WALTHAM ABBEY v NORTHWOOD

CAPERSHOTTS

Isthmian League South Central Division

January 25, 2020

GROUND NO 225

AFTER King Harold got a closer look at an arrow than he'd have hoped for in the Battle of Hastings, word is that he was taken off to Waltham Abbey to be buried.

Whoever fired the bow that did for the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England was a decent shot, and make no mistake.

And if the spirit of King Harold is looking down over Capershotts, he'd have been pretty impressed by the shooting here too. Seven goals, including a couple of crackers, lit up a chilly afternoon on the Essex/Herts border.

On arrival we headed into the clubhouse on the other side of the car park after looking over at what we thought was the entrance and arriving at the conclusion that the turnstiles weren't yet open. 

Turns out they were actually boarded up and the entrance was around the corner but at least it was warmer inside and the early FA Cup game was on the big screen.

After locating the correct entrance we made our way in. It's still only eight quid for admission - I think I'm right in saying it's the cheapest in the league - so hats off to the Abbotts for keeping the price down.

The ground, tree-lined and hemmed in by allotments and a cemetery, is neat and tidy and predominantly decked out in green and white.

The exception is the concrete stand to the right of the entrance. Its rear wall is distinctively painted in alternate green and white blocks with WAFC in big letters.

But the seats are sky blue - and that's because they came from Maine Road in 2005 after Manchester City had moved to bigger and better things at the Etihad. And I believe the floodlights came from Walthamstow Avenue - so if you're moving out of your ground and need to get rid of some odds and ends, you know who to call.

Behind one goal is a pair of side-by-side covered terraces - one sturdy and permanent, the other covered by corrugated iron held up by scaffolding, Behind are the changing rooms.

Apart from that is hard standing all round.

By all accounts the pitch used to have a big old slope on it, and that's very noticeable as you compare the height on one side of the pitch to the other.

Waltham Abbey have made a lot of progress in recent years and were eying a play-off place on the day of our visit.

Maybe this is a battle the team representing the town that is King Harold's final resting place will win.

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

BRITISH AIRWAYS v TOOTING BEC

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.