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 #294 - Anfield Sports & Community Centre

Date: 9th March 2019
Ground: Anfield Sports & Community Centre
Location: Liverpool, Merseyside

My ninth new ground of 2019 was on Saturday 9th March at the Anfield Sports & Community Centre in Liverpool, Merseyside. The match was Lower Breck vs. Ashton Town in North West Counties League Division One North.

The Anfield Sports & Community Centre is in the Breckside Park area of Anfield around three-quarters of a mile south-east of Liverpool FC. Two parks (Breckside Park & Edinburgh Park) are an island of green space amongst a built-up residential area. The arena is bordered by the actual sports centre on its western flank with housing behind the northern end and the rest of the park, including grass pitches, to the east and south. The site also includes artificial pitches and a very large car park. The venue is around two-miles from Liverpool Lime Street station though is a similar distance from Merseyrail stations Sandhills, Bank Hall, Kirkdale (Northern Line) and Edge Hill (City Line). The venue is a new one with it opening as part of an expansion of the complex in December 2015

The arena is a cage set-up with a 4G pitch. The western side of the field is accessed via the sports centre. As well as multiple sporting and fitness facilities this centre also has a smart community cafe which is very large for the level the club currently occupy. The western side has uncovered hard standing for its entire length and has a 50 seat stand in the south-west corner which was installed in March 2018 to enable their promotion to the North West Counties League.

At present the ground is only a two-sided one for spectators with the other viewing area the uncovered hard standing behind the southern goal. There is no spectator access on the eastern or northern sides. The eastern side does have the two dugouts while the northern end has a netted off area behind the goal. The site is however expected to have further development over the coming years to allow the continued progression of the club.

Lower Breck came into the game enjoying an excellent debut campaign in the North West Counties League. With the side up in 3rd position having scored over 100 goals their threat was well known. League returnees Ashton Town in comparison were having a middling season with them securing sitting in midtable. Lower Breck went close to securing an early lead in the 8th minute when a long cross to the back post was just clipped wide by Peter Moore. On the quarter-hour mark Ashton had their best chance of the early going - a scramble in the box fell to James Sigsworth who saw his shot saved by Josh Molloy to prevent a certain goal. Just three minutes after going close the visitors fell behind after a superb 20-yard curling shot into the top corner by Stephen Milne. The away side had a decent spell after this creating a few chances but in the 32nd minute fell further behind. A ball from the left found Peter Moore who showed strength to brush off a defender and slot the ball low past the keeper. The visitors would've hoped to go in two goals behind at the break and regroup from there but things got worse in the final minute of the half when a nice one-two in the box finished with James Colbeck steering the ball low into the bottom corner to put Lower Breck three goals to the good. Things didn't get any better for Ashton in the second half. In the 56th minute a corner from the right was controlled by Jamie Henders who turned and clipped the ball into the bottom corner from six yards out. Just before the clock hit one hour goal number five arrived - Stephen Milne beat a defender to the ball in the air and waited for the bouncing ball to come down before curving it into the far corner. With the game over as a contest it petered out after this point with Lower Breck taking their foot off the gas. In the final minutes Ashton had a spell in their opponents half with Mathew Johnson missing a great chance in the 84th minute blazing over while clean through. Two minutes later Johnson redeemed himself with a curled shot from the just outside the box which Molloy got a hand to but only managed to slow the ball as it looped into the net. The last word belonged to Lower Breck though as in the second minute of injury time a corner to the near side of the area was intercepted by Stephen Milne who drilled low into the far corner to grab his third goal of the game and secure the match ball.

Result: Lower Breck 6-1 Ashton Town
Division: North West Counties League Division One North
Attendance: 339

Ground #293 - Litherland Sports Park

Date: 9th March 2019
Ground: Litherland Sports Park
Location: Litherland, Merseyside

My eighth new ground of 2019 was on Saturday 9th March at Litherland Sports Park in Litherland, Merseyside. The match was Litherland REMYCA vs. City of Liverpool in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

The football arena forms part of the a sports park in the Litherland area of Merseyside. In addition to the main pitch the complex has grass and artificial pitches, a cycle track and a main building containing fitness suites and conference rooms. These features combined with several schools on the parcel of land border the football field to the south, east and west with a cemetery on its northern flank. The area is well served transport wise with four Merseyrail stations (Seaforth & Litherland, Orrell Park, Aintree and Old Roan) within two miles of the complex.

The venue is as athletics venue so has a track encircling the pitch varying between six and eight lanes. A number of structures have been added to the western side of the ground starting in 2014 when a 50 seat structure was added to comply with Step 6 gradings. Adjoining this is an additional section of the same size consisting of uncovered terracing - this stand does have the frame of a roof in place so should become covered in the future. Just to the south of this is a covered terrace stand, once again of the same size as the all-seater one. The western side is a long way from the pitch as it is separated by the widest part of the running track (at eight lanes) as well as the long jump area.

The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing. There is a strip of hard standing the whole way round with wide expanses of grass behind this to accommodate spectators. The two dugouts reside on the eastern side while the northern side has a food outlet building. More facilities are contained within the main leisure building.

City of Liverpool went into the game top of the table - with their rivals, and landlords, Bootle FC winning the early game of the day they knew another win was required to keep their lead at five points. There was very little to say about the the opening half other than it was a poor show. The first meaningful chance came after 25 minutes when Litherland's Declan Gregson went on a good run down the left, advanced into the area and shot straight at City of Liverpool goalie Ben Ascroft. As the game ticked past 45 minutes Paul Foy smashed a speculative shot at the City goal from 25 yards. On the way through it hit the arm of namesake Francis Foy and the referee pointed the spot. Paul Foy was on penalty duties and sent the keeper the wrong way to put the hosts into a surprise lead. Just after the hour mark the away side got on level terms. A Francis Foy corner was punched away by Litherland goalie Travis Wilson but landed at the feet of Daniel Dalton who smashed the ball through the crowd and into the back of the net. A couple of minutes later the hosts went close to restoring their lead when they were awarded a free-kick 30 yards from goal. Everyone was expecting a cross but Jamie Britt went for goal seeing his effort come off the top of the crossbar. In the 72nd minute the visitors got their noses in front for the first time in the match - Kevin McEllin lofted a ball from midfield which put Karl Clair in on goal. Clair had time to control the ball and shoot past Wilson in the home goal. After this the game became a bit tetchy and there wasn't too much more in the way of goalmouth action with City of Liverpool securing a 2-1 win.

Result: Litherland REMYCA 1-2 City of Liverpool
Division: North West Counties League Premier Division
Attendance: 574

Ground #281 - Longwell Green Community Stadium

Date: 6th November 2018
Ground: Longwell Green Community Stadium
Location: Longwell Green, Gloucestershire

My twenty-ninth new ground of 2018 was on Tuesday 6th November at Longwell Green Community Stadium in Longwell Green, Gloucestershire. The match was Longwell Green Sports vs. Wells City in Western League Division One.

The Longwell Green Community Centre is in the suburb to the east of Bristol just over the border in Gloucestershire. As the name alludes to the ground is park of a community area with the village's community centre building just beyond the north-west corner of the pitch. The surrounding area predominantly consists of housing though there is a parcel of green space to the north and to the east where there is a 90% scale pitch and two mini-pitches. The venue is 2 miles north of Keynsham railway station and has been home to the club since it was formed in 1966.

The west side of the ground is the primary one. As mentioned the north-west corner has the community centre building and next to this is the football team clubhouse including a bar. To the south of this is the main car parking area through there are a handful of spaces in front of the clubhouse right by the pitch. If you happen to poach one of these spaces you can actually get a full view of the action from inside your car. Towards the half-way line there are two separate stands. The smaller of the two is a four-level covered metal terrace with the other an all-seater structure with room for 100 spectators. Towards the other end of the field there is hard standing by the pitch and a thin grass section due to the fact there are concrete mini pitches carved out of the wider car parking area.

The opposite side of the pitch has the two dugouts but with trees separating the arena from the additional pitches next door this is the narrowest side of the ground for spectators. There is a strip of hard standing all the way along with a slim grass area behind this. The areas behind the two goals are similar, both have hard standing for the whole length with grass sections behind this. The southern end is more confined as it has a fence not far back from the goal to separate the site from the adjacent houses.

Longwell were coming off the back of a 6-1 defeat the previous Saturday and Wells went at their leaky defence from the outset having a series of corners in the opening minutes. This paid off on the quarter-hour when a corner from the right was met by a bullet header from James Bayliss who flew into the back of the net. The home side rode this period of pressure without conceding another who was key as they came back into the game in the middle of the half. In the 27th minute a cross to the back post from the left found Luke Bryan but he was always stretching to reach the ball and could only flick the ball over the bar from close range. Wells did not heed this warning though and a couple of minutes later the ball was sent over to the back post again and this time Bryan was able to get the ball over the line. The half ended with the visitors going close when Steve Sokol dragged his shot from 20 yards just wide of the post. The second half was a real goalfest which started in the 48th minute when Wells edged ahead again - a cross from the right caused a mix-up in the home defence and as two defenders went for the ball they spilled it to James Bisgrove who slammed into the corner from six yards. Two minutes later and parity was restored as a corner from the right found the head of Luke Bryan who headed down into the bottom corner to grab his second of the game. In the 67th minute an extraordinary goal saw Longwell take the lead for the first time on the night. Goalkeeper Luke Perry punted his goal kick down field and the strong wind took it all the way to the opposite penalty area. Visiting keeper Thomas Creed misjudged the bounce and the ball went over him and over the line as he desperately scrambled back in vain to prevent his opposite number scoring. Longwell were playing with confidence now and with a quarter of an hour to play scored a fourth goal - this was the goal of the game as a lovely passing move was finished off by Danny Carter's delicate 25 yard shot into the roof of the net. Two minutes later and Longwell almost scored again when a free-kick was lofted into the area and a header came back of the post. With the game looking comfortable enough the away side then scored a quick-fire double to stun the hosts. Charlie Crook netted both of them with the second a really good effort as he cut inside from the right wing and unleashed a curling effort into the top corner on the other side of goal. The scores were now tied at four but the drama wasn't over as Longwell were awarded an 87th minute penalty. Luke Bryan stroked the spot-kick low to the keeper's left to secure his hat-trick and a 5-4 win for his team.

Result: Longwell Green Sports 5-4 Wells City
Division: Western League Division One
Attendance: 67

Ground #267 - Wodson Park Sports Centre

Date: 9th May 2018
Ground: Wodson Park Sports Centre
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire

My fifteenth new ground of 2018 was on Wednesday 9th May at the Wodson Park Sports Centre in Ware, Hertfordshire. The match was Wodson Park vs. Enfield Borough in Spartan South Midlands League Division One.

The Wodson Park Sports Centre is at the northern tip of Ware - the complex consists of a leisure centre, four tennis/netball courts, a cage football pitch and two senior football clubs. Ware FC play in a dedicated football venue while Wodson Park play on a separate pitch in the middle of an athletics track. As the complex is only just within the town's border it is surrounded by fields on all sides. The venue is 1.3 miles north of Ware railway station. The club was formed in 1997 and initially played at the athletics pitch before moving into Ware's stadium in 2009. Four years later they returned to the athletics pitch and have remained there since.

The west side of the ground is the area with the most space. This backs onto the leisure centre which contains an upstairs bar that spectators can use during the interval. A 55-seat stand was opened in 2016 - just inside the southern half of the field this stand also has a section for standing at the end. Due to other the layout of the venue this stand is around 100ft from the pitch with a long jump area, a pole vault area and an eight-lane athletics track between it and the field of play. With this being such a long way from the action a number of spectators choose to watch from an uncovered standing area on the edge of the running track. The rest of this side is uncovered grass standing except for an access way at the back between the grass and the leisure centre.

The west side of the ground is technically the only side within the confines of the ground. The rest of the venue is accessible but with the positioning of the barriers you would be outside the recognised ground area. The eastern side has the two dugouts at pitch-side with a grass bank behind the running track. The northern end has a steep grass bank running up to the cage pitch while the southern end is flatter in nature.

This was the final game of the season for two sides in the top half of the table - with little riding on the tie the first half-hour of the game saw absolutely nothing of note occur as the play was bogged down in the midfield. The first decent chance of the game fell to the visitors in the 32nd min when a ball to the back post found a midfielder who fluffed his lines and sliced wide from close range. A couple of minutes after this an Enfield winger had a low shot cleared off the line. The hosts reacted to this close escape and a minute later almost took the lead when a ball into the box was controlled well and struck against the post by a Wodson winger. The home side didn't have to wait long for another chance though as they took the lead in the 36th minute - a cross from the right was missed by a defender allowing Oliver Babbage to smash the ball into the roof of the net from inside the six yard box. Wodson should have gone into half-time two goals to the good as Babbage played a nice one-two with a teammate but with just the keeper to beat he blazed over. Five minutes after the interval the chance of Enfield getting anything out of the game diminished when Sivi Bao received his marching orders after rugby tackling a Wodson striker who was clean through on goal. In the 55th minute the hosts went 2-0 up when a lofted free-kick picked out Jordan Halls who poked home from a couple of yards out. The game should have been killed off in the 62nd minute when a Wodson player got in behind the visiting defence but his poor finish saw the ball go wide of the far post. Just after this Wodson had a scare when Enfield were a whisker away from grabbing one back after a midfielder reacted well to a high ball and flicked the ball towards goal before the keeper could get it. The ball went just the wrong side of the post and this would be as good as it got for Enfield. The game was finally closed off as a spectacle towards the end of proceedings when Babbage grabbed his second of the game to round off a 3-0 win to consolidate 5th place in the league for Wodson.

Result: Wodson Park 3-0 Enfield Borough
Division: Spartan South Midlands League Division One
Attendance: 20

Ground #170 - Woodstock Park

Date: 4th April 2015
Ground: Woodstock Park
Location: Sittingbourne, Kent

My fifth new ground of 2015 was on Saturday 4th April at Woodstock Park in Sittingbourne, Kent. The match was Woodstock Sports vs. Holmesdale in the Southern Counties East League.

Woodstock Park is on the edge of Kent Science Park, to the south of Sittingbourne. The venue is mostly surrounded by fields with only the south-west side backing onto the Science Park itself. It is around 2.5 miles from Sittingbourne railway station. The club moved to the ground in 2010 and played there until folding in the summer of 2015. In 2013 Sittingbourne FC relocated to Woodstock Park and are now the sole tenants.

There is a large clubhouse on the south-west side of Woodstock Park - this building contains club offices, dressing rooms and two bars. There are a number of benches placed in front of this for fans to sit and watch the game. The rest of this side of the ground is uncovered standing except for one covered concrete standing area in the north-west corner.

The north-east side of the pitch has no spectator areas though it is where the two dugouts have been placed. Behind the goal at the north-west end there is a small covered metal terrace while the only all-seater stand is behind the goal at the south-east end. This 150 seat structure was added in 2013 just prior to Sittingbourne moving in and there is planning permission in place to extend the seating area in this part of the ground if needed.

Woodstock came into the game comfortably ahead of Holmesdale in mid-table but were taken apart by the visitors in the opening 45 minutes. Holmesdale opened the scoring in the 8th minute when the ball broke to Benga Ogunseye on the edge of the box and was able to turn and unleash a 20 yard effort into the top corner. A couple of minutes later the visitors doubled the lead as Ogunseye again caused problems  for the home defence before squaring for Michael McKenna to tap in on the line. In the 19th minute Holmesdale scored an easy 3rd as two defenders were left unmarked at a corner and Mark Axel reacted quickest to head home. Shortly before the break the visiting side extended their lead further when Woodstock lost the ball in the area and Michael McKenna was able to loop a shot into the top corner from 20 yards out. After a dreadful first half the hosts made it a more even second period though they did concede one more goal in the 69th minute as a ball over the top found Ogunseye who lofted the ball over the advancing keeper to complete the 5-0 rout.

Result: Woodstock Sports 0-5 Holmesdale
Division: Southern Counties East League
Attendance: 30

Ground #152 - Colston Avenue

Date: 26th July 2014
Ground: Colston Avenue
Location: Carshalton, London

My twelfth new ground of 2014 was on Saturday 26th July at Colston Avenue in Carshalton, London. The match was Carshalton Athletic vs. Leatherhead in a friendly.

Colston Avenue, also known as the War Memorial Sports Ground, is part of a green space in the middle of a built-up area. The ground is bordered by a mixture of trees, allotments and parkland on three sides with a secondary school on the other. The venue is just a third of mile from Carshalton railway station and has been the home of the club since 1921.

The single all-seater stand is located on the southern side of the ground. This stand, which can hold 240 fans starts from the half-way line and extends towards the western side of the ground. Attached on the eastern side of the structure is the walkway leading back to the player dressing rooms and further towards the eastern end of the ground there is a clubhouse and food outlet.

The northern side of Colston Avenue consists of a covered concrete terrace which extends the whole lenth of the pitch. There is plenty of space for fans here with the roof providing protection from the elements. The two dugouts are positioned directly in front of this stand. The eastern end of the ground also consists of covered concrete terracing although it is much smaller than the area on the northern side. The western end is mostly uncovered standing though there is a small covered section directly behind the goal.

The game was a friendly match between Isthmian League Division One South side Carshalton Athletic and Isthmian League Premier Division side Leatherhead. The hosts almost took the lead in the 28th minute when Nassim Dukali dispossessed a Leatherhead defender and struck the ball towards goal from 20 yards. With the keeper beaten the ball came back off the post and away. Just a couple of minutes later it was the turn of the visitors to hit the woodwork when a corner was swung in to the back post and looked to be going in. Carshalton defender Ricardo Panto reacted quickly to head the ball off his own crossbar and it was scrambled away. In the 43rd minutes Leatherhead did grab the lead as Kiernan Mason-Hughes drew the home defence out with a positive run and when the ball found Ashley Miller he was able to clip the ball into the bottom corner. The away side continued their play into the second period and should have stretched their lead on a couple of occasions. In the 79th minute they were punished when Jason Henry ran down the wing before laying the ball off to Kingsley Aikhionbare to slot home to make it 1-1. In the final two minutes both sides had excellent chances to win the game - first Mason-Hughes split the defence to go clean through but was denied by a good save by Jack Eden. Just after this Jason Henry then found himself one-on-one with the Leatherhead keeper but his weak shot was easily stopped as the referee blew the final whistle.

Result: Carshalton Athletic 1-1 Leatherhead
Friendly
Attendance: N/A

Ground #149 - Bellmount Wood Avenue

Date: 22nd April 2014
Ground: Bellmount Wood Avenue
Location: Watford, Hertfordshire

My ninth new ground of 2014 was on Tuesday 22nd April at Bellmount Wood Avenue in Watford, Hertfordshire. The match was Sun Postal Sports vs. Welwyn Garden City in Spartan South Midlands League Division One.

Bellmount Wood Avenue is the site for the Sun Postal Sports & Social Club which sits right on the very outskirts of Watford. To the south and east is the residential Cassiobury area of the town with woods to the north and west. The venue has been home to the club since 1937.

There is one all-seated structure which sits level with the half-way line on the western side of the venue. This stand is a concrete terrace with 96 seats bolted to the middle section. There is space on either side of the seating for standing and it is covered by a metal roof. The rest of the ground consists of uncovered standing, some concrete, but the majority is grass.

The eastern side of the ground has the dugouts positioned by the half-way line and the social club is located to the south-east of the pitch. This social club contains a large hall including a bar as well as the other club facilities such as player dressing rooms.

It was an action-packed game from the start as the visitors took the lead in the 4th minute - after a shot was blocked in the Sun Postal box the ball ricocheted off Welwyn's Perry Stellon and ended up in the back of the net. The hosts responded quickly and levelled in the 11th minute when Colin Wilson's free-kick was met by Dan Tomkins who slid the ball in on the goal line. Just a couple of minutes later they were awarded a penalty when a handball was spotted in the area. James Armstrong tucked away the spot kick to complete the turnaround. Around the half-hour mark Sun Postal put the visitors under pressure with a series of corner and finally one got through as Ashley Lewis headed home to make it 3-1. There was still time for Welwyn to reduce the deficit before the break as Jason Caswell's drilled shot from the edge of the box went in off the post to end an entertaining first 45 minutes. Sun Postal restored their two goal lead in the 53rd minute after Craig Lynskey slammed home from close range and any hope of a Welwyn comeback was dashed in the 67th minute when they were reduced to ten men for a second bookable offence. It was surprising it had not happened earlier as the game had been an extremely bad tempered one. This quietened the game down a bit though Sun Postal added a 5th through Ashley Lewis late on to run out 5-2 winners as they continued on their way to the Spartan South Midlands Division One title.

Result: Sun Postal Sports 5-2 Welwyn Garden City
Division: Spartan South Midlands League Division One
Attendance: 67

Ground #84 - GER Sports Ground

Date: 7th November 2011
Ground: GER Sports Ground
Location: March, Cambridgeshire

My seventy-first new ground of 2011 was on Monday 7th November at the GER Sports Ground in March, Cambridgeshire. The match was March Town United vs. Cambridge United in a friendly game.

The GER Sports Ground is three-quarters of a mile from March railway station in a residential area near the town centre. The ground has been home to March Town United since 1946 when they took over the venue from original occupants March GER United who had played there from 1923 until World War II when the club was disbanded.

The main stand in the ground is a wooden structure just to the left of the half-way line along the east side of the venue. This contains wooden benching along most of the rows and could seat a few hundred fans. Inside this stand is the players dressing rooms. Directly opposite this on the west side of the field there is a covered standing area extending from near the south goal to just past the half-way line. The dugouts sit directly in front of this stand.

One unusual aspect of the ground is that the floodlights on both sides of the venue are just a few feet from the pitch meaning the two stands sit behind these, some distance from the field of play. This combined with the twelve supporting stanchions in the main stand mean the view of the action is not brilliant. The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing with a metal barrier meandering its way round the pitch and the stands. There is a small food outlet next to the main stand on the east side of the ground and just outside the gates of the ground itself is the GER social club.

The game was a friendly marking the 125th anniversity of March Town United with the Eastern Counties League Division One side taking on Conference National side Cambridge United who brought a mixture of first and reserve team players. The away side began with intent and after going close several times in the opening minutes it looked like a high score was on the cards. However, March tightened up in defence and it was not until the 38th minute when Cambridge took the lead from the penalty spot after a push in the box. As the second half started, Cambridge came out of the traps quickly again and had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled out for offside. With 20 minutes to go a mistimed slide tackle in the penalty area led to another spot kick for the visitors which they duly dispatched. From this point on Cambridge laid siege to the March goal and added a third in the 76th minute with a smart finish at the back post after a ball across goal. The home side had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping the score down but with two minutes to go he was powerless to stop Cambridge adding a 4th goal to round off a comfortable 4-0 win for the visitors.

Result: March Town United 0-4 Cambridge United
Friendly
Attendance: 220

Ground #65 - Borough Sports Ground

Date: 29th August 2011
Ground: Borough Sports Ground
Location: Sutton, London

My fifty-second new ground of 2011 was on Monday 29th August at Borough Sports Ground in Sutton, London. The match was Sutton United vs. Dover Athletic in Conference South.

Borough Sports Ground (also known as Gander Green Lane) sits just behind the railway line and is only 150 yards from West Sutton railway station. The venue has been home to Sutton United since 1912.

The stadium has an unusual oval shape due to the fact it was a racing track before it was converted to a football ground. The effect of this is that fans on the north and east sides of the venue in particular are a long way from the pitch meaning a strong atmosphere is difficult to generate. The Main Stand, which runs alongside the pitch on the south side of the ground is the only all-seater area in the stadium and can hold 765 people.

The majority of rest of the ground consists of uncovered concrete terracing which encircles the pitch. The exceptions to this are the two covered terrace structures, one running alongside the pitch on the north side of the ground and one behind the goal on the west side of the ground. These two stands were the most popular places for fans to congregate. Because the venue itself is rather large there is also plenty of free space behind the spectator areas on the north and west sides of the ground.

The game started off tentatively with the away side probably edging the first period though it was the hosts who came closes to scoring after a rasping 25-yard drive cannoned off the crossbar just before the break. In the second half Dover started more positively but were kept at bay by some good goalkeeping. As the game advanced Sutton came back into it and in the last 20 minutes they spurned a host of golden opportunities to grab all three points as Dover tried to hang on for the draw. In the end the combination of a lack of clinical finishing and quality goalkeeping meant it finished goalless.

Result: Sutton United 0-0 Dover Athletic
Division: Conference South
Attendance: 714

Ground #57 - Lower Road

Date: 11th August 2011
Ground: Lower Road
Location: Hullbridge, Essex

My forty-fourth new ground of 2011 was on Thursday 11th August at Lower Road in Hullbridge, Essex. The match was Hullbridge Sports vs. Braintree Town in the Tolleshunt D'Arcy Memorial Cup Final.

Lower Road is around 3 miles from the nearest railway station but a short bus journey from Rayleigh railway station takes you into Hullbridge and close to the ground which has been home to Hullbridge Sports since 1980.

Lower Road is part of a larger sports and social club facility in Hullbridge. There are several football pitches surrounding the ground with low fencing separating it from the rest of the facility. The social club is by the main entrance to the ground and has good facilities. The west side of the ground has two small all-seater stands, each containing 50 seats, with a covered standing area positioned in between the two structures. The rest of the ground is general viewing although with the fencing close to the pitch this means it is quite confined.

The tie was the final of the Tolleshunt D'Arcy Memorial Cup - a competition for clubs in Essex which has been run by the Essex County FA since 1933. This season there were 16 teams from non-league football entered into the competition with the final being between Essex Senior League side Hullbridge Sports and Conference National side Braintree Town who play in the competition with their reserve team.

The game was a fairly scrappy one with Braintree taking the lead from the penalty spot after a quarter of an hour following a trip in the box. Both sides then had opportunities to score but none were seized upon until an hour into proceedings when a long ball by Braintree was superbly controlled and then driven into the net to make the score 2-0. Hullbridge scored a header with 20 minutes remaining but Braintree held on to win the game and the cup.

Result: Hullbridge Sports 1-2 Braintree Town
Competition: Tolleshunt D'Arcy Memorial Cup
Attendance: 130

Ground #42 - Wibbandune Sports Ground

Date: 25th April 2011
Ground: Wibbandune Sports Ground
Location: Colliers Wood, London

My twenty-ninth new ground of 2011 was on Monday 25th April at Wibbandune Sports Ground in Colliers Wood, London. The match was Colliers Wood United vs. Horley Town in the Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Premier Division.

With it being Easter Monday there were a variety of kick-off times across the divisions and I took this opportunity to fit in two games in one day. The first of these was the 11:30am kick-off at Colliers Wood United. I walked to Wibbandune Sports Ground from Raynes Park station which was around 1.5 miles away.  The ground has been home to Colliers Wood United since 1991.

The venue sits just off the Kingston Bypass so anyone arriving by car has to do a sharp left turn off the main road and straight into the ground. When you turn off into the venue you walk through a small car park which merges into the ground itself. Because of this I managed to walk straight into one of the stands without seeing anyone to pay an entry fee to, although later on a man came through the stand to collect the £6 entry fee and give me a match programme. The near side of the ground contained a small clubhouse, a row of about a dozen seats and brick dugouts which were part of the larger structure. There are another couple of stands further along the same side of the ground which had a few benches in them for fans to sit on.

The far side of the ground has a small all-seated stand with about 100 seats in it with the rest of that side backing onto training pitches where the players were warming up before kick-off. The two ends of the ground are surrounded by tall trees which provide a natural sound barrier against the main road which is just a few feet from the pitch.

The game was a rather dull one with neither side able to make a breakthrough during the ninety minutes. There was little in the way of chances in the first half, with the best opportunity of the period falling to Colliers Wood United with one of their players missing from a couple of yards out after snatching at his shot. The second half was little better with the most enlivening moment being when a dog ran onto the pitch and caused play to be temporarily halted. No-one was able to score during the remainder of the match so the tie ended goalless.

Result: Colliers Wood United 0-0 Horley Town
Division: Combined Counties League Premier Division
Attendance: 25

Ground #36 - Erith Sports Stadium

Date: 11th April 2011
Ground: Erith Sports Stadium
Location: Erith, London

My twenty-third new ground of 2011 was on Monday 11th April at Erith Sports Stadium in Erith, London. The match was Erith Town vs. Corinthian in the Kent League Premier Division.

Erith Sports Stadium is located around half a mile from Erith railway station and is part of a larger sports complex which includes a leisure centre. The ground, which has been home to Erith Town since 1995, is multi-use and has a running track round the pitch.  The venue is nearing the end of work to put a roof over the main stand and this was the first game to be held since the latest stage of construction.

The ground's only viewing section is on the near side of the pitch. This mostly consists of the partly covered all-seater stand which can hold 1,000 spectators. Behind the stand is a standing area where you can also watch from. As there is only one section the venue's total capacity is just 1,450 although this is obviously not an issue for a club at this level. The turnout for the match was pretty average although the away supporters appeared to be in the majority.

I arrived five minutes after the game started due to train delays at London Bridge, and so missed Corinthian's opening goal. I settled down in time to see Erith level with a penalty and the score remained 1-1 until half-time. In the second half the visitors grabbed two goals to head into a 3-1 lead but Erith were able to score two goals in the last 10 minutes to salvage a 3-3 draw.

Result: Erith Town 3-3 Corinthian
Division: Kent League Premier Division
Attendance: 60