Ground #398 - Racecourse Ground

Date: 16th December 2023
Location: Wrexham, Wales
Ground: Racecourse Ground

My twenty-third new ground of 2023 was on Saturday 16th December at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, Wales. The game was Wrexham vs. Colchester United in Football League Two.

The Racecourse Ground is to the north-west of the city centre - it is well positioned with Wrexham University bordering it to the west and north, housing to the south and Wrexham General railway station to the east. The venue is well-served transport-wise with another station, Wrexham Central, three-quarters of a mile south-east of the stadium. The club began playing at the Racecourse Ground in 1864 making it one of the world's oldest football stadiums still in use.

The Main Stand runs along the south-west flank of the ground. Opened in 1999, the stand is a single-tier structure with a capacity of 3,500. The seating deck rises towards the centre giving more of a 'semi-circle' manner. The roof is also stepped up in the centre to accommodate an additional floor of hospitality seating for Wrexham's illustrious owners and guests. The internal structure has four floors and houses club offices and just outside its doors is the The Turf Hotel which sits within the stadium footprint and doubles as a pub for home fans. 

The opposite side of the ground has a two-tier stand dating back to 1972. The northern section of the stand is given over to away supporters at present. This stand has a couple of supporting beams but otherwise views are good and only slightly restricted by those at the back of the stand due to the roof trusses running the length of the stand. There is a similar two-tier stand behind the northern goal for the most vociferous home supporters and this can accommodate 2,800 people. The southern end is a work in progress - the original 5,500 capacity Kop was taken out of use in 2008 and a new 5,500 all-seater stand is planned which would become comfortably the tallest stand at the venue. However, with work yet to start the club have installed a temporary 2,289 uncovered stand at this end of the Racecourse Ground. The stand was being completed during my visit so was not in use.

Wrexham went into the game flying high in their first season back in the Football League occupying one of the three automatic promotion spots. Colchester by comparison were just above the drop zone in 22nd and on a run of four consecutive defeats. The game started according to the form book with the hosts scoring after just three minutes. Poor defender from Colchester saw Ben Tozer's long throw fall at the feet of Elliot Lee six yards from goal with no-one around him for several yards. The former Colchester man's shot hit Zach Mitchell at the first attempt but the ball bounced straight back to him allowing Lee to strike low past Owen Goodman. Away fans were fearing a battering but fortunes changed in the 26th minute when George Evans received a straight red card for a tackle on Cameron McGeehan inside the centre circle. This unnecessary risk meant the hosts would have to play the remaining 65 minutes with ten men. The flow of the game changed after this with Colchester the stronger side for the remainder of the half. Noah Chilvers was inches away with a 25-yard drive around the half-hour mark as the U's pressed for an equaliser. The home side regrouped at the break and almost went two goals to the good when Paul Mullin's close range shot was blocked by Goodman just seconds into the second period. In the 69th minute the visitors presented an early Christmas gift to Wrexham with a dismal own goal by Zach Mitchell. James McClean's cross from the left appeared to offer no threat with no Wrexham player within five yards of the ball. However, Mitchell stuck out a leg and diverted the ball past his own keeper to put the ten men of Wrexham 2-0 up. Colchester did manage to grab a goal back in the 89th minute as Jayden Fevrier reacted quickest to strike from close range after goalkeeper Mark Howard could only palm Cameron McGeehan's header back into the six yard box. The goal would have been much more use earlier in proceedings and Wrexham rode out injury time to record a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

Result: Wrexham 2-1 Colchester United

Division: Football League Two

Attendance: 9,746

Ground #375 - Arbories Memorial Sports Ground

Date: 26th December 2022
Ground: Arbories Memorial Sports Ground
Location: Padiham, Lancashire

My fifteenth new ground of 2022 was on Monday 26th December at the Arbories Memorial Sports Ground in Padiham, Lancashire. The game was Padiham vs. Barnoldswick Town in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

The Arbories Memorial Sports Ground is located on the northern edge of Padiham. It sites up a hill at the end of a residential street with houses to the south and east, a pub and cricket club to the west and trees separating from a road to the north. The venue is a couple of miles north of Hapton and Rose Grove railway stations and has been the home of the club since 1949. 

The ground is a hotchpotch with lots of different spectating areas without an overall standardised design - this gives it a unique look for the level. The entrance is at the south and by this is a fairly small clubhouse with a digital scoreboard attaching to the exterior of the wall. Next to this is a food outlet under cover and then the proper spectator areas begin. Initially there is a small covered standing area, then an uncovered area to create a gap back to the dressing rooms and to the right of this is an all-seater stand which extends past the halfway line. There is then another uncovered section before finishing with another covered section towards the western end.

The opposite side has covered standing for a third of the pitch length towards the eastern end and then an uncovered section for two dugouts in front. Beyond the halfway line is a shorter covered standing area taking up around a quarter of the northern flank and finally uncovered standing towards the western end. There is a grass bank for the whole of the northern side but spectators are prohibited. The eastern end has a covered two-level terrace by the northern section and this takes up about a third of this end. There is a covered flat section behind the goal but the southern area of this end is uncovered save for a small covered section with a park bench and a dugout-like structure with another park bench. The south-east corner also has a dedicated beer shed. The western end is the only one with no structures with uncovered standing only.

Half-way through the season there was little to play for except local pride for the two teams as both were already sitting in mid-table posing little danger to the top or bottom of the league. The hosts scored with their first proper chance in the 10th minute - a 25-yard shot by David Sherlock bounced just before Barlick keeper Jordan Gidley and he palmed straight to Jack Gooden who tucked into the gaping net. The visitors then attacked the home goal and went close in the 17th minute when a ball from the right just needed good contact from Jack Foster but the forward could only divert wide from a couple of yards while on the stretch. The equalising goal arrived ten minutes later and this time Foster did get his reward - again it started with a cross from the right but this time Foster was able to control the ball via a couple of keepy-uppies before smashing the ball into Padiham defender Kieran Sherlock and into the roof of the net. Barnoldswick remained on top for the rest of the half and really should have gone into half-time ahead after two late chances. Padiham were failing to address issues down their left flank and another cross to Foster at the back post found him only for the forward to shoot over from close range. Sixty seconds later it was the turn of Ben Ashton to advance down the right but one-on-one with Matthew Hamnett he shot straight at the Padiham keeper. After an entertaining first half the second was a scrappier affair with little in the way of clear cut chances. Padiham got the ball in the net in the 67th minute when Charlie Disney-Ridge weaved his way into the box with the ball falling to Jack Gooden who tucked home. However, Gooden was in an offside position and this disallowed goal ended up costing the hosts as in the 88th minute Barlick grabbed a late winner with yet another cross from the right and Jack Foster poking in to score his second of the game and secure all three points for the away side. 

Result: Padiham 1-2 Barnoldswick Town

Division: North West Counties League Premier Division

Attendance: 741

Ground #350 - Wellesley Recreation Ground

Date: 19th December 2020
Ground: Wellesley Recreation Ground
Location: Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

My tenth new ground of 2020 was on Saturday 19th December at the Wellesley Recreation Ground in Great, Yarmouth, Norfolk. The game was Great Yarmouth Town vs. March Town United in the Eastern Counties League Division One North.

The Wellesley Recreation Ground is located in a residential area close to the town centre and just a stone's throw from the seafront. The ground is an athletics facility so includes the usual amenities as well as a tennis court and a mini 3G pitch towards the south of the venue. It is bordered by housing separated by roads on the northern, western and southern sides with the eastern side backing onto B&Bs and a cafe. The complex is a mile east of Great Yarmouth railway station and opened in 1888 with the club moving into it in 1901 after spending the first four years of their existence at the nearby Beaconsfield Recreation Ground.

The venue is dominated by the grandstand on the eastern side of the venue. The structure dates back to 1892 and is now Grade II listed. The classic old stand is raised above the pitch with the ground level housing the club facilities, boardroom and dressing rooms. The seating deck consists of 6 rows of wooden benching affixed to a concrete base with room for around 500 spectators. There are 13 wooden supporting beams in front of the seating deck to hold up the roof and directly in front of the stand are two lots of eight benches. Just to the north of the stand is a tea hut while the remainder of the eastern side is uncovered standing.

The western side has a covered three-level concrete terrace for its whole length with a large flat concrete section in front. This stand was built in 1931 so is showing some wear but provides welcome additional cover. This side also has a long jump area in between the running track and the pitch so is set even further back for spectators. The northern side has a discus throwing net in between the pitch and the running track. Beyond the running track is a grass bank followed by a concrete pathway and a flat grass area with more benches. At the back of this wide section of the ground is the Smudgers club building and a toilet block. The southern side is not usable for spectators - there is a very large grass area but views of the pitch are blocked off by a fence. 

The game pitted Great Yarmouth sitting in 9th place against high-flying March Town United who came into the game in 3rd place in the table. The visitors had the ball in the net in the 8th minute when a good cross was whipped in for Craig Gillies to power a header into the roof of the net. However the linesman's flag was up to indicate offside. In the 14th minute it was the hosts who got the ball in the net but this one did count. It started with a March corner which was cleared up field for Kyle Baker to chase after. Visiting defender Tom McLeish headed the ball up in the air towards his own goal allowing Baker to nab the ball, skip past McLeish as he fell trying to recover, and slow the ball lost past Charlie Congreve in the March goal. Four minutes after this Great Yarmouth doubled their lead - the second phase of a corner saw the ball sent back in and with keeper Congreve completely missing it Cameron Barnes was there to nod in at the back post. March Town grabbed a goal back in the 27th minute after an initial shot was saved by the home keeper but after a complete scramble on the goalline Jamie Short was able to poke home. The hosts re-established a two-goal cushion seven minutes after the break when a brilliantly timed run by Jamie Smith sprung the offside line. Though his shot wasn't the best Congreve's touch couldn't prevent the ball going into the net. Great Yarmouth continued to pursue the tactic of getting in behind and almost did have further success with it. For their part March were limited to a series of corners to try and get back into it. With a quarter of an hour remaining a Yarmouth counter attack concluded with Connor Delaney laying off to Jamie Smith who should have notched up his second of the afternoon but dragged wide. In the 82nd minute the away side had a chance when the ball was knocked through to Jack Friend who shot just the wrong side of goal from the edge of the area. The final meaningful opportunity of the match came a couple of minutes after this as a long ball up to Keiran McCombe saw the Yarmouth man get ahead of the keeper and knock the ball towards goal and while everyone just waiting it ultimately trickled just wide to ensure the score remained at 3-1.

Result: Great Yarmouth Town 3-1 March Town United

Division: Eastern Counties League Division One North

Attendance: 102

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 #310 - Lydney Recreation Ground

Date: 19th April 2019
Ground: Lydney Recreation Ground
Location: Lydney, Gloucestershire

My twenty-fifth new ground of 2019 was on Friday 19th April at Lydney Recreation Ground in Lydney, Gloucestershire. The match was Lydney Town vs. Windsor in the Hellenic League Premier Division.

Lydney Recreation Ground is in the south of the settlement with the football club sharing a large green space area with the town's cricket, rugby and tennis clubs. The cricket club is on the northern boundary of the football field and Lydney Town did originally use its facilities when they first moved to the site prior to the construction of their own arrangements. To the east and south are more grass areas for sporting activities while the western portion borders a combination of trees, the Lydney Canal and the Dean Forest heritage railway line. Lydney railway station, on the Gloucester to Newport line, is one mile south-west of the venue which has been home to the club since the mid 1970s.

The entrance to the ground is in the north-west corner and the first thing that greets you upon arrival is a clubhouse, featuring a nice spacious bar, and a food outlet. Beyond this there are two metal stands with one each side of the halfway line. Both are very similar in nature with two rows at the back for covered standing and two rows at the front for seating. Both stands have 50 seats apiece giving a total seating capacity for the venue of 100. Towards the eastern end there is hard standing with a grass area behind this.

The western side is the only one with stands so the remainder of the ground is uncovered standing. The eastern and southern sides have hard standing behind the pitch barrier with grass areas at the back of this. The eastern side also contains the two dugouts. The northern end is separated from the adjacent cricket ground by a wooden fence and this means there is only a thin concrete walkway for the smallest end of the venue.

The first half-hour of this Hellenic League Premier Division tie failed to get going due to the play being punctuated by a number of injury stoppages. The only chance of note in a rubbish first half was Windsor's Jamie Di Giuseppe's 36 minute free-kick which forced Lydney keeper Freddie Lapworth into a save. Things livened up a bit after the break - the first action in the 48th minute came about when Windsor's Matt Stockill did well to nab the ball off a defender who was trying to shield the ball out for a corner. Stockhill put it back in the box for Kieran Knight who saw his close range shot saved by Hugo Sobte. A few minutes later Stockhill caused more problems for the home defence as he beat a defender down the byline and advanced into the box. Fortunately for Lydney he blazed his shot well over the bar. The home side took the lead against the run of play in the 58th minute and it came from the penalty spot. Luke Appleton pulled back Ross Gabriel as he ran in on goal resulting in referee blowing for a foul. Lewis Thompson sent Sobte the wrong way to put his side a goal to the good. Windsor continued to plug away and with a quarter of an hour left on the clock missed the best chance of the game. After an initial shot was saved by home goalie Lapworth the ball fell to Stockill who was once again let down by his finishing as he ballooned the rebound over an open goal. The game was settled in comical circumstances in the 83rd minute - an away throw-in was sent back to Hugo Subte and rather than clearing the Windsor goalkeeper attempted to a bit of skill to bypass Lydney attacker Lewis Halford. This went horribly wrong as Halford dispossessed him and tapped into an empty net from a couple of yards out.

Result: Lydney Town 2-0 Windsor
Division: Hellenic League Premier Division
Attendance: 337

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 #299 - Bypass Ground

Date: 19th March 2019
Ground: Bypass Ground
Location: Romsey, Hampshire

My fourteenth new ground of 2019 was on Tuesday 19th March at the Bypass Ground in Romsey, Hampshire. The match was Romsey Town vs. Verwood Town in Wessex League Division One.

The Bypass Ground is on the southern edge of the town of Romsey. Unsurprisingly given its name the venue is adjacent to the A27 bypass road which runs past the northern and eastern side of the ground. There is green space to the west and to the south more sporting facilities in the form of a leisure centre, cricket pitches, Romsey Tennis Club and Romsey Rugby Football Club. The ground is half a mile south of the town's railway station and has been the home of the club since 1956.

The entrance to the venue is in the north-west corner and by this is a slightly dated clubhouse with an outdoor food outlet next to it. For spectators the northern side is mostly uncovered standing though there is a covered standing area just to the west of the halfway line. Beyond this are the two dugouts with the uncovered standing continuing to the end of the pitch.

The sole seating area is provided on the opposite side of the pitch.This is an unusual stand consisting of four rows of separate wooden platforms built in slightly ascending height order. Plywood partitions split the stand into three sections in line with the girders which support the roof. The rest of this side has a layer of hard standing with a fairly large area of grass at the back. A covered standing section takes up the middle half of the eastern end of the ground with uncovered standing either side of this. The western end is uncovered standing - due to the large trees behind this end is the most space restricted at the venue.

Romsey Town were having a good season in the Wessex League and with an outside chance of promotion knew they had to win to keep up their charge for the second potential promotion spot. Verwood on the other hand came into the evening in 9th knowing full well they would have another season of Division One football to look forward to. It was a fast paced start to the night with Romsey edging it. They were close in the 14th minute when James Clifton headed over from close range. In the 23rd minute the opening goal arrived - some nice play by Liam Mager on the edge of the area beat a defender and he poked the ball through to Clifton who shot across goal into the bottom corner. In the second minute of first half stoppage time the hosts netted again with a similar goal to their first effort. Zac Mouland picked up the ball on the left side of the area and drilled a shot through the keeper's legs into the far corner. It got better for Romsey in the 63rd minute with goal number three being scored. Some nice play around the area resulted in the ball going out to Mark Fawley on the right. He had two defenders for company but quickly turned and shot low, the ball squirming under Sam Thompson who should have done better. Verwood at least started creating after this and almost grabbed a goal back in the 68th minute. A free-kick into the area was cleared as far as Nathan Gray who's excellent looping half volley was acrobatically tipped over the bar by Charlie Philpott. Romsey were keen to kill the game off and shortly after this some good work down the byline by James Clifton concluded with him squaring for Dan Fox who shot low towards goal only for Sam Thompson to deny him. A comfortable game for Romsey meandered towards its finish and though Verwood did manage to get the ball in the net with five minutes to go it was ultimately ruled out for offside summing up their night.

Result: Romsey Town 3-0 Verwood Town
Division: Wessex League Division One
Attendance: 104

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 #265 - Recreation Ground (Sheerwater)

Date: 28th April 2018
Ground: Sheerwater Recreation Ground
Location: Sheerwater, Surrey

My thirteenth new ground of 2018 was on Saturday 28th April at the Recreation Ground in Sheerwater, Surrey. The match was Sheerwater vs. Kensington Borough in the Combined Counties League Division One.

The Recreation Ground is located in the north of the village with two full-size pitches, one inside the ground itself and one directly to the west. The ground has housing to the north and south and a school to the east. The club played at the site from their formation in 1958 up until May 2018 when they vacated the site to make way for a widescale regeneration of the area which will see the demolition of the current Recreation Ground. The club will enter a groundshare arrangement at nearby Woking FC for the 2018/19 season.

The west side of the venue had a series of seating areas. The main one of this was a covered stand which straddled the half-way line - this had 67 seats spread across three rows. Behind this on a lower level was a club building which housed a small clubhouse as well as the dressing rooms. To the south of this stand was an uncovered all-seater stand with 65 seats across seven rows. Adjacent to this stand was an odd metal structure with 11 seats spread across six rows with two seats per row up to the final row with one seat. This area was earmarked for officials. To the north of the main stand was uncovered standing on a strip of concrete which ran until the end of the pitch with a grass bank behind.

With this site being an athletics stadium there was a six-lane running track encircling the pitch giving it an oval shape. The northern end had an uncovered grass bank with a footpath of concrete stones curving round for the whole side before petering out as it transitioned into the eastern side of the ground. The eastern side was uncovered grass with no hard standing area. The two structures on this side were the dugouts either side of the half-way line. There was a hammer/shotput cage in the south-east corner with the rest of the southern end a flat grass section with the curve resulting in it becoming fairly narrow at its middle point due to the adjacent houses.

With Sheerwater riding high in the league and aiming for promotion they were keen to get three points on the board to aid them to the Premier Division. They almost took the lead in the 3rd minute when Alex Headland took a shot on the left which was spilled into the path of Shane Rideout who took too long to compose himself and saw his shot blocked. In the 9th minute a Sheerwater header at the back post was tipped onto the bar and from the next corner a scramble on the line saw the hosts appeal for a goal which was not given. With all this pressure it was no surprise when Sheerwater did get in front after a quarter of an hour. The home side had had a lot of play down the left and once again left-back Alex Headland was unleashed and this time he no made no mistake shooting low across goal into the bottom corner. The home side went 2-0 up in the 19th minute as Shane Rideout received the ball 12 yards out and coolly slotted low past the diving keeper. The next goal came in the 25th minute and was a spectacular one with Andrew Rothwell's half-volley from 25 yards flying into the top corner. Sheerwater went 4-0 up in the 28th minute when a pass deflected off a defender back to Alex Headland who had plenty of space to knock low into the net from 12 yards out. Sheerwater had the ball in the net for a fifth time before the half-hour mark but this time Shane Rideout was denied by an offside flag. After a dismal opening to the game Kensington finally managed to get out of their own half and the run-up until half-time saw them give a much more competitive account of themselves as they created a few opportunities. They continued this better spell into the second half and got a goal back in the 53rd minute when a through ball to one of their strikers was slid under the advancing keeper. Sheerwater didn't take kindly to a potential comeback and a half-volley from Chris Machay five minutes later was only a crossbar away from restoring the four-goal lead. In the 66th minute Machay was able to grab his goal though as he was played in on goal, and though he was taken wide by the keeper he was able to get past the a covering defender and shoot at goal with a defender running back only able to help it across the line. Kensington were not happy with this goal as they claimed they had paused for a substitution to take place. Their gesticulations delayed the restart slightly and they were clearly still thinking about it as Sheerwater grabbed their sixth of the day straight from the kick-off when Shane Rideout having plenty of time to slot past the goalie with the away defence missing in action. In the 78th minute the hosts scored an extremely simple goal as goal kick was punted up field, headed on to Robbie Wilson who poked past the advancing goalie from the edge of the box. Three minutes later the score went to 8-1 as Michael Leech headed in a corner. In injury time Chris Machay did get the ball in the net as well but it was ruled out for offside. Apart from the middle half-hour of the game Sheerwater completely demolished their opponents and even without the two offside goals the number of chances they enjoyed could easily have seen them into double figures against a Kensington side which were wide open at the back.

Result: Sheerwater 8-1 Kensington Borough
Division: Combined Counties League Division One
Attendance: N/A

Ground #257 - Recreation Ground (Newton Abbot)

Date: 29th March 2018
Ground: Newton Abbot Recreation Ground
Location: Newton Abbot, Devon

My fifth new ground of 2018 was on Thursday 29th March at the Recreation Ground in Newton Abbot, Devon. The match was Newton Abbot Spurs vs. Teignmouth in the South West Peninsula League Division One East.

The football arena forms part of a sports complex known as the Recreation Ground which is close to Newton Abbot town centre. The rest of the site includes squash and tennis courts and a cricket field bordering the southern side of the football pitch. The remaining sides see the ground next to flats to the north, a layer of trees and a technical college to the west and the car park and the River Lemon to the east. With its central location the venue is less than half a mile from the town railway station and has been home to the club since 1947.

The eastern end of the ground has the entrance to the facility and there is a clubhouse with a separate bar room in the main building in the south-east corner. Outside of this is a patio area with picnic benches allowing spectators to view the game. Moving to the area behind the football field itself there is a food outlet next to the entrance and the Terry Wilson Stand - an all-seater stand with 71 seats. The rest of the eastern side is uncovered standing though there is a carved out brick section as a memorial to departed individuals important to the club - this area has three park benches as well as five commemorative plaques with the individuals' names on them. Directly behind the goal there is netting to save balls from the car park or the river.

The only other stand is the Willie Boyd Stand at the western end of the Recreation Ground. This is a covered area of hard standing with the rest of this end uncovered and mostly grass underfoot rather than hard standing. The northern and southern side are both uncovered standing for their whole length - with the adjacent cricket field the southern side does have a lot of space for spectators to view from. This side also has the two dugouts.

Newton Abbot knew a win was required to keep up the pressure on league leaders St Martins and took an early lead in the 13th minute when a cross from the right found Ollie Aplin in the box and his close shot was deflected past the keeper. The lead only lasted five minutes though as a Teignmouth corner to the back post was met by a powerful header into the top corner by Sean Ayre. Newton Abbot had the better play in the first half and created more opportunities though the visitors did have a stronger end to the opening 45 minutes. Five minutes after the break the hosts went back ahead when a free-kick from the right found Chris Metters and he headed into the bottom corner from six yards out. Just after the hour mark the home side almost scored again when Ollie Aplin was put in on goal but the visiting keeper was able to put him off just enough for his shot to go the wrong side of the post. Teignmouth then went close to an equaliser in the 76th minute when a spectacular 30-yard shot came back off the crossbar. Things were made harder for the visitors in the 83rd minute when they had a man sent off for picking up a second booking after pulling back a home player on the edge of the box. Despite this Teignmouth did have one last chance in injury time when a scramble in the area saw a shot blocked on the line. As the hosts got the ball clear and went to run down the clock in the corner the frustration of one of the visiting players boiled over as he kicked the Newton Abbot player right in front of the referee. This blatant foul resulted in Teignmouth being reduced to nine men and the final whistle followed shortly after he left the pitch.

Result: Newton Abbot Spurs 2-1 Teignmouth
Division: South West Peninsula League Division One East
Attendance: 318

Ground #252 - Turnbull Ground

Date: 26th December 2017
Ground: Turnbull Ground
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire

My thirty-sixth new ground of 2017 was on Tuesday 26th December at the Turnbull Ground in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The match was Whitby Town vs. Farsley Celtic in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

The Turnbull Ground is located in the north of the town just a street away from the promenade and the slope down towards the North Sea. It is in a predominantly residential area with housing surrounding the grounds on the northern, eastern and southern ends. On the western side the club are neighbours to Whitby Cricket Club. The venue is three-quarters of a mile north-west of the poorly served Whitby railway station and has been home to the club since 1929.

The ground is dominated by a 505-seat stand on the western side of the ground. This is a little over a decade old with the seating section elevated above the pitch and the interior of the stand underneath this. The positioning of the stand allows a narrow flat concrete standing area to be retained in front of it. The stand straddles the half-way line and to the south of it is a snack bar, the entrance turnstiles and a club building with the players dressing rooms. Adjacent to the north of the stand is an uncovered concrete terrace. Behind the ground outside the main entrance is a small car park and a clubhouse containing a bar.

There is a covered six row concrete terrace for around half the length of the eastern side of the Turnbull Ground. The two dugouts sit in front of the stand with the rest of the eastern section taken up by uncovered concrete standing. The northern and southern areas are fairly narrow due to the housing bordering both ends of the complex so there is only room for uncovered hard standing behind the goals. Due to the proximity of the residential areas there is netting the whole way along these ends to prevent balls hitting houses.

Whitby started the 90 minutes on a dreadful run of 15 games without a win and within the first 60 seconds they almost fell a goal behind when poor defending saw Nathan Cartman ghost in behind the backline. Cartman just had the keeper to beat but dragged his shot wide from 12 yards. The hosts had their best opportunity of the half in the 18th minute when Lewis Maloney's free-kick fell at the feet of Junior Mondal and his quick shot was straight at Farlsey keeper Graeme McKibbin with the ball bouncing off him before being headed away. In the 26th minute Dan Cockerline crossed the ball from the right wing into the area for Nathan Turner who took a shot which was saved and bundled in by Nathan Cartman on the rebound. Farsley weren't celebrating for long though as a check over to the touch line showed the linesman's flag was up for offside. A poor first half petered out after that with little of note happening until the first goal of the game arrived in the 57th minute. Unsurprisingly it was the visitors who got as the ball was out played out wide left to Paul Walker who cut inside before curling a great shot in off the far post. The lead was then doubled in the 62nd minute - Isaac Baldwin played a neat 1-2 with Paul Walker down the left before crossing from the byline for Dan Cockerline to tap in on the line. The home side was given some hope in the 84th minute when Farlsey were reduced to ten men when Lewis Turner deliberately pulled down Junior Mondale as he raced towards the area. Whitby had more input into the game after this and in the 94th minute were awarded a spot kick when Isaac Baldwin clumsily felled Kieran Weledji as he attempted to intercept the ball on the far side of area. Luke Bythway took the kick but his poor penalty to Graeme McKibbin's right was saved summing up a forgettable day for Whitby.

Result: Whitby Town 0-2 Farsley Celtic
Division: Northern Premier League Premier Division
Attendance: 369

Ground #249 - Miners Welfare Ground (Swallownest)

Date: 5th December 2017
Ground: Miners Welfare Ground
Location: Swallownest, South Yorkshire

My thirty-third new ground of 2017 was on Tuesday 5th December at the Miners Welfare Ground in Swallownest, South Yorkshire. The match was Swallownest vs. Armthorpe Welfare in the Northern Counties East League Division One.

The Miners Welfare Ground is located on the edge of the village of Swallownest a few miles from Sheffield and Rotherham. It counts a church and a primary school as its eastern neighbours though the other three sides of the ground are bordered by fields. The ground is 1.5 miles east of the nearest railway station at Woodhouse. However with this station receiving very limited services the nearest major stations are Rotherham 5.5 miles north and Sheffield 7 miles west. The club only formed in 2006 and moved to the current venue in 2008.

The eastern end of the ground contains all the club's facilities. This includes a clubhouse with a decking area which faces out towards the car park and a building containing the players and officials dressing rooms - this sees the players emerge to the right of the turnstile entrance. Inside the ground there is a food outlet by the entrance and next to this the sole stand in the venue. At present there are no seating areas at the Welfare Ground with the stand a two-level concrete terrace which is covered by a roof. In front of this most of the eastern end is an area of flat concrete with this changing to grass heading towards the northern end of the ground.

The northern and southern side are both uncovered standing - the northern side has a fairly large flat grass area behind with the southern side is more limited on space having a grass bank and the trees marking the border of the site behind this. The two dugouts are on this side of the venue. The western end is not accessible for spectators with metal fencing just behind the goal separating the pitch from an adjacent field.

Swallownest got the ball in the net in the 13th minute when a long free-kick by keeper Daryll Johnson was nodded onto a defender who struck the ball home. However the goal was ruled out for offside. The away side had a super chance to go ahead in the 16th minute when Johnson misjudged a cross and missed the ball with it falling to Chris Simpkins who with the goal gaping snatched at the shot and saw the ball come back off the crossbar. The game saw its first goal in the 24th minute - Swallownest had been threatening to get in behind the Armthorpe defence and managed it with a through ball to Alex Lill who collided with visiting keeper Liam Copley in the race to the ball. The referee allowed play to continue and Lill proceeded to stroke the ball into the empty net. Ten minutes later Armthorpe drew level in very similar circumstances when a through ball picked out the pacey Luke Williams who slotted past the advancing Johnson. The decent first half made way for a poor second half that was devoid of action - the home side had the upper hand and came closest in the 68th minute when a corner was headed inches wide. The game ultimately petered out to a draw, a result which didn't particularity help either side with both sitting in mid-table.

Result: Swallownest 1-1 Armthorpe Welfare
Division: Northern Counties East League Division One
Attendance: 128

Ground #242 - Coles Lane

Date: 18th September 2017
Ground: Coles Lane
Location: Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

My twenty-sixth new ground of 2017 was on Monday 18th September at Coles Lane in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. The match was Romulus vs. Gresley in the Northern Premier League Division One South.

Coles Lane, also known as the Central Ground, is in a residential area south of the town centre. Housing borders the ground to the south and west with a grass area to the north and a canal separating the site from a primary school on its eastern side. The venue is a mile south of the town's railway station and has been home to Sutton Coldfield Town since 1920. As well as Sutton Coldfield Town the ground is also currently inhabited by Romulus who I saw during this game.

The main stand straddles the half-way line on the south-western side of the venue. This stand consists of 7 rows of flat wooden benching on a concrete platform. There is a carved out section in the middle for officials and a couple of supporting beams for the roof. The seating is raised up above ground level so provides decent views of the pitch. In front of the stand are the two dugouts and the rest of this side is uncovered standing. On the opposite side of the pitch is the north-eastern side of the ground. Two-thirds of this is uncovered standing with a 101 seat stand known as the Bernard Bent Stand situated in the northern corner. This stand includes a flat section at the front for disabled spectators. This is adjacent to the clubhouse which contains a spacious bar and a food outlet facing out towards the pitch.

Much of the space behind the goal at the north-western end is taken up by a car park. There is then netting directly behind the goal to prevent wayward balls damaging cars. In the western corner there is an additional stand called the Richard Underwood Stand. This tiny structure is a raised metal platform which is covered and upon my visit five chairs had been placed on the platform. The other end of the ground is covered standing for most of its length with fencing behind this. The back of the covered area is linked a building behind the goal. The southern corner is uncovered standing albeit mostly on grass rather than concrete as per the rest of the ground.

Romulus edged the first section of the game but didn't test Robert Peet in the away goal too much. The closest they came was in the 22nd minute when Romario Martin snatched at a shot and steered it across goal to go just wide. The visitors got back into the game around half-hour mark but in the 38th minute the hosts grabbed a goal. It came about when a ball over the top found Romario Martin. With a lot of work to do Martin shrugged off the challenge of one defender, beat the remaining defender and then sidefooted past Peet from close range. Ten minutes after the restart Gresley's Jon Stevenson put the ball in the net but it was ruled off for offside. In the 66th minute he went close again when Reece Morris drilled a shot at Romulus keeper Billy Spink who palmed the ball to Stevenson. Unfortunately for the visitors Stevenson shot the rebound the wrong side of the post. In the 83rd minute a Romulus counter-attack from a Gresley corner saw the ball launched towards Martin on the left-side of the penalty area and his shot flashed inches wide. Martin's earlier goal proved to be the difference between the two teams on what was a forgettable night of football.

Result: Romulus 1-0 Gresley

Division: Northern Premier League Division One South

Attendance: 120