Ground #246 - Withdean Stadium

Date: 28th October 2017
Ground: Withdean Stadium
Location: Brighton, East Sussex

My thirtieth new ground of 2017 was on Saturday 28th October at the Withdean Stadium in Brighton, East Sussex. The match was AFC Varndeanians vs. Seaford Town in Southern Combination League Division One.

Withdean Stadium is part of the Withdean Sports Complex in the north of Brighton. Built in 1936 the ground is three-quarters of a mile north of the nearest railway station at Preston Park. The ground is bordered by the rest of the sports complex to the north, has a wooded area to its south and east and housing to the west. It was the home of Brighton & Hove Albion between 1999 and 2011 before they moved to their new home at Falmer. AFC Varndeanians have been playing at the Withdean since 2015.

The North Stand runs from the six-yard box at the western end of the pitch to just past eastern end of the pitch with the furthest sections slightly behind the goal. This is the only permanent stand at the site and has a capacity of 1,350. The seating varies between five and seven rows and at the back there is a flat concrete space allowing for some media tables and a commentary box building. This side borders a pub and the leisure centre which can be accessed via the stadium. The bulk of the temporary seating used by Brighton & Hove Albion was removed when they left the stadium with only one uncovered temporary stand remaining behind the western goal with around 800 seats. With the venue being an athletics track this stand is quite some distance from the pitch and in between it and the goal has shotput netting and a storage box. There is a flat section behind allowing for more athletics facilities including the athletics club building, dressing rooms and a Varndeanians clubhouse which all sit in the north-west corner.

The southern section has the two dugouts placed next to the pitch. Behind these is the running track and then a flat area with a mixture of grass and concrete. Beyond this it starts to get steeper with a grass bank punctuated by a concrete walkway running through the middle of it. This side of the ground used to see the largest stand in the venue - the South Stand. This uncovered temporary structure was able to house around 4,700 supporters. The eastern end of the Withdean is another area which used to have additional seating. There were two uncovered temporary stands which made use of a portion of the car park to bring the venue's capacity up to 8,850 when the Seagulls departed. With these since removed there are no spectator areas with the running track running close to the boundary with the fully restored car park.

Varndeanians entered the game having lost their last seven league fixtures but despite this were much the better side early on. They took the lead in the 17th minute through Ryan Walton after work from James Walters down the left wing. Walters had picked up the ball in the final third and after advancing into the area shot at the keeper, the ball was palmed away but then found its way to Walton to knock in from close range. A couple of minutes after this the lead was doubled. This time Walton turned provider whipping in a free-kick from the left with Elliott Wood rising unchallenged to head home. The quick-fire double woke Seaford up and they went close a couple of times around the half-hour mark. In the 42nd minute they should have grabbed a goal back when an attacker went clean through but he blazed wide with just the goalie for company. The visitors improved in the first section of the second half but their shooting again let them down. After an even half an hour the away side suffered a disastrous six minute collapse where they conceded three more goals. The first of these came in the 77th minute when an attack was cleared as far as James Walters some 30 yards out. Walters let rip with a volley which flew past the keeper into the back of the net. In the 81st minute Varndeanians won a corner on the left and it was crossed to the backpost for Connor Martin to nod in from close range. Two minutes after Seaford let in a near-identical goal when a corner from the right went to the backpost and Connor Martin headed in once again. The hosts were reduced to ten men in the 87th minute when Ryan Walton picked up two bookings in the space of a minute - the first for a dive in the area and the second for a push trying to beat a defender and the keeper to the ball and score from another cross to the backpost. Thankfully for Seaford this stemmed the tide and ensured the score was kept at 5-0 - a scoreline few would have predicted at the start of the afternoon.

Result: AFC Varndeanians 5-0 Seaford Town
Division: Southern Combination League Division One
Attendance: 49

Ground #236 - High Street Ground

Date: 28th August 2017
Ground: High Street Ground
Location: Selsey, West Sussex

My twentieth new ground of 2017 was on Monday 28th August at the High Street Ground in Selsey, West Sussex. The match was Selsey vs. Midhurst & Easebourne in Southern Combination League Division One.

As its name suggests the High Street Ground is in the centre of the town of Selsey. The ground is bordered by housing estates to the south and west and several businesses to the south. The football club are neighbours to a Co-Op supermarket and the town's cricket club which sits behind the northern side. The town is not served by a railway station with the nearest one at Chichester which is 7.5 miles north. The venue has been home to the club since the late 1940s.

The turnstiles are located in the north-eastern corner of the ground and upon entering there is a flat concrete area which extends for a third of the northern side. The middle third of the northern side is home to the clubhouse which consists of dressing rooms, a spectators bar, a separate members room and a food outlet facing out towards the concrete section. There are then three picnic benches in front of the food outlet. The remaining northern third is off-limits to fans with an adjacent property backing onto it.

The venue's only stand straddles the half-way line on the southern side. This was formally a covered concrete terrace but has had 118 seats added to the structure with the back row remaining as a standing viewing area. The two dugouts bookend this stand so are quite a distance from each other. The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing. There is a decent amount of space behind the western goal but with a car park directly behind the eastern end this is little more than a walkway with a thin section of grass behind the hard standing area.

The first quarter of the game had very little in the way of action but as the game passed the 20 minute mark Selsey began to stamp their authority on the event. They came close in the 23rd minute when a ball over the top found Joe Clarke but when Midhurst keeper Bill Nash came out to meet him Clarke could only steer his shot the wrong side of the post. The final ten minutes of the half saw good chances come and go for Morgan Forry, James Kilhams and Forry again as Selsey were unable to make the breakthrough. In the end Selsey's opening goal was given to them on a plate. Less than a minute after the restart a risky backpass led to Nash slicing his clearance straight up in the air and as it came down it landed with a Selsey attacker who was felled by a defender going for the ball at the same time. Morgan Forry struck the penalty low to the keeper's left and it went in off the post. A quarter of an hour later the referee pointed to the spot again after he spotted an infringement in the away penalty area after a corner was swung into the danger zone. This time it was Jake Goulding on penalty duty and he dispatched the penalty straight down the middle. In the 75th minute Selsey almost wrapped things up after dispossessing Midhurst in their own third of the field - the ball was played through to substitute Jake Edwards but with the goalie to beat he shot over the bar. In the 82nd minute the visitors were reduced to ten men when Lewis Hamilton received his second booking for persistent fouling. Selsey's anticipation of seeing the game out calmly took a knock in the 86th minute when Midhurst grabbed a goal back - the ball was sent across the area from the right and with it being missed by a defender it fell to Gary Norgate at the far post. Norgate smashed an excellent finish across goal into the top corner. This meant a nervy final few minutes but into stoppage time the hosts were able to get the ball in the corner and run down the clock to keep up their winning start to the season.

Result: Selsey 2-1 Midhurst & Easebourne
Division: Southern Combination League Division One
Attendance: 110

Ground #216 - The Haven Sportsfield

Date: 27th December 2016
Ground: The Haven Sportsfield
Location: Crawley Down, West Sussex

My twenty-seventh new ground of 2016 was on Tuesday 27th December at The Haven Sportsfield in Crawley Down, West Sussex. The match was Crawley Down Gatwick vs. Horsham YMCA in the Southern Combination League Premier Division.

The Haven Sportsfield is on the northern tip of the village of Crawley Down. The football pitch is part of the community centre known as The Haven which was opened in 1991. The building itself runs along the southern side of the ground with housing to the east and open fields to the west and north. The nearest railway stations are East Grinstead to the east and Kingscote to the south, both of which are just under 3 miles from the ground.

The community centre and social club building is behind the southern part of the venue and this contains the boardroom, a club bar and players and officials dressing rooms. Moving into the confines of the football ground there is a 186 seat stand just over the half-way line towards the western end. The remainder of the southern side is taken up by uncovered standing.

The uncovered standing continues round the western end and the northern side of The Haven. The northern side also includes the two dugouts by the half-way line. The eastern end is mostly uncovered standing but has a small terrace known as the Brian Suckling Stand. This structure has 4 levels of standing and is located towards the southern end of the ground. Near to this in the south-west corner there is a food van for supporters.

On a bitterly cold night Crawley Down started brightly and took the lead after just 6 minutes when Oli Leslie snuck in behind the defence and was slipped in by Lee Thomas allowing him to slot past the goalie in the box. The hosts should have extended their lead in the 19th minute when the ball was played from the right into Gianfranco Mici who lifted over the bar from close range. Crawley Down continued to have the best of the chances and again found themselves clean through just before the half-hour mark although on this occasion Sam Smith saved Lee Thomas' shot. The wasteful finishing of the hosts came back to haunt them in the 49th minute when Max Howell picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, beat a couple of defenders and stroked past Martin Hopkins from 12 yards to equalise for Horsham. The home side went close again shortly after when Dan Sullivan hit the foot of the post from a free-kick but the game then descended into a niggly affair with lots of fouls disrupting the flow of the event. The visitors took a surprise lead in the 76th minute - it came about when Dan Evans controlled an overhit pass well and then mis-hit a crossed into box. Fortunately for him this poor cross ended up looping over Hopkins into corner of net. The home side did not deserve to come out of the game with nothing and in the 81st minute a mix-up in the visiting defence let Sam Cane in on goal and he clipped the ball over advancing goalie from 15 yards to level the game up at 2-2.

Result: Crawley Down Gatwick 2-2 Horsham YMCA
Division: Southern Combination League Premier Division
Attendance: 104

Ground #213 - Hill Park

Date: 26th November 2016
Ground: Hill Park
Location: Saltdean, East Sussex

My twenty-fourth new ground of 2016 was on Saturday 26th November at Hill Park in Saltdean, East Sussex. The match was Saltdean United vs. East Preston in the Southern Combination League Division One.

Hill Park is on the northern tip of the village so is surrounded by fields except for a single house to the north and a caravan site to the south. The nearest railway station is Brighton which is six miles west of the ground. The venue has been home to the club since they were formed in 1966.

Outside of the confines of the pitch the eastern side of the ground has a smart club bar with an additional club building containing the dressing rooms. In front of this into the ground itself the eastern side is hemmed in by trees so there is just room for a single strip of concrete for uncovered standing.

The west side of the ground has uncovered standing by the pitch and behind this a large steep grass bank which has an extra football pitch at the top of this. Built into the grass bank is the only stand which is a concrete structure which has several rows of benches to sit on. The area behind the southern goal starts off with a narrow area of standing but expands the further west you go leaving a grass area in the corner. There is scaffolding directly behind the goal which holds up netting to prevent balls going into the caravan park. The north of the ground is confined by the neighbouring house and trees so this is inaccessible to fans. There is fencing to mark the boundary of the ground but no space for supporters to go.

The opening half-hour was a dull affair with the most interesting moment coming when play was stopped after a dog ran on the pitch. East Preston were on top though and on the half-hour mark Jared Rance beat his man down the left, crossed the ball into the box and a Saltdean defender's clearance hit the outside of his own post. The second 45 minute saw the pendulum swing back to Saltdean as they dominated. The closest they came was in the 65th minute when a cross from the left wing found Wes Millis who headed onto the post from 6 yards out. The hosts had a large number of corners which prompted several penalty area scrambles but each time East Preston were able to clear the ball away. The visitors only had one decent chance a few minute from time when Dan Huet slipped in Jared Rance but Rance's shot was saved and the match ended goalless.

Result: Saltdean United 0-0 East Preston
Division: Southern Combination League Division One
Attendance: 43

Ground #208 - Nyetimber Lane

Date: 15th October 2016
Ground: Nyetimber Lane
Location: Pagham, West Sussex

My nineteenth new ground of 2016 was on Saturday 15th October at Nyetimber Lane in Pagham, West Sussex. The match was Pagham vs. Littlehampton Town in the Southern Combination League Premier Division.

Nyetimber Lane is in a residential setting with houses to the north, south and east of the ground. Bordering the western side of the ground is Pagham Cricket Club which was in place before being joined by the football club in 1950. The nearest railway station is Bognor Regis three miles east of the ground.

When you arrive at the entrance in the north-east corner you are greeted by a car park directly behind the eastern goal. There is a thin strip of concrete directly behind the goal and netting to protect the cars parked behind it. This car park extends round to the southern side of the ground as well before reaching an outside eating area with tables and picnic benches which links to a snack bar which is part of a clubhouse which contains a bar and inside seating. Attached to this is the players dressing room as well as a covered viewing section which has a TV gantry on top of it. The adjoined main stand then provides 102 seats and there is finally room for a small hard standing area towards the western end of the ground.

The area behind the western goal is mostly uncovered standing though there is a covered area of scaffolding directly behind the goal. The north side is mostly uncovered standing though the North Terrace Stand located either side of the half-way line has another 102 seats under cover. The two dugouts are either side of this stand.

It was mostly Pagham in the early going but Littlehampton defended in numbers and restricted the hosts to a couple of bundled shots just wide of the post. The visitors were happy to sit back and launch occasional counter attacks and it was from one of these that they took the lead. Just a couple of minutes before the break the ball was put out right wide to Ben Gray who beat his man before curling a super effort into the top corner from 20 yards. This lead did not last long though as within minutes of the restart Pagham restored parity - it happened when an attempted clearance ricocheted unkindly and and played in Scott Muran to slot the ball into the bottom corner from 15 yards. The home side got their noses in front in the 66th minute - the ball was played to Muran on the edge of the box and out of nowhere he spun and drilled a shot into the far corner. Things got worse for Littlehampton in the 71st minute when a coming together between defender Dan Cox and Pagham attacker Callen Overton resulted in a penalty and a red card for Cox. Muran powered the penalty straight down the middle to complete his 19 minute hat-trick. In the 78th minute Pagham were reduced to ten men when Lloyd Rowlatt picked up a second booking for bringing down Michael Asare as he tried to launch a counter attack. This gave the away side a bit more encouragement to attack but they were undone for the final time in the 91st minute when Overton slipped in Keiron Pamment who who dodged a tackle and rolled the ball into the net.

Result: Pagham 4-1 Littlehampton Town
Division: Southern Combination League Premier Division
Attendance: 88

Ground #200 - Falmer Stadium

Date: 9th August 2016
Ground: Falmer Stadium
Location: Falmer, East Sussex

My eleventh new ground of 2016 was on Tuesday 9th August at Falmer Stadium in Falmer, East Sussex. The match was Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Colchester United in the Football League Cup 1st Round.

Falmer Stadium, currently known as the American Express Community Stadium or the Amex, lies in the midst of two university campuses - the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. To the north-east of Brighton the ground is located just off the A27 and is served by Falmer railway station which is adjacent to the site. The venue was opened in 2011 giving the club a permanent home for the first time since leaving the Goldstone Ground in 1997.

The stadium's unusual shape, designed to fit in with the surrounding rolling hills, sees to large stands running alongside the pitch and short ends behind the two goals. When the venue opened in 2011 there were four separate seating areas but within six months the club applied to add an additional 8,000 seats taking the overall capacity to 30,750 by the end of the 2012/13 season. The result of this is that all four quadrants have been filled in creating a lower tier bowl throughout the ground. With the short ends behind the goals the North and South Stand are single tier. The South Stand has a small hospitality area with a balcony overhanging the seating while the North Stand has a control centre and offices contained within. On the exterior of the North Stand there is the large club shop and ticket offices.

The largest stand in the ground is the West Stand which has three tiers. The middle tier is thinner than the other two and also extends out into the north-west and south-west quadrants. There are corporate boxes placed at the top of the lower and middle tiers and the fans 1901 Club is also included. As the largest stand a number of offices and meeting rooms are housed within. Opposite this is the East Stand which was a single tier stand when Falmer Stadium opened but a second tier was soon added. The south-east corner is where away fans are positioned with the hill directly behind this corner of the ground being the designated area for coach parking.

This was a League Cup 1st Round tie between Football League Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion and Football League Two side Colchester United. The first half was a cagey affair - Colchester had come with a tightly packed defence and frustrated the home side to a handful of half chances. The visitors had a couple of counter attacking moments with Sammie Szmodics going closest with a header from six yards. Colchester's resistance was broken in the 64th minute when Kazenga Lua Lua went down the left wing and squared for Sam Baldock on the edge of the area. Baldock had time to readjust and curl an effort into the top of the net. Once the first goal went in that was the end of the challenge from the visiting side as the hosts added two more in quick succession. The second goal was scored in the 70th minute when Lua Lua again ran at the U's defence before slipping in Jamie Murphy who ghosted behind the back line and chipped the ball over Dillon Barnes. In the 74th minute Colchester were undone down the left wing again as Baldock had time to pick out Elvis Manu in the area with Manu sliding low into the goal. The Championship team rounded off the night with a fourth in the 86th minute as Jamie Murphy ran through three defenders on his way to steering the ball into the bottom corner. Though the League Two side had put up a decent performance for the first hour the capitulation in the final third saw Brighton record a comfortable 4-0 victory.

Result: Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 Colchester United
Competition: Football League Cup
Attendance: 6,895

Ground #112 - Broadfield Stadium

Date: 1st January 2013
Ground: Broadfield Stadium
Location: Crawley, West Sussex

My first new ground of 2013 was on Tuesday 1st January at Broadfield Stadium in Crawley, West Sussex. The match was Crawley Town vs. Colchester United in Football League One.

Broadfield Stadium is part of a larger sports complex to the south of the town centre and is just over 1 mile from Crawley railway station. The ground has been home to the club since 1997 when they moved from their former home at Town Mead where they had played for the previous 48 years.

The West Stand runs around two-thirds of the length of the pitch on the west side of the venue and is able to house 1,150 supporters. This stand also contains many of the club's facilities including hospitality areas and players dressing rooms. Opposite this is the newly built East Stand which was finished in April 2012. This formerly uncovered terrace is now an all-seater stand with a capacity of 2,150. It has around 20 supporting pillars in place to hold up the roof so anyone in this stand will have a slightly impeded view.

The Bruce Winfield Stand, consisting of covered terracing, sits behind the goal at the southern end of the ground and extends round the south-west corner of the ground to meet up with the West Stand. At the opposite end of the ground is the North Stand which is a covered terrace allocated to away fans. The stand also extends round the north-west corner of the ground to meet up with the West Stand.

The game saw Crawley take an early lead in the 5th minute when a free-kick routine exposed the disorganised Colchester defence. Billy Clarke was left unmarked in the box to shoot from close range and although his shot was saved Mark Connolly was on hand to tap in the rebound. The home side nearly doubled their lead a couple of minutes later but a save by Mark Cousins kept the score at 1-0. Colchester got better as the half progressed and had a couple of decent chances including a shot cleared off the line. This theme continued at the start of the second-half as the visitors chipped away at the home defence in an effort to get level. However, in the 70th minute the hosts doubled their lead after a Mark Cousins clearance went directly to Billy Clarke who ran in to score. The ended the game as a contest and in the 86th minute Crawley added a third when Nicky Adams ran onto a ball over the top and lobbed the advancing Mark Cousins to seal a 3-0 win for the home side.

Result: Crawley Town 3-0 Colchester United
Division: Football League One
Attendance: 3,160

Ground #92 - Gorings Mead

Date: 18th February 2012
Ground: Gorings Mead
Location: Horsham, West Sussex

My fourth new ground of 2012 was on Saturday 18th February at Gorings Mead in Horsham, West Sussex. The match was Horsham vs. Hastings United in the Ryman Isthmian League Premier Division.

Gorings Mead is located in a residential area close to the town centre. Horsham railway station is just under a mile from the venue. The ground has been home to Horsham since 2009 as their former Queen Street ground was sold to housing developers. The club initially groundshared at Worthing before moving back to Horsham to Gorings Mead which sits adjacent to their old Queen Street ground.

The main stand in the ground is the Victor Gladwish Stand which is positioned level with the half-way line on the south side of the ground. This stand has around 200 seats although as it sits behind one of the floodlights, the views are slightly interrupted. The two dugouts are on either side of the stand with the players dressing rooms also directly next to the stand. Two additional stands are also placed on the south side of the ground - both are small metal structures with one all-seater stand capable of holding 50 fans and one all-standing structure.

Opposite the two small stands on the west side of the ground is a larger covered terrace section. The remainder of the ground is uncovered standing behind the metal barrier which separates the pitch from the fans. The areas behind the two goals are rather narrow with the west side of the venue backing onto housing and the area behind the goal at the eastern end of the ground dedicated to a small car park.

The game started brightly for the home side as they took an early lead in the 3rd minute when a corner was crossed into the box and rifled into the top corner. Hastings came back into the game shortly after and had several chances to draw level with long balls over the top continuing to bypass the Horsham defence. Eventually in the 31st minute one of these chances was taken when Horsham failed to deal with another ball over the top leaving Hastings to score from close range. Just before the break the away side took the lead when they got into the Horsham box and after a bit of a scramble shot into the roof of the net. An entertaining first half was followed by an uneventful second period. Hastings looked to have more quality than a Horsham side who coming into the match had won just two games all season and the visitors were able to hang on to record a 2-1 victory.

Result: Horsham 1-2 Hastings United
Division: Isthmian League Premier Division
Attendance: 201