Ground Number: 320
Tuesday 10th December 2013
St Ives Town 0-1 North Greenford United
Southern League D1 Central
ST IVES TOWN - A (VERY) BRIEF HISTORY
St Ives had been promoted from the United Counties League last season despite finishing 2nd. Holbeach United won the league but did not apply for promotion, leaving the door open for St Ives to step in. They only finished 2nd by virtue of this year's runaway leaders Spalding Town fielding an ineligible player, an offence that also saw Spalding kicked out of the FA Vase last week. Someone really should shapen up on their paperwork! This hadn't stopped St Ives having a good season so far, sitting comfortably in mid-table with 28 points. I had seen them once already this season, as they went down 4-3 in an entertaining FA Cup game at Concord Rangers. I was hoping for a similar game tonight.
MY VISIT
Last season I completed the Southern D1 Central, but due to changes, three new teams came in that I had not been to. The first of which, Potters Bar I went to a fortnight ago, and after tonight I would only have Kettering's 'new' ground at Burton Park to do. I and Anwar decided this one last week whilst we were at the AFC Rushden and Diamonds game. We were hoping we would be able to do these teams against Anwar's local team Aylesbury but the fixtures didn't fall right. I had actually been up this way recently on my trip to Kings Lynn but I purposely missed out St Ives despite visiting nearby Huntingdon and Godmanchester Rovers. I was certain I would be coming back and didn't want to spoil the surprise of what the ground would be like when I went for the game. Leading up to the game, the night before my crown came out for the second time in a month and this time I swallowed the damn thing. I'd have to wait over a week to even see the dentist and another tooth was a bit sensitive too. I had a productive day on my day off though - getting my haircut, getting my car washed and getting a few things to take to footy. I left at 4.15 with the intention of meeting Anwar in Aylesbury at 4.45.
I got there more or less on time and after around 20 minutes delay, we got there around 6.45. We parked in the nearby leisure centre and as we were both hungry decided to take the 10-minute walk into town. It turned out to be worth it, as we found a decent place called 'Hot and Spicy' in the town. I got a Mexican Burger with chips for £3.30. The portion sizes were great and they even threw in a free drink, a good un too, one of those Rubicon Mango ones. Best of all the food was delicious and I would certainly recommend eating there. I may even come back on the way to another game if it is near, as it was good value. We got a bit lost on the way back to the ground, going down 1 turning sooner than we should have but we still got back with 10 minutes to spare till kick off. We paid to get in and each got a programme for £1. For the price, it was a very decent effort, well presented and on good quality paper> There were a few typos, but it had plenty to read for someone who had not bought it before, with histories of both clubs and a few other articles. I'd say it's one of the better ones I have seen this season. I saved it till I got home and went and had a quick look in their bar to use the toilet.
The journey home was a lot better, the only problem we encountered was the A418 being closed between Wing and Bedgrove, with no diversion signed. Luckily I just went down a road that seemed in roughly the same direction and eventually we found ourselves back on the main road. It was only a short delay and I was back at Anwar's house in Aylesbury by 11.10 and back at mine by 11.35. As usual, I didn't want to go to sleep when I got in and ended up getting just a couple of hours of sleep. Luckily I am used to that on a Wednesday morning and the tiredness does not affect me much now.
THE GROUND
WESTWOOD ROAD is like Potters Bar in the respect that it was a traditional step 5 ground, and hasn't seen too much improvement to make the step up as it already met regulations. Although it is one of the more basic ones at this step, it has plenty of character with both stands being fairly old. On the side where you come in, there is a stand that has a mixture of standing and seating and this side also houses all the facilities like bar and dressing room. The other side is a slightly newer stand, all seated, though some seats are out of action, while they are being replaced. Other than that, it is all open, I'd say there was cover for around 500, which is all you need for this level.
The bar is your typical clubhouse with Sky Sports on, for cider fans, it is Aspalls on draught which makes a nice change. You can also order a small range of items merchandise wise, either online or in the bar. I didn't use the tea bar as I had already eaten, but prices seemed reasonable and the chips looked nice.
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