Ground #404 - New River Stadium

Date: 28th September 2024
Location: Tottenham, London
Ground: New River Stadium

My fourth new ground of 2024 was on Saturday 28th September at New River Stadium in Tottenham, London. The game was AS London vs. Burnham Ramblers in the Eastern Counties League Division One South.

The New River Stadium is located on White Hart Lane so shares its road with Haingey Borough's Coles Park and the more famous Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a mile and a half east. The stadium is part of a wider sports complex with additional full-size pitches, mini 3G cage pitches, tennis courts, a boxing centre and a community hub. Other than the rest of the complex the only other neighbour of note is a school directly south. The ground opened in 1973 and is three-quarters of a mile north-east of Wood Green station on the Piccadilly Line. 

The southern side of the venue has the grandstand which is accessed via the sports centre entrance. The sports centre sits underneath the grandstand although the dressing rooms are located in another building to the west of the pitch. This grandstand consists of 1,034 bucket seats so offers more than ample capacity for a club at this level.

The 3G pitch is used for various other sports, with an American Football team also residing at the ground. The venue has an eight-lane lane running track with the two dugouts in front of this at pitchside. There is a concrete terrace which runs from the western end, round the northern side of the ground and stops before the eastern curve. This eastern end has a grass bank for the northern half whilst the southern half is inaccessible due to hedges and a power station. The ground has a total capacity of 5,000.

The day started with AS London in 7th place in the table on a six-game unbeaten run. Having just avoided relegation last season the north London side had turned things around this season. Burnham by comparison had suffered back-to-back defeats and were sitting in 13th. Despite this the visitors begun brightly and in the 8th minute a free-kick into the box was shot straight at London keeper Martin Arnauchkov who saved from six yards out. That start ended up being the high point for the visitors as two minutes later they were a goal down. It came about through really nice link-up play on the edge of the box which culminated with a lovely backheel by Alie Bangura to  Francisco Figuereo who controlled well and lifted over the keeper from 12 yards. The hosts kept chipping away and before the break went close with shots from Nicholas Sanchez and Juan Araque. However, it was in the second half was when AS London really pulled clear. In the 50th minute the ball went sent up field for Alie Bangura and under pressure from defenders he did really well to make space for a shot underneath the keeper. On the hour mark London grabbed their third when Juan Araque saw the keeper off his line and lobbed him from 40 yards. Seven minutes later it was 4-0 with Alie Bangura causing trouble down the right and crossing the ball for an unmarked Lamin Bangura to stroke into an empty net. Burnham thought they had a consolation with five minutes left when a cross from the right was smashed in but the linesman had already flagged that the ball had gone out for a goal kick. Into added time Zac Argent missed a golden chance to get on the scoresheet for the hosts slicing wide from a couple of yards out. Mo Mahmoud wasn't about to make the same mistake a couple of minutes later with the London midfielder dancing through the Burnham defence and drilling the ball low past the keeper from the right side of the area to wrap up a convincing 5-0 win.

Result: AS London 5-0 Burnham Ramblers

Division: Eastern Counties League Division One South

Attendance: 40

Ground #394 - The New Eyrie

Date: 3rd September 2023
Location: Bedford, Bedfordshire

Ground: The New Eyrie

My nineteenth new ground of 2023 was on Sunday 3rd September at The New Eyrie in Bedford, Bedfordshire. The game was Biggleswade vs. Maldon & Tiptree in F.A. Cup 1st Round Qualifying.

The New Eyrie is on the south-west outskirts of Bedford - there are two bordering football grounds on a small parcel of land between the A421 and A603. The New Eyrie sits to the north-east of Real Bedford's McMullen Park and to the south-west of an industrial site. The venue is 3 miles south-east of Bedford St John's railway station and 3.5 miles south-east of the better served Bedford railway station. It opened in 1993 to be a permanent home for the reformed club of Bedford Town with Biggleswade FC utilising the venue as a groundshare starting in 2021.

The eastern flank is the main side of the venue. It has a spacious new looking clubhouse including the Eagles bar and in front of the towards the pitch is an uncovered area with artificial grass and half a dozen picnic benches. Beyond this towards the southern end are toilets, a little club shop and entrance turnstiles. This side also has a pair of all-seater stands bolted together. The first of these has seven supporting beams and an announcer box while the second, smaller stand has no supporting beams. Heading towards the northern end is uncovered standing and a food outlet.

The opposite side of the venue is mostly uncovered standing up against the trees but does have a small covered stand in the middle with the dugouts directly in front. The southern end has a covered 4-level metal terrace stand for the whole length of this end whilst the northern end has a smaller stand positioned directly behind the goal but is otherwise made up of uncovered standing.

The game was a F.A. Cup 1st Round Qualifying tie between Southern League Division One Central side Biggleswade and Isthmian League Division One North side Maldon & Tiptree. Biggleswade went into the game mid-table in their league whilst Maldon had just parted company with manager Peter Taylor after a winless start to the season. The game ended up being an absolute rout and was one-way traffic for nearly the whole tie. It took barely five minutes for Biggleswade to score, although it was down to Maldon striker Toluwani Ayoola who sliced a corner in off the the post and into the back of his own net. On the quarter-hour mark the hosts grabbed a second when Pemi Adeoju scored after a defensive error. More chances came throughout the half with Alex Marsh heading a Daniel Bond cross wide and Rio Martucci seeing a shot deflected just wide. Biggleswade did go into the interval three goals to the good with Aderoju scoring his second after a cross from the right found him in acres of space and able to coolly slot home. The second half was even more dominant than the first. In the 53rd minute Aderoju wrapped up his hat-track with a deflected effort from 12 yards. He was then able to grab his fourth of the afternoon when dispossessing Maldon keeper Tom Middlehurst from a long punt up field. The Biggleswade man had a covering defender for company but managed to calmly knock the ball into the net. Five became six after an hour with Lawrie Marsh getting on the scoresheet this time, sneaking in behind the defence and stroking past Middlehurst. With the tie won Biggleswade eased off the gas and took off four-goal man Aderoju. However, scoring resumed again towards the end with a quick-fire double by Rio Martucci to wrack up goals seven and eight. The first was a header from six yards and the second picking up on more defensive errors from Maldon when Middlehurst's short ball from the back was intercepted. There was almost time for a ninth when Alex Marsh snuck his way into the farside of the area but he tried to be too smart rounding the keeper and saw his shot blocked. Fortunately for Maldon they were spared further punishment as the referee sound the full-time whistle ending the Essex clubs 2023/24 F.A. Cup campaign in humiliation.

Result: Biggleswade 8-0 Maldon & Tiptree

Competition: F.A. Cup

Attendance: 148

Ground #304 - New Dundas Park

Date: 10th April 2019
Ground: New Dundas Park
Location: Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, Scotland

My nineteenth new ground of 2019 was on Wednesday 10th April at New Dundas Park in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, Scotland. The match was Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic vs. Lothian Thistle Hutchinson Vale in East of Scotland Football League B.

New Dundas Park is located in the centre of the town and over the decades has gradually been penned in by housing developments requiring additional land around the ground. This means housing borders the complex on all four sides with only a small parcel of land beyond the northern side for a car park and social club. The re-opening of the Borders Line brought the town of Bonnyrigg within reach of a railway line so the ground can now be reached via a one-mile walk from Eskbank station located to the north-east. New Dundas Park has been home to the club since 1953.

The entrance to the ground is on its northern side which is the main side of the venue. This flank has terracing split into three sections with a nine level covered concrete terrace towards the western end, an uncovered four level concrete terrace in the middle and a seven level uncovered concrete terrace towards the eastern end. Behind the latter are the club buildings which include the dressing rooms and a snack bar for spectators.

The southern side has no stands but does have a grass bank which, due to the natural slope of the arena, steepens as you work your way to the western end. Unusually, the club have taken advantage of this by installing metal barriers in the grass in the same way as you would normally find in a concrete terrace. In the middle of this side are two dugouts at the bottom of the grass bank meaning that spectators can stand behind these without their views being hindered. The areas behind the two goals are more restrained than the two sides. The eastern goal has a small, but steep, grass bank with an uneven four level concrete terrace built into the northern half of this end. Meanwhile at the other goal there is a grass section which slopes up towards the northern end and a covered four level concrete terrace in the north-west corner. There is netting running the length of this side to prevent balls landing in the gardens of adjacent houses.

Bonnyrigg Rose had absolutely dominated their first campaign in the East of Scotland League wracking up 61 points out of a possible 63 going into the game. Unsurprisingly the title had already been clinched so they were just looking to keep up their run ahead of the promotion play-offs against the other conference winners. Even so the visitors started off well with Tony Muir's 20 yard shot in the 4th minute requiring Michael Andrews to backpeddle en-route to saving at the back post. A couple of minutes later a misplaced pass in a dangerous area resulted in Sean Wringe being slipped in on goal but he smashed just over the bar. Bonnyrigg wanted to arrest this promising start by the visitors and thought they'd gone ahead straight after this when Ross Gray headed in Neil Martynuik's cross only to see the offside flag raised. Gray only had to wait two more minutes to get on the scoresheet though when he ghosted round the back of the away defence to tuck Aaron Murrell's pass into the bottom corner. A well-contested affair saw the second goal arise in the 27th minute when Lewis Turner lashed a 25-yard shot in off the underside of the bar. In the 31st minute it was almost 3-0 when a corner to the back post found the head of Dean Hoskins and his looping effort was cleared off the line by an away defender. To their credit Lothian Thistle kept plugging away and were a whisker away from grabbing a goal back five minutes before the interval as Kevin Brown's 25-yard free-kick hit the underside of the bar before bouncing away from goal. It turned out to be a painful few minutes for the visitors as in the 42nd minute they went 3-0 down. The goal was an unfortunate one for Lothian defender Liam O'Donnell - with him under pressure from Ross Gray he attempted to nod the ball back to keeper Liam McIntosh without knowing Aaron Murrell was in between them. Murrell must not have believed his luck as the ball fell at his foot and he drilled past the goalie with a first-time shot. It took less than five minutes of the second half for Bonnyrigg to go further ahead. After Dean Brett was felled near the corner flag on the right-hand side the referee awarded a free-kick. The deadball situation certainly wasn't an obvious shooting opportunity but Lee Currie whipped the ball over the top of everyone and into the far corner of the net. Judging by his reaction Currie wasn't intending a shot but the end result was a four-goal lead for his side. That lead was pegged back to three just a few minutes later though when Ryan Hutchison played a nice one-two with Tony Muir before his bobbled shot from 18 yards crept under Michael Andrews in the home goal. The hosts notched up a fifth goal in a near-identical scenario to the fourth. A free-kick on the wing was crossed into the box and ended up going over the top of everyone into the far corner. This time it was Adam Nelson on free-kick duties rather than Lee Currie but Bonnyrigg's luck was clearly in that evening. The chances kept coming for both sides and Louis Swanson really should have made it six late on when he missed an open goal. However such a scoreline would have been very harsh on Lothian Thistle who did not give a bad account of themselves but can consider themselves unfortunate to come up against a side so good in front of goal.

Result: Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic 5-1 Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale
Division: East of Scotland Football League B
Attendance: 247

Ground #292 - New Bucks Park

Date: 9th March 2019
Ground: New Bucks Park
Location: Bootle, Merseyside

My seventh new ground of 2019 was on Saturday 9th March at New Bucks Park in Bootle, Merseyside. The match was Bootle vs. Ashton Athletic in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

New Bucks Park is at the southern edge of an industrial estate/business park in the east of Bootle. With this complex bordering the ground on the northern, eastern and western sides the remaining southern side sees a railway line running adjacent to it. This line runs up to the nearest railway station at Aintree. The station, which serves Aintree Racecourse, is a half mile walk from New Bucks Park. As the name suggests this is not the first venue to carry the Bucks Park name with the club playing at the original location between 1977-2002. After this closed in 2002 a four-year spell without a permanent home followed before the club moved to their present home in 2006.

The northern side of the ground has uncovered hard standing for its length but in the middle has a large clubhouse which has wooden decking extending out towards the pitch. There are a number of picnic benches on this decking offering a good spot to watch proceedings from. The clubhouse building also contains the player dressing rooms. The opposite side of the ground also has uncovered standing for its length with flat grass behind the concrete strip next to the pitch. Further beyond this side are some additional cage pitches which were being used for walking football while the game was underway on the main pitch.

The stands at the venue are all behind the two goals. At the western end there is a two-level covered concrete terrace taking up the middle half of this side. Either side of this is more uncovered standing with adjacent shipping containers shielding fans from the wind. The eastern end has two separate structures - the larger of the two is an 109 seat stand towards the northern side. The smaller one is a split stand with 42 seats assigned to one half and a 4 level metal terrace assigned to the other half.

Bootle came into the game in the midst of a fantastic run of form which had seen them win their previous 13 league games en route to 2nd place in the league. It was no surprise therefore to see the hosts open the scoring in the 11th minute. They had a helping hand from the visitors as Ashton's Luca Defreitas-Hansen misguided a header letting in Carl Peers on the right side of the area. Peers drilled a low shot across goal into the bottom corner to put his side 1-0 up. After a quarter of an hour Ashton went close to a quick equaliser when Adam Gilchrist played in Joshua Nicholson on the left of the box and his shot hit the outside of the post. Bootle extended their lead in the 19th minute when Carl Peers smashed a 25-yard effort into the top corner. The away side were a bit stunned with this goal out of nowhere but managed to peg the deficit back just four minutes later. A quick break down the left saw Adam Howard square for Adam Gilchrist to poke under the keeper from six yards. Though Bootle were the best side in the opening quarter of the game this reversed in the second quarter and the away side were a whisker away from going in level at the break - in injury time a ball found Adam Gilchrist in the area and he spun and drove a shot just wide of the post. The visitors continued their good play into the second period and within five minutes of the restart were level. A swift free-kick was laid off to Charlie Munro who shot into the bottom corner from just outside the D. It wasn't until after the hour mark that Bootle got on the front foot again - a goal nearly arrived in the 63rd minute when a ball was crossed from the right with an attacker stretching at the back post to prod the ball inches wide. Nine minutes later the scoreline did change to 3-2 in favour of the home team. Carl Peers had a shot from 20 yards out which was spilled by Ashton keeper Martin Pearson allowing Ryan Cox to knock in the rebound. In the 79th minute Cox should have grabbed a second when he capitalised on an air kick by away defender Defreitas-Hansen to go in on goal. However in this instance Cox was only able to shoot straight at Pearson. As the game entered the final minutes Ashton pushed forward leaving space at the back and in the 90th minute this worked against them. Carl Peers found space out on the right before putting it across the area for Steven Jones who had all the time in the world to pick out the bottom corner of the net to secure a 14th straight win for the Merseyside team.

Result: Bootle 4-2 Ashton Athletic
Division: North West Counties League Premier Division
Attendance: 391

Ground #278 - Stadion (Malmö)

Date: 30th September 2018
Ground: Stadion (Malmö)
Location: Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden

My twenty-sixth new ground of 2018 was on Sunday 30th September at Stadion in Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden. The match was Malmö vs. Sundsvall in the Swedish Allsvenskan.

Stadion is located in the Solbacken area of Malmö to the south-west of the city centre. Just over a mile south of Triangeln railway station the venue sits within a complex known as Stadionparken. This is an area of the city dedicated to green space where two stadiums sit side-by-side with northern neighbour Malmö Stadion being the other arena. Malmö Stadion doubles as an athletics stadium and was the home of Malmö FF between 1958 and 2008. In 2009 the club moved to their new home at what was then known as the Swedbank Stadion. With this naming rights deal now elapsed the venue has reverted to the simple name of 'Stadion' which is somewhat confusing with the old ground Malmö Stadion next door.

The stadium is predominantly a two-tier bowl with the northern end the only exception to this. The northern end is a larger single-tier, around three-quarters of the height of the rest of the viewing areas. This tier entirely consists of rail seating so it is utilised as a terrace for domestic games and seating for European games. It is inhabited by the club's ultras so a large amount of the atmosphere comes from this section. Above the seating level is corporate boxes as well as a big screen showing live footage of the match. The exterior of this stand also houses an O'Leary's Sports Bar, the club shop and a gym.

The eastern and western sides are pretty similar in nature with both having two tiers of seating with corporate viewing areas at the back of the lower tier. The western side does have a few additional items though as it contains the TV gantry at the back of the upper tier, a media section in the middle of the lower tier and sunk dugouts by the pitch. The southern end has two tiers but a small section of the lower tier is assigned to rail seating that is used as standing areas for away supporters. There is also a second large screen TV relaying match action. Finally there are more hospitality areas at the back of the lower tier of each of the four quadrants - as is often the case with newer stadium the corporate facilities are certainly well catered for. With the rail seating the venue has two differing capacities - for domestic games this is 22,500 (18,500 seated) while for European games it maxes out at 21,000 (all seated).

Both teams were in the top half of the table going into the game with the hosts one place outside the Europa League places. From very early on it became apparent that Malmö would be allowed a lot of the ball with Sundsvall happy to sit back and counter where they could. This almost paid off for them in the 14th minute when they got the ball in the net only to see an offside flag deny them the opener. The home side went close in the 21st minute as a nice passing move in the final third saw the ball laid off to Søren Rieks on the left side of the goal. He curled a shot to the far post which beat the keeper but came back off the post before rolling to safety. Just before the half-hour mark another chance went begging when a free-kick was whipped to the right side of the area and Lasse Nielsen blazed wide from six yards out. The opportunities kept on coming with the next one appearing in first half injury time - there was a scramble in the Sundsvall box but despite their best efforts Malmö couldn't squeeze the ball home. Into the second half and the game fell into the same pattern. In the 52nd a cross from the right was met by a glancing header by Marcus Antonsson - it looked for all the world like it would end up nestled in the corner but ended up just the wrong side of the upright. Around the hour stage there were two chances in quick succession as Fouad Bachirou curled an effort just past the post from 12 yards out and straight after this a 25-yard drive from Markus Rosenberg brought a save from William Eskelinen in the visiting goal. The final twenty minutes saw the hosts chalk up corner after corner after corner with no results. The stats spoke for themselves with Malmö having 67% possession and 21 corners throughout the game. Sundsvall though kept compact and left Malmö with the goalless draw they came for much to the displeasure of the home fans.

Result: Malmö 0-0 Sundsvall

Division: Swedish Allsvenskan

Attendance: 12,058

Ground #262 - The New Lawn

Date: 2nd April 2018
Ground: The New Lawn
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

My tenth new ground of 2018 was on Monday 2nd April at The New Lawn in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. The match was Forest Green Rovers vs. Colchester United in Football League Two.

The New Lawn is located on the western tip of the village of Nailsworth at the top of a fairly steep hill. The stadium is in a rural setting with fields to the north and west and trees to the south. To the east they are next door to a primary school with the residential areas all beyond this point. The remote setting means the nearest railway station is at Stroud some four miles north. The venue has been home to club since 2006 when they left the ground that gives the current one its name - The Lawn. Apart from a brief 3 year spell away for ground improvement works during the 1920s this had been Forest Green's home since their formation in 1889.

The stadium is dominated by the East Stand which runs the full length of the field of play. This all-seater stand has 1,881 seats with hospitality boxes running along the back of the stand. Unusually there are no dugout structures with two split areas of normal looking seating separated by a barrier from the rest of the spectators. Unlike other grounds in the Football League there is no barrier separating the seating areas from the pitch. Inside the stand itself is the reception, ticket office and a pub for home supporters.

Upon my visit the western side of the ground, which is allocated to away fans, was made up of seven rows of concrete terracing and was entirely uncovered. In August 2018 the club completed construction of a 200 seat covered stand towards the southern end of the ground. This sits at the back of the concrete terracing so still allows for supporters to occupy terracing in front of the stand. In the north-west corner there is a food outlet serving these supporters - Forest Green are well known as a vegan club so no meat products on offer! The northern end has a covered terrace running for around three-quarters of its length with the north-east corner taken up by another food outlet. Directly behind this stand was a tented area for away fans to congregate in which again sold food and drink. The southern end of the ground also has a covered terrace though this only takes up around half this end. In the south-west corner there is an additional building which serves as the dressing rooms with this leading out onto the pitch via the players tunnel.

The game started off perfectly for Colchester as they recorded the opener after just 16 seconds. A neat one-two between Sammie Szmodics and Mikael Mandron sent Szmodics down the left wing and his cross found a free Drey Wright who knocked the ball into the corner of the net from inside the six yard box. The U's found themselves on top in the first half and some nice interplay between Szmodics and Wright saw the ball crossed into Szmodics who blazed over on the volley from six yards out. Straight from the goal kick the ball was sent back up the home end with Mikael Mandron dragging a shot wide when he was just about in on goal. The hosts finally started to get into the game after this and shortly after Tahvon Campbell missed a close range header Forest Green were given the perfect opportunity to level the scores when Tom Eastman clumsily fouled Haydn Hollis in the box. Reuben Reid sent Colchester keeper Sam Walker to the wrong way to ensure the sides went in tied at the break. The visitors managed to replicate their fantastic start to the first half by netting very early on in the second half. This time it took 89 seconds after the opening whistle for Ben Stevenson to pick up the ball 35 yards from goal, run unchallenged to the edge of the area before smashing into the bottom corner. Forest Green generated a couple of nervy moments from free-kicks and corners before Drey Wright had a shot cleared off the line in the 70th minute. The final section of the match was all Forest Green as Colchester dropped deep. The away side rode their luck a little over these minutes but held on for a deserved three points.

Result: Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Colchester United
Division: Football League Two
Attendance: 2,869

Ground #243 - Red Bull Arena (New Jersey)

Date: 27th September 2017
Ground: Red Bull Arena
Location: Harrison, New Jersey, USA

My twenty-seventh new ground of 2017 was on Wednesday 27th September at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, USA. The match was New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United in Major League Soccer.

The Red Bull Arena is located in the Riverbend District of Harrison, New Jersey. The stadium was opened in 2010 as the first step in the regeneration of the industrial area located near a railway depot on the banks of the Passaic River. The stadium has few neighbours at present though some new housing has been constructed since its completion. It is well served by transport links with the venue half a mile south of the Harrison railway station on the PATH line just 20 minutes from the new World Trade Center station in Manhattan. The venue has been home to the club since 2010 when they left their former home at the Giants Stadium where they had played since forming in 1996.

The ground has a lower-tier bowl which goes the whole way round the stadium. This is uniform seating except for a section by the half-way line on the western side which is split into different areas for media, officials and the two dugouts with the players tunnel in between these. The other section of note is the one behind the southern goal which is inhabited by the club's ultras. Atop the lower-tier is a second tier which starting from the north-west quadrant works its way round the northern, eastern and southern sides of the venue before ending at the south-west quadrant.

The West Stand has a separate upper section consisting of two levels of corporate boxes, with executive seating in front of each one, and one partially complete level appearing to house a control box. In between the two tiers on this side is a large club shop and corporate bar. The remainder of the stadium has wide concourses on ground level and above the lower tier which go the whole way round and contains a huge number of food outlets and small club merchandise areas. There is a small extra club shop on the exterior of the West Stand - this sits close to the ticket office and reception.

New York began well creating a good chance in the 3rd minute when a ball over the top from Connor Lade found Bradley Wright-Phillips who backheeled for Sacha Kljestan to shoot straight at Steve Clark who saved at point blank range. The hosts took an expected lead in the 19th minute. Again it was Lade being the creator as his cross from the left went all the way to the right side of the area where it found Tyler Adams. The defender chested the ball down and lashed it across goal into the top corner. The home side were well on top in the first half and had the ball in the net in the 41st minute when Sacha Kljestan played the ball through to Bradley Wright-Phillips who slotted past the keeper. However the offside flag was up and just before the half-time whistle the game swung back towards D.C. when they equalised. Zoltan Stieber's fairly tame free-kick was directed low and as it went through the wall took a deflection of the head of a defender who had fallen over sending the ball spinning into the bottom corner. The home side continued their domination in the 2nd half and in the 65th minute scored have scored when the ball was crossed in front the right and found Wright-Phillips with an open goal from a couple of yards out. Unfortunately for the Red Bulls the ball got trapped under his feet and by the time he got his shot away Steve Clark was there to palm it to safety. Out of nowhere in the 70th minute the visitors took a surprise lead. Sloppy defending by the Red Bulls allowed Russell Canouse to pick the ball up on the edge of the are and poke it through to Patrick Mullins who in turn poked the ball past Robles. This energised New York and in the space of a few minute the game was turned on its head. In the 74th minute the game was back level again - the ball was bouncing around the D.C. box and Connor Lade's shot from the right was cleared off the line as far as Tyler Adams who controlled the ball before steering it into the bottom corner from 15 yards out. Barely a minute after the restart a rare D.C. attack was countered and Wright-Phillips played an excellent ball which unleashed Gonzalo Veron down the right wing. Veron ran 50 yards into the area when Paul Arriola's clumsy tackle sent him sprawling for penalty. Veron picked himself up and dispatched the penalty to the keeper's right to put the hosts back in front. From this point on it was just a case of seeing the game out but the home side couldn't even manage that as for the third time some awful defending let them down. As the match ticked over the 90 minute mark United's Nick DeLeon flung in a hopeful cross from the right and despite being under no pressure Red Bulls' Fidel Escobar completely miskicked the ball sending it flying into the corner of his own net. It summed up a frustrating night for New York who can only have themselves to blame for throwing away a win. From a neutral prospective the exciting 2nd half was a welcome response to a poor 1st. It was a shame therefore that so few people were there to see it with the official attendance of 16,538 at least double the number of people who were actually there.

Result: New York Red Bulls 3-3 D.C. United
Division: Major League Soccer
Attendance: 16,538

Ground #231 - New Windmill Ground

Date: 11th July 2017
Ground: New Windmill Ground
Location: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

My fifteenth new ground of 2017 was on Tuesday 11th July at the New Windmill Ground in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The match was Leamington vs. Worcester City in a friendly.

The New Windmill Ground is located in the countryside to the south of the town of Leamington Spa. The complex is 4.5 miles south of Leamington Spa railway station is surrounded by fields on all sides bar the road running to the south of the ground which provides access to it. The ground was officially opened in 1999 with the club moving there in 2000 having spent the previous 12 years in hibernation after losing their 'old' Windmill Ground. The club have now had plans approved to build a new 5,000 capacity ground closer to the town with the movement date to be determined.

The venue is split into two sections - the western section which contains a mini football pitch and the car park and the eastern section which contains the ground itself. The entrance is in the south-west corner and a club shop built into a shed is the first thing you can see when you walk in. The area behind the southern goal provides the club's infrastructure. This includes a smart club bar which is pretty large and an additional building adjacent to this. These both sit directly behind the South Stand which is made up of 7 rows of covered concrete terracing. There are food outlets to the left and right side of this stand.

On the western side of the ground there is an all-seater stand containing 253 seats which runs for most of the length of the pitch. The seating is split into three sections with two sections of 50 seats separated by the larger middle section of 153 seats which also includes areas for officials and media. Next to this stand towards the northern end is a small covered metal terrace. The North Bank is the only side without a structure - this has 4 rows of uncovered concrete terracing and an electronic scoreboard in the north-east corner. The eastern area of the New Windmill Ground is largely uncovered standing. There is a raised concrete area behind the dugouts which used to house a stand but is now just a flat standing area with a TV gantry at the back of this. The only section area is a small stand with 41 seats towards the southern end of the ground.

The game was between National League North side Leamington and Midland Football League Premier Division side Worcester City. Leamington began the encounter on top until the 14th minute when Worcester snuck into the box and a shot from Brad Birch required home keeper Tony Breeden to acrobatically tip just over the bar. After this Worcester took over the running and took the lead in the 38th minute when Matt Birley curled a 25 yard free-kick into the side of the net just out of the keeper's reach. Leamington spent lots of time in the early part of the second half in the Worcester third of the pitch but sloppy passing let them down. In the 69th minute a nice move saw the ball fizzed across the visiting goal and land at the feet of Courtney Baker-Richardson who was presented with an open goal from two yards out. Unfortunately the ball came too quickly and he could only turn it over the bar. Worcester's let off didn't last long as the hosts equalised in the 76th minute - the move started when a good pass sent Colby Bishop down the left wing. He cut inside, beat a defender and shot back off the post. As the ball came back to him he lifted it to Baker-Richardson at the back post and he laid off for Julian English to head into the empty net. A few minutes later Baker-Richardson was causing problems again as he was tripped in the box by Nathan Hayward winning a penalty which was smashed high down the middle by Rob Thompson-Brown. Shortly after this Leamington notched up their third goal in the space of 10 minutes after a corner into the box fell to Tom Rankin who poked low past the keeper from 6 yards.

Result: Leamington 3-1 Worcester City
Friendly
Attendance: 136

Ground #184 - New Meadow

Date: 10th October 2015
Ground: New Meadow
Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire

My nineteenth new ground of 2015 was on Saturday 10th October at New Meadow in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The match was Shrewsbury Town vs. Colchester United in Football League One.

New Meadow sits on the southern outskirts of the town just across the railway line from the Meole Brace Retail Park. It is 2 miles south of Shrewsbury railway station and has been home to the club since 2007 when they left their Gay Meadow home after 97 years.

The stadium consists of four stands of identical heights with gaps in each corner. New Meadow has a capacity of 9,875 though for the visit of Chelsea in 2014 the club installed temporary seating in two corners to enable a record attendance of 10,210 to be achieved. The East Stand includes the club reception, home ticket office and a small club shop as well as the player dressing rooms. All the hospitality areas are contained within with two rows of corporate boxes in the middle of the stand.

Away fans are positioned in the North Stand which has the smallest capacity on behalf of the media box in the top corner. There is an away ticket office on the outside and the area behind the stand also hosts a Powerleague centre with seven mini football pitches. At the opposite end of the stadium the South Stand contains the more vocal element of the Shrewsbury fanbase. The West Stand has the largest capacity in the venue and is the only stand without a platform for disabled supporters at the back.

Colchester came into the game on a good run of form and dominated the first half. The U's had the ball in the back of the net twice in the first half-hour only to see the offside flag deny them on both occasions. It was third time lucky in the 36th minute though as Gavin Massey's was turned into his own net by Mark Ellis. In the 39th minute it was 2-0 as a corner was knocked on to Tom Eastman who backheeled the ball into the home goal. The Colchester cruising at the break few could have foreseen the second half collapse that was to come. The home side made two changes at the break and this paid immediate dividends as just 39 seconds into the second half the hosts reduced the deficit as Larnell Cole beat Tosin Olufemi down the left-wing and crossed for Tyrone Barnett to head home. Just before the hour mark Shrewsbury equalised as Ian Black's floated ball bypassed the static away defence and found Tyrone Barnett who chested the ball and clipped it over the advancing Jamie Jones. The home side went in front in the 71st minute as a lofted ball beat a Colchester defence trying to play offside allowing Sullay Kaikai to round the keeper and roll the ball in. The final goal arrived in the 81st minute as Liam Lawrence lofted the ball to Kaikai who took a first time shot which went through the legs of Jones in the visiting goal. The two substitutes brought on at half-time had bagged four goals between them and turned a likely defeat into victory for the Shrews.

Result: Shrewsbury Town 4-2 Colchester United
Division: Football League One
Attendance: 4,947

Ground #156 - The New Croft

Date: 12th August 2014
Ground: The New Croft
Location: Haverhill, Suffolk

My sixteenth new ground of 2014 was on Tuesday 12th August at The New Croft in Haverhill, Suffolk. The match was Haverhill Rovers vs. Newmarket Town in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division.

The New Croft is on the eastern outskirts of the town as part of a larger sports complex. The nearest railway station is the small one at Dullingham around 9 miles north-east of the ground though for connecting bus services Cambridge is more suitable. The venue was opened in 2010 with its name a reference to the club's former home at Hamlet Croft where they had played from 1913 until the move. In addition to Haverhill Rovers, the venue is also the permanent residence of Haverhill Borough FC.

There is a covered all-seater stand capable of holding 158 people located on the western side of the ground. Behind this is the main club building including the bar, food outlet and dressing rooms. There is also an outside seating area to the left of the stand. The New Croft was built 2010 at a cost of £2m and this shows with the club building as it is very impressive compared with other teams in the division.

The only other stand in the ground is a small covered metal terrace directly behind the goal at the southern end of the venue. The rest of The New Croft is uncovered standing behind a metal barrier which extends round the pitch. The two dugouts sit on the eastern side of the ground opposite the main stand.

This one turned out to be a one-sided affair with a rampant Newmarket thrashing the home side. The visitors opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 27th minute - Richard Chadwick was clumsily fouled in the box allowing Lee Clift to dispatch the resulting spot-kick. In the 36th minute Newmarket doubled their lead when Jake Wayne cut inside a defender before chipping the goalkeeper from 20 yards. Just a few minutes later it was 3-0 as Ollie Snaith's sweetly struck shot from the edge of the area went in off the post. Things didn't get much better for Haverhill in the second half, they fell four goals behind in the 51st minute when Andrew Claydon was left unmarked from a corner and was able smash the ball in off the crossbar. In the 66th minute the visiting side extended their lead to five as a Jack Higgs free-kick took a big deflection on its way past Adam Whybrow in the Haverhill goal. The bad night for the hosts was compounded in the 84th minute when they were reduced to 10 men after a wild tackle by Dan Cornwell on Newmarket goalkeeper George Lawton.

Result: Haverhill Rovers 0-5 Newmarket Town
Division: Eastern Counties League Premier Division 
Attendance: 72

Ground #91 - The New Den

Date: 17th January 2012
Ground: The New Den
Location: Bermondsey, London

My third new ground of 2012 was on Tuesday 17th January at The New Den in Bermondsey, London. The match was Millwall vs. Dagenham & Redbridge in an F.A. Cup 3rd Round Replay.

The New Den is located next to a railway line in south-east London. South Bermondsey is the nearest railway station with it situated around a third of a mile from the ground. The nearest tube station is Bermondsey station on the Jubilee Line which is just over a mile away. The venue has been home to Millwall since 1993 when they moved just a few hundred yards down the road from their previous stadium, The Den, which the club had played at since 1910.

The New Den has four two-tiered stands giving the venue a total capacity of 20,146. The four stands are isolated from each other and rather similar in nature. The West Stand runs the length of the pitch and is where I watched the match from. This stand also houses the family enclosure and press box. Opposite this on the east side of the venue is the Dockers Stand which contains executive boxes in between the two tiers of the structure.

Behind the goal at the southern end of the ground is the Cold Blow Lane Stand which consists of unreserved seating for the home fans. Behind the opposite goal is the North Stand which houses away supporters. The North Stand is blocked off from the rest of the stadium and even has a special walkway leading it to and from South Bermondsey railway station to avoid rival fans coming into contact.

The game was an F.A. Cup 3rd Round Replay between Championship side Millwall and League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge. It did not take long for the scoring to be opened as Darius Henderson shot into the bottom corner of the net in the 7th minute after Harry Kane's shot was blocked. Millwall continued to press the visitors for most of the first period and just before the break added a second when Harry Kane advanced forward and produced a low shot into the goal from the edge of the box. Dagenham started brightly in the second half but found themselves 3-0 down in the 59th minute after an excellent team move by the hosts culminated with Darius Henderson tucking the ball in from close range. Just four miinutes later Henderson was presented with a chance to complete his hatrick from the penalty spot after a trip in the box. He duly did so to put Millwall four goals in front, and within two minutes the hosts notched up their fifth when Harry Kane steered home from close range. After this Millwall took their foot off the gas as Dagenham enjoyed a decent spell, generating a few opportunities. However, no more goals were scored and Millwall advanced to the 4th round of the F.A. Cup as 5-0 winners.

Result: Millwall 5-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Competition: F.A. Cup
Attendance: 3,751

Ground #12 - New Wembley Stadium

Visited: 11th August 2010
Ground: Wembley Stadium
Location: Wembley, London

Wembley Stadium is located in Wembley Park in north-west London. Taking over from the original Wembley Stadium, building began on the new Wembley in 2003 with the stadium finally opening in 2007. It is the home of England football team as well as most national football competition finals and a variety of other sports and events.

I have been to the new Wembley Stadium on only one occasion so far - to see England beat Hungary 2-1 in an friendly match held on 11th August 2010. This was the first England game since the side's extremely disappointing performance in the World Cup so it was not a full house, but with 72,024 fans inside the stadium there was still a decent atmosphere.

The new Wembley is structured as a three-tiered bowl with a capacity of 90,000. This is higher than the old stadium, and unlike its predecessor it has no supporting beams to obstruct the views of spectators. The roof itself is largely supported by the dramatic arch which reaches nearly 450ft into the air. As the stadium cost £800m to build, the facilities are excellent, with a quarter-mile of escalators and at 2,618, has the largest number of toilets of any stadium in the world. The ground is well ventilated and very spacious for spectators.

As well as hosting football, the stadium is home to the NFL International Series as well as some Rugby League and Rugby Union matches. It has also played host to motor racing in the form of the Race of Champions events in 2007 and 2008. Besides sport, concerts are the venue's other main usage and these frequently reach attendances of close to 80,000.

With the stadium only recently opened there will not be any substantive changes to it. It was planned for the venue to have the ability to alter the stadium for athletics events by sliding rows of seats away and installing a running track. To actually enact this however was found to be expensive and time consuming and once it had been decided to build an Olympic Stadium, such an option at Wembley became redundant. The drastic changes to the stadium to create the racing track for the Race of Champions events do however, demonstrate the Wembley Stadium's flexibility in such matters.

Ground #25 - New Lodge

Date: 1st March 2011
Ground: New Lodge
Location: Billericay, Essex

My twelfth new ground of 2011 was on Tuesday 1st March at New Lodge in Billericay, Essex. The match was Billericay Town vs. Heybridge Swifts in the Essex Senior Cup Semi-Final.

New Lodge is just over a mile from Billericay railway station on the western outskirts of the town. The ground has been home to Billericay Town since 1971.

New Lodge has had a significant amount of work completed since my most recent visit. When I attended in 2011 the east side of the ground had a small covered grandstand which was raised above the dugouts in front. The stand had around 80 seats and was the designated area for club officials. Adjacent to this was a pretty good clubhouse, the player dressing rooms and a food outlet. Also on this side of the ground there was a covered terrace section which ran from the half-way line down towards the southern goal. In August 2017 the Harry Parker Stand was built in place of the two previous stands - this all-seater stand has over 600 seats with eleven supporting beams and a floodlight in front of it. The clubhouse has been upgraded with a new balcony area with seating for corporate visitors.

The opposite side of the venue has the Family Stand, a covered all-seater stand which runs the length of the field. This stand was modified during 2017 as during my visit it was split into a seated section of 260 seats and a terraced section. The structure also stopped around the northern penalty area so was extended as part of the site redevelopment. The northern and southern ends are completely different to when I attended. Back in 2011 there were two small covered metal terraces taking up around a third of the length behind the goals. Much larger terraces have since taken their place running close to the full width of the ground. These terraces have plenty of supporting beams with fifteen for the North Terrace and twelve for the Blunts Wall Road End at the southern edge of New Lodge.

Billericay notched up the opening goal of the game in the 29th minute when a corner was only cleared as far as Micah Hyde who struck low past the Heybridge goalkeer. Just before the break the home side made it 2-0 when Cedric Ngakam scored from close range. Heybridge put up a better show in the second half and pulled one back in the 55th minute when Luke Callendar got on the end of Tom Broadhurst's cross. Heybridge had a few decent chances after this but just when it looked like the home side had done enough to see the tie out the visitors were awarded a 90th minute penalty when the referee spotted a handball. Chris Bryan buried the spot-kick to take the game into extra time. Just a couple of minutes into extra time Billericay retook the lead when Cedric Ngakam again netted from close range and despite Heybridge's best efforts that was the last goal of the tie.

Result: Billericay Town 3-2 Heybridge Swifts
Competition: Essex Senior Cup
Attendance: 184