THE WIBBANDUNE SPORTS GROUND
JUNE 26, 2021
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
GROUND No 231
OH Colliers Wood United, you little
tease!You know what London traffic is like, right?
Well the first glimpse you have of the
Wibbandune Sports Ground if you're heading in the direction of the city is on
the other side of the busy A3 central reservation barriers and that's as close
as you'll get to it until you've gone up the road and back again.
Within touching distance, yet out of
reach.
Your next glimpse will be about 15 minutes later when you've sat in a traffic jam for a bit, driven (slowly) up to the next junction, turned off and headed back from whence you came in order to access the ground which nestles next to the dual carriageway.
But, hey, when you've waited eight months to finally walk through the gates
of a football stadium, another quarter of an hour is neither here nor there.
I'd actually been the proud owner of tickets for England's Euro 2020 clash
with the Czech Republic the week before until the reduced capacity because of
Covid restrictions meant they were cruelly snatched back from my grasp by UEFA.
Actually despite this being a non-league friendly and not a vital European
Championship showdown, it was a much better game than the turgid snorefest at
the national stadium so, yep, it was good to be back on the groundhopping trail
after a lengthy lockdown-enforced absence.
You'll rarely come away from a ground occupied by a club this far
from the point of the pyramid (Colliers Wood play in the Combined Counties
League) and not find a lovely little quirk that makes you think: "This is
why I love non-league football."
At The Wibbandune it hits you straight away.
After turning off the A3, you drive into the ground, round the pitch to a
parking area between the back of the main stand and the training pitches....
then walk back behind the goal, out of the gates and in through the turnstiles.
It works though - very well organised and a programme for a pre-season
friendly too. Very impressive.
Our first point of call was the clubhouse, a neat brick building along one
side of the ground, short way from the the entrance.
Among the decorations on the wall are a number of Chelsea-related items
included a signed photo of the 2004-5 squad, although nothing obvious relating
to one-time Blue Steve Sidwell, who played for The Wood as a kid.
There is, however, a signed shirt from Leon Britton who played in the same
Colliers Wood youth team and went on to play for Swansea City in the Premier
League.
The building also houses the changing room and in front of it is a small
covered standing area and just the other side of it another covered area, this
one containing some benches.
Opposite is the main stand, the club's name spelt out on the roof,
and 102 plastic seats inside it.
The club were formed back in 1874 but have have been at The Wibbandune
(that's the Anglo-Saxon name for Wimbledon, where the ground is situated, in
case you wondered) because of the limited facilities at the recreation ground
where they played at the time, since 1991.
Since then, the ground has steadily evolved and improved. Among the recent
additions is a green perimeter fence which hems the ground in neatly but also
allows it to blend seamlessly into the woods behind the far goal. It also
allows the dog walkers and joggers to stop and take in some of the action
before heading off on their way again.
After eight months of **gesticulates wildly** all this - being back at a
football match was most enjoyable. Being at a homely and inviting ground such
as The Wibbandune made it even more so.
