Ground #305 - Pennypit Park

Date: 10th April 2019
Ground: Pennypit Park
Location: Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland

My twentieth new ground of 2019 was on Wednesday 10th April at Pennypit Park in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. The match was Vale of Leithen vs. Glasgow BSC in the Scottish Lowland League.

Pennypit Park is a couple of hundred yards south of the Firth of Forth in the northern section of the town of Prestonpans. The football ground is in a sporting complex with a near-identical rugby union stadium on its western side with artificial pitches and an elongated running track beyond this. On the northern side is a community centre while housing borders the eastern and southern ends. It is half a mile north-west of Prestonpans railway station. East of Scotland League side Preston Athletic FC moved to the venue in the early 1960s but Lowland League side Vale of Leithen use the ground for evening games due to a lack of floodlights at their venue.

The entrance to the ground is in the south-west corner where the clubhouse can be found. There is one stand at Pennypit Park which is halfway down the western side. The stand has eight concrete levels with metal benching affixed to each level. The dressing rooms are contained within the interior of the stand and the two dugouts are directly in front of it. The stand is built into a steep grass bank so the elevated grass viewing areas are either side of the structure. At ground level there is hard standing all the way along, the only side of the ground to have this as a feature.

The rest of the ground is uncovered grass standing. The grass bank continues round from the western side behind the southern goal and round the eastern side. This results in plentiful viewing areas for fans and the steep nature of the banks result in good views from the top. This also gives the venue an enclosed feel and reduces the impact on the adjacent housing. The only flat end is the northern end behind the goal due to it backing onto the community centre.

Glasgow BSC were hoping to get back on track in their race for 2nd place in the table after a defeat the previous Saturday. Vale of Leithen had set to rest any relegation fears with a 5-0 win over Cumbernauld last time out so were hoping to continue that into their next game. It was however the away side who struck first - a cross from the left by Euan O'Reilly was headed back the keeper from six yards by Ross McMillan. Glasgow's advantage really should have been doubled just before the half-hour mark when a ball up to Tom Orr saw him round the keeper just outside the area but drag his shot just wide of goal. Leithen's best chance came in the 41st minute when a header from a corner was cleared off the line by Glasgow's Jamie Mills. After an hour the visitors went further in front - a shot from Ross Lindsay was well saved by the home keeper but the rebound was then drilled across the face of goal for Thomas Collins to knock in on the line. Just five minutes later the contest was finished off by a third away goal. Euan O'Reilly did well down the right to beat a man before squaring for Collins who steered in from 12 yards to grab his second of the night. Leithen didn't offer too much in the final stages and it looked more likely that Glasgow would extend their lead. The visitors had a goal ruled out for offside in the 82nd minute but a 3-0 win would suit nicely as they reestablished their runner-up credentials.

Result: Vale of Leithen 0-3 Glasgow BSC
Division: Scottish Lowland League
Attendance: 72

Ground #110 - Deepdale Stadium

Date: 3rd November 2012
Ground: Deepdale Stadium
Location: Preston, Lancashire

My twenty-second new ground of 2012 was on Saturday 3rd November at Deepdale Stadium in Preston, Lancashire. The match was Preston North End vs. Yeovil Town in the F.A. Cup 1st Round.

Deepdale Stadium is located in the Deepdale area of Preston just to the north-east of the town centre. The stadium is 1.5 miles from Preston railway station and sits adjacent to a park as well as being next to housing on two sides of the ground. The venue has been home to the club since they were formed in 1880.

All four sides of the Deepdale Stadium have been extensively remodelled in recent years with the stadium building project finished in 2008. The first to be redeveloped was the Sir Tom Finney Stand which runs the length of the pitch on the western side of the venue. With a capacity of 8,100 this is the largest stand in the ground. It also features the main reception, press areas and restaurants.

Opposite the Sir Tom Finney Stand is the newest stand in the ground, the Invincibles Pavillion, which was completed in 2008. With a capacity of 5,000 this is the smallest in the ground although it does include a row of executive boxes and restaurant above the seating area. Behind the goal at the northern end of the ground is the Bill Shankly Kop which has a capacity of around 6,000 and houses away fans. At the other end of the ground is the Alan Kelly Town End which can also hold around 6,000 fans.

The game was an F.A. Cup 1st Round tie between Football League One sides Preston North End and Yeovil Town. The opening 35 minutes demonstrated little quality as both teams gave the ball away and were unable to generate many meaningful efforts on goal. The best moves were from the visitors who hit Preston on the counter-attack on a few occasions with some swift passing play. Ultimately this led to nothing and the home side came back into the tie as the game progressed. The warning signs were there for Yeovil and in the 38th minute Jack King's through ball saw Joel Byrom sneak past the Yeovil back four and slot the ball home to give Preston the lead. A couple of minutes later the same thing happened again as David Amoo was allowed to race clear of the away defence. Amoo rounded the goalkeeper and tucked the ball into the empty net to double the home side's lead. Just before the interval the visitors had a great opportunity to reduce the deficit when they had two efforts cleared off the Preston goal line in quick succession. From this point on it didn't look like it was going to be Yeovil's day and just after the hour mark this was confirmed when a dangerous tackle by Edward Upson saw them reduced to ten men. In the 70th minute the hosts added a third when Chris Robertson was left unmarked from a corner and he headed past Marek Stech in the away goal. After this the game petered out with Preston content to settle for a three-goal margin of victory as they advanced to the next round of the competition.

Result: Preston North End 3-0 Yeovil Town
Competition: F.A. Cup
Attendance: 4,757