33. Hardenhuish Park-Chippenham Town

Chippenham Town 0-1 Brackley Town

Southern League Premier Division

27.8.11

Admission: Adults: £9 Concessions: £3-£5

Programme: £2

Attendance: 323

Capacity: 2,750

Seated: 500

Covered: 1,220

Town: Chippenham, Wiltshire

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: Yes (wasn't open on my visit)

Step: 7

On the 27th August I was due to go to a wedding anniversary in Chippenham. At the time we were staying in London so we set off early in the morning for South Kenton Tube Station. From here we went to London Paddington and , after a visit to Krispy Kreme, we were on a South West train for Bristol. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Chippenham from London and from here it's a 25 minute walk to the ground. After going to the service and for a drink in the church hall I set off for the ground. I arrived about 15 minutes before kick off. You follow a track up to the stadium where there are two turnstiles. Before these you can purchase the bulky programme and half time draw tickets.

The match was a very uneventful one. The closest the sides came to scoring was a Chippenham shot that hit the bar. In the second half Brackley scored what would be the winning goal when a player rose above his marker to head the ball past the keeper.

Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire. There is little of note about it, however thereis a hnigh street with a charity shop and something I rarely even see on the streets of London, a preacher.

The ground is very impressive. You enter in the corner of the ground. The side straight ahead features a 500 seat stand with blue seats, however you need to pay a £1 extra to sit in here. Either side of this stand are small open terraces that hold about 100 each. The far end features an open terrace. This is 7 steps at one side and 5 steps at the other. This holds around 780 with crush barriers running the length of the end. The far side is flat standing but it is completely covered. There are two fences that swing around therefore preventing access. This is presumably for games where segregation is required, and this is justified by a similar structure to the left of the main stand on the other side. The near end to your right has a 5 step terrace. This is an arena stand but Chippenham have completely made it their own by covering the steps with concrete and adding crush barriers. This is the main congregation point for the hardcore Chippenham support with flags covering the back of the stand. The clubhouse is at the back of the main stand with the club shop (closed on my visit) to the left of the stand.

The programme is very good for this level, if a little expensive. It is 68 pages long, 33 of which are ads. The programme includes match details and action photo on the front, club info, from the boardroom, a note from Adie Mings, club history, pen pics, news, attendance stats, match photos, match report, league tables, stats, fixtures/results, player stats, Brackley pen pics, Brackley Town history, youth teams, supporters club, puzzle, matches on this day, club directory, programme news from this point in a previous season, Southern League fixtures and team lineups on the back. A very good issue that is a recommended read.

Chippenham Town matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/ChippenhamTown#

32. Goathill Park-Stornoway Athletic

Stornoway Athletic 2-4 Back

Lewis & Harris League

15.8.11

Admission: £2

Programme: None

Attendance: 100

Capacity: 1,400

Seated: 100

Covered: 100

Town: Stornoway, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Floodlights: No

Shop: No

Step: N/A

What an opportunity this was. I found myself in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on Monday 15th August. I had been on a trip roun North Lewis and arrived back in Stornoway at 18:20. I had discovered that morning at Stornoway Youth Hostel that the Lewis & Harris League had a couple of rounds of fixtures left and that matches were usually played on Monday evenings. On looking at the list I found that Stornoway Athletic were hosting Back in a important fixture.

So after visiting Port Nis in the north we drove back to Stornoway where I was dropped off outside Goathill Park, home to Athletic and United as they are known on the island. It had turned out there had been an error on the league website. The fixture had had its fixture time changed to 18:00 rather than 18:30, meaning I had missed the first 20 minutes. However I soon found out that the score was 1-0 to Athletic. Athletic soon added a second and went off at half time at 2-0. The match seemed to be going on forever. This was because of the midgees that I hadn't anticipated. It felt like my face was constantly being pricked with thin needles and I'm amazed my face didn't erode away from the vigorous rubbing I gave it. The second half saw a brilliant comeback from Back. They scored a penalty and then continued on to score 3 more goals and win the fixture. Back were looking forward to a Highland Amateur Cup final appearance against Avoch (Avoch won 5-1).

Stornoway is an interesting town. It serves as the HQ for the Western Isles. It is also has the only TESCO for over one hundred miles, Oban is the next one. The War Memorial on the northern edge of the town is worth a visit and walking around the docks is also a very interesting detour. A visit to the churches in the town is also popular with one seeing over 1,000 attendees for services (in Gaelic). Or you can just wander the narrow back streets of the quiet coastal town.

Goathill Park is a very impressive venue for Amateur football. You enter in the west corner through the iron gates with two footballer silhouettes and GOATHILL PARK shown in a gold colour. The end to your left is flat syanding as is the far side. the far end is out of bounds to spectators. The near side has all the facilities. There are 4 steps of open terracing as you enter. These run down to the half way line where there is a seated stand containing concrete steps with wooden slats on top. This would hold about 100 and has the changing rooms behind. Admission is taken when someon brings a bag around at half time. Many disappeared for the interval and then returned when the coast was clear. What makes watching a game on the island so interesting is the fact that everyone speaks Gaelic. The supporters, players and managers all speak in the language and I found it very unusual and almost felt like I was watching a game abroad. But this is what makes you realise the culture of the game around the world. Wherever it is being played and whatever language people may speak, we all play one game that can ultimately join everyone together. Ness, Point and Carloway are other grounds to enjoy a game in an interesting ground, Ness in my opinion is the best.

Stornoway Athletic matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/StornowayAthletic#

31. KC Stadium-Hull City

Hull City 1-1 Crystal Palace

Football League Championship

30.4.11

Admission: Adults: £24-£26 Children: £10-£12

Programme: £3

Attendance: 20,407

Capacity: 25,586

Seated: 25,586

Covered: 25,586

Town: Kingston Upon Hull

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: Yes

Step: 2

Having visited the Keepmoat Stadium 8 days earlier for the relegation battle between Doncaster and Palace, the contest was still on at full time. However going into this game Palace were safe. In midweek they had beaten Leeds United and with two matches left, they were 6 points clear with a large goal difference. This meant the away crowd wasn't as big as it could have been. We had booked tickets in advance having expected Palace to not beat Leeds. We found seats with plenty of space in the North Stand. The crowd was still very big despite the events in midweek.

Hull City took the lead after half an hour with an Anthony Gerrard goal. It seemed Palace would finish their away season a low as they headed into the last 5 minutes still 1-0 down. However with 3 minutes to go Ibra Sekassa, a player I had never heard of came onto the pitch with Dougie Freedman presumably just wanting him to get a few minutes to play in a league game. However he surely didn't expect Sekassa to poke a scrambled ball home from close range just a few seconds later. It was his first touch in a senior football match. The Palace supporters went beserk. This goal sealed a point and Palace's Championship status for the 2011-12 season. The final whistle eventually went to start the celebrations.

Hull City have been at the KC Stadium less than nine years after leaving Boothferry Park. The stadium is not disimilar to Brighton's new Amex Stadium and Ireland's Aviva Stadium. It is a bowl set out but with a very modern roof and seat set out setting it apart from the Darlington Arena and the Keepmoat Stadium. The West Stand has a second tier with a few thousand more seats. The stadium is shared with Hull FC RLFC meaning the word 'HULL' is spelt out on the seats.

And so it was back onto the M62 before a trip up the A1 to North Yorkshire. So ends my 2010-11 season which saw me visit 18 new grounds. Not as many as I would have hoped but with the 2011-12 season ahead this doesn't concern me at all.

Hull City Matchday Pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/HullCity#

30. Teesdale Park-Thornaby

Thornaby 0-5 Hebburn Town

Northern League Division Two

9.4.11

Admission: Adult: £4 Children: £2

Programme: £1 (4pp)

Attendance: 30

Capacity: 1,300

Seated: 50

Covered: 280

Town: Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: No

Step: 10

Saturday the 9th of April saw a huge contrast for me. Just 50 hours earlier I had been sitting in the amazing Blue Lagoon near Keflavik in Iceland. Now, 50 hours later, I found myself at the very derelict Teesdale Park where Thornaby were to take on Hebburn Town in a Northern League Division Two fixture. A shopping trip to nearby Teesside Park meant it was a good opportunity to tick off the ground without paying travel costs.

I left Teesside Park just past 14:00. If you are at Teesside Park, you can walk Pets at Home before seeing a footpath just opposite the Morrisons car wash. This takes you right up to Acklam Road. Go right along here and down the hill and the entrance to the football ground is just past the golf club entrance. You will come to a fork in the dirt track. Take the far left one for the football ground.

Thornaby have had a very poor recent history. They always seem to find themselves in a tussle at the wrong end of the table despite having some good players. I would certainly agree with some that say there is not a good enough set up in place. The atmosphere around the ground was that the place wasn't really Thornaby's and that it was just a park pitch they were allowed to use.

In 1898 the club reached the semi final of the FA Amateur Cup where they lost to local rivals Middlesbrough. The majority of the club's history came under the name of Stockton. In 1889 they were founder members of the Northern League. In 1898 the side won the Northern League, despite there only being 9 members. The club went on to win 4 more titles. The side spent 50 consecutive years in the league before joining the North Eastern League in 1939. They won this title in 1951. From 1958 to 1960 the side played in the Midland League. Before rejoinging the North Eastern League for two seasons in 1962. 1967-68 saw the side play one season in the North Regional League. They rejoined the Midland League for the 72-73 season. In 1975 the side folded. 5 years later however Stockton Cricket Club FC changed their name to Stockton FC and joined the Wearside League. 5 years later they rejoined the Northern League in Division Two. They won Division Two twice along with promotion three times, however relegation always followed within seasons later. In 1999 Stockton FC changed their name to Thornaby-on-Tees FC. They played one season under this name before reverting back to Thornaby FC. Two more promotions and relegations to and from Division One saw them in Division Two and that's where they've been since. In 1951-52 the side, as Stockton FC, saw their best ever FA Cup run. They reached the Third Round knocking out Consett, Mansfield Town and Folkestone before losing 4-0 at Notts County. Stockton FC saw 8 FA Amateur Cup final appearances. However they only managed to win 2 of these, against Oxford City in 1903 and Eston United in 1912. 1971, the club's second appearance, saw Stockton FC take Boston United to a First Round Replay in the FA Trophy after drawing 2-2 at the Pilgrims. They lost the replay 2-0. In the 1997-98 season Stockton FC Stockton FC reached the Third Round of the FA Vase after knocking out Whickham, Willington and Sheffield. They lost 2-1 at home to Burscough.

Both sides had nothing left to play for this season. However this didn't stop Hebburn romping to an emphatic 5-0 victory. To be completely honest Thornaby didn't stand a chance. If they can't beat a side at a similar place in the table to them, then one must question whether Thornaby are really cut out for this level. I noticed that former Northallerton keeper Psani was between the sticks for Thornaby, it wasn't a good day for it. Unlike Iceland where I experienced several snow showers it was a very warm day and after having my coat on all week it was a chance to re-ajust to the completely unpredictable British weather.

'Derelict' is the first word that springs to mind when you first reach Teesdale Park. I visited the ground just to take some photos a few months before and there had been nothing to enclose the ground, there was no pavement leading up to the ground and there will still some battered iron turnstiles completely stood on their own (beats the objective). However this has now all changed.

New security fencing has now been put in place, but this is clearly to satisfy ground graders. You can see right through it and it looks right onto the pitch. There is a pavement leading up to the ground under construction. At the time of visit only a few metres had been completed. There is also a pay hut in the north east corner of the ground. It is here that you pay admission and can buy the programme. As you enter there is a very peculiar stand to your left. It is uncovered and has 5 concrete steps, however the steepness of it and the flat section at the top suggests there used to be a roof and seats on it. The far side is currently out of bounds with an 8 step terrace running the whole length. This would probably hold around 1,500. The far end has a tatty stand running half the length. There is one step beneath this. The side nearest to you has the dugouts and futher down the main stand which has wooden slats on one side giving about 50 seats. The other side is concrete steps and holds about 100. The dressing rooms are behind this building and the players walk out between the seats and standing spaces.

The Thornaby programme is the worst I have ever seen charging £1 for it is outrageous. The amount of profit the club must gain from paper chasers must be huge. The programme is two A4 sheets with one side used for each. Club title and match details are on the front cover. Inside there is a Thornaby team list on the left while on the right is a brief match report of the match against Washington and managers comments. The back cover advertises the club's Facebook page and the club sponsors. To give them a little credit they do cover the essentials, but the printing is poor quality and a lot of space is wasted.

Teesdale Park is not a ground I would wish to revisit in a hurry, but with them being in the same league as Northallerton, there could be several visits yet to come.

Thornaby matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/Thornaby##

PS: Leading up to the 2011-12 season Thornaby FC installed 50 black and white plastic tip up seats to replace the wooden slats in the main stand as part of the club's ground improvements.