Stonewall - London Marathon Community Track

Stonewall FC

London Marathon Community Track

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Stratford

London 

E20 2ST

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1134

Saturday 19th November 2022
Stonewall 0-0 AFC Cubo (5-4 Pens)

London Senior Trophy 2nd Round

STONEWALL FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Stonewall FC was established in 1991 after Aslie Pitter, a former youth player with Wimbledon & Sutton United suffered homophobic abuse and was forced out of his local club. After seeing a listing in Capital Gay and Time Out, he joined a group of gay men playing football in Regent's Park. This was Stonewall F.C., the first gay football club in Britain. Stonewall F.C. is Britain's top-ranking LGBTQ+ orientated football team and the first of its kind to be FA Chartered Standard. The club is open to all, with a sizeable number of players who do not define themselves as LGBTQ+. Stonewall operates three teams; the 1sts play in the Middlesex County League Premier Division and the 2nds one step lower in Division 1, both on Saturdays, and the Unity Team in the London Unity League on Sundays.

In 2002, the club won the Middlesex County Football League Senior Division at their first attempt and was promoted to the Premier Division. The club stayed in the Premier Division until 2006 when they finished bottom for the second season in a row and were relegated to Division One. After finishing as Runners-up of Division One (Central and East) in  2009, the club was promoted back to the Premier Division. However, they could only stay in the top division of the league for two seasons before being relegated back to Division One (Central and East). In more recent times the club was promoted back to the Middlesex County Premier Division in 2017 but was relegated back straight away. After a season of change in the 2018–19 season the club finished 2nd in MCCL D1 and were been promoted back to the Premier Division, where they have remained since. The club, in a relatively larger league, equalled its highest (2002-03) league finish of 6th, in the 2021-22 season.

In terms of local cup honours, Stonewall have won the London AFA Weekend Cup in 2015 and the Middlesex Federation League Cup in 2004. They have also won a huge array of LGBTQ+ competitions, including several at European and International level. Until fairly recently, the club played its games at the Barnes Elms Sports Trust but a couple of years ago switched to the London Marathon Community Track in Stratford. This was built in 2017 and sits in the shadow of West Ham's London Stadium, originally built for the 2012 Olympic games in London. The club also played a Middlesex County League game at Wembley Stadium, in recognition to their contribution to diversity in football.

MY VISIT

Originally on this day, I was hoping for a double, and Birmingham appeared to be my destination. I'd planned in potential games at Stourbridge or Gornal Youth in the Midland U21 League. Both were a bus ride away from Cradley Heath station. The issue was the lack of viable afternoon options - there were plenty in Wolverhampton but that would make time very tight. With me wanting to enjoy my day and not rush, I dismissed the idea. Looking in London, the only early kickoffs in the Arthurian League were at basic venues and again made getting to a second game difficult. Eventually, I settled on Stonewall v AFC Cubo at the London Marathon Community Track. Ironically, it had been the advertisement of an early kickoff last week that bought this to my attention. The pitch they use is right in the shadow of the London Stadium so when West Ham United play at home, they kick off at 12:00. I'd have preferred to save it until one such occasion but with the World Cup on the horizon, I was going to have a long wait. With no option inspiring me and this being a cup game, I decided to take the plunge.

I came home from work on Thursday and tried to put in place plans for next Saturday. I really fancied Swallownest and a day out in Sheffield. However, due to the train strikes, the coach prices had trebled or even quadrupled compared to what they usually were. I'll be going somewhere for sure but I will leave it a few days to see how things go. Or possibly do another in London such as Honorable Artillery Club, an interesting ground recommended to me by fellow hopper Dan. I spent Thursday evening going up to my local club Holmer Green to watch their youth team game against Burnham. It was an entertaining 2-2 draw on a chilly and damp evening. The weather was unrepentant, and Winter felt like it had well and truly arrived. The truth though is that this will feel positively mild compared with what is to come.

I was considering going to Tredegar Town on Friday and even got as far as researching the club history for this blog. However, after a chilly night at Holmer Green and the thought of paying for all of the petrol on my own, I decided upon a night in. Tredegar with its nice scenery would be better in daylight anyway and the rest would be nice. I instead spent Friday night planning today and put together what I thought was a good plan. I awoke around 7.30 on the day of the game, well before my 8am alarm. After breakfast and a shower, I watched a bit of YouTube before leaving at 8.45. I thought I'd allowed enough time for the 10.09 train. However, an error on Google Maps or by me meant that the prime train to get was 9.57. This was something I only realised when I was nearly at the station. I had to run the last ten minutes unless I fancied being 40 minutes behind schedule. I was pretty knackered by the time I got there but I bought my ticket and was on the train with a minute or so to spare.

 From High Wycombe, we arrived in London Marylebone at 10.37. It was then a transfer to the Underground, the Bakerloo to Oxford Circus and the Victoria to Severn Sisters. The crowds thinned out as we got to the outskirts and as ever on the Underground, the service was pretty seamless. Once I got to Seven Sisters, there was a small spanner in the works as the London Overground was out of action. Instead, it was a fairly simple change and a bus to Stoke Newington. It was then the Rochester Castle Wetherspoons, a very nice establishment that did my favourite of Black Dragon. Two freebie drinks from Daniel and Colin who were Birmingham bound to see Cadbury Athletic meant I was pretty relaxed as the day wore on. Especially as I ordered another pint of Black Dragon with my Christmas burger meal although at least Dan had the sense to order me a soft drink. I discovered via Twitter that it was the third oldest Wetherspoons in the country and a very good one it was too. After drinks and a big cheeseburger consumed, I headed through a very Turkish area to Dalston Kingsland Overground Station. It was then an Overground to Hackney Wick, ironically the location of my backup, Hackney Wick on their home turf of Hackney Marshes. It was a short walk to the London Stadium then around to one end where the marathon track was located. It was a good spot near the stadium store for watching the game, this was elevated and offered a great view.

Stonewall were sitting in 5th in the Middlesex Country Premier. They'd won 4-1 at Cricklewood Wanderers in their last game but this was their first league win since 1st October when they won 3-0 at AVA. This period included a humbling 5-1 defeat to Pitshanger Dynamo who were a place behind them in the table. To get to this round, they'd not even had to play a game as Shepherds Bush had failed to raise a team, too busy selling Trevor Francis tracksuits presumably. AFC Cubo had also not played after being given a bye. They sat proudly atop the Surrey County Premier League, the same level as Stonewall. They'd won 5 of their last six games, including a 6-1 win at Farleigh Rovers and a 6-0 victory over Guildford United. Strangely, their last two defeats had both come against AFC Royal Holloway who were 3rd in the table. On the field, it was a tedious encounter with neither side happy to commit forward. Inevitably, the game ended in a stalemate and it went to penalties. Stonewall prevailed and progressed to the next round. 

The penalty shootout from today, Stonewall overcoming AFC Cubo. pic.twitter.com/v8UUX7BF5E

— ⚽Russell Cox💙 (@RussWWFC) November 20, 2022

From there it was to Pudding Mill DLR to Stratford, Jubilee to West Ham and District to Hornchurch. Not my original plan, but I got where I wanted by hook or by crook. There was much frustration trying to watch Cheltenham v Wycombe but it was like Jurassic Park in some areas with no signal. Perhaps it was for the best, seeing as Wycombe limped to a 1-0 loss in Gloucestershire. From Hornchurch, it was a bus to the Hop Inn, a brilliant Micropub. I retried Ross First Press blend and then had half of Newton Court First Press. Not sensible drinking on my part, more like the pleasant owner misheard when I asked for a pint. Nevertheless, it was soon time to make tracks. They'd gotten rid of the bottle shop but it was still a fine place. From there, some salt and chilli pepper chips at a Chinese. Then the next bus happened to pull up outside JJ Moons in Hornchurch. A disappointing Spoons but another tick. From there, a mile walk, back to the station, not what I had in mind. As with the rest of the day, it was very much make-it-up as I go along. I stopped at Mcdonald's on the way home and got back shortly before midnight.

THE GROUND

THE LONDON MARATHON COMMUNITY TRACK is a good step for Stonewall's level and would most likely be good enough for steps 5 & 6. It might have a running track but it is floodlit. There is a 150-seater stand and space around the pitch to stand. There are also some great views available from near the West Ham club shop. There was no food and drink available but Stratford is around 15 minutes walk away and has a decent range.