Broadwell Amateurs - The Hawthorns

Broadwell AFC

The Hawthorns

Poolway Road

Broadwell 

Gloucestershire 

GL16 7BE

 

01594 837097

Official Website

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Ground Number: 1083
Friday 8th July 2022
Broadwell Amateurs 0-1 Cinderford Town
Friendly

BROADWELL AMATEURS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1905 and spent its early history at various venues including The Purples Coalway and Wynols Hill before moving to their current home of the Hawthorns in 1947. Gradually over the years, they built up their facilities including changing rooms in 1963 and a bar in 1982 with a further expansion in 1989. They've been long-time members of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, being crowned champions in 1926, 1947 and 2015. The club has had two spells in the Gloucestershire County League. Firstly between 1994 and 2000 where they struggled generally with a standout finish of 8th in 1998. They returned to the league in 2015 and have fared better. They;ve finished 6th twice, including last season which is the best in their history.

Local cup wins include the Gloucestershire Northern League Cup in 1926 and 2009.  The village of Broadwell is located on the western edge of the Forest Of Dean and it has a rich history of coal mining. It's located a mile from the market town of Coleford and together they have a population of around 9,000. As well as history in iron making, Coleford adapted more ably to the mine closures of the 1950s than its neighbour, Cinderford. Their prime location in the heart of the Forest makes them popular with walkers and cyclists and the local council has made moves to encourage further visitors. The large factory in the town, originally called Carters, then Beechams, then GlaxoSmithKline, is now owned by the Japanese firm Suntory. It is the sole production facility for Ribena and Lucozade. One surviving building is the former goods shed for the defunct railway line to Monmouth. This now houses the Coleford GWR Museum.

MY VISIT

I was really struggling to find inspiration for the Saturday game of this week as everything I fancied was a fair way away and difficult by public transport. That meant I'd have to drive but what with petrol as pricey as ever been, I was hoping for a double. In the end, I opted to stop over on a Friday night. The first choice was Swanage Town & Herston, but with that a fair way away and limited options in the area on Saturday, I was reluctant. In the end, I spotted Broadwell Amateurs, this was compatible with at least a double on Saturday and had the potential to be a nice place to visit in nearby Coleford. Even better, there was camping available right next door to the ground for a tenner a night. It was a bit bare-bones with no washing facilities but I was happy to accept that to get something pencilled in. It was all a bit of a rush with me booking it on my phone on Thursday afternoon. There were a few pubs of interest to visit, but they would not be as good as the Red Lion in Swanage who finally replied to me after a couple of days to say that they had up to 50. That would most certainly be near the top of my list to visit, preferably on public transport but for now, I concentrated on planning my weekend.

I rushed home on Thursday with plenty to deal with. I got all my camping stuff out of the loft and finished my blog from Wednesday night's trip to Lincoln Moorlands Railway before dinner. I then researched Broadwell Amateurs and Canton Liberal for my blog but I was unsure what the rest of my Saturday would look like. I had to sort quite a bit out on Friday morning which meant I was late leaving for work but luckily the roads were nice and clear. The good news continued when I received an email from Cardiff City, saying they'd sort me out a ticket for their game next door to my first game at 1 pm, making a nice, easy double. It was a pretty horrible day again, with the public coming in en masse, coughing and spluttering and generally acting like savages. Even worse, poor Cinderford noted on their Twitter that they'd been broken into again and really my estimation of the public (aside from mates and football people) could not get much lower. I was glad when 3 pm came and it was finally time for parole.

I left at 3.20, opting to go via Oxford which was estimated to be seven minutes slower but saved 30 miles. In the end, the only real delay was a couple of areas in Oxford although there were plenty of slow drivers on the single carriageways. I got to Coleford at 5.40, driving past my campsite on the way to Lidl. I stocked up on something to eat and a few cans before going back to the site and pitching up. It was all done pretty quickly and at 6.20, I walked the five minutes to the ground. Entry was a well-priced £2 and it looked to be a healthy attendance which would have helped out the club for the upcoming season. There was only Stowford Press on tap and so I stuck to my cider cans and bottle of Irn Bru.

Broadwell Amateurs were in red and navy stripes whilst Cinderford who played a few divisions higher, in the Southern League D1 West were in black and white stripes. The visitors had the vast majority of possession early on but seemed content to knock it around the back. Broadwell defended well and had a few chances on the break but tended to snatch at them. On 51 minutes, Cinderford were awarded a penalty, following a clumsy challenge by a Broadwell man. Ben Brooks stepped up and converted the spot-kick, sending the keeper the wrong way. Later on, Cinderford got another penalty, but this time it was blasted over the bar. In the end, it remained 0-1. It was a deserved win for the visitors, but Broadwell did themselves proud as a team and a club. No official attendance was given, but I'd guess around 200 were there.

From the game, I walked into Coleford for a couple of drinks. There were three pubs where WhatPub did real cider and so I headed to the best-looking one, the Dog House. There was a decent selection, but none of it was great, all to sweet for my liking. Nevertheless, I had a pint of Snailsbank Pig Squeal. It was pleasant enough and true to the pub's name there was a pair of very friendly dogs there that were keen for a bit of attention. It was a nice play to rest and catch up with things. I did have a brief walk to the Angel Hotel and Feathers Hotel but they had nothing of interest. Instead, I went back to the Dog House and had a pint of Farmer Jim's Copper Top. Again, not great, but it made me feel good. After that, I headed to the Hong Kong House Chinese for something to eat. The salt and pepper chips were great, amongst the best I've had but the Singapore Chow Mein was not the greatest. It was then a mile or so back to my tent with me arriving back just after 11 and falling asleep pretty quickly.

THE GROUND

THE HAWTHORNS is an excellent venue for step 7. The pitch is fully railed and has a path all the way around. There is also a small covered stand on one side as well as some grass banking. The bar offers a basic range of drinks and has a lot of club memorabilia on the walls. For more choice, the town of Coleford is a mile away and has plenty to offer in the way of food and drink.