TOOTING & MITCHAM UTD v WARE

THE CAMPUS SOCIETY STADIUM,

IMPERIAL FIELDS

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

DECEMBER 14, 2019

GROUND NO 223

THE day had begun with a faint fug of a hangover thanks to the previous night's shenanigans at a gin and bourbon festival.

Staying with the family meant a day with the grandchildren was on the cards - doing something that would tick the right boxes for the youngsters and adults alike. Football on a chilly December day wasn't even a possibility.

Then up popped an ad on Twitter informing us that entry was free at Tooting and Mitcham. And there was free face-painting. And Santa was there with presents for the kids.

Oh and The Shak, the Caribbean kitchen inside the ground (but open throughout the week) is legendary in these parts of South London.

So that was that sorted then - off we went.

The Terrors wisely took the opportunity to - along with the stalls, free mince pies and complimentary soft drinks - offer an insight into their future plans for the ground and for interested parties to tell the local council why they should be approved. Which, of course, we did.

The club have only been at Imperial Fields - formerly a training ground used by Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Brentford - since 2002.

But it's anything but a boring new build. In fact I fell in love with it as soon as I walked in.

The modern main stand, with its pitched roof and just over 600 seats, dominates one side of the ground.

Nestled in one corner next to the spacious clubhouse/function room/bar is The Shak. And it's every bit as great as it's cracked up to be.

We were having a big meal in the evening so we passed on a main dish but the chicken jerk sandwiches and saltfish patties we went for were amazing.

Aside from the occasions I've cosied up with the prawn sandwich brigade it was easily the best food I've had at a football match. Even better than the doner kebabs at Bayer Leverkusen.

At either end are not insignificant banks of terracing. In the middle of each is an imposing flat roof held up by four pillars and the back of the steps.

These are the dominant features of the ground and I've never seen anything like them anywhere else.

They remind you of giant school desks. I expected a 70ft student to arrive, pull up an equally outsized chair, open his satchel and start doing his homework.

Separating them, on the side opposite the main stand, is a length of hard standing with a couple of steps at the back.

There's plenty of room, the terraces offer a great view and a good-sized car park too.

After meeting all the kids and hearing how they hadn't been in the slightest bit naughty all year, Santa ventured outside to watch them game.

After an unexpected visit to such a gem of a ground, I was quite prepared to believe that Christmas had come early.

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MERIDIAN VP v LEWISHAM BOROUGH

MERIDIAN SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB

LONDON SENIOR TROPHY

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

GROUND No 222

MERIDIAN VP's shirt sponsors are Eurocar Auctions - but maybe Ronseal would be a more suitable choice.

The Southern Counties East League club based in Charlton had promised me a good game and a programme I wouldn't be disappointed with,

They were right on both counts. The hosts turned this South London derby on its head, winning 4-2 after trailing 2-0 at the break (two of the goals came from debutant former Charlton and Wycombe man Paul Hayes who, it transpires, went to school in my home town) and the feature on the War League Cup in the programme was particularly interesting.

So there - they do exactly as it says on the tin. Or in this case on the social media feed.

Meridian VP first dipped their toes into the pyramid as recently as 2003 but have ambitions to keep on moving up through the leagues.

To that end the Meridian Sports and Social Club - established in the 1920s as a social club of the Siemens factory which was then located nearby - is the ideal home base.

For now the facilities, though neat and tidy, are basic with, dugouts aside, the only structure inside the perimeter walls being transportable 160-seat stand.

But there is plenty of room along that side of the pitch and behind the goal at the far end for the club to take things further if their ambitions bear fruit.

With the sizeable clubhouse majestically standing watch over the ground in one corner, the trees that line one side of ground (made even more atmospheric by the late autumn covering of golden leaves) and the imposing Docklands skyline in the background, you can imagine what this would be like in a few years' time when Meridian are further up the pyramid with a much bigger fan base.

I stood on the tree-lined side for a time during the second half and thought I'd stepped into a Fast Show sketch as the Lewisham coach encouraged his team by constantly telling them they were "brilliant". It was going pretty well for them at that point to be fair - he wouldn't have been quite so impressed by the second half though.

I'd amused myself walking to the ground along Ha-Ha Road thinking that if it had been built and named today it would have probably been called PMSL Lane or LOL Street.

Although a ha-ha is another name for a ditch, of course, and that's where it got it's name so I guess I wasn't being funny at all.

Inside the sports complex groups of kids were having coaching sessions on the 3G pitches. When they're older, maybe they'll be good enough for a game on the main pitch on the other side of the car park. Or if they're even better, a mile away at The Valley.

Once inside the ground I'd noticed a party was in full swing on the top floor of the sports and social club - although the DJ clearly wasn't doing it for some and a gaggle of revellers appeared on the balcony to get a bird's eye view of the action.

At half-time I found myself in the same building as them, albeit on the lower level.

The one small turnstile block had long since been closed, however, so any spectator wanting to warm up on a chilly night had to follow the players and officials in, past the changing rooms and into the bar. It's things like this that make non-league so special.

The café, also situated in the bar area, seemed to have a good selection of food and hot drinks but I'd left the car behind on this occasion and treated myself to a Jack and Coke.

I made a prompt exit after the game but I'm sure there will have been a few drinks ordered at the bar post-match to celebrate a remarkable victory.

AVRO v RUNCORN TOWN

THE VESTACARE STADIUM

NORTH WEST COUNTIES LEAGUE
PREMIER DIVISION

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

GROUND NO 221

WHEN the players officials and spectators fell silent for 60 seconds to remember those who gave their lives in conflict, it was particularly poignant at Avro FC.

For this is a club that was founded for real-life wartime heroes - as the works team of the nearby AV Roe aircraft manufacturing plant which built the mighty Avro Lancaster bomber - a formidable flying machine that proved a big headache for a certain German with an odd moustache and 50 per cent less than the rest of us in the down below area.

The aircraft company is long gone, of course, but Avro FC are playing at the highest level they've ever appeared at - a feat made possible by their move to the Vestacare Stadium in Oldham, also home to the town's rugby league club.

The ground - known as the Whitebank Stadium before being renamed in a sponsorship deal - had been used for amateur sports for more than five decades before the now defunct Oldham Boro started calling it home in 1992.

The words "major refurbishment" can often send a shiver down the spine of the discerning groundhopper, but it was win win they splashed the cash here in 2017.

The ground got its upgrade - a 3G pitch included - but it's still a delightful place to visit.

Avro are certainly a forward-thinking club. That much was already evident from their move to the Vestacare Stadium which enabled them to step up from the Manchester League.

They've also got a good social media presence and seem full of of ideas to keep the club moving in the right direction. One of these was the APPP deal which I was offered at the turnstiles - admission, a pie, a pint and a programme for just a tenner.

Sadly I was driving and had already eaten lunch as well as a beast of a breakfast (my bribe for joining everyone else in the house in watching England's peanut huggers fail in their mission to bring glory to the nation) so I gave it a miss.

When you enter the Vestacare Stadium you quickly notice that, were in a speedboat, the front end would be up in the air, clear of the waves, while the back end would be almost down to sea level, the water occasionally lapping over the side.

That's because everything is at one end of the ground.

Next to the turnstiles is the smart, modular Vestacare Louge, which looked a very cosy and comfortable place to be on a wet, miserable day such as this.

Adjacent to that is a small, elevated area of covered standing which very much reminded me of a much bigger version of the shed my dad built for me in our back garden when I was a little kid and into which I decided I was going to run away to and live in after an argument with my parents about not eating my greens or something (I. obviously, didn't stay there for more than a few minutes because it was cold and wet and I hadn't packed anything except socks).

And on the other side of that is a concrete standing area in front of some temporary buildings housing the loos.

The main stand stretches out from that corner towards the dugouts and faces a small covered bus shelter-type covered area with tilt-back seating at the rear.

Both of those structures were pretty essential on a rainy day such as this - as was a half-time cuppa, available by walking out of the main entrance, across the car park and into the bar/function room.

Things are really taking off for Avro. They've already been promoted since moving into the NWCFL, they've moved to a new home and invested in it and they reach out to supporters through social media. And they've still got a ground that's worth a visit for any floating fan.

AVELEY v BOWERS AND PITSEA

PARKSIDE

FA TROPHY PRELIM RD

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

GROUND NO 220

ACCORDING to TripAdvisor's list of top attractions in Aveley, the best place to visit in the small Essex near the Dartford Crossing in Belhus Wood Country Park.

In fact, according to TripAdvisor it's the only attraction in Aveley.

We groundhoppers know better, of course, and we spare a thought for those feeding the ducks when they could be watching a match up the road.

Parkside, a modern £4.8m hub of footballing activity has been Aveley's home since as recently as 2017 when they left Mill Field, a stone's throw away, after 66 years.

With its 4G pitch and state-of-the-art main stand which incorporates a generous sized bar/function area, changing rooms and all he usual stuff, Parkside is very much in demand.

Fellow Isthmian League North club Grays Athletic groundshare there, as do May and Baker of the Thurlow Nunn League and it's available for community use too.

Aveley have fully embraced the modern way of life, even producing a download only programme, available by scanning a QR code on the bar window.

I decided to that too - holding a public poll on my new Twitter account to determine which game I should go to. Thanks for voting, everyone!

As a new build, Parkside is neat, tidy and functional but, you have to be honest, without a massive amount of character. 

However it suits the club's needs perfectly and, let's face it, that's what we want, isn't it? 

There's no point in playing at a rickety old ground that people who write non-league blogs drool over if it costs a fortune to maintain and therefore jeopardises the club's very existence.

And the architects back-heeled any thoughts of designing the main stand as a standard, symmetrical block - its roof sloping down at one end as if the giant wooden terrace statue at Dartford had  hitched a ride through the tunnel and sat on it.

Parkside has covered seating on both sides of the pitch and bus shelter-style covered standing areas at each end - ideal on a wet and miserable day like this.

The latte from the tea bar went down a treat and the big screens in the bar showed both the early and late Premier League games on Sky as well as Soccer Saturday at half-time.

So there you go - there's much to like about Aveley's modern home. Someone had better tell TripAdvisor about it and offer an alternative to a day in the woods.

CROYDON v MERIDIAN VP

CROYDON ARENA

SOUTHERN COUNTIES EAST LEAGUE DIVISION ONE

OCTOBER 12, 2019

GROUND NO 219

EVERONE has a local hero - someone who is revered by the community for bringing honour to the area. Someone whose name is the stuff of legends, whose exploits can be recounted by those far too young to remember them personally.

In the Norwood area of Croydon the hero is a little furrier than most - and a little more partial to Bonios and having his tummy tickled.

Pickles the dog became a national hero in 1966 when he found the World Cup in Upper Norwood after it had been nicked in London ahead of the finals being staged over here.

We all know what happened next, but had Pickles the pooch not spotted the gleaming Jules Rimet while out for walkies with his master, those pictures of Bobby Moore being triumphantly chaired round Wembley by his jubilant team-mates would have looked very different.

So in honour of their local hero, The Trams have a mini statue of Pickles and the World Cup on their clubhouse. He's also wearing a Croydon scarf, but I suspect they might have made that bit up.

The Croydon clubhouse simply screams non-league - its fascinating collection of pennants, newspaper cuttings, trophies, shirts from famous ex-players (England Ladies star Hope Powell being the most notable) as well as the Pickles memorial making it a min museum of Croydon FC history.

The locally-brewed Kotchin beer was decent too.

So it's kind of strange that when you walk through the exit door of somewhere so quintessentially non-league, you walk into an athletics stadium.

It's a football stadium too, of course. Always has been, Croydon FC was formed specifically to play at the Arena when it opened in 1953. But the eight-lane running track, the giant net around the throwing circle, the hurdles... 

The running track takes away that intimacy that you get at other grounds and that's a shame because Croydon are a lovely club to go and watch.

The first thing you see when you enter is the 'Megastore'  - a table with a new bits and bobs - everyone seems friendly and helpful and there's a real sense of pride about the place.

It was Non-League Day when we visited and fans could pay what they wanted at the smart, modern, turnstiles but the rain kept many would-be spectators away, leaving those who did attend to seek refuge from the elements in the squat, 388-seat main stand or in the covered standing areas on the opposite side of the pitch.

On a nice day they could even have taken a seat at the tables and benches on the elevated section outside the bar (maybe while raising a cool glass Kotchin to the heroic Pickles) before heading off through the car park after the game to the conveniently-located Arena tram stop.

Next time, maybe...