Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers -The Nest

Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers FC

The Nest

Holt Road

Horsford

Norwich 

Norfolk

NR10 3AQ

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1252

Saturday 16th December 2023

Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers 0-0 Stanway Rovers

Eastern Counties D1

DUSSINDALE & HELLESDON ROVERS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2020 after a merger between Dussindale Rovers and Hellesdon FC. Soon after, teams from Thorpe Rovers and Spowston Ladies were amalgamated into the club. They now have a variety of teams at all age levels, 26 in all. The first team had a truncated start to life due to the pandemic. They then finished as runners-up behind Heacham in 2022 before winning the title in their own right in 2023. This, combined with securing a place at The Nest in Norwich meant that they could be promoted to the Eastern Counties D1 North. Just as in 2022, Heacham would be their nemesis when they made their FA Vase debut this season as they lost 2-0. They play in Horsford, a village six miles north of Norwich which is surrounded by the Horsford Forest and is named after the dried-up section of the River Hor. Its population has seen a steady increase since the Second World War, growing from 750 in 1945 to 4,163 at the 2011 Census. There are various explanations of the village name. It is usually said to derive from 'horse ford', but it has also been suggested that it comes from the River Hor on which the village stands (more usually known to locals as 'the Beck'). A third explanation is that it comes from Horsa, the name of a Saxon chief.

Dussindale Rovers FC were formed in 2010 and played its first five seasons in Sunday football. In 2016 they changed to Saturday Football, winning the Norwich Saturday League in their first season. They then spent a couple of seasons in the Anglian Combination Division 5 North and were champions in 2019. They spent their final season in the Anglian Combination Division 4 with the season curtailed due to Covid. The valley known as Dussindale is the site where Kett and his rebels were defeated by the Earl of Warwick's army in August 1549. Boundary Lane now runs along the valley. Originally, they played out of Thorpe St Andrew, a town and civil parish in the Broadland district of Norfolk,. It is situated on the River Yare, two miles east of the centre of Norwich, and is outside the boundary of the city. The civil parish has a population of just under 15,000

Hellesdon FC was established in 1959, playing in local football initially. They played local football at first, joining the Anglian Combination at some point. The first record of them was in 1996/97 when they were relegated from Division 1. The following season was no better and by 1998, they were in Division 3. It would take them until 2005 to recover when a 3rd place finish was good enough for promotion to Division 2. They'd only stay for a single season, being promoted again after a 4th place finish in 2008. This time they would be more successful, finishing as runners-up to Norwich CEYMS to win promotion to Division 1. In 2017, they would win promotion to the Premier Division where they would remain until the merger. Hellesdon is a village in the District of Broadland in Norfolk. It lies approximately four miles north-west of Norwich city centre and has a population of 11,132, according to the 2011 Census. Norwich International Airport immediately adjoins the parish. The team played at the community centre up until the merger.

MY VISIT

Originally on this day, I planned on doing my first Wycombe away game since April 2022 when I went to AFC Wimbledon. Derby County was an attractive away day and there was always a decent day on the Independent Supporters Club coach. I had also not been since 2011, so updating my blog would be nice. However, Wycombe had been dire lately. I had gone to a couple of home games against my better judgement when I thought I might give them a miss. I was 'rewarded' with a turgid, dull and lethargic brand of football though we did at least have a few shots off target last Saturday. An alternative was sought and I was looking for something via public transport. There was not a great deal of choice though and out of 22 priority teams, only five were at home. These were grounds in leagues I was getting close to finishing or those that I had started blogs on only for the game to be postponed. Sadly, the five were not that attractive in terms of value for money for the train fare paid, so I looked to cast my net further afield.

In the end, salvation came from Anwar and our mutual friend Richard. They were going to one of the games on my list in Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers v Stanway Pegasus. This was one of three that I needed in the Eastern Counties D1 North. It would be a lot cheaper than the train too. The only downside was having to drive to Aylesbury and the lack of pubs around the ground. There was a Wetherspoons a couple of miles away which would do the job if needed but I would take my own food and drink just in case. I had been all set to go to the local derby between Sikh Hunters and Wyrely United up until that point but this was too good an opportunity to turn down. I had been in contact with Anwar every week hoping that they would do something I wanted after missing out on a couple of great trips to Knaresborough and Wakefield and at last, something I needed had come up. It was also decent in terms of it being a long way away, so it was unlikely to be a viable midweek option.

After an enjoyable revisit to Luton on Friday, I got to sleep around 1.30, waking at 7.30. I had Porridge and a drink for breakfast before having a bath. I left at 9.45, or at least intended to. By the time I'd got cash out, it was getting on for 10. It was a reasonable trip to Anwar with me getting there just after 10.20. I popped into Budgens for a hotdog, cornflake cake and energy drink. Once I'd got outside, Richard, Anwar and Hicham were waiting outside for me. We had a decent journey eastwards in good company. Richard was kind enough to stop at the Whiffler Wetherspoons which was in a retail park so good to do when getting a lift. We met another carful of hoppers who had the same plan as us. I had a Brie and Bacon Burger and two pints of Strongbow for £15. We got to the ground at 2, the entry with the programme was £6 and I got a nice Norwich City bag for £4. It was a fiscally happy day with Richard charging next to nothing for petrol. I wanted a Captain Canary plush for a quid but they were sold out.

Dussindale & Hellesdon were in 10th place whilst Stanway Pegasus were top. The hosts were unbeaten in five in the league, having won 4-2 against Haverhill Rovers in their last game. Stanway Rovers had lost ground in recent weeks, winning two and losing two of their last four games. In their latest game, they beat Leiston U23 3-0. The game kicked off early at 2.58. It was a poor start to the game, very scrappy and players preferred to whine at the referee than play football. The man in the middle was very whistle-happy which made for a dull game. The second half was better with Stanway Pegasus laying siege to the Dussindale goal but a combination of good defending and poor finishing meant that the game finished goalless.

Despite the mild forecast, the open ground and biting wind meant it was bitter. The game had not been great, but that happens in football. We left at around 4.50, and getting in a warm car was nice. I typed my blog on the way home and sorted photos. It was a day with quite a few 0-0s but the main talking point on BBC Five Live was the abandonment of the AFC Bournemouth v Luton Town game. Luton Town's captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch and thoughts and prayers were with him. In more positive news, Wycombe gained an excellent point at Derby with a last-minute penalty. It was a big improvement but still leaves us nine without a win.

THE GROUND

THE NEST is in quite an isolated position, the nearest place of any note is Hellesdon which has an OK Wetherspoons and a few other chains. A regular bus runs to the ground and there is plenty of parking. The facilities at the ground include a nice cafe and a shop selling cheap Norwich City stuff. There is no bar though which is a letdown. The ground itself is three-sided but nicely designed with wooden panelling along one side. It's not very practical with one row of around 50 seats but a good view can be gained from standing alongside the pitch.