The Wycombe Wanderer

Caernarfon Town were established in 1937 and have played at their Oval ground since their inception. They were the sixth attempt at a football club in the town, following Carnarvon Athletic (1887 - 1893) and the delightfully named Caernarvon Ironopolis (1895 - 1903) and Caernarvon Colts and Caernarvon Royal Fusileers, which came together to form Caernarvon United from 1906 until 1930. From 1937, Town played in the Welsh League North, which they won four times and were runners-up a further three times. Their last title here came in 1979.

In 1980, Caernarfon were granted permission from the Welsh FA to move across the border to the English system. They started in the Lancashire Combination, winning the title in 1982. The league was merged into the North West Counties League and the club was placed in Division 2. They were promoted in their first season after finishing as runners-up to Radcliffe Borough. Then, in 1985, they were Division 1 runners-up, again to Radcliffe. This saw them promoted into the NPL with a best-placed finish of 3rd in the Premier Division in 1987. This was the second tier of non-league at the time. Results declined, and they were relegated to Division 1 in 1990.

When the Football Association of Wales (FAW) created the League of Wales (now the Cymru Premier) in 1992, they issued a strict ultimatum: any Welsh club playing in the English non-league pyramid had to either join the new domestic league, or they would be banned from playing on Welsh soil and be forced to take exile in England. Caernarfon Town were one of the 'Irate Eight' that held firm. The Canaries had to move their home fixtures roughly 100 miles away to Tameside Stadium, home of Curzon Ashton in Greater Manchester. For three full seasons (1992–93 through 1994–95), home games meant a 200-mile round trip for local supporters. Attendance plummeted, gate receipts dried up, and operating costs soared, putting massive financial strain on the club. The legal dispute culminated in the clubs taking the FAW to the High Court of Justice in London, arguing that the ban on playing in Wales was an unlawful restraint of trade.

Despite winning their case, following stagnation in the NPL D1, Caernarfon Town opted to switch back to the Welsh system and play in the League of Wales. Five seasons were spent here, including 4th and 5th place finishes before the club was relegated to the Cymru Alliance in 2000, but they bounced back straight away, winning the Cymru Alliance on the first attempt. For a long time, Caernarfon only finished in the bottom half of the Welsh Premier and were relegated again in 2009 following a bottom-place finish. The decline continued, and the club suffered a second successive relegation in 2010 to the Welsh Alliance Division 1. They finally bounced back as winners in 2013, their 5th place finish in 2011 at tier 3 representing their worst ever finish in the Welsh system. Despite winning the Cymru Alliance in 2016, Caernarfon were denied promotion due to licensing and administration issues. With the issues resolved, they were allowed up in 2018 and have remained in the Cymru Premier ever since. They have finished 4th four times, equalling their best ever Welsh system finish, which was initially achieved in 1997.

Caernarfon Town were regular entrants into the English FA Cup from 1979 until 1995. They embarked on a miracle run during the 1986/.87 season. After beating Marine, Winsford United, Eastwood Town and Chester Le Street Town in the four qualifying Rounds, they met Football League opposition in the form of Stockport County. The 1st Round saw them drawn at home and in front of 1,800, Austin Salmon scored the decisive goal to send them through to a tie against York City. After drawing the home game 0-0, they won the replay at Bootham Crescent three days later; the non-league side produced a sensational display, winning 2–1 thanks to goals from Steve Craven and Austin Salmon. After those two remarkable victories, their reward was a game against Division 2 side Barnsley. Again, they held the South Yorkshire side 0-0 at home. The memorable run finally came to an end in the replay at Oakwell, where Barnsley narrowly edged out the Welshmen 1–0 via a second-half goal from Rodger Wylde. This was under manager John King, more well known to me for his time at Altrincham, where he faced Wycombe Wanderers during my early years of supporting the club. Caernarfon also enjoyed several mildly successful years in the FA Trophy.

In 2026, Caernarfon Town won the Welsh Cup when they beat Flint Town United 3-0 in the final at Newport County; this was their biggest Welsh honour to date. Other domestic cup honours include the FAW Intermediate Cup/ FAW Trophy in 1978 & 2013, four Cymru Alliance League Cups and the Lancashire Combination Cup in 1980. They have entered Europe twice. In 2024, following a Welsh European Playoff win, they qualified for the UEFA Conference League. They overcame Northern Irish side Crusaders on penalties following a 3-3 aggregate draw. Their run came to end in an abrupt fashion following an 11-0 aggregate defeat to Polish outfit Legia Warsaw in the 2nd Qualifying Round. Their Welsh Cup win in 2026 gave them another chance, but they were beaten 10-0 on aggregate by FCI Levadia Tallinn at the first hurdle.

Caernarfon is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. The community (which includes Caeathro) has a population of just under 10,000. Abundant natural resources in and around the Menai Strait enabled human habitation in prehistoric Britain. The Ordovices, a Celtic tribe, lived in the region during the period known as Roman Britain. Caernarfon contains a Roman fort, Segontium, and a Norman motte-and-bailey castle was built at the mouth of the River Seiont. Caernarfon's historical prominence and landmarks have made it a major tourist centre. As a result, many of the local businesses cater for the tourist trade. Caernarfon has numerous guest houses, inns and pubs, hotels, restaurants and shops. There are many old public houses serving the town, including The Four Alls, The Anglesey Arms Hotel, The Castle Hotel, The Crown, Morgan Lloyd, Pen Deitch and The Twthill Vaults. The oldest public house in Caernarfon is the Black Boy Inn, which remained in the same family for over 40 years until sold in 2003 to a local independent family business. The pub has stood inside Caernarfon's Town Walls since the 16th century, and many people claim to have seen ghosts within the building. The most famous person from Caernarfon is David Lloyd George, who was Prime Minister of the UK from 1916 to 1922 and has an uncanny resemblance to TV legend Des Lynham.

MY VISIT

When I booked this time off in June, I was expecting to go abroad for a weekend away. However, six weeks ago, when I came to look at flights, the prices were sky-high. I soon discovered that this was due to half term starting. Families have long been victims of greed and surge pricing, but this was the first time I had encountered it, having previously avoided school holidays. However, my purchase of a season ticket at Wycombe Wanderers had restricted me to what weekends I could take off. It just happened that I drew the short straw, and I have stopped enjoying going to Wycombe because of the micromanagement and interference in first team affairs of our 'chief football officer ', Dan Rice. I resigned myself to a UK weekend, but there was the chance to visit Caernarfon Town. I knew Colin was keen, but he took five days to reply to my message. As a result, a room at £70 in Caernarfon itself was gobbled up, and we were forced to look further afield. The novelty of staying in a Wetherspoons was a big lure, so I booked a room in Ruthin for £99. This would get another Spoons ticked off, and £99 was the best deal I could get, taking into account the extra mileage to get to more distant places. It was a good day to do Caernarfon, being able to leave early morning and not having a Wycombe game the following day.

So, with it all booked a month before the game after Colin said he was 100% coming, I was disgusted when he video called me less than two weeks before the game, when I got a video call from Colin saying he was pulling out due to going up to his parents to get his tablet updated. A terrible reason, and I told him what I thought. He told me he didn't care because I barely give him any lifts nowadays, since I've done so many more games than him. He moaned that I'd done so many grounds before I met him and said that I was stupid for doing so. I have been trying to get through to him for six years, but he has lacked respect and consideration for others for a long time now, and I get taken for granted. He was with Martin at the time and thought that he would get him at his beck and call. Martin pointed out to him how poor his behaviour was, as did many hoppers. After a call with PuffPuff, he phoned his parents and rearranged to go up to them on Sunday. He subsequently apologised and sent me his half of the hotel money, a rare moment of self-awareness.

Having got back from Leicestershire at midnight on Wednesday morning, it took me until past 1 to get to bed and get to sleep. I woke at 3 for work with less than two hours of sleep, but felt fine after two big cans of energy drink throughout my six-hour shift. I was still wide awake by midday, by which time I had got my blog up but couldn't go for my walk because of the torrential rain. I got into bed to watch TV for half an hour, then slept for just over two hours to catch up. By 3, the rain had eased, so I had lunch before walking a few miles and getting my 10k in. I then caught up with some admin, starting work on this blog and research for the weekend. The club research took me a good couple of hours, such was their fascinating and complicated history. Thursday started well, with £140 landing in my bank account due to my claim for illness, which prevented me from going to France and Malta. It was also a good day at work, with me looking forward to time off. I was in a good mood until I started checking tyre pressures and noticed a bulge in a tyre wall, damage done by a poorly marked speed bump near Colin's whilst I was under the speed limit, by the way. It could have been worse and put the trip in jeopardy, but luckily I have a good local garage where I can just turn up and get things sorted, whereas many insist on an appointment. The bad news was that there were no budget options, so a £140 mid-range option it would have to be. It would have been stupid to have driven 500 miles this weekend, so I was glad that it could be remedied without having to rely on the spare. I was worried when I was left in the waiting room for an hour. I feared complications, but it just turned out to be poor communication by the staff. The manager apologised, and that was good enough for me; mistakes happen. I was gonna have a sober Thursday, but after that cost, I treated myself to a cider. A damn good one too, the 2024 Raison D'etre which was epic.

I got an early night and woke up around 6. After watching TV for a bit, I started tomorrow's blog, researching Ludlow as I thought I was going there. However, closer investigation revealed that Futbology was incorrect and I'd wasted an hour researching their history. Better than only finding out when I got there, though. I was surprised when Colin called to say he was at the bus stop at 9.15 and we were able to leave early. I was expecting the worst, traffic-wise, but there was only 20 minutes delay on the M42 and M6. I took it easy, knowing we had plenty of time. It was torrential rain most of the way up, but we got to Wellington at 12.20. It was a reasonable town; best of all, parking was free. It was a few minutes' walk to Wetherspoons 558, the William Withering. There I had Shawarma chips and lime cordial for under £6.50. We left at 1.30 and made our way to Ruthin. The Castle Hotel was the first Wetherspoons I've ever stayed in. I grabbed a free parking spot, less than ten minutes away and walked to the hotel. After checking in, I had a bottle of Old Crow cider before going up to the room. Colin had yet another sleep after sleeping most of the journey up, but the peace was welcome. I got on with my research for my replacement game tomorrow at Shawbury, even though the weather might put it in doubt. We left at 4.30 and walked ten minutes to the car. The roads were crap at first, but we soon made good progress on the A55 apart from a brief delay due to a lane closure. We were parked up near the ground at 6.10 and walked the 20 minutes into town. There was a lovely castle, but the target was Tafarn Y Porth Wetherspoons, where I had spicy chicken pizza and a pint of Black Dragon. We walked back to the ground, arriving at 7.20. It was a tenner to get in; sadly, not much merch was on sale owing to supplier issues with their new badge. I did manage to get a scarf, though, to celebrate completing the Cymru Premier. I also got a burger and a can of Fanta as the smell was enticing. It did taste as good as the aroma, with plenty of flavour, though I could have done with an extra patty or two.

Caernarfon were in 4th place having won eight, drawn two and lost three. They were in decent form, having only lost one of their last seven. Their last league game a couple of weeks ago was a 2-1 win at Haverfordwest; last week they won 3-1 at Flint Town United in the Cup. Briton Ferry were in 11th, having won three, drawn three and lost seven. They were in mixed form, but had beaten Afan United 5-0 in the Cup last week. They had travelled from South West Wales, four hours or 151 miles; such is the road network in Wales. It was an end-to-end game. Caernarfon took the lead in the 27th minute, a low shot from Sion Bradley. It was 2-0 on 31 minutes, Harry Charsley blasting home from the edge of the area. Briton Ferry had a couple of chances at the start of the second period but didn't take them. On 69 minutes, Charsley got his second to make it 3-0. Briton Ferry got a goal right at the death, deep into injury time. I didn't have the best view of the goal as it was down the other end. At least there was something for the 20 or so visiting fans that made up the crowd of 604.

THE GROUND

THE OVAL is a decent setup with seated stands on three sides. The main stand along the side holds around 250 and sits on halfway. There is also seated stands of around 400 behind each goal, one covered and one uncovered. The other side has dugouts and a scoreboard. The tea bar and bar at the ground are both decent, although there is no club shop. Merch is available upon request. There was no car park that I saw, but plenty of street parking. The town is 15 minutes walk away and is very scenic with a nice castle and a Wetherspoons.

Wednesday, 21 October 2026

Anstey Town - Beaumont Park

Anstey Town FC

Beaumont Park

Bennion Road

Leicester

Leicestershire

LE4 1ES

Ground Number: 1592

Tuesday 20th October 2026

Anstey Town 2-0 Boldmere Rangers

Midland D1

ANSTEY TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Although an Anstey Town side played in the Leicestershire Senior League between 1897 & 1899, the current incarnation of the team was established in 1973. For the first nine years, the current side played in the Leicester & District League before joining the Leicestershire Senior League in 1982. They were long-term members of the second-tier (currently step 8) Division 1 and won the title three seasons in a row between 2005 & 2007. The loss of their ground led to a nomadic spell playing in the North Leicestershire League between 2009 & 2013, with them winning the title in their final season. With a groundshare at Ellistown agreed, they could return to the higher level. Another long run in the LSL D1 followed with them moving to their current home of Beaumont Park in 2023 and winning the Division 1 title in 2024. In 2025 they were Premier Division champions; however, a lack of facilities meant that they would have to wait one more season for promotion. This came last season with a runners-up spot behind Loughborough Students Development.

Anstey Town had two FA Vase campaigns in the second half of the 1970s but lost both games. More stringent rules over league level prevented them from entering until this season, but they made up for lost time. They won 2-0 away at Clay Cross before a thrilling 4-3 win over Coalville Town. Their run came to an end in the 1st Round as they lost 2-1 to Lye Town. The game was played at Anstey Nomads due to their ground not being fully compliant as yet. Local cup honours include the North Leicestershire League Cup in 2012. In 2008 they reached the LRCFA Senior Cup Final, losing 2–0 to Blaby & Whetstone at Holmes Park. The club currently plays at Beaumont Park, around two miles by car or one mile by foot from Anstey. The large village that they represent has a population of 7,700, with the senior club that plays in the town being Anstey Nomads of the Southern League Premier Central. Anstey is known as the Gateway to Charnwood Forest. It is a combination of a traditional English village (with two village greens - the top green and bottom green) and an industrial town (with several 19th-century hosiery factories, many of which are now being turned into apartments) which is made up mostly of several small estates, both council and private, which are intertwined, often with no clear border.

MY VISIT

It was a rare new floodlit tick for me on this Tuesday. The last time I went to one was on the 2nd December last year at Stapleford Town. It would be the East Midlands again for me at Anstey Town as they faced Boldmere Rangers. These games were rare because of work, with me having an early start, plus a lack of options within a reasonable distance. I knew I would be knackered the morning after, but I didn't ask to be dragged out of bed at 3 am for minimum wage. I was having plenty of Tuesdays with no game now, as I only stayed local for revisits. My only concern was not driving tired, and with me having Tuesday off and getting a lie-in, I'd be fine. This was about the 3rd or 4th closest new ground for me at steps 1-6, with them being freshly promoted from the Leicestershire Senior League at the end of last season.

After getting back from Wales at 11.45 on Friday night, I stayed up until 2, having a few drinks and getting my blog up. I slept through until 8.30, which wasn't great for getting an early night later, but I didn't care. It took me a while to wake up and get ready, and as a result, I left for the Wycombe game 45 minutes later than usual. I still got my usual pre-match routine in: spoons for a pint of Black Dragon and Shawarma Chips, although the food took 35 minutes to arrive, so I ended up with a second pint. I got to the ground two minutes before kickoff, and although it was a dull game, Wycombe beat Notts County 2-0. It was our first home win in five and a half months, and it allowed me to justify a blowout in town after. I had a pint of Old Rosie at the Rose and Crown and a couple of pints at Wetherspoons before getting the bus home. I stopped at the Chinese takeaway for Pad Thai and Spring Rolls, which were delicious. I was home at 8.45 and had another drink with my meal as a nightcap whilst listening to the Legal Hour on LBC. I needn't have worried about not feeling sleepy, as all that drink sent me off to sleep at 9.45, with me feeling fine in the morning. It was a standard Sunday at work. Sadly, no football I fancied after.

I got through Monday too and had a great night's sleep, getting a six-hour lie-in, though I woke up for half an hour around 6 am. That would leave me fine for driving back, which was my main concern. The weather was gloomy and unpleasant, but the rain was not too heavy. I didn't need to go into town, so I got my 10k steps in with a local walk totalling six miles. I spent a few hours at home, researching tonight's blog and doing more research into Holmer Green FC. I left at 3.30 and got to Colin at 3.45; he was out within a minute. As we were leaving, Dave, AKA Hertfordshire Hopper, rang Colin and asked if we knew anything about the status of tonight's game. Rather than answer him, he put him on loudspeaker and got me to answer. I told him I was none the wiser, but we both decided to take the risk. Once he hung up, he berated Dave for being too lazy to look things up for himself. A bit rich given that Colin gets me to do all the research. He also moaned at Daniel for never driving, though Colin is not capable. To be fair, PuffPuff does use every trick in the book to avoid using his own car. The traffic was bad due to the school run, so we were sent a dreadful back route up to Redbourn to get the M1 from there. It saved time, but the roads were basically glorified footpaths with passing places. Thankfully, the hell eventually ended, and we started seeing some proper roads. The M1 was on good form, and we had a clear journey up to Wigston. It was a nice touch that we arrived just after 6 as the parking charges stopped. It was a few minutes' walk to Wetherspoons 557, the William Wygston. I ordered the buffalo burger deal with Cranberry Juice, excellent value and great service. We left at 6.30 and got to the ground just after 7. The guy on the entrance said the car park was for coaches only and sent us round to some motorcycle training place. We walked back ten minutes to find an empty car park, meeting plenty of familiar faces. It was a smart but bland setup, but entry was good value at £6.

Anstey Town were in 17th and had won four, drawn three and lost nine. A couple of points above the relegation zone, they had won 5-1 at Cradley Town on Saturday but had lost the four before that. Boldmere Rangers were in 21st, three points from safety. They had won three, drawn two and lost nine. They were six games without a win and had lost narrowly 2-1 to Coalville Town in their last game. They used to be called Smethwick Rangers and played at Boldmere St Michaels, hence the name change. They had travelled an hour, or 47 miles, to the game. Anstey started on the front foot and were 1-0 up on their second attack on two minutes. A corner was put in, a shot hit the post, and the rebound was gobbled up by Josh O'Brien from a few yards out. The game continued to have chances for both sides. The referee let the game drag on, though, with the half-time whistle at 20:39. At least the second half started at 20:54; again, it only took two minutes for Anstey to score, in similar fashion to the first, with a low shot by Micah Lawrence. The second half followed the same pattern as the first, with chances for both, although fewer than in the first period. We left at 9.55, the journey going fine until we were sent off to M1 early due to a closure. They were horrible roads at night, very narrow through Tring and with well-hidden speed bumps in Amersham. I dropped the ungrateful Colin off at 11.45, who again accused me of never helping him as I didn't want to do a long-distance revisit on a midweek. A two-hour drive to a ground I'd done within the past few years with a 3 am alarm. I was in at midnight and went straight to bed, though it took me a while to drop off.

THE GROUND

BEAUMONT PARK is on a large complex and is part of De Montfort University. Surprisingly, there is no proper car park for fans who have to park a ten minute walk away. The ground is basic but tidy, a new setup obviously. Three metal stands more than cover the ground grading criteria. There is a building outside that offers a basic canteen, but it is at least a warm place to relax. Prices are decent all round, and the people are friendly as always.