WALTHAMSTOW v LONDON LIONS

WADHAM LODGE

FA VASE 2ND QUAL RD

OCTOBER 10, 2020

GROUND NO 230

HERE'S a quiz question which will never be asked, but it would be great fun if it was.

What's the connection between William Morris, punk and non-league football?

Answer: Walthamstow FC.

The non-league connection is obvious. Walthamstow FC have been around in various guises since being formed as Leyton FC in 1868 and can lay claim to being London's second oldest club.

Then there's textile designer, poet and posh socialist Morris. He was born in Walthamstow and the rear wall of the main stand has been given a striking makeover featuring one of his patterns. Very impressive it is too.

And as for punk - well if you're a 50-something spiky top like me, this is the place to come for some banging pre-match and half-time tunes. Guns of Brixton by The Clash, Babylon's Burning by The Ruts - heck, the presenter even brought it up to date with BHS by electronic punks Sleaford Mods.

In fact that's far from the only reason to come to Wadham Lodge.

By their own admission the club's history is less than straightforward. They've had more names than Kaliningrad - in fact they've only had the Walthamstow moniker since 2018 - and spent five years in exile not so long ago.

But you get the definite feeling that this a club back on the right track.

Wadham Lodge - also home to a cluster of well-used community pitches - catches you by surprise as you drive along Kitchener Road, a tight residential street round the corner from the North Circular Road. The mouth of its big car park just kind of opens up in front of you.

Entry is next to the big building housing the changing rooms and clubhouse, I'd got there early with the intention of having a pre-match cuppa but disappointingly there was no sign of a tea hut.

That was probably the only negative though - and the programme was a massive plus. Loads of reading including some imaginative and well-researched features - the best quid I've spent since pulling Greece out of the hat in a sweepstake for Euro 2004.

To the right is the stand, which would be an otherwise unremarkable modern steel structure had it not been Morrised up.

At either end are shallow banks of concrete terracing, both covered entirely by a corrugated iron and scaffold arrangement that looks as though it was meant to be a lot more temporary than it's turned out be. Most welcome in inclement weather, mind.

On the side, where the dugouts are situated, is a hard standing area with a small terrace in the middle, imposing homes - many extended to within an inch of their lives to serve London life - peer down from the other side of the perimeter fence.

Walthamstow haven't had an easy time of it in the past but there's a really positive vibe at Wadham Lodge - and not just when the matchday presenter is playing his tunes.

WITHAM TOWN v HANWELL TOWN

SIMARCO STADIUM

FA TROPHY1st QUAL RD

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

GROUND NO 229

THE phoenix on Witham Town's crest represents the club rising again from the ashes after the Second World War, having folded when hostilities broke out.

After a difficult start to the 2020-21 season, they could do with the mythical creature flapping its feathered wings and bidding the flames goodbye again if they're going to rise again from a difficult start to the season. 

A whopping 7-0 home stuffing in the Isthmian League North Division the week before and now an early exit from the Trophy.

But with only 15 fewer fans heading through the turnstiles for the visit if Hanwell, it seems most of those who attended the drubbing by Hullbridge seven days earlier were prepared to give it another go. Good on them.

They'd have entered through the turnstiles and emerged in the Tony McCulloch Stand, a small seating section on one side and standing on the other. 

Like everything in the Simarco Stadium it's low lying and the video gantry above the seats pretty much doubles its height.

We did a left and headed past a new brick building in the throes of being constructed and headed towards the clubhouse - in truth because there was a chilly breeze and we were keen to warm up a bit rather than because we fancied a pint.

As it turned out we couldn't find an entrance - I ready later it's only accessible from outside the ground so I guess that explains that - although an open window and a queue signaled that the tea bar was open.

The grassed area with picnic tables, sat back and fenced off from the rest of the ground would have been a great place to sit with a drink and a snack had autumn not waded in with its size nines and sent summer packing.

On the opposite side of the ground ins another modest stand, stretching either side of the halfway line and also containing seats.

And behind each goal are covered sanding areas. There's a commendably large amount of covered areas in the Simarco Stadium and the proliferation of steel around the ground suggests there's a sheet metal worker somewhere in  north Essex who got the beers in after celebrating being given the Witham Town gig.

A compact and functional ground, the Simarco Stadium - opened in 1975 - is neat, pleasant and worthy of its Isthmian Leauge status. A few goals and the home fans will find it an even better place to be.

On Twitter? You can follow me at https://twitter.com/Pavedwithgoals

WILLINGTON V HEATON STANNINGTON

HALL LANE

NORTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION TWO

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

GROUND NO 228

THE picture on the cover of the programme shows a jubilant group of players proudly parading a glittering trophy at a packed-to-the-rafters Wembley Stadium.

The occasion was the FA Amateur Cup final in 1950 and Willo had just tonked neighbours Bishop Auckland 4-0 in front of 88,000 fans to lift the famous and prestigious silverware.

Since then there have been some tough times for both Willington AFC and the former pit village in County Durham in which they're situated.

The pit closed in 1967 and the effect on the community was felt like a miner's pick axe crunching into the coal seam. Sadly it was a familiar story in many villages around the North-East - an area that's close to my heart.

And the club, who had twice reached the first round of the FA Cup and indeed took Blackburn Rovers to a replay in 1974, suffered a decline in fortunes in the 80s. They even lost their Northern League status and twice finished bottom of the Wearside League in the Noughties.

But this is a proud club and a proud village.

Not content to rest on the laurels of past glories or dwell on the lean years, Willo are a  club for the here and now. 

Their social media presence is chatty, friendly and informative - and I felt welcome at the ground before I'd even made the 300-mile journey to get there. They've got a supporters' app for the die-hards too and you can't get more up-to-date than that!

I'd been told by a Heaton Stannington fan on Twitter that this would be a great trip for a discerning groundhopper... and he was spot on.

I fell in love with non-league football because of the Northern League, and because of grounds like this.

After parking up in the quiet residential area that surrounds the ground and passing through the entrance you immediately sense the rich history of this famous old club.

The main stand glares at you from the other side of pitch. With five rows of bench seats on a concrete base straddling the halfway line, WILLINGTON AFC screaming at you in big, white letters at the top, it has a beautiful starkness to it. It even has a press box you know.

There are small, covered areas behind each goal, sitting neatly in front of grass banking.

You could imagine, in days gone by, these grass banks being filled with fervent fans, rattles in hand, cheering on their side - many of them perhaps with coal-tarnished faces after rushing from a shift at the pit.

Opposite the main stand is a modern changing room block with seats for officials in front. To its left is the tea bar and the Jackie Foster Terrace.

Opened in 2017, this area of concrete steps (and two benches) was named in memory of former player Jackie Foster.  His son Lee helped with construction and some his ashes are buried within one of the steps. A nice touch.

Like the rest of the ground, it's very well maintained. Hats off to those who look after it.

Sitting back from the pitch next to the entrance is the clubhouse - small but functional with Sky TV, an array of trophies and a white wonderful framed poster for that FA Cup clash against Blackburn.

A combination of the warm weather (well it was when the match kicked off, anyway....) and these crazy days of social distance protocols meant there were tables and chairs outside as well, offering a splendid opportunity to watch the action while supping a pint. 

I might have done just that if I hadn't done my bit to support the licensed trade in rather eager fashion the night before.

The Willo supporters were enthusiastic throughout the match - even more so after watching their side battle back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

I'd endured six long months without a live football fix because of the Covid-19 crisis and I genuinely couldn't have picked a better match or a better ground to end that wait.

On Twitter? You can follow me at https://twitter.com/Pavedwithgoals

WALTON CASUALS V HENDON

ELMBRIDGE XCEL SPORTS HUB

SOUTHERN LEAGUE
PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH

MARCH 7, 2020

GROUND NO 227

ALRIGHT, hands up. I admit it - I made a schoolboy error.

After arriving at the Herds Renault Stadium, home of Molesey FC, the sight of more cars leaving an already fairly empty car park than arriving aroused suspicion.

And sure enough, a quick glance at the club's Twitter feed confirmed that the game against Badshot Lea had been called off because of a waterlogged pitch. Some hours earlier... 

Oh well, I'd checked that morning but clearly should have done so again before setting out.

A quick glance at the quite wonderful London Football Guide told us that Walton Casuals were at home and the ground was only a five-minute drive away.

Result! The groundhopping equivalent of an 89th minute winner after being outplayed all game.

When you approach a new ground for the first time, it's often the first sighting of the floodlights that offers a tantalising glimpse of what lies within - as well as giving a useful clue as to where you should be heading.

That scenario bcomes a little clouded at Walton due to the sheer number of floodlights. Due to the Casuals' home (which they share with Walton and Hersham), an adjoining athletics stadium and a number of five-a-side pitches being housed in the complex, you're greeted by a sea of floodlight pylons.

Apparently the team's original crest bore the motto "suprr ominis superbia", which by all accounts is spelt incorrectly but means "pride above all". Maybe the Latin for "floodlights above all" would be more appropriate these days.

The Elmbridge Sports Hub sprawls across an area that was previously the site of the Stags' Waterside Stadium home.

They had to groundshare elsewhere for two-and-a-bit seasons while the £20 million transformation took place, eventually taking up residence in September 2017.

The development wasn't without controversy, with a revised planning application needed and fears raised last year that it may even have to be demolished following a process of legal to-ing and fro-ing prompted by concerns over building on green belt land.

Thankfully it's still here and it's clearly a tremendous community asset.

And it still has that new feel to it too. You almost expect cellophane to still be on the clubhouse windows and the price tags still stuck to the 500 seats in the main stand,

The ground is smart, tidy, functional and spacious and there's a nice, big car park too.

It does its job perfectly but, without doing it down, if you're a discerning groundhopper with an eye for character, eye-catching architecture and memorable features, this isn't one that's going to feature high on your 'must visit' list.

The main distinguishing feature is the main stand which serves both the football and athletics stadiums - the clubhouse at the top designed to be shared by spectators of both sports. Although presumably not at the same time. 

Straddling the two stadiums with its flat roof and seats cascading down either side, it looks like a giant coffee table as you approach it.

Aside from that, it's flat, uncovered standing all around the 3G pitch.

All in all, not a great deal to wax lyrical about - but the match (which turned out to be an enjoyable 1-1 draw) was on and therefore saved me from paying the price of that basic error earlier.