Ground #372 - Plough Lane

Date: 1st October 2022
Ground: Plough Lane
Location: Wimbledon, London

My twelfth new ground of 2022 was on Saturday 1st October at Plough Lane in Wimbledon, London. The game was AFC Wimbledon vs. Colchester United in Football League Two.

Plough Lane is part of a wider community development in Wimbledon and is largely surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings. The stadium was built in the place of the former Wimbledon Stadium which hosted greyhound racing and motorsport until 2017 when it closed. Demolition of the venue and construction of the new football stadium constructed shortly after and was opened in 2020. The venue is well served by public transport with it being half a mile north-east of Haydons Road railway station, just around a mile from Wimbledon railway station, Wimbledon Park tube station and Tooting Broadway tube station. It is located around 200 yards from the original Plough Lane Stadium which played host to the original Wimbledon FC.

The largest stand at the ground is the West Stand - this two-tier structure is the only permanent stand at Plough Lane. It has a capacity of 4,267 which is spread over three levels - the lower level is the main seating deck and is in line with the other stands at the ground. Above this are two levels of corporate seating in front of hospitality boxes. With it being the main stand the dugouts are at the front carved out of the main seating deck. This stand extends round the south-west quadrant to meet up with the South Stand. 

The remaining three stands are of the same lower height - these are designed to be upgraded for higher capacity in the future should Wimbledon climb the Football League and require it. The South Stand is the designated safe-standing area with room for 1,092 fans, the West Stand runs the length of the field and has space for 2,391 while the North Stand is given to away fans and can hold 1,465. This gives Plough Lane a total capacity of 9,215 and the club has planning permission to increase this to 20,000 in the future. 

This was the first game for new Colchester manager Matt Bloomfield as he took over a side who had recorded one win in their opening 10 games. The new manager bounce appeared to be in effect when the U's opened the scoring in the 18th minute after Dan Chesters lofted a cross to the back post and Kwasi Appiah got above his man to head into the roof of the net. The away side held firm for the first half with Wimbledon's best chance coming in the 38th minute when the ball was played out to Edmond-Paris Maghoma on the left side of the box and his shot dragged across goal and just wide. Barely a minute after the restart the Dons were level -Ethan Chislett crossed from the left and after a scramble between a home attacker and away defender the ball spilled to Josh Davison six yards out and it was an easy task to shoot home. In the 66th minute the hosts won a smart penalty, with the ball up in the air Colchester's Ossama Ashley went to boot the ball downfield and the Wimbledon's Ayoub Assal jumped in front him so he took the man rather than the ball. Davison struck low to the keeper's right with Kieran O'Hara going the wrong way. Wimbledon bossed the second half and it was only in the final minutes that the visitors challenged - they almost grabbed an equaliser in the 97th minute when Beryly Lubala's header was saved by Nikola Tzanev but the corner was cleared and Wimbledon were victorious.

Result: AFC Wimbledon 2-1 Colchester United

Division: Football League Two

Attendance: 7,328

Ground #45 - Kingsmeadow

Date: 11th May 2011
Ground: Kingsmeadow
Location: Norbiton, London

My thirty-second new ground of 2011 was on Wednesday 11th May at Kingsmeadow in Norbiton, London. The match was AFC Wimbledon vs. Fleetwood Town in the Conference National Play-Off Semi-Final.

Kingsmeadow (currently known as the Cherry Red Records Fans' Stadium) is located 1 mile from Norbiton railway station. The stadium is owned by AFC Wimbledon who purchased it in 2003 though the ground is also shared by Isthmian League Premier Division side Kingstonian who have played at the venue since it was built in 1989.

When I visited the ground had just one all-seater stand - the Paul Strank Stand which is a fairly slim stand on the west side of the venue capable of holding 1,265 fans. Since my visit the narrow Kingston Road End has been changed from terracing to an all-seater stand with a capacity of around 1,000. There are two terraced sections which remain - the Tempest End is a steep terrace where the majority of the most passionate Wimbledon fans watch from, putting up their dramatic banners across the whole of the back wall. The other terrace is the John Smiths' Stand which is a shallower stand which extends along the length of the east side of the pitch and was where I watch the game from.

With the game a sell-out, the ground was stretched to capacity and it did experience some issues. I arrived half an hour before kick-off but the place was already heaving. With just one ticket collection window at the venue, all the fans picking up their entries had to queue in a single line meaning a wait of around 20 minutes to collect my ticket. When inside the ground was completely packed and with the terracing very shallow in the John Smiths' Stand, taller people blocked my view and I could probably see only about 20% of the pitch through the sea of heads. I moved around several times in an attempt to see the actual game but it was not until the second half that I was able to get a decent vantage point. In addition, it took 15 minutes to get out of the ground because of the lack of exits. If AFC Wimbledon's meteoric rise through the leagues continues, the club may have to revisit stadium facilities as in my view it will not be able to adequately cope with full gates on a regular basis.

The game itself was a highly enjoyable one. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, it took AFC Wimbledon just 27 seconds to score the night's opener. Two more goals around the half-hour mark saw them lead 3-0 at the break. Fleetwood bundled in a consolation a minute after the restart and proceeded to put the Dons under a spell of concerted pressure. However, a 4th goal for the home side brought the home fans mood back up and a 5th goal quickly followed. A 6th goal was added with around 10 minutes remaining to finish off a rampant 6-1 victory on the night, securing an 8-1 aggregate win. The AFC Wimbledon fans who had created a terrific atmosphere for the evening were in a party mood and celebrated as the players did their lap of honour after the final whistle.

Result: AFC Wimbledon 6-1 Fleetwood Town
Division: Conference National
Attendance: 4,538