Hullbridge Sports v Stanway Rovers

Lower Road

FA Vase 3rd round

December 12, 2015

Ground No 181

 

IN Bronze Age Hullbridge big, bearded men would sit around fires wearing animal skin loincloths, making flints and discussing whose turn it was to harvest the wild einkorn.

We know as much because of documentation and  the discovery of prehistoric relics in the village, which sits on the banks of the River Crouch near Rayleigh.

Later, much later, came football and with it the local football club.

In fact the seeds of  Hullbridge Sports FC weren't sewn until after the Second World War. They've only been at their Lower Road home since 1980 and weren't granted senior status until a decade later.

Lower Road is also home to the club's thriving junior section so that, and it being a modern, functional ground that has never hosted anything above Essex Senior League level football, means it's not going to be the first on any discerning groundhopper's 'to do' list.

Being part of a widely used general sports and social facility, there's plenty of parking so after dumping the car and wrapping up against a blustery wind, I made my way in.

"Lovely jubbly" said the old guy wearing a blue and white bar scarf in the entrance hut as he took my money and handed over a programme... but to be honest my attention was caught more by the structure's wooden hatch, where previous attendances were recorded by way of five-bar gate tally marks written in marker pen. A modern ground maybe, but clearly some traditional methods remain the preferred choice.

The building that houses the clubhouse, function room, food bar and changing rooms extends out beyond the entrance to the ground.

The food bar has legendary status in Essex Senior League circles but, having had a big lunch and already put dinner in the slo-cooker before leaving, I passed on the breakfast wraps, assortment of burgers, onion rings and much more besides on the extensive menu. The half-time latte went down a treat, mind.

The changies are at the far end and, immediately before entering the playing area, the players had to negotiate a hugemuddy muddle. There was no way around it. It was almost like a rite of passage - "pass through the Puddle of Death my son and you shall become a man".

It obviously worked for Hullbridge anyway - they had a man sent off but still marched into the last 32 of the Vase with a 2-0 win, equalling the furthest they have ever progressed along the Road to Wembley.

Along that side of the pitch are two small prefab stands, each containing 50 plastic seats. In between is a flat covered standing area.

On the other side of that is what I think is another covered standing area but I'm not altogether sure really. Flush with the perimeter fence, it was made up of scaffold poles, a corrugated iron roof and some planks of wood at the back.

Along that side of the ground there's a strip of concrete standing which extends along each end behind the goals. The other side of the ground, dominated by two large brick-built dug-outs, is a no go for fans though as it back on to some of the club's junior pitches.

While it might not be a ground that everyone's clamouring to visit, it's an excellent set-up at Hullbridge and a decent crowd turned out to cheer them on in their quest for FA Vase glory. They deserve to continue their progress.