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:
