THE ORCHARD
(Home of Bedfont & Feltham FC)
COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
JANUARY 18, 2020
GROUND NO 224
THERE'S no sound quite like the unmistakable whoosh of a big metal bird's jet engines that signals the start of its high-speed bolt along the runway before heading up into the sky.
You'd checked in hours ago, mumbled barely concealed words of frustration at the woman in front of you who took the opportunity to repack her bag while you waited less than patiently to plonk yours on the conveyor belt that for the x-ray machine, you'd waited patiently to get on board, pretended to pay attention to the safety instructions, stared blankly out of the window as the plane taxied at snail's pace to the runway and now, finally...... whoosh. You're on your way to Holiday Central.
Close your eyes at The Orchard and you could be forgiven for thinking you were on a 747 headed for the sun rather than watching a game of football.
The ground, you see, is a stone's throw from Heathrow Airport so you can guarantee your visit will be punctuated constantly by take-offs and landings.
In fact as we walked from Hatton Cross tube station to the ground I swear that if they'd sat on my shoulders, someone could have touched the undercarriage of the plane coming in to land as it passed overhead.
In fact as we walked from Hatton Cross tube station to the ground I swear that if they'd sat on my shoulders, someone could have touched the undercarriage of the plane coming in to land as it passed overhead.
Once inside the ground, the roar of a plane about to soar was so frequent that on more than one occasion I mistakenly reached for the in-flight movie listings and found myself disappointed at being unable to buy an overpriced tube of Pringles.
The Orchard is home to Bedfont and Feltham FC along with tenants and fellow Combined Counties Division One club British Airways, and it was pleasing to see that they rub along nicely. In fact the Bedfont and Feltham chairman was there to give his support following the postponement of his own club's match.
The BA boys moved in after their fortunes took off and they began to spread their wings at senior level (that's it for the puns, now).
Effectively the works team, they come as part of a package with the British Airways sports and social club - known as BA Clubs - now also based there.
This makes it more of a partnership than a simple ground-sharing arrangement. There's a genuine belief the clubs can move forward together - there could even be an all-weather surface further down the line.
I attended this game as official match ball sponsor (thanks to Non-league Snapshots for sorting that out) and I couldn't have been happier to help. I'm not one who believes the Premier League is the root of all evil, but clubs at this level do get a raw deal.
This is a club operating at the base level of the pyramid, and it's so far to the top that you wouldn't even bank on one of BA's jumbos getting you there.
Chairman Ray Pipe works wonders to run the club on a shoestring and does everything right. There's a programme, a matchday announcer and a real enthusiasm for the project.
The bar is a nice place for a pre-match pint too. With QPR v Leeds on one telly and Watford v Spurs on the other, it was definitely geared up for matchday. We'd have arrived sooner had we not been tucking into some excellent Indian food in the pub across the road.
The sports and social club apparently has around 10,000 members - it's a shame a few more of them couldn't come along and see for themselves, or maybe even lend a hand.
There's a tea bar on your left as you enter through the turnstiles (very necessary on a cold day such as this) with plenty of benches and some seats which, I suspect, started life in a station somewhere, at this end of the ground too.
On the left is the slightly larger of two small, squat stands - one of them searing 60 people and the other 40 - while behind the goal at the far end is a covered standing area made up of two contrasting structures side-by side.
And just over the fence in the far corner is another ground - the home of Isthmian League club Bedfont Sports, who were away on this occasion.
A fellow groundhopper came in for all sorts of stick for doing a half at each ground and counting both on his tick list a while back, but I'd still have been more than happy sticking with the British Airways game even if the posh neighbours had been at home (Bedfont Sports is definitely on the hit list though, especially if it means more lovely food at the Duke of Wellington).
As matchball sponsors we were invited into the bar post-match by Ray but unfortunately we had to get a flyer (OK I lied about that being the end of the puns) which was a shame. But hopefully we'll check in there again in the future.
The bar is a nice place for a pre-match pint too. With QPR v Leeds on one telly and Watford v Spurs on the other, it was definitely geared up for matchday. We'd have arrived sooner had we not been tucking into some excellent Indian food in the pub across the road.
The sports and social club apparently has around 10,000 members - it's a shame a few more of them couldn't come along and see for themselves, or maybe even lend a hand.
There's a tea bar on your left as you enter through the turnstiles (very necessary on a cold day such as this) with plenty of benches and some seats which, I suspect, started life in a station somewhere, at this end of the ground too.
On the left is the slightly larger of two small, squat stands - one of them searing 60 people and the other 40 - while behind the goal at the far end is a covered standing area made up of two contrasting structures side-by side.
And just over the fence in the far corner is another ground - the home of Isthmian League club Bedfont Sports, who were away on this occasion.
A fellow groundhopper came in for all sorts of stick for doing a half at each ground and counting both on his tick list a while back, but I'd still have been more than happy sticking with the British Airways game even if the posh neighbours had been at home (Bedfont Sports is definitely on the hit list though, especially if it means more lovely food at the Duke of Wellington).
As matchball sponsors we were invited into the bar post-match by Ray but unfortunately we had to get a flyer (OK I lied about that being the end of the puns) which was a shame. But hopefully we'll check in there again in the future.
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