Melbourne Stadium
Vanarama Conference South
December 26, 2014
Ground No 161
"I DON'T know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there."There's a reasonable chance you'll have first heard those words courtesy of Jarvis Cocker in Pulp's excellent Britpop anthem Common People. But while Our Jarv started it in a supermarket, I started it after a visit to Chelmsford City's Melbourne Stadium.
I'll stand corrected if proved wrong but I don't think the Greek woman in the song was a groundhopper, but I think you get my drift. After years of watching football, visiting new grounds in rain or shine to get a new tick, then diligently filing my match programme neatly away, I decided to enlist the help of bloggery to preserve my visits for all eternity.
Thus the visit to Ground No 161 becomes Entry No 1 in my new venture.
Boxing Day, of course is made for football.
After eating your own bodyweight in turkey, stuffing and sprouts then veging out on the sofa while the family watches some of the worst telly imaginable, it's a scientifically proven fact that the human body needs a visit to a football match the following day to reinvigorate itself. It's true. There'll be an article on it in New Scientist before long, mark my words.
And in any case I was doing this to show my appreciation to my good lady wife. As a tree present she'd bought me the Non-league Football Supporters' Guide and Yearbook.
So, just as you traditionally put on a pair of socks or a jumper at the earliest possible opportunity after unwrapping them on Christmas Day as a nod of thanks to Great Aunty Maud, I considered it only right and proper to put my present to good use for fear of appearing unappreciative.
I'd been to Chelmsford's old ground at New Writtle Street many moons ago for an FA Cup match. It was a lovely old fashioned ground that oozed atmosphere - moving to an athletics stadium in 2006 was always going to present a different sort of matchday experience.
My first observation - after the range of speciality coffees on sale at the food and drink trailer, that is - was the imposing main stand along one side of the ground. And its distance from the pitch.
It contains around 1,000 seats and being cantilever in design, it offers an unhindered view. But with a long jump/triple jump area, a bit of a gap, a six-lane running track and the dug-outs in between, anyone sitting in the stand is a long way from the action. The club shop near the turnstiles is well stocked, maybe they should offer club-crested binoculars too?
On the opposite side are some more seats although with a sports centre immediately behind, there's only room for a few rows. There's no long jump/triple jump area over there but still the small matter of an athletics track in between the seats and the pitch.
But in stark contrast the temporary terraces behind each goal bring you as close to the action as you can possibly get and when a goal went in (and there were plenty of them) the ball crashed against the advertising hoardings placed flush up to the back of the net.
And that's where I chose to watch from, changing ends at half-time with the home supporters while the large contingent of Ebbsfleet fans headed albeit a little more smugly, given the score - in the opposite direction.
You have to walk across the athletics track onto the infield to get to these stands - the narrower of the two is covered, the other isn't - and that's where you forget you're actually in an athletics stadium and not in a 'real' football ground.
Both stands were packed (I'd estimated the attendance to be higher than the official gate of 779 to be honest), both sets of supporters were in good voice and it was largely an entertaining and absorbing match until Ebbsfleet starting running away with it (athletics stadium, running - see what I did there?) after the break.
Fleet ended up 5-1 winners and also had two disallowed although one of the stand-out moments for me was an audacious and powerful overhead kick by Fleet's Anthony Cook who, having controlled the ball with his chest, brought a fine fingertip save from Bradley Watkins.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit, probably more so than I'd envisaged if I'm honest, given the fact it's an athletics stadium.
The view was great from behind the goal, the City fans seem like a knowledgeable and enthusiastic bunch, the large latte from the food and drink van was gorgeous and parking outside the ground was easy.
The clubhouse was neat and modern and doing a roaring trade for those who wanted a pint - all in all a great set-up and a enjoyable experience.
