Bilborough Town - The Harvey Hadden Stadium

Bilborough Town FC
Harvey Hadden Stadium
Wigman Road
Bilborough
Nottingham
NG8 4PB

Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 724
Friday 22nd September 2017
Bilborough Town 2-5 Southwell City
Notts Senior League - Premier Divison

BILBOROUGH TOWN - A BRIEF HISTORY

Despite there being a number of clubs plying their trade in the town previously, the current Bilborough Town was formed in 2007. They spent their first season in the Midland Amateur Alliance before joining the Notts Senior League at Division 2 level which is step 9 of the non-league pyramid. After earning promotion to Division 1, a 4th place finish in 2012 was good enough to see them promoted to the step 7 Premier Division where they remain to this day. They've gradually got better and last season they had their best season ever, finishing 4th. They are currently third in the league with a reasonable chance of the title, although the visit of 4th placed Southwell City would prove a stern test.



MY VISIT

I always like a bit of Friday football, but options on this day were a little limited. The Non-League Paper listed nothing, nor did a trawl through all the league websites. Thankfully, the 'Non League Matters' website came up trumps, throwing up a couple of fixtures in the Notts Senior League - namely Cotgrave and Bilborough Town. The former was a bit basic, with just a small area of cover. So I was glad when fellow hopper Chris agreed to visit Bilborough which was a great ground, albeit one with a running track.  After arranging the game on Tuesday, I spent all week looking forward to it, planning everything from the pre-match meal to researching the history of the club. The latter was a bit of a chore as there was not a lot of information on the internet, but at least the work was minimised by them being a fairly new club.

On the day of the game, it was a busy one at work and I didn't finish until nearly 1. This week has really dragged and I'm already looking forward to my next week off, despite only being back for a week. I came home, had some lunch and got ready for the game. I didn't have as much rest as I wanted though and it was a bit of a rush to get out of the door at 3. The roads were in disgusting form as ever. There was 20 minutes delay on the way to Milton Keynes which meant I was 10 minutes late to meet Chris. There were then delays to get on the M1 as well as the woeful road itself being rubbish up until Northampton. While it was by no means perfect after this, things improved greatly. Chris used his local knowledge to knock some time off the journey and we only really hit traffic once we got into Nottingham. Our pre-match meal plan was at The Lion in Basford, a pub I've wanted to visit for a while. I was restricted to a half as I had to drive but my cider was decent. We both opted for the La Bamba burger which had Chilli Con Carne and cheese in it. The place had good reviews from all over the place and it certainly didn't disappoint with everything being freshly cooked.



It did take a while longer than the usual Wetherspoons microwave meals, but it was worth it. After driving through some extremely annoying traffic calming measures where half the road seemed to be wasted due to random bollards being placed everywhere, we got to the ground at 7.35. After paying £2 to get in, I left Chris and had a walk around the ground. Annoyingly, the batteries had gone on my camera, but I still got some reasonable pictures on my phone. I initially stood on the far side, due to being able to walk over the running track and stand on the side of the pitch. There were no programmes or teamsheets, but I found out later that Bilborough had 9 players missing. Even so, they took the lead as early as the 5th minute as Williamson grabbed a debut goal with a low shot from just inside the area. On 14 minutes it was all square, a good ball over the top was played and Nangle had a good run before finishing confidently. Nangle got his second on 38 minutes with a drilled shot from the edge of the area although the beauty of the goal was in the build-up play.

I was fed up with being an impromptu ballboy by then so I walked around and joined Chris and some other hoppers in the stand.  It remained 2-1 to the visitors at the break and the game seemed to be in the balance, despite Southwell being on top. The visitors had already had a couple of strong claims for a penalty before they were finally awarded one on 54 minutes. Up stepped Nangle to complete his hat trick and from then on, the result was never in doubt. Law headed in a Bowles corner on 59 minutes and this really took the sting out of the game and there were no real chances for a long time after that. Bilborough pulled one back with a minute to go but as quick as they reduced the arrears, Southwell restored their three-goal advantage. The ball was played into the area and laid back to Stephens who put a justified look on the scoreline.

It was a shame that the game was over as a contest at 3-1, but it had still been a good night out. We left at 9.35, stopping at a local BP garage to get a drink for the journey home. We listened to the Two Mikes on TalkSPORT on the way home and that helped pass the time as we trundled through the seemingly endless roadworks on the M1. I dropped Chris off at 11.10, getting home myself at midnight. I stayed up for a couple of hours, listening to the rest of the Two Mikes and watching Coronation Street while I typed my blog up. After all that driving, I was glad to be on the coach tomorrow for Colchester v Wycombe. The two sides used to be fierce rivals back in the day and although the rivalry has largely dissipated, it should still be a decent game.



THE GROUND

THE HARVEY HADDEN STADIUM is primarily an athletics venue. Originally built in 1959, expanded in the 1970's and renovated in 2014, it has a 740 capacity seated stand, flanked by open terracing for 800. It had also hosted American Football and Rugby in the past and has plenty of room for expansion. Despite my dislike for athletics venues, I did like this ground as it had plenty of character. It does seem a bit isolated though, and facilities at the ground are limited, but all in all, it is well worth a visit.


SCORES ON THE DOORS

1: Ground facilities & condition (for the level)
A good venue for the level and well kept (8)

2: Area around the ground (parking, food/drink, public transport)
In the middle of nowhere, but lots of parking (5)

3: Welcome / Club Friendliness
The usual (6)

4: Value for money
£2 was good value (8)

5: Social Media & Website
Regular updates on Twitter plus they are interactive. Decent website too (8)

6: Programme
N/A (-)

7: Game entertainment
Lots of goals, but result wasn't in doubt (6)

8: Tea Bar
Very basic (4)

9: Bar / Clubhouse
10: Club Shop
None (-)

TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 70: 45
AVERAGE SCORE: 6.43

GROUND PHOTOS

South Shields FC - Mariners Park

South Shields FC

Mariners Park

Shaftesbury Avenue

South Shields

NE42 9PH

0191 454 7800

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 722
Wednesday 13th September 2017
South Shields 9-0 Rochdale
FCYA U19 League




SOUTH SHIELDS FC -A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in 1974 and spent their first couple of seasons in the Northern Alliance. Joining the Wearside League in 1976, South Shields were champions in their first season and would go on to win the league twice more before taking promotion to the Northern League in 1995. Starting in its second tier, they would finish as runners-up to Morpeth Town in their first season, earning promotion to Division 1 in the process. They'd remain in the top tier until the turn of the century when they were relegated. Despite sorting the club with a new ground just eight years previously, the then chairman John Rundle publically threatened to close the club down if they were relegated, but did not go through with his threat in the end. South Shields would endure a series of mid-table finishes before winning promotion back to Division 1 in 2008, this time as runners-up to Penrith Town. They would remain in the top tier until 2013 when they finished second bottom. They had to spend a couple of seasons playing at Peterlee around this time as the lease on their ground had expired. Thanks to a new committee, the time away was only two seasons and South Shields won promotion back as Northern League Division 2 champions in 2016. This kick started a good last few years for the club, they were Northern D1 champions last season and have made a great start to life in the NPL Division 1 North this term. They currently sit top of the league having won 6 out of their 7 league games so far.

In the FA Cup, the club's best progress came in 1997 when they beat Harrogate Railway, Skelmersdale United and Maine Road before a narrow 3-2 defeat at Gainsborough Trinity in the 3rd Qualifying Round. Many Northern League clubs have enjoyed success in the FA Vase and South Shields are no exception. They lifted the FA Vase last season, beating NCEL champions Cleethorpes Town 4-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium with a huge backing making their way down from the north east. This was part of a historic quadruple with South Shields also lifting the Durham Challenge Cup and the Northern League Cup.



MY VISIT

When I was planning a trip up north, I was looking for afternoon games. Last week there were none, but this week there was a lot more choice, thanks to the start of the Conference Youth Alliance. Gateshead were at home, but that would have only been a revisit. A much more attractive option was South Shields. They were playing Rochdale and with it being a new tick for me, it seemed a solid choice. I tweeted the club to confirm that the game was on and received a helpful reply a few minutes later, confirming that the kick off was at 12.30. This would give me plenty of time to get to Darlington after, as well as a chance to walk into town. I was glad to be visiting for a youth team game as huge crowds at first team games would have made it tricky to get pictures of the finer details of the ground.



On the day of the game, I woke around 5.30 am by a noisy person in the room next door. Unable to get back to sleep, I eventually got out of bed a few hours later, checking Twitter before going for a shower. Feeling nice and refreshed, I spent another hour in my room, catching up on my blog. Thanks to a fair few drinks the previous night, I didn't recall a lot about the game at Marske last night, but luckily I had taken notes and also had Twitter to refer to. I was hungry by now and wanted to get something for breakfast, so I left my room at 10 and drove to a nearby Morrisons. I also needed a sweater and had spotted a 'Fruits Of The Loom' one in a nearby shop for £3, so I started to head there. However, on the way, I saw possibly the most random shop ever. As well as selling sofas they also sold random items for a quid. I bought a Borussia Dortmund hoodie and a Bayern Munich hat for the princely sum of £2. After that, I popped into B&M bargains and got some Swedish meatballs for breakfast and drinks for later. Finally, I went to cash converters and got a PES game for the PSP for 50p. After I'd done all this, it was 11.15, so after checking Twitter for any last minute changes, I set my Sat Nav for South Shields.



I arrived at the ground just after 12 and after getting a drink from my boot, I went in. I was pleased that it was free entry, I've spent loads in the last fortnight and my bank balance was looking alarmingly low. I walked around getting pictures of the ground which was a lot better than I expected, it having looked quite basic on highlights videos I'd seen. The ground seemed to be a busy place, in the bar there were a group of local pensioners enjoying the carvery that was based in the club bar. The game kicked off a few minutes late at around 12.35. It was South Shields first ever game in the Conference Youth Alliance and they started well, having a lot of early chances. Both keepers had made good saves by the time Joe Hassanin opened the scoring on 21 minutes. He turned in the box after good set-up play before slotting home from around 10 yards. South Shields continued to dominate and went further ahead thanks to a four goal burst around the 35-minute mark. Firstly William McCamley shot low and saw his shot go on off the post. Then a minute or so later Dan Lowther's shot from the edge of the area evaded the grasp of the Rochdale keeper. On 38 minutes, Lowther made it four with a piledriver into the top right-hand corner before Hassanin got his second and the hosts fifth a minute later.



The Rochdale boss was not happy and he conducted the half time team talk on the pitch, just as the much-hated Alan Smith had done for Wycombe at Walsall back in 1995. It didn't get much better for his team as a few minutes into the second half, it was 6-0. A number of shots were cleared off the line before Michael Colquhoun finally scored from the rebound. It was tipping it down by now, so I took shelter in the stand. Still, the domination continued and it was 7-0 after McCamley completed his brace thanks to a great run and a drilled shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. Bradley Allen scored straight from a corner to make it 8-0 on 78 minutes before he got his second goal six minutes later with a lovely curling shot into the top corner to make it nine. From there I headed towards my evening game at Darlington, with plenty of time to spare until kick-off.



THE GROUND

MARINERS PARK is a fairly standard ground for this level. Pride of place goes to the main stand which offers an elevated view of the pitch. This has around 350 seats with generous leg room and supporting pillars that fortunately don't get in the way too much. Aside this is a smaller stand with spce for around 150 standing fans. On the other side are three metal 'arena' type stands which offer covered standing for around 400, while the rest of the ground is open. I didn't see much of the facilities, but the bar looked fairly standard and well-kept.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

1: Ground facilities & condition (for the level)
Fairly average for this level, well kept (7)

2: Area around the ground (parking, food/drink, public transport)
In the middle of an industrial estate, so parking could be a problem for bigger games, close to a metro station (5)

3: Welcome / Club Friendliness
Didn't really see anyone (6)

4: Value for money
Can't get any better than free (10)

5: Social Media & Website
Well maintained and responsive (8)

6: Programme
N/A (-)

7: Game entertainment
Some good football, but just a little bit one sided (7)

8: Tea Bar
N/A (-)

9: Bar / Clubhouse
Fairly standard (6)

10: Club Shop
N/A (-)

TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 70: 49
AVERAGE SCORE: 7

GROUND PHOTOS

Darlington - Blackwell Meadows

Darlington FC

Blackwell Meadows

Grange Road

Darlington

DL1 5NR

07488 564642

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number 679
Wednesday 13th September 2017
Darlington 3-0 FC United Of Manchester
Conference North






DARLINGTON 1883 - A BRIEF HISTORY

Darlington 1883 was formed in 2012 after the original club of 129 years had gone bust. The main reason for this was the huge running costs of their 25,000 capacity Darlington Arena, the brainchild of former chairman and safecracker George Reynolds. With the whole thing being totally unsustainable, the last few years of the old club's existence were painful with relegation from the Football League in 2010 and a ten point deduction, relegation from the Conference and eventual extinction a couple of years later. To the clubs credit they managed to see out the season, with supporters and local businesses rallying round to make sure they completed their fixtures and didn't leave any other teams in limbo.

They'd have to start the new club playing at Bishop Auckland, some 10 miles away until their recent move back to the town at the start of the year, and they'd also have to take a significant drop down the leagues. Starting out in the step 5 Northern League, they were eventually crowned champions after a long-running battle with Spennymoor Town for the title. Promoted to the NPL D1 North for the 2013/14 season, they would finish as runners-up to Curzon Ashton but would suffer playoff semi-final heartbreak, losing to Ramsbottom United. The following season saw another runners-up spot, this time to Salford City. Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson were managers of the Ramsbottom side that had beaten them in the playoffs before moving to Salford. Despite them being beaten to the title, they would not be denied promotion a second time, defeating Spennymoor Town 3-2 in the semi-finals, before beating Bamber Bridge 2-0 in the final. The season before last saw them list the NPL Premier title and restore them to the level that the old club would have finished at, the Conference North. Last season they finished 5th but were barred from taking part in the playoffs due to lack of seats. This season they started well enough, winning their first 3 games. However, since then, they have struggled and were winless in 7 games prior to tonight's game.

In the FA Cup their best effort since reforming being the 2nd Qualifying Round which they reached by default this season before losing 2-1 to lower league Lancaster City. They've only played in the competition since 2014/15, with their only victory coming against West Auckland Town, who they defeated 3-1 in a Preliminary Round replay. This season saw their best-ever run in the FA Trophy since reforming, though again it was by default, losing a 3rd Qualifying Round replay to NPL Premier strugglers Marine. The new club have no local cup honours as of yet but have recently started a reserve side who play in the step 7 Wearside League. Formerly called Horden Colliery Welfare, they were taken over by Darlington following financial difficulties and moved to a local 4G facility, some 30 miles away from their original ground. It was a case of either do that, or the club go bust, with the former management teams and players retained.

MY VISIT

I'd been wanting to go to Darlington ever since they got their new ground, mainly for the fact that I could complete the Conference North in groundhopping terms. I'd also enjoyed visiting the town and the people were nice and friendly, so it was a no-brainer for me. Initially, I thought I'd have to wait a while due to the distance, but then I saw that they were playing on a Wednesday night a few days before the game, back in March. So, hotel booked, I drove 250 miles only to see their game against Bradford Park Avenue called off at 4 pm due to a waterlogged pitch. In the end, after much frustration, I went to Shildon v South Shields on that night, but not without a late scare that the game may be off.



After my afternoon game at South Shields, I made my way south to Darlington. I got there just before 4 and with nearly 4 hours until kick off, I decided to walk into town. I'd parked fairly near the ground in a road called Upsall Drive, near the hotel that I'd stayed at on my previously aborted visit. Typically, it started to rain as soon as I parked up, though hopefully not enough to affect the game. Thankfully it soon stopped and upon walking into town, I'd forgotten how close it was to where I'd parked. First stop was cash converters as I still wanted a replacement digital camera. After many fails over the past week or so, I finally struck gold. A Samsung WB101 bridge camera was purchased for £38, around half of what it was listed on eBay for and a bit lower than what it had previously sold for. Having previously had a faulty camera from the Wycombe branch, next stop was Poundland to secure some batteries to test it. I also picked up Jim Leighton's autobiography and some Irn Bru.



Happy that the camera worked, I headed to a pub where I'd been before, The Quakerhouse, for a half of Celtic Marches Tutti Frutti cider, which was decent enough. I then went to another pub for another half, this time 'Happy Daze' at The Old Vic. This pub was home to a funny and friendly dog who enjoyed lots of attention from the customers as he propped up the bar. From there it was to Wetherspoons, The William Stead, the only one I'd not been to in Darlington where I had the roast chicken and chips along with a bottle of Hazy Hog cider. That was it drinking wise for the night, I'd purposely selected low strength drinks so that I was OK to drive home some 4 hours later. It wasn't the best Wetherspoons, with only lukewarm chips, but I couldn't be bothered to complain. With it now being 6.35, I made my way to the ground. Walking past other food options left me wishing I'd gone there instead, but what was done, was done. After fetching some things from my car, I made my way to the ground, arriving at 7.10.



There was a brief scare that the match may be off, but Darlington fixed the problem of standing water. Entry was a pricey £14 and they were still waving buckets at fans, wanting more cash for ground improvements. Programmes were £2.50, but it was a nice thick decent effort. I also bought a pork pie for £2.50 and that was excellent, one of the nicer pies I've had at football. The first half was a non-event, both keepers making saves, but chances few and far between. Right on half time, Darlington had Kevin Burgess sent off for a poor tackle. Maybe it was a tad harsh, but in the modern game, the rulebook says it was the correct decision. Darlington took the lead on 52 minutes, Nathan Cartman finishing well from inside the area after good setup play. I put FCUM Radio at this point as I was right up one end of the pitch. Darlington were awarded a penalty after 66 minutes and Matty Hughes, the man who committed the foul received his marching orders as it was his second booking. However, FCUM keeper Lloyd Allinson tipped the ball onto the bar to keep his side in the game. It was only a brief respite with Darlington well on top. The hosts extended their lead on 77 minutes when David Ferguson went on a good run before drilling home from outside the area. Around five minutes from time, Darlington rifled home the third thanks to Joe Wheatley. The visitors were already down to nine men at this point as Michael Connor got his second yellow card for an angry reaction to a foul. That was how it stayed until time with the result never in doubt.



The attendance of 1,178 had been boosted by a significant following from Manchester who had given their own team great vocal backing over the evening. The attendance was Darlington's lowest ever in the Conference North and lowest since a midweek game against Ilkeston in March 2016. It looked like a combination of high entry price and an indifferent start to the season had turned fans off. I left the ground at 9.45 with it taking around 15 minutes to get back to my car. I then drove to Sainsbury's to fill up with fuel before driving home. I left Darlington at 10.10 and it was a slow journey at first with a road closure on the A1M. We were diverted down a single track road and some selfish pig crawled the whole way along the ten-mile stretch making a long tailback as the two cars at the front wouldn't overtake. A couple more minor areas of roadworks aside, it was a good journey home, with me getting through the door at 2 am. I stayed up for another 90 minutes, before getting some much-needed sleep. It's been an expensive couple of weeks off work with me breaking the £1000 barrier on groundhopping spending a lot easier than I'd hoped. Over £400 of that has been in this past two weeks alone and it certainly makes you appreciate organized groundhops where you get to see multiple games in one day.



THE GROUND

BLACKWELL MEADOWS is the home of Darlington Rugby Club but it has seen great improvements since Darlington FC moved in. From what I understand, the sole stand before the football club moved in was a small seated stand holding around 200 fans. This is set back a fair way from the pitch and you tend to get people standing in front of it. Since lodging, they have added a decent terrace behind one goal, this holds around a thousand under cover. There is also an additional stand on the far side and this adds another 300 seats. I'm not sure if this is enough for the step up but the rest of the ground is open standing and has a 3,300 capacity.

The bar at the ground is fairly spacious, although it is unmistakably the rugby club's. There's a better than average range of drinks though. Catering is well priced compared to other clubs with the pork pie delicious and a real highlight. The edge of town is a 20-minute walk away and this has a great range of places to eat and drink.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

1: Ground facilities & condition (for the level)
Not one of the better in the Conference North (5)

2: Area around the ground (parking, food/drink, public transport)
Not much in the immediate vicinity of the ground and parking is limited. 20 minutes from town. (6)

3: Welcome / Club Friendliness
Standard (6)


4: Value for money
Poor value, one of the pricier in the Conference North and about a fiver too much (3)

5: Social Media & Website
Well maintained (7)

6: Programme
A good effort with lots to read, worth the £2.50 price (8)

7: Game entertainment
Took a while to get going (5)

8: Tea Bar
A good selection at reasonable prices (8)

9: Bar / Clubhouse
OK, but not much football related stuff (6)


10: Club Shop
Nothing at the ground that I saw, online store though (5)

OVERALL SCORE OUT OF 100: 59
AVERAGE SCORE: 5.9

GROUND PHOTOS