Bowers & Pitsea v Stansted

Len Salmon Stadium

Essex Senior League Premier Division

September 12, 2015

Ground No 173

 

WE are, as the Volvo radio ads suggest, a nation that loves double acts. Morecambe and Wise; Torvill and Dean; Ant and Dec.

Add Bowers and Pitsea to that list.

Pitsea, a concrete jungle of 1960s and 1970s buildings that blends seamlessly into the new town of Basildon, is home to an Essex Senior League ground well worth a visit. If you had to sum up the charm, character and feel of a ground towards the lower end of the pyramid grading system, you'd only have to visit the Len Salmon Stadium.

Situated right on the very outskirts of Pitsea, you arrive at the ground after driving through a sprawling residential estate.

It's impossible to imagine where there might be room for a ground as you pass through White Van Man heartland but suddenly there's an opening and a sign pointing to the ground. You head down a narrow lane then, boom! It opens up before you - sizeable car park, ground, clubhouse.

Entrance to the ground is close to the far corner flag. Behind the goal is a long, covered standing area - it feels more like walking into a large garden shed than into an area of a football ground. Even floor is largely wooden. Today was a warm, Indian summer's day with short sleeves the order of the day but you could imagine standing in there on a wet winter's afternoon, steaming Bovril in hand and feeling happily sheltered from the elements.

Immediately to the right of the turnstiles are loos, but to the left is the stuff that makes the Len Salmon Stadium such a gem.

There's split level terracing with a café behind (nice cuppa for a quid) and beyond that a VIP box with comfy seats and all; a 180-seat covered stand (the programme describes it as "well-appointed" - I  wouldn't disagree) and then some more terracing - an eclectic yet neat combination.

Behind the other goal is the Town End - this I know because of the banner attached to the brick wall behind the net - and some hard standing which extends along the far side too, with its backdrop of tall trees, but that is out of bounds to spectators.

Curiously for a team that plays in red and white there is an awful lot of sky blue in the ground (and a smattering of claret so presumably it's a nod to West Ham, in whose fanbase they are entrenched) but it certainly makes the place bright and appealing.

Today's match brought Bowers and Pitsea a 4-1 victory to keep them top of the Essex Senior League. The club have ambitions of climbing the pyramid and have the team and ground to match. I hope they manage it and I'll certainly be following them along the way.