AFC Oakley - Oakley Sports & Social Club

AFC Oakley

Oakley Sports & Social Club

Church Lane

Oakley

Bedford 

Bedfordshire

MK43 7RJ

AFC Oakley Website

Sports & Social Club Website

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Ground Number: 1547

Wednesday 22nd April 2026

AFC Oakley 5-2 Elstow Abbey
Beds County Premier

AFC OAKLEY - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1972 and has grown into providing football for over 500 players from Under 6's to Veterans sides, over thirty teams in all. They played at various venues before moving into the Oakley Sports & Social Club in 1981, a couple of years after that venue was established. They have been known under various other guises at points during their history, such as Oakley Sports and  AFC Oakley Sports M&DH (believed to be shorthand for Miller and Derry Hill). I was unable to find any tables pre 2002, but they have been a constant presence in the Bedfordshire County League Premier Division ever since then. They have had a lot of success in the last fifteen years, winning the title in 2014, 2016 & 2025. They have also finished as runners-up to Caldecote in 2013. Additionally, they have won the Britannia Cup in 2016 and the Jubilee Challenge Cup in 2025.

The club is based in the village of Oakley, which is about four miles northwest of Bedford along the River Great Ouse. It has a population of just under 2,500. In 1349, the Black Death struck the village, and three vicars died that year: D. Walter, John Marshall and Robert Fox. The disease had a fatality rate of some 50% and was caused by disease-carrying fleas living on the Black Rat. The medieval cottages provided ample accommodation for rats in the walls, the thatch, and beneath the earth floors. When rats died of the disease, the fleas attacked the human occupants. In addition to football, Oakley has a cricket club, Pilgrims Oakley Cricket Club. The Club has three Saturday teams, including a junior development team; all three play in the Bedford Invitational Saturday Cricket League.

MY VISIT

This game was only planned on Sunday, although it was always my intention to see some games from the step 7 leagues in midweek. I was one ground away from completing both the Thames Valley and Hertfordshire Leagues and had made decent inroads into the Bedfordshire League last year. A few years ago, I only really wanted to see games at grounds with a minimum of rail around the pitch. Now, thanks mainly to Futbology adding step 7 leagues, it was a case of anything goes. Now my midweeks were chosen by visiting the nearest unticked ground, and Saturdays were picked based on a good day out. The latter had been proving problematic lately, which is mad on a Saturday with thousands of games on offer. I was still undecided for the coming weekend, as I'd be on my own, with all of my hopping pals otherwise engaged.

From Chard, I drove Colin & I home. We stopped at ASDA in Yeovil for petrol before heading east. It was a decent journey home, aside from a ten-minute delay on the M25. I dropped Colin off at 8.10 and got home myself 15 minutes later. I had a lot to catch up on, and I had a couple of pints of the cider I'd purchased earlier whilst I typed my blog and sorted photos. I didn't get to sleep until just before 11, so I was a bit tired the next morning with a 3.50 am alarm. It was an OK day at work, but I was hoping for a decent night's sleep on Monday. I got it, kind of, around nine hours. It was my usual walk to town and back on my Tuesday off work. In the evening, it was Holmer Green once again for the fifth midweek in a row. They twice came from behind to beat Langley 4-2 in the Quarter Final of the Esoteric Recordings Division 1 Cup. Despite the short day on Wednesday, it was a real grueller, and I was glad when 11.00 came. I spent a few hours at home before leaving at 3.40. I got to Colin in good time, he got in the car, had a conversation with his Dad on the phone and slept for the rest of the journey. The traffic was dreadful, meaning we had to forego the pre-match Spoons in Bedford and head to a takeaway. I spotted a Chinese takeaway. Of course, they only took cash, something that seems an unwritten rule. It was more by luck than judgment that I had some on me. Colin didn't, and so was rude to the lady on the counter as he thinks the world should adapt to his whims, a not uncommon thing, sadly. My chicken curry and rice were tasty and good value for £8. I ate it before we drove to the ground, arriving at the impressive setup at 6.

AFC Oakley were in 3rd and had won 18, drawn 4 and lost 3. They had won their last twelve league games, although one of them was a walkover. In their last game, they beat Shefford Town & Campton Reserves 3-1. Elstow Abbey were 9th, having won 8, drawn 5 and lost 14.  They were in disappointing form and had lost 2-1 at Harlington Juniors in their last game. Elstow Abbey were by far the better side and had several chances before they took the lead from a penalty awarded for a trip on 15 minutes. On 21 minutes, it was all square.

In the midst of a good spell, AFC Oakley put in a great corner from the left, and Ovenell headed firmly home. On 24 minutes, Elstow Abbey retook the lead with a quick break and a low shot by Bunday from just inside the area. Right before half-time, it was 2-2 after the Elstow keeper palmed the header out, and Dallas followed up. After an hour, Oakley took the lead, a well-worked move and a low shot into the corner from out wide. On 75 minutes, it was 4-2, similar to the third home goal; this time, Daniels was the scorer. The fifth came as a header from a corner, right near full time. This was credited as an own goal. There was still time for Oakley to create another chance, but it was blasted over with only the keeper to beat.

 

THE GROUND 

OAKLEY SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB is an excellent setup for step 7. The pitch is railed along the sides, and there is a smart clubhouse with a good range of drinks, plus food at certain times. Parking is plentiful, but I'm not sure about public transport links. There was a bus stop right outside, though.

Chard Town - Denning Sports Field

Chard Town FC

Denning Sports Field

Zembard Lane

Chard

Somerset

TA20 1JL

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 631
Sunday 9th October 2016
Chard Town 2-3 Bishops Lydeard
Western League D1








CHARD TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Chard Town were formed in 1920, joining the Perry Street & District League early on in their history. They won the title in 1940. After World War 2, Chard joined the Somerset County League, winning Division 2 in 1950. They went on to win the Division 1 title four times. In 1976, the club made the step up to the Western League, starting in its second tier. They finished as Division 1 runners-up in 1984 when they came behind Bristol City Reserves. Their best-ever finish of 11th in the Premier Division came in 1985. Three seasons were spent in the Premier Division before relegation, but Chard bounced straight back in 1988, after finishing as runners-up to Welton Rovers. Another five seasons in the Premier Division before relegation in 1993, this time it was a three-season spell in Division 1, before another runners-up spot, this time behind Bridgwater Town, saw them go up in 1996. They spent two seasons in the Premier Division this time, before relegation. Yet another runners-up spot behind Dawlish Town in 2006 saw them spend their final season in the Premier Division, before relegation in 2009. This time, they would last in Division 1 until 2019. Despite finishing 7th, they resigned from the league and dropped down to the Somerset County League. They have remained in the Premier Division at step 7 ever since.

Chard Town have played in the FA Cup for 25 seasons, reaching the 2nd Qualifying Round twice. A single season was played in the FA Trophy. In the FA Vase, they enjoyed a decent run in 1989. They beat Torrington, Minehead, Sharpness & Dawlish before losing to Bashley in the 4th Round. Local cup wins include two Perry Street & District League Challenge Cups and two Somerset Senior Cups, as well as the South West Counties Cup in 1989. Plans for a new ground were approved in 2020 for a new home off Thorndun Park Drive in the north of the town. The plans would see three new pitches, a clubhouse and shop being created, surrounded by 295 homes between the town's northern edge and the hamlet of Cuttifords Door. While initial approval was granted in early 2020, the project was stalled for several years by the Somerset "phosphate crisis." New environmental regulations required developers to prove that new homes would not increase phosphate levels in the Somerset Levels and Moors. These hurdles are just about overcome, but construction has yet to start.

Chard is a town in Somerset. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon and Dorset borders, 15 miles southwest of Yeovil. It has a population of approximately 14,000. At an elevation of 121 metres, Chard is the southernmost and one of the highest towns in Somerset. The town has a very unusual feature, a stream running along either side of Fore Street. One stream eventually flows into the Bristol Channel, and the other reaches the English Channel. Chard Reservoir, approximately a mile north east of the town, is a Local Nature Reserve, and Snowdon Hill Quarry is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is yet another place with a former rail station, thanks to the Beeching cuts. 

 

MY 2016 VISIT  

Chard Town was the game I and most of the other groundhoppers on the groundhop were looking forward to visiting most of all, owing to it's famous sloping pitch, which is one of the steepest in English football.  It's something that has stopped them playing in the FA Cup and FA Vase in recent years which is a real shame for them as these things should be decided on the field, not on a technicality. The FA have been desperately trying to make them drop down, but thankfully, a supportive Western League have stuck by them - at least for now. It seems as if the authorities would rather that every single venue is as dull as possible - a flat field with an Arena stand. I don't really see the issue - it's a level playing field if you will excuse the pun. I learned later on from someone at the club that finding a suitable venue in the town would be near impossible due to the natural slope that Chard has as a whole.



On the day of the game, I awoke at 5.30, after a 6-hour sleep, I watched videos on YouTube for a while before another 90-minute sleep that saw me wake at 8. I'd been staying in a strange B&B that was basically an old lady's house with bedrooms, not even locks on the doors. It had been comfortable enough anyway, and she saw me off with a friendly parting and a very nice cooked breakfast. I left Calne at 8.50, stopping on a double yellow line for a couple of minutes so that I could buy the non-league paper from a local shop. It was a reasonable journey, with me getting to Chard at 10.30. There's always something that feels good and fresh about the morning game on an organised groundhop, and this was no different. It was helped by a venue with bags of character and the famous slope. It wasn't as noticeable from the entrance side, but on the other side of the ground, you could really see its impact. It was still 10.50am, but after seeing that I could try Natch Cider on tap for the first time ever, I opted to indulge, and it helped me relax while I waited for the game to start.



It was a bright first half, and with Chard opting to shoot up the slope first half, you assumed they would push on in the second half with the advantage on their side and the game scoreless at the break. Around 5 minutes into the second half, captain Mark Clunnie opened the scoring for Bishops Lydeard when he netted from the edge of the box after a good square ball. The visitors further extended their lead on 56 minutes when Zac Ryder's shot went in off the post. Bishops Lydeard were well on top at this point, but it was the hosts who got the next goal when James Boyland scored on 72 minutes. The visitors restored their two-goal lead four minutes later as Ryan Brererton followed up on a shot that had initially been parried. Chard made things interesting with the goal of the game from Steve Friend 2 minutes from time, but the visitors looked comfortable enough to see the game out. It had been a good game for the 244 in attendance to watch, though the ground looked fuller than that.

MY SECOND VISIT

0-2 v Yatton & Cleeve (19/04/26)

The second revisit on the hop for me was Chard, although that wasn't really an issue. I'd loved the ground when I had first visited in 2016, and I felt I could add more to my blog in terms of club history. The pictures could also be improved. Add in the fact that I needed the Spoons and Colin needed the ground, and it was a no-brainer to go to the game. From our game at Glastonbury, it was 50 minutes to Chard. Ten minutes were added to the journey thanks to a road closure, which sent us cross-country and a multi-vehicle smash on the A303, which was managed well. We got to Chard and parked outside the Wetherspoons, arriving at 2.20. With the Spoons only ten minutes from the ground, I was leaving it there for the game. I had a Shawarma Wrap, chips and an Iron Brew Beer for £9.12. It was all good. Colin directed us to the ground, messed up meaning we got there just on kickoff. I popped into the bar; sadly, some of the more local ciders had been switched out for more generic stuff.

 

Chard Town were in 11th and had won eleven, drawn one and lost thirteen. They'd only won one in seven, drawing 1-1 against Clevedon last week. Yatton & Cleeve United were a place above, thanks to an extra draw they had earned, albeit with one game more. They were in mixed form and had drawn 1-1 at Congresbury last week. Chard were the better side early on but didn't create many clear-cut chances. Yatton and Cleeve United, managed by my namesake Russell Cox, took the lead on 38 minutes through a Toby Kenny penalty. The attendance was 179, the lowest of the hop. It was quite out of the way, and it had been done on a previous hop, but I didn't mind a revisit. Chard thumped the bar with a shot as they looked to get back into the game. The Chard keeper was wrong-footed by a deflection on 66 minutes to make it 2-0 to Yatton.

 

THE GROUND

DENNINGS SPORTS FIELD is a wonderful and imposing ground with bags of character and is situated within walking distance of Chard Town centre. It's most famous for its slope, but it has plenty of other unique features. There's not a huge amount of cover - just enough for around 100 standing and 50 seated, but there is plenty of open standing with the near goal elevated for a decent view. The opposite end is officially closed off to spectators, though most of it is usable.

On my visit, there was a BBQ outside, serving bacon and egg rolls. Otherwise, there is food and hot drinks as well as snacks available in the clubhouse. The bar in there is also very good, with ales and two ciders on tap, as well as a decent selection of bottles. Merchandise was available outside with old shirts, programmes, scarves, pin badges and various other items available for purchase.

 

2026 PICTURES