when a cross from the left wing by Lindisipho Mtyanda managed to trickle into the bottom corner. In the 57th minute there was a scuffle involving several players and coaching staff which resulted in Enfield's Andre Spencer receiving his marching orders. With Enfield down to ten men Basildon stepped up their attack and notched their fourth goal in the 73rd minute as Brad Warner stroked in after being left one-on-one with the keeper. Warner then scored another in the 81st minute after he held off a defender before rounding the keeper and knocking it into an empty net. The hosts really should have added to this total but a couple of terrible misses in the final few minutes meant they were limited to five.

Result: Basildon United 5-1 Enfield 1893

Division: Essex Senior League

Attendance: 122

Ground #189 - Catons Lane

Date: 28th December 2015
Ground: Catons Lane
Location: Saffron Walden, Essex

My twenty-fourth new ground of 2015 was on Monday 28th December at Catons Lane in Saffron Walden, Essex. The match was Saffron Walden Town vs. Hadleigh United in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division.

Catons Lane is on the northern outskirts of the town and is part of a small sports complex including a mini football pitch, basketball court and playground. The venue is 2.5 north-east of the nearest railway station at Audley End and has been home to the club since 1890.

On the south-east side of the ground there is an all-seater stand by the half-way line with three rows of seats built into the grass bank. The 147 seats are split into 3 sections with two 60 seat sections separated by 27 seats in the middle of the stand which double as dugout replacements for the two teams. The stand includes a strip of hard standing directly behind the seats. The rest of this side of the venue is uncovered hard standing. From here the pitch slopes down towards the north-west side of the ground. The north-west area of Catons Lane also has a stand by the half-way line which dates back to 1937. This stand consists of three rows of wooden benches with a gangway in the middle leading to the players dressing rooms within the stand. To the north of this stand is a smart clubhouse with a food outlet attached and a building for club officials next to this.

The south-west section of the ground is uncovered except for a small stand behind the goal. This structure consists of 40 seats with a flat area behind this and at the back of the stand 4 progressively thinner rows of concrete terracing. The north-east end of the venue is the only area with no seating. Instead a number of demountables take up this area with a roof extending out from these buildings to cover the area directly behind the goal. The top corner of this is where the turnstiles are situated.

The game began with early pressure from Saffron Walden but in the 12th minute Hadleigh launched a counter-attack from a home corner and while advancing towards the keeper drew a foul in the penalty area. Danny Thrower's effort found the top corner of the net although the keeper Floyd Croll did manage to get a hand to it. The hosts peppered the Hadleigh goal in the opening 30 minutes but Hadleigh had defenders in numbers and were able to frustrate the hosts. The visitors then went on the attack in the later part of the half and though a 36th minute effort was ruled out for offside they did double their advantage in the 42nd minute after a cross into the box was headed down for Aaron Churchyard to stroke past the goalkeeper from 6 yards out. Hadleigh put themselves in an even more commanding position in the 57th minute when a winger beat the defender down the left-wing and produced a good save from Croll only for David Lorimer to knock in the rebound from 12 yards. Saffron Walden had plenty of time in and around the Hadleigh area in the second 45 minutes but never really looked like scoring. Hadleigh on the other hand were very effective on the counter-attack and looked more likely to add to their total. The visitors missed a couple of good chances in the closing minutes so it remained 3-0.

Result: Saffron Walden Town 0-3 Hadleigh United
Division: Eastern Counties League Premier Division
Attendance: 367

Ground #188 - Ship Lane

Date: 1st November 2015
Ground: Ship Lane
Location: Aveley, Essex

My twenty-third new ground of 2015 was on Sunday 1st November at Ship Lane in Aveley, Essex. The match was Romford vs. Slough Town in the F.A. Trophy 1st Qualifying Round.

Ship Lane borders the M25 Motorway just north of the Dartford Crossing and west of Lakeside Shopping Centre. The nearest railway station is 1.5 miles east at Chafford Hundred though there are more convenient connecting bus services from Rainham station to the west. The venue has been home to Thurrock FC since 1985 with Romford groundsharing at present.

The south-east side of the ground borders the Thurrock Hotel complex with the Lakeside Stand built into the grass bank which separates the two premises. The stand has around 300 seats including separate sections at the back for media seating and home and away officials. Next to this seating there is a hospitality box. The rest of south-east side of Ship Lane is uncovered hard standing. At the northern corner there is a snack bar and the southern corner hosts a club shop and programme outlet. Adjacent to this is the Fleet Inn clubhouse which sits in the corner with the south-west side.

The south-west area of the ground has a shallow covered concrete terrace for its whole length barring a small gap in the middle for an exit. The north-west section of Ship Lane has a covered concrete terrace which runs the length of the pitch with a strip of uncovered standing in front of it. Around a quarter of the stand is taken up by 180 seats which have been built on top of the terrace. This stand also has a TV gantry on top of the middle section of the roof. Another covered concrete terrace takes up around half of the north-east area of the ground - this stand is located directly behind the goal. Next to this is a club building which contains the dressing rooms.

The game was an F.A. Trophy 1st Qualifying Round tie between Isthmian League Division One North side Romford and Southern League Premier Division side Slough Town. The team from the Southern League showed their quality in the foggy conditions of the first half as they dominated proceedings. Slough only took 6 minutes to get on the scoresheet as the ball was crossed into the box allowing Dan Hicks to head into the path of Adrian Hollis who shot in from a couple of yards out. Romford then had a couple of lucky escapes as Lewis Putnam and Dan Hicks both hit the woodwork for Slough in the following 10 minute spell. Hicks did manage to make it count in the 28th minute as he backheeled a drilled shot from Warren Harris into the bottom corner of the net. The away side extended their lead in the 52nd minute when Lewis Putnam whipped in a low cross from the left wing and Charlie Mpi scooped the ball into the roof of the net from a couple of yards out. The final goal came in the 74th minute when substitute Gurkan Gokman crossed from the right wing for Putnam who brought the ball down and smashed past the keeper from 12 yards. With the game over as a contest the hosts had their most positive spell in the closing stages. George Woodward hit the post from a free-kick in the 81st minute and Romford then missed two great chances before the end. Slough were able to retain their clean sheet as they recorded an easy win to take them through to the 2nd Qualifying Round.

Result: Romford 0-4 Slough Town
Competition: F.A. Trophy
Attendance: 134

Ground #176 - Rookery Hill

Date: 23rd July 2015
Ground: Rookery Hill
Location: Corringham, Essex

My eleventh new ground of 2015 was on Thursday 23rd July at Rookery Hill in Corringham, Essex. The match was East Thurrock United vs. Dagenham & Redbridge in a friendly.

Rookery Hill is on the southern edge of Corringham next to the A1014. The venue is 2 miles west of Stanford-le-Hope railway station. It has been home to East Thurrock since 1984 but the club have their eye on a move into Stanford-le-Hope in the near future.

The south-eastern side of the ground contains the main stand - a 160 seater structure which sits level with the half-way line. Next to this there is a food outlet and club offices. The clubhouse is also on this side of the ground though this faces out into the car park.

Directly opposite the main stand are the two dugouts with an additional 140 seat stand towards the northern goal. Towards the southern goal there is a covered standing area though the rest of the standing on this side of the venue is uncovered. There are no stands behind the southern goal but the area behind the northern goal has two small covered concrete terraces located on either side of the goal. This two are linked by an uncovered wooden platform in the middle.

The game was a friendly between Isthmian League Premier Division side East Thurrock United and Football League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge. The Daggers sent a young side to Corringham but took the lead inside 10 minutes. The goal came as the visitors broke from an East Thurrock corner - the ball was crossed into the path of Ade Yusuff who slipped before recovering and unleashing a 20 yard drive into the corner of the net. The away side almost doubled their lead in the 36th minute when Jimmy Nottage hit the post for with a good effort from 25 yards. The Isthmian League side should have equalised just after the break but spurned a one-on-one opportunity with Daggers goalkeeper Lewis Moore. The second half was a quiet affair with very little happening until Dagenham sealed victory with a second goal in the 85th minute. A quick free-kick saw the ball played to Cadell Daniel who crossed for Reeko Hackett-Fairchild to stab the ball home from close range.

Result: East Thurrock United 0-2 Dagenham & Redbridge
Friendly
Attendance: N/A

Ground #175 - Burroughs Park

Date: 21st July 2015
Ground: Burroughs Park
Location: Great Wakering, Essex

My tenth new ground of 2015 was on Tuesday 21st July at Burroughs Park in Great Wakering, Essex. The match was Great Wakering Rovers vs. Concord Rangers in a friendly.

Burroughs Park is adjacent to a large number of allotments on the edge of the village of Great Wakering. Is is 2.5 miles from the nearest railway station at Shoeburyness although Southend Central at 5 miles away has the advantage of connecting bus services. The venue has been home to the club since 1985.

The ground has one all-seater stand which sits just to the west of the half-way line on the northern side of the venue. This stand can hold 150 supporters and includes a wooden press box in the back corner. The remainder of this side of Burroughs Park is uncovered hard standing and there is a small demountable club shop just to the east of the all-seater stand.

The southern side has a covered terrace level with the half-way line. In front of this are the two dugouts. There is additional uncovered concrete terracing behind both of the goals with this taking up half the space at the eastern and western sections of the ground. The north-east corner, known as Nobby's End, contains the clubhouse, a food outlet and changing rooms with a roof section extending over the hard standing in this corner.

The game was a friendly between Isthmian League Division One North side Great Wakering Rovers and Conference South side Concord Rangers. The visitors were the better of the two sides throughout the game taking the lead in the 23rd minute as Ben Greenhalgh dinked a free-kick over the wall and into the bottom corner from 20 yards. Five minutes later Concord doubled their lead with a short corner routine allowing Sam Bantick to collect the ball before cutting inside a defender and curling the ball past the keeper. The home side steadied themselves and had a decent spell before the break including an effort which hit the crossbar. However the away side showed their two division advantage in the second period with a comfortable performance. Great Wakering relied on their goalkeeper to make a number of good saves but in the 82nd minute they broke through when Tony Stokes held off the attentions of the home defence before curling into the net from the edge of the area. Concord rounded off the scoring in the 87th minute as they camped around the home penalty area - the first couple of shots were blocked but when the ball fell to George Doyle he made no mistake as he slotted home.

Result: Great Wakering Rovers 0-4 Concord Rangers
Friendly
Attendance: N/A