The Wycombe Wanderer

AFC Turnford was established in 2020 by a group of mates from Turnford School just wanting a kickabout. They started in Sunday football, playing in the East Herts Corinthian Sunday Football League. Starting right at the bottom in Division 6, they finished 5th in their first season. That league was scrapped the following year, and the club made the most of it, lifting the Division 5 title in 2022. The league shrank again and the 2022/23 season saw AFC Turnford finish 5th in Division 2. They improved to 4th the following season; that was good enough for promotion to Division 1, by now the top tier. Their final season in Sunday football saw them finish 3rd behind FC Broxbourne and Hertford Stags. Last season, they made the switch to Saturday football, namely the Herts Senior County League Division 1. It was a successful transition as they earned promotion to the Premier Division as runners-up behind Everett Rovers Reserves.

The club won the Hertfordshire FA Saturday Intermediate Cup in 2026, beating Croxley Green 3-2 in the final. This added to their Sunday League cup triumphs, which are harder to find information on. Turnford is a village in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire. Including Wormley, where the team now plays their games, the area has a population of just over 8,000. The name appears to have Saxon origins and is probably a compound of Old English tun and ford - the ford by the farm. Turnford lies in a site where evidence of Palaeolithic, Late Bronze Age and Iron Age relics has been recorded. By the late Saxon period, the village existed as a farm belonging to the manor of Cheshunt. A Benedictine nunnery was established in the 12th century on Turnford Marsh. Part of the medieval buildings survived within a farm until gravel quarrying destroyed the remains in 1955. Footballer Ossie Ardiles lived in the village whilst playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1970s and 1980s. Famous people who went to the school that helped establish AFC Turnford (now called Haileybury Turnford) include Laura Trott, the cyclist and GB's most successful female Olympian.

MY VISIT

For my first 'silly season' game of the year, I had a couple of choices in the Hertfordshire League, namely AFC Turnford or Norsemen. The latter was easily doable on the train and with a potentially good day out in London, I wanted to save it. Having been down to just one ground in this league last season, there had been three new teams promoted up. Owens had been up for a couple of years but had proved elusive thanks to cricket being played when the weather is warm. Therefore, a midweek tick was near impossible, with an alternate school pitch being of no interest to me. In addition to the two aforementioned teams, Ware United had come up, but that was quite a bit further away from home. Initially, I was a bit annoyed that I'd have to go to Wormley for a side pitch, but a look at AFC Turnford's YouTube channel changed my mind. Despite having only been formed in 2020 and playing at a lowly level, their content was fantastic. Hashtag United were one of the first teams to do this, and I enjoyed visiting their own base, despite them having no location associated with their name. The latest video confirmed they were using the outside pitch and showed all the work, such as adding a rail, that they had to do to get up to step 7 standard.

From Lowestoft, it was a nice journey back. I had uploaded my blog just as I switched trains and saw plenty of nice Ipswich fabs when I changed trains. It was a rarity to see a train with a bar; maybe a good thing they only did Inch's, as I couldn't have any more with driving later. I was looking at the FA Cup results. Notable closer to home was Aylesbury United v Flackwell Heath being abandoned due to floodlight failure last night. That day Penn giant-killed Beaconsfield 2-2, and my game was set up for Tuesday as North Leigh and Amersham Town drew 2-2. Originally I was going to Spratleys Meadow for a league game against North Greenford, but the FA Cup is a big upgrade. There was a small delay on the way home, but it put paid to me getting an earlier tube home, and instead the next scheduled Amersham train was nearly half an hour away. Rather than waiting for the specific train, I took the first Metropolitan line train to Harrow on the Hill, where there were more options. It didn't help, as I had to wait for the original tube anyway, but it was a nicer, quieter place. I was back at Amersham by 10.30 and home fifteen minutes later. I had a pint and went to bed around 11.30.

Considering the lack of sleep, I didn't feel too bad after about four hours sleep on Sunday. It was a mega-busy day at work, and I was just glad to get out the door. I got a better night's sleep, and Monday was far calmer. I got another great night's sleep and woke up around 8. It was my usual 10-mile walk on my day off before I spent the afternoon at home. In the evening, I made my 20th visit to Spratleys Meadow to watch Amersham Town v North Leigh in the FA Cup, which brought out a bumper crowd. Sadly for Amersham Town, they lost 2-1, but it wasn't a bad game. The worst news, though, was that our game at AFC Turnford was off due to the solar eclipse. Over caution perhaps, but better than a wasted journey. With me struggling for a game on Saturday, I decided to do it again, planning the best value way to do it and with a good day before and after. As it turned out, the eclipse just made the sky slightly dim, a total overreaction by the leagues that postponed games - I've seen games continue in far worse than that. I was glad to see that AFC Turnford put out another video on Thursday, the final stages of them laying the concrete needed for the hard standing. A fair few players gave up their free time to help out, a lovely thing to see. Friday was a busy day at work; worst of all, I was told that I would have to start work at 4 am now. Nothing back from them, of course, such as two days off in a row, as flexibility only works one way. I'm still reluctant to leave, though, as I like the people I work with, especially my boss, and don't mind the job itself. Why take the risk when I could lose 25 years of service and end up working with people I don't get on with in another job?

In the evening, I made my third visit to Rayners Lane FC to watch Broadfields United v Ampthill Town in the FA Vase. I got petrol at Holmer Green on the way, and it was a decent journey until near the ground when a small patch of unattended roadworks added ten minutes to the journey. I was there at 7.35, getting the last space in the car park and paying £9 to get in. A quid more than I paid at Amersham Town on Tuesday, but normal now. I got a pint of Strongbow (£4.90) and some Peri Peri Chips (£3). The latter were 50p more than on the menu, but the money went to the club, and they were bloody delicious, so I didn't mind. I may return sometime to try the £8 Tithe Tower. Off the field, the club were great; on the field, less so. They started OK but Ampthill Town, a step below, took control. They were devastating on the break, not least their second goal, which came from a totally shambolic Broadfields free kick which was passed into the wall. 30 seconds later, Ampthill had roared up the pitch and bagged a goal. A feeble second-half attempt saw Ampthill go 3-0 up. But at 87 minutes, the game was dead and buried, but Broadfields finally turned up. A late rally saw two goals to make it 3-2 in what was a gripping finale. It was no surprise that the hosts had been pumped 6-1 by Herne Bay in the FA Cup in the week. Due to a substitution irregularity, this game must be replayed next Tuesday. Broadfields were happy to concede, but the FA had different ideas. But if they showed the will they had in the closing stages of those games, they'd have done themselves justice. It was 40 minutes to home, again a delay due to those pesky works, but I was in at 10.30 and had a couple of pints before bed.

I got off around 1, waking around 7 and going back to sleep for an hour. After getting ready, I left just before 9.25 and got the 9.45 bus to Amersham station. I just missed the Chiltern Line so it was a couple of tubes to London Bridge. Borough Market was excellent as ever, three messy tacos and a big bottle of cider were both delicious and good value for £12 each. From there I got the Northern Line to Liverpool Street, then a Weaver Line train full of Spurs fans to Theobalds Grove. The poor sods got off for another season of disappointment at White Hart Lane, and I finally got a seat. It was another 15-minute walk to Theobalds Grove, where I had a ten-minute wait for the 310 bus, sadly out of the TFL Zone. Sewage dumping scum, Thames Water's abandoned hole, and Christmas cracker traffic lights caused significant delays, which did the area no favours. Eventually we got to near the ground at 2.30, I went to a shop for supplies and got to the ground at 2.45, the pitch I needed was at the back.

Only one game had been played so far thanks to the league's eclipse phobia. Last Saturday AFC Turnford had drawn 0-0 with Owens whilst St Margaretsbury had been beaten 5-0 by Cuffley. There was a minutes silence; the game got going at 15:09. Turnford were the better side, #5 gave them the lead, sending back a clearance from a corner on 10 minutes. The referee, a Scottish guy, was taking no nonsense and told the players to concentrate on playing. Turnford were the better side, but lacked the cutting edge. 43 minutes in, it was all square; an interception from a defensive clearance was turned around and with the keeper and defence out of sync, the ball was swept into the empty net. Half time was a fair break, so I wasn't going to make that earlier bus. The second half kicked off at 16:20 after a 22-minute half-time. Turnford took the lead a minute into the second half, someone drilling home a cross because 'his missus turned up' according to a teammate. On 62 minutes, it was all square once more, an attack down the right and a finish from an acute angle. Turnford retook the lead on 64; a loose ball in the middle of the box was slotted home for 3-2. A drinks break broke the momentum of the game. Near the end, it was 4-2 Turnford as a cross from the right was headed home from six yards. The game ended at 17:13 with Turnford deserved winners.

THE GROUND

THE LIONS DEN is a solid setup for step 7, and thanks to the players, it was built very quickly. The pitch is fully railed and has dugouts on one side and hard standing on the other. It's set in a nice park with lots of parking. The ground has its own toilets and dressing rooms but shares facilities for food and drink with Wormley Rovers. The location is a bus ride away from the TFL network.

Saturday, 8 August 2026

Kirkley & Pakefield FC - Walmer Road Recreation Ground

Kirkley & Pakefield FC

Walmer Road Recreation Ground

Walmer Road

Lowestoft

Suffolk

NR33 7LE

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1571

Saturday 8th August 2026
Kirkley & Pakefield 1-2 Little Oakley

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

KIRKLEY & PAKEFIELD FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Although the club's official formation date is 1975, they can trace their history back to around the time of the Second World War when they were established as Brooke Marine FC. They were a works team for Brooke Marine shipyard employees. The club was well-established by the 1940s, famously winning the Suffolk Junior Cup during the 1945–46 season right after competitive football resumed following World War II. It was the 4th club to use the Kirkley name. They had to be known as Kirkley Town for a period of time, as local side Lowestoft Town owned the Kirkley FC name. They were long-time members of the Anglian Combination and progressed through the leagues in the late 1970s; by 1980 they were in the Premier Division after they won the Division 1 title, as well as the Division 2 title in 1978. They gradually dropped down the table and in 1984 were relegated to Division 1. They spent five years here before going back up as champions in 1989.

Kirkley stayed in the Premier Division for the rest of their time in the Anglian Combination, lacking the facilities to go up. It was after their third Premier Division title in 2003 that they met the ground grading criteria. They were placed in the Eastern Counties Division 1 and won promotion to the Premier Division in 2005 after a 3rd place finish behind Ipswich Wanderers and Needham Market. In 2005, the club merged with local youth side Pakefield, and they changed their name to Kirkley & Pakefield. They have been mainstays of the Premier Division ever since, finishing as high as 4th twice. Latter years have proved more tricky; they survived relegation despite a bottom-place finish in 2024 and have had two 14th-place finishes since.

Kirkley & Pakefield have reached the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round three times. The last occasion was in 2015; this was notable as they won 2-1 at Southern League side Beaconsfield SYCOB before losing 2-0 to Hitchin Town. They have also reached the FA Vase 4th Round on four occasions. In terms of local cups, the modern club has won the Suffolk Senior Cup twice and the Anglian Combination Knockout Cup in 2002. On 26 December 2005, the club played its first league match against Lowestoft Town since the 1934–35 season, attracting a record crowd of 1,125. The record appearance holder and scorer for the club is Barry Dale with 241 goals in 495 appearances. Sir Stanley Rous played amateur football as a goalkeeper for a previous Kirkley FC early in his life before a broken wrist ended his playing career and led him to a legendary career in refereeing and administration.

There have been clubs in the area before, though. Kirkley FC were established in 1886; they lasted for a year before merging with East Suffolk FC to create Lowestoft Town. A second Kirkley FC was established in 1890, mainly from the teachers from Clifford House and other schools. They reached the FA Amateur Cup in 1897. Plans to merge with Lowestoft at the end of the 1907–08 season due to financial difficulties were abandoned after the "Good Friday Fiasco", in which Lowestoft used reserve players in a league match against Kirkley to rest first-team players for the cup matches between the two clubs. They disbanded in 1914, and a third club was established in 1919 and won the Suffolk Senior Cup. After merging with Waveney Athletic in 1929, the club became known as Kirkley & Waveney, although they reverted to the name Kirkley in 1932. In 1935 they merged with Lowestoft Town and ceased to exist again.

MY VISIT

I always like to do a game in the FA Cup Extra Round if Wycombe are not at home. As it was a late start to the EFL season, I was in luck. There was also no shortage of games to choose from either, twelve in total. Although that only represented around 5% of the 200-odd ties on offer, so my experience was proving a hindrance to getting a cost-effective day out. I considered departures from Amersham, High Wycombe, Hemel Hempstead or Reading and put in some major work into finding the cost-effective option. Carlisle City & Penrith were good value for money but were way out of town, away from the railway station. They would also be a very late night ahead of Sunday, something I was keen to avoid. Kirkley & Pakefield turned out to be the value for money option as I could get a coach from Stratford to Norwich (£7), a bus towards Lowestoft (£3) and a train from one of Lowestoft's many stations to London (£20.42). Below for posterity are all of the 'deals' I could find, hampered by the lack of a nationwide open-age railcard.

2: Carlisle City v Northallerton Town - £53.60 + £13 to get to London & back

6: Penrith v Bridlington Town - £53.50 + £13 to London & back

8: Ashington v Horden CW - £116.30 + £13 to London & back

11: Guisborough Town v Thornaby - £102.90 + £13 to London & back + £6 bus

14: Knaresborough Town v Whickham - £88.70 + £13 to London & back

26: Thackley v Albion Sports - £70.90 + £6 bus + £13 to London & back

38: Beverley Town v Northwich Victoria - £84.50 + £13 to London & back

41: Burscough v Droylsden - £57.60 from Hemel

42: Keighley Town v Longridge Town - £64.50 + £13 to London & back

158: Guernsey v Crowborough Athletic - Flights around £200, plus getting there and back

212: Bovey Tracey v Exmouth Town - £57.50 from London, £13 to London & back, £6 bus

It was great to chat to some Wycombe fans I'd not seen for ages on the train from Birmingham to Wycombe. It put me in a decent mood as we recalled past games, 35 years on from my first ever game. It was a strange feeling being stone cold sober on my way home, but unlike last week, I did not need to drive home. We were back in Wycombe at 7.15 and saw some Ipswich Town fans whose team had scored a last-minute winner at Wycombe in a friendly. Happily, my local team Holmer Green won 2-1 at Deportivo Galicia. I got the bus home, which cost £3 and saved an hour compared to walking. I had a couple more drinks and a pizza before bed, to wind down before a week of work. The two days at work were not so bad, even if I was feeling quite jaded. I was pretty confident the game would go ahead, so I put in all my research into the club history and day out on Monday evening.

When doing my research about the game, I remembered the classic Alan Partridge quote. I have someone on the line who fears he may be gay. He's married so wishes to remain anonymous...I'm talking to Domingo in Little Oakley. Nearer to the ground, it was disappointing to see that no pubs had any local cider, so I'd probably eat and drink in Norwich or at the ground. Norwich had a cracking range of pubs. Two Wetherspoons, which I had yet to visit, and The Vine, with Thai food and great cider, which opened at 11. Sadly, the White Horse, which also looked like a cracker, opened at 1, which was too tight for bus times. I do intend to go back to Norwich again though as it was the same situation when I went to Mulbarton Wanderers. The regular buses - one every fifteen minutes meant it would be easy to be flexible, although I was looking to arrive around an hour before the game.

It was my usual day off and routine on Tuesday. One point of note was some obscene ticket pricing. Sheffield Wednesday were charging Bradford City fans £35.50 for their Thursday night SkyTV-covered League 1 game, and Morecambe were asking Bedford Town fans to shell out £26 on the day for their National League North game. Greed runs rampant through football, but at the other end of the scale, Barnsley were only asking £17 for their game against Bromley, a real bargain. Most of my grounds now are well-priced as the level is so low, even if you can still see a great game. I went to Holmer Green v Belstone in the evening; they themselves had put the price up by a quid, but it was still fairly reasonable at £8 for step 6. Especially when I could walk to the games. It was a rather flat first half, with Belstone dominating and taking the lead just before the break. Holmer Green were better in the second half but blunt up front. Belstone grabbed a second with fifteen minutes to go. A decent end to the game saw Holmer pull one back through Joshua Peck on 84 minutes and then have a spell of pressure. However, Belstone made it 3-1 on the break with a minute to go. Due to a good night's sleep on Monday, I didn't get to sleep until nearly midnight, leaving me jaded the next day.

Friday saw me finish work early at 11. That meant I had a nice time at home with a couple of drinks before I left at 3.30. I met Colin and had a pint and food in Spoons before he went off, and I went to the Rose and Crown. I had my final pint before the ground. It was a low-key game, but neither of our local stations were showing any interest whatsoever, playing generic music. I got to the ground at 7.15, and it felt very run-down and unloved; I'd not been in this section for a few years. The game saw Wycombe have much the better of the play, but we were utterly feeble up front. It was typical that basic errors were made and Stevenage grabbed a last-minute winner. I was initially concerned that I'd miss the bus if it went to penalties, but we were saved the hassle and made it back 15 minutes before the last bus. I was in just after 11 and had a pint before bed on a boozier-than-expected day. Overall, it was a disappointing evening, but good to catch up with some old faces. I took a while to fall asleep, but was more than ready to go when my alarm went off at 5.10. I got ready and drove to Amersham station, getting my required 6.22 Metropolitan Line tube into London. Had I missed that, it might have been game over already.

A change to the overground at Liverpool Street gets me to Stratford on the Greater Anglia train. I was 25 minutes early for my bus, which turned up as I was arriving. The bus was quite full, but I had the whole back row to myself. It was a nice, peaceful day without Colin. We were in Norwich half an hour early so I walked the 15 minutes to the Queen of Iceni. This was a massive place and was seeing fans from Norwich City v Milton Keynes enjoy an early pint. Good on them, and come on the Canaries. For me, the cider festival was not on the app, but a pint of Stowford Press for £1.99 was decent, albeit it took ten minutes to come. It was a nice relaxed stay, then another fifteen minutes to the Glasshouse Wetherspoons, 550 for me. I had a pint of Stowford Press, wings and a third of the Elderflower cider I needed to complete the festival. I thought this was a smaller but more intimate pub than the last one with better range and service. Then around ten minutes to the Vine. The original plan was to eat here but there were no menus on the table. It did for a pint of Crones Perry, which was lovely. Finally, I did need food; Pepe's offered an excellent Quesedilla meal, but it took a while, and I missed my original bus to Southwold. No worries, around the corner it was to the bus station for the X21, which should just about get me there on time. I had a bit of a nap on the way, got off at the Tramway Hotel and just made kickoff. It looked like a very decent setup. Entry was well priced at £8.

Both teams were at step 5 last season. Kirkley & Pakefield finished last season in 14th place and had won eleven, drawn three and lost twenty. This season they were yet to win in the same division, drawing one and losing two. Little Oakley, meanwhile, had won the Essex Senior League by a couple of points but were yet to start their campaign in the Isthmian D1 North, such was the league's desire for short seasons. It was the visitors who were on top, but they had several shots blocked. Kirkley, meanwhile, were left to try to create chances on the break, but it was 0-0 at the break. I got a club glass with my drink at half-time, which I'll add to my collection. Little Oakley broke the deadlock on 54 minutes, a neat finish from Tobias Braney. The lead was doubled on 72 minutes, a neat move down the right, the ball swept in and Adam Joyce applied the low finish. There was nearly late drama when Kirkley & Pakefield pulled one back in injury time, the captain Kieran Wing finishing from close range. There were a couple more chances which came to nothing as the hosts held players back rather than sending the keeper up. As it was, Domingo will be dancing in the streets of Little Oakley tonight. It was a 40-minute walk to Oulton Broad South, via Co Op for a bottle of pop and the Flying Dutchman for a relaxed pint of Aspalls amongst friendly locals. It took the edge off noisy children on the 18:11 to Ipswich, where I typed this blog.

THE GROUND

WALMER ROAD is a solid setup for the level. There is the rather predictable metal stand; this holds around 100 seated. At least the club has made an effort to decorate it in the club livery. There are also a few converted shipping containers; these provide covered standing for another hundred or so. It's a nice place to watch football. The extras are the best thing about it, though: a bar with a good range of drinks and branded club glasses. The food looked decent also, but I didn't sample. Parking was plentiful, and although you'll need a bus, the connections are regular and stop around ten minutes from the ground.