Saturday, 12 July 2025

Spartans Youth - Carville Hall Park


Spartans Youth FC
Carville Hall Park North
Lionel Rd North
Brentford 
Middlesex
TW8 9QT







Ground Number: 1447
Saturday 12th July 2025
Spartans Youth 1-2 Spartans Youth XI
Friendly









SPARTANS YOUTH FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2006, but little could be found online about their early years, presumably because they are primarily a youth team. They entered the Middlesex County League in 2015, where they finished second-bottom of Division 1 West. The following season, they finished as runners-up to Lampton Park in the same division. In 2017, they joined the Surrey Elite Intermediate League, where they were runners-up to AFC Cubo in 2019. The league became the Surrey County Premier League in 2021, and the following year, Spartans Youth finished 5th. This was good enough for promotion to the Combined Counties League D1. They've been there for three seasons, finishing in a safe position without pulling up any trees.


Spartans Youth entered the FA Vase for the first time last season, but they lost 3-2 to Kempston Rovers at the first hurdle. They also won the Middlesex FA Intermediate Cup in 2021. In terms of younger teams, they run three junior teams in the Harrow Youth League and five junior teams in the Harrow Soccer Sevens Combination. The team was originally based at Carville Hall Park in Brentford, but they moved to Northwood FC to satisfy ground grading for step 6 football. From 2024, the club moved to Bedfont FC, more than halving the distance from their base in Brentford.

MY VISIT

This weekend was always going to be the Ciderdog Festival at The Miller near London Bridge for me. I had been there the previous year, and it had been well worth it, with a choice of 100 ciders at £4 a pint. Free entry too. Everything was made nice and easy with tokens and with smaller measures available, so I was able to sample a fair few new offerings. I think this was the 3rd or 4th time I had been to the festival, and I was looking forward to returning. It was a week earlier than expected, but that worked better for me. I, of course, needed a game. My first choice would be to get a Step 7 tick done, but they had not started playing yet due to the later start date of the leagues. Therefore, Spartans Youth were a decent option with them playing a Barnet side at their original ground. As they shared at Northwood, I was never going to be able to do a blog on them, having used that ground to talk about Northwood. When the Football Traveller came on Wednesday, some other options came up but I decided to stick with my original choice.
After Uttoxeter, it was a decent trip home. I'd been in amazing company and was in a great mood as I'd secured a great deal to visit Everton for the opening game at their new stadium. Not even the roadworks on the M1, which delayed me for 15 minutes, only to see ten blokes in hi viz scratching their arses and doing nothing could get me down. I was back at Colin's by 12.15 and home 15 minutes later and full of energy. I got my blog up and caught up on admin but was still wise awake. The planned 2 am bedtime came and went, so it'd be less than six hours of sleep. In the end, it was sometime between 2.30 and 3 that I went to bed. I woke up at 6.15 for the toilet feeling as fresh as a daisy and went back to sleep. When my alarm went off at 8, I felt a bit groggy. I freshened up, had breakfast and left at 8.50. The buses were all up the spout thanks to long running roadworks at the local crossroads. Personally, I dont agree with the utility companies having free, unfettered access to the roads for weeks on end. I'd charge them a grand an hour, plus fines for missing deadlines and plough the money back into the local area, benefitting the people that have been inconvenienced.
The bus was ten minutes behind schedule, but I was still making my train. In my haze last night, I had sent MK Chris a list of FA Cup games that I fancied doing on August 2nd. He counter-offered with the suggestion of dropping him at Crook Town and going to Bishop Auckland. It was far from perfect, but on a weekend of very distant games, it was the best offer on the table at the moment. It was a busy platform and a rammed train with several noisy children, standing room only. Marylebone was calmer and it was the Bakerloo and Victoria lines to Brixton for my first Wetherspoons of the day. The Beehive in Brixton was number 419 for me and was a decent place for a pint of Sandford Orchards Cherry and a breakfast muffin. Not my favourite type of cider, but pleasant and a new tick. With shopping well established here by the early 19th century, Brixton has long been famous for its shops and markets. In 1824, there were also seven pubs and six boot and shoemakers. In 1909, a shoe shop opened in these premises. Truform’s eventually closed in 1993 and became The Beehive. The pub takes its name from Beehive Place, at the rear, which was originally known as Back Lane and was built to serve those properties fronting onto Brixton Road.
The breakfast muffin was epic with sweet chilli sauce and trounces any other high street breakfast offering in my opinion. From there, it was a convenient hop on the bus to Clapham Junction with me whacking on 'Up The Junction' by Squeeze, a great song by a great band. Brixton had been a bustling, busy place with lots of people handing out religious flyers but it was quite nice. It got me to opposite Wetherspoons 420, The London and South Western in Clapham Junction. A very elegant building and although no cider festival leftovers, a good place for a couple of pints and fish and chips. Opening c1935 as Hastings Ltd’s flagship store (furniture dealers), this property occupied a row of shops on the Queens Parade site. The railway’s arrival changed the area, with the parade built after that. The first line opened in 1838, run by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). Others later extended lines across the area. The first station did not open until 1863, though, after LSWR had joined forces with rival companies to build one at Falcon Bridge, later named Clapham Junction. The meal filled me up and was way better than most chippies, other than the one opposite the away end at Rochdale.
It was just over five minutes to platform 5 at Clapham Junction. The train to Kew Bridge was a minute late but it didn't matter as it had a khazi so I could do a Donald Trump on the Harry Kane. I was at Kew Bridge just before 1.30 and it was a ten minute walk to the ground. When I got there, Sunderland fan and hopper Peter told me that Barnet had not turned up without notification. Spartans Youth and the referee were brilliant though, still playing an inter club game, much to the relief of the small number of hoppers that had turned up. It was a much delayed kickoff as players had to be drafted in after being given the day off. We got going at 14:33, much to my relief. In boiling conditions, it was the greens that were the better side, with the navy side having chances on the break. It took 31 minutes for the greens to take the lead, a low shot on the turn from just inside the area. The players then went off for a break. In the second period, it was more equal and the navy side equalised from the spot after a man was brought down in the area. A few minutes later, it was 2-1 to the Navy, the keeper parried the shot but it was followed up by the same player. Ten minutes later, the truncated match ended. Understandably, no one could reasonably expect players to play 90 minutes in this heat. I was just grateful to see a game and will be sure to go and watch Spartans Youth at Bedfont this season.

 

THE GROUND

CARVILLE HALL PARK is an excellent step 7 venue, being situated next to the M4 and a short walk from Kew Bridge station. There is a nice clubhouse, although this is just facilities for the players. The pitch is railed and has coloured goal nets, plus dugouts. It's in a nice part of the world, despite the road noise.

Friday, 11 July 2025

Uttoxeter Town - Oldfields Sports Ground


Uttoxeter Town FC
Oldfields Sports Club
Springfield Road
Uttoxeter
Staffordshire
ST14 7JX

01889 564347







Ground Number: 1446
Friday 11th July 2025
Uttoxeter Town 2-0 Stoke City
Friendly








UTTOXETER TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was formed in 1972 when they split from Uttoxeter Amateurs after a disagreement on the club's location. The club joined the North Premier Division of the Staffordshire County League. In the late 1970s, the club stopped playing Saturday football and switched over to Sunday league football. In 2012, they switched back to Saturday football and the Staffordshire County Senior League Division 1. They won the league at the first attempt, losing just once all season. The 2013/14 saw Uttoxeter Town finish as Wolstanton United in the Premier Division and this earned them promotion to the Midland League Division 1. They had a great season, finishing 5th but financial considerations meant that they dropped back down to the Staffordshire County Senior League. A 6th place finish was good enough for a return to the Midland League Division 1 in 2016. Their performance over the two pandemic-hit seasons was considered good enough for promotion to the Premier Division. They remain there to this day, although they have struggled. In 2023, they were given a reprieve following Winsford United's decision to drop down to the North West Counties Division 1 South, rather than play in the Midland Premier. They have made the most of their good fortune are still in the Midland Premier to this day. 


Uttoxeter Town have played just two seasons in the FA Cup. 2021 was the only season they progressed as they won 2-1 at Romulus before losing 7-0 at Chasetown. Their debut FA Vase season was also their best as they beat Bolehall Swifts, Loughborough University and Coventry United before they lost a thrilling game 4-3 to Coleshill Town in the 3rd Round. Local cup wins include the SCSL Presidents Trophy in 2013. The market town of Uttoxeter is located in Staffordshire and has a population of around 14,000. It is most known for its racecourse, built in 1907.  Coronation Street star Charlie Lawson aka Jim McDonald, is a big horse racing fan, racehorse owner and regular visitor to Uttoxeter. Famous former residents include Peter Vaughan, most famous for playing Grouty in the sitcom Porridge.


MY VISIT

Uttoxeter had been a long-term aim for me, what with it being the one I needed to complete the Midland Premier at the time. This was still the case, despite the league taking a shift northwards in recent years. It was just about doable in midweek, even with my early start. I'd had a couple of previous attempts, but with limited midweek fixtures available, it was easier said than done.  My last attempt was on 28th November 2023 for their game against Studley. However, perhaps not surprisingly, that was called off due to the weather. No further opportunities would come up, and it was still around £60 on the train, even with splitting and a long journey. So I was glad when the opportunity came up to do it in pre-season on a Friday evening. It turned out that it would be exactly 200 grounds later than expected.
From Tooting on Tuesday, the journey home was far easier than getting there, although it took a while to get going. Several sets of roadworks, including the complete eyesore at junction 10 of the M25 and 20mph speed limits hindered our progress. I dropped Colin off at 10.45 and got home myself at 11. It took me an hour to drop off, which isn't great with a 3:50 alarm. I was groggy at stupid o'clock and would be glad of a night in on Wednesday. Luckily, it was my short 6-hour shift on Wednesday, and after a small nap, I was fine. There was good news around lunchtime, with the announcement of the Somerset County League Hop for next April. Thursday was another easy day, although I was looking forward to the end of the week. I used Thursday evening to research next weekend's trip to Silsden and also to add a history to my Daventry Town blog ahead of my revisit there in a fortnight.
It was the usual hectic day at work on Friday, although it was good-natured and went quickly. I finished at 1, came home and put everything in the wash before relaxing at home for an hour. I left at 2.30 to get Colin, no issues with him for once. It was a reasonable journey until we hit the M42, where abandoned traffic cones slowed everyone down, damaged the environment and wasted fuel. No wonder everything takes ages to complete in this country. It was back roads all the way to Uttoxeter, Colin shouting abuse at the top of his voice when 'The Essex Twat' as he has it stored on his phone, kept ringing. After the eighth time, the novelty was wearing off. We eventually got there at 5.40 after stopping at Morrisons in Lichfield for petrol. It was a ten-minute walk to Wetherspoons, where another two phone calls came from Dan. It was a bit of a hoppers convention with many old friends in the Old Swan, Spoons number 418 was a decent place amongst good company. A pint, wings and chips set me up a treat, although I was still peckish. It was just over ten minutes back to the ground via my car, and £5 entry to the game was a bargain.


There was a minute's applause before the game, impeccably observed for the man of the moment, Dean Arnold. He was a former player and manager of the club, taken too young. The young Uttoxeter faithful were in good voice, and they erupted in delight when a close-range header by Dawson gave their side the lead on five minutes. It was all them for the first half, during which time the disappointing news that one of my favourite Wycombe players, Jasper Pattenden, had been sold. Old Dan twisted my arm, showing how easy it was to get a ticket on the Roma site for £25. That, together with a brilliant deal on the train from Hemel (£35), meant that it was too good to turn down when I might not get the opportunity again. The second half continued with the same balance of play. It was 2-0 on 78 minutes, another close-range finish down the opposite end to where we were, scored by Toprak. The game might not have been amazing, but it was good to spend time with brilliant people.


THE GROUND

OLDFIELDS is an unusual setup, with the clubhouse and dressing rooms a long way away from the ground. It's a nice clubhouse with lots of merch from the rugby and football clubs on display. The ground itself is quirky and unique, with a few standing areas behind one goal and two seated stands behind the other. The town is ten minutes walk away and has a Wetherspoons and many other places worth a visit.


Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Tooting & Mitcham U23 - Imperial Fields 3G


Tooting & Mitcham United U23
Imperial Fields 3G 
Bishopsford Road
Morden 
SM4 6BF







Ground Number: 1445
Tuesday 8th July 2025
Tooting & Mitcham United 1-2 Tooting Bec
Friendly






TOOTING BEC FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2004 and joined the Surrey South-Eastern Combination Junior Division 2. A 4th-place finish in their debut season was good enough for promotion to Junior Division 1. The 2005/06 season saw them finish as runners-up, winning another promotion to Intermediate Division 2. Tooting Bec would consolidate for a season before a 3rd place finish in 2008 was good enough for promotion to Intermediate Division 1. Again, they would spend two seasons here, winning their first-ever league title in 2010. This led to promotion to the Surrey Elite Intermediate League. Tooting Bec would have a lengthy spell here, finishing as runners-up to Virginia Water in 2017 before being crowned champions the following year. With this came promotion to step 6. They finished 3rd in the Combined Counties Division 1 in their debut season. In 2021, they were moved to the SCEFL Division 1, where they remain to this day. A 5th-place finish was achieved in 2022, but Tooting Bec lost to Sutton Athletic in the playoffs. They were at it again in 2023 after finishing as runners-up to Snodland Town. This time they beat Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers on penalties in the semi-finals but lost on spot kicks to Lydd Town in the final.


Tooting Bec have played a single game in the FA Cup, losing 3-2 at Guildford City in 2019. Seven campaigns have been played in the FA Vase, with two first-round appearances. Local cup honours include the London Senior Cup in 2022 and the Surrey South-Eastern Combination League Shield in 2010. The club has led a nomadic history, starting off in 2004 at Fishponds Playing Fields in Tooting for their first season.  In 2005, they moved to Prince George's Playing Fields in Raynes Park. They would need a groundshare to earn promotion to step 6, and so from 2017, they would groundshare at Tooting & Mitcham. In 2022, Kingstonian moved in with Tooting & Mitcham, so since then, they have lodged at Chipstead.


MY VISIT

When this game came out on Futbology, it was always going to be high on the list. A slightly earlier kickoff and a chance to use the research I had conducted on Tooting Bec. I'd intended to use this last season for a revisit to Chipstead; however, a farcical situation ensued. Tooting Bec forgot to bring their kit, and the referee was unwilling to accept any kind of a compromise. That meant 90 minutes of waiting pitchside, only for the referee to come out, blow the full-time whistle and scuttle off inside. The tie was rightly awarded to Newhaven, but I couldn't be too hard on Tooting Bec. They had been very helpful in letting Colin and me on the team coach for a reasonable fee to tick the isolated Lydd Town for a nice day out. Later, I discovered (or presumed) that the ground would be used for Tooting & Mitcham's U23 side, who had recently entered the Surrey County League at step 7, which made it well worth a visit.
From Portland, Colin and I had a three-hour journey back home. There were apparent delays around Basingstoke, but these disappeared. There was a short delay around Heathrow, but the journey went quickly as we listened to the Wales v Netherlands Women's Euros game. I dropped him off at 7.45 and was home around 8. The blog was typed up, a few ciders were consumed, and I caught up with a few things that needed catching up with. I was in no mood for sleep, a typical Saturday evening. Of course, with only 4.5 hours of sleep, I was knackered the next morning, but it is what it is with a 3.50 alarm on a Sunday morning. It was the standard Sunday, the first 4.5 hours were great as there were no customers, and I was able to listen to my audiobook whilst working. But then, the world and his wife came in and it was three hours of hell, especially when tired. Finally, 1 PM came and I went home and grabbed the hour or so's sleep that I'd missed. One of the things that attracted me to Tooting was the 7 PM kickoff, and I'd planned a day out on the train. However, with work in the morning, I decided to drive. I'm starting to appreciate the early kickoffs in the summer, what with an early start, but I appreciate that the vast majority of jobs work better with the later kickoffs.
Monday was a slightly easier day at work, but I was still looking forward to a day off on Tuesday. In the evening, I looked at potential FA Cup games to go to. The best day out would be Pilkington, with some decent-looking pubs in St Helens. However, even with split fares and some compromises, the fare still came out at £120.80. An outrageous 31p a mile, which is nearly 10p a mile more than driving alone. It's amazing how high the train fares are in this country. The day of the game saw me do my usual walk to town and back, noting some horrendously slow roadworks by O2 as something to avoid later. In the end, I spent the afternoon at home and was expecting to meet Colin nearby. However, he 'forgot to get the bus' and I had to make a five-mile detour to pick him up. It was a horrendous journey over to Tooting and Mitcham, taking two hours for little over 40 miles. It was all about saving time later, though. As soon as we arrived, I headed to the Shak, hoping for Jerk Chicken Pasta. However, I had to settle for the same on Fries as they'd sold out. It was excellent, though slightly pricey at £12.50.
There was slight confusion over what pitch the game was on, as the first 3G had random people playing on it. It turned out it was around the other side of the ground, and so we made our way there and paid £3 to get in. It was a competitive game, but it lacked much serious goal action. Tooting Bec in orange edged it but it was the black and white stripes of Tooting and Mitcham that took the lead on the half hour, following up on the keeper fumbling the high ball. On 51 minutes, it was all square, Tooting Bec attacking down the left and shooting across the keeper. It was not the finest of games, but Tooting Bec were the better side. They went ahead on 88 minutes, an attack down the right and a finish from close range. It must have been a disappointment for the home fans, who were friendly and welcoming. With the ground they have and the potential support, they should be capable of hosting National League South football, but find themselves three steps lower.
THE GROUND

IMPERIAL FIELDS 3G is a decent venue, as long as you don't confuse the two artificial pitches. You can walk the whole way around the pitch, and there is a raised platform on one side. With the addition of a stand, it could host step 5/6 football, but as it is, it's an excellent step 7 ground. Facilities are shared with the main ground, so there is the Caribbean stall Shak and the bar. The former is great, but can get a tad pricey, and the latter offers a basic range of drinks and sports TV.