Avonmouth - King George V Recreation Ground

Avonmouth FC

King George V Recreation Ground

Avonmouth Road

Bristol

Gloucestershire 

BS11 9ND

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1374

Friday 22nd November 2024
Avonmouth 1-2 Hallen

Western D1

AVONMOUTH FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

There is not very much information about the club and for the most part of their history, they played local parks football, latterly in the Bristol & Surburban League whose Premier Division they won in 2007 & 2023. Their reserves and 'A' team remain there in the present day but after the 2023 win, they moved up to the step 7 Gloucestershire County League. They won that at the first attempt last season and were promoted to the Western League Division 1. They opened their campaign with a thumping 8-2 win at Longwell Green Sports but currently sit in mid-table.

Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol on the north bank the River Avon and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuary. Part of the Port of Bristol, Avonmouth Docks is important to the region's maritime economy, hosting large vessels for the unloading and exporting of heavier goods. Much of the land use is industrial, including warehousing, light industry, electrical power and sanitation. The M5 motorway bisects the neighbourhood, with junctions onto the A4 road and M49 motorway, and it has stations on the Severn Beach Line railway. The population of the area is just under 3,500. Famous people from Avounmouth include the comedian Lee Evans.

MY VISIT

Friday night football had long been a favourite of mine. There were a couple of options on this night, a game at Avonmouth which was on grass but would get me a step 6. As a backup there was Park United in the Wiltshire League, this on 3G in the Wiltshire League which I was also looking to complete. Colin was very keen but I was playing it by ear as the temperatures were borderline. On one hand, I'd had games called off at over five degrees. On the other, both Penn & Tylers Green and Hartpury University played on Tuesday with the mercury displaying zero so I decided to leave it until the day before to decide.

From our game at Moneyfields on Tuesday, I drove Colin home. It went smoothly at first and a 23.20 arrival time was great, a small delay due to a closure on the A3. However, it turned out to be far worse, the diversion was far larger than expected and then I was sent the wrong way down the M25 as the roundabout was closed. All in all, 15 miles was added to the journey as well as half an hour. It was also frozen and having the heating on to clear the windscreen did the fuel economy no favours. Getting home at midnight was not what I wanted. It also took me ages to get to sleep and I was knackered the next day with only a few hours sleep. However, a high night's sleep on Monday helped and I had an early night on Wednesday. I decided to go on Thursday, seeing that the forecast was slightly more optimistic.

It was a hectic Friday as usual at work, very busy but I was out by 1. I came home put a wash on and grabbed something to eat. The Pepper X Chilli Mac & Cheese has a fair kick to it and had warnings on the label about it.  It was just about manageable for me, a decent challenge in fact. After an afternoon of resting, I left just before 4 to meet Colin. Surprisingly, it was a decent journey down with us getting to The Staple Hill Oak at 6.10. I'd chosen to detour to this Spoons, my 374th in the chain as it was warmer and cheaper than getting a takeaway. Brie and Cranberry Panini, chips and a Thatcher's Zero were £7.23. It was a shame to miss out on the cider selection due to driving though. It was 25 minutes to the ground with us getting there at 7.10. It was £6 in and then I went to the bar, getting a new cider, Black Rat Non Traditional and a programme for £5. The cider was very nice and at a sensible strength would be completely worn off by full-time. It was a decent crowd in attendance, 190 including several hoppers and local fans.

Avonmouth were 13th in the table and their last game was a couple of weeks ago when they beat Cheddar 3-1. Hallen were top of the table, last week they beat bottom side Gillingham Town 2-0. Avonmouth were shading the game and they took the lead on 24 minutes, Ben Allison scoring from a low shot after several attempts were blocked. A late tackle on a Hallen player saw a player require treatment and Avonmouth had to weather a storm to stay ahead at the break. Hallen dominated the start of the second half but Avonmouth had a flurry of chances just after the hour but somehow the ball stayed out. The equaliser came about in controversial circumstances. The Hallen #17 dived and should have been booked. However, the referee fell hook line and sinker and a free kick was awarded. A ball was flighted in and Jack Askins bundled home. In the aftermath, Mitch Wise hit out and was sent off. On the balance of play, the equaliser was justified but the way it came about was an error on the ref's part. Deep into injury time, Hallen got the winner, the ball headed against the bar and then in by Scott Cousins to see the visitors celebrate wildly in front of the home dugout. It was probably deserved but harsh on Avonmouth.

 

THE GROUND 

THE KING GEORGE V RECREATION GROUND is rather basic at present. The only seating is open benches in front of the clubhouse and the only cover is a couple of areas of cover on the same side. There are also only three sides with the near end closed off It does however have lots of character. The M5 motorway provides an imposing backdrop behind one goal at night and the place has a homemade feel. Parking is limited to players. The catering is restricted to pasties but the bar is excellent with a good range of ciders including local exclusives Natch and Black Rat. Overall, a nice friendly welcoming club that's worth a visit. 

Moneyfields - John Jenkins Stadium

Moneyfields FC 

John Jenkins Stadium

Moneyfields Avenue

Copnor

Portsmouth

PO3 6LA

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1373

Tuesday 19th November 2024

Moneyfields 3-0 Portsmouth

Portsmouth Senior Cup 2nd Round

MONEYFIELDS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was formed in 1987 and was initially known as Portsmouth Civil Service before adopting the Moneyfields name in 1994. The name was taken from the name of the road where the ground is located. They played in the Portsmouth Saturday League at first, winning it in 1991. They then joined the Hampshire League following this, winning Division 3 in 1992 and Division 2 the following year. A series of good finishes culminated in them winning the Division 1 title in 1997. The following season a runners-up spot behind Blackfield & Langley was good enough to see them promoted to the Wessex League. They have continued their steady progress, always remaining in the league's top division when it split into two divisions in 2004. In 2017, Moneyfields finished as runners-up to Portland United in the Premier Divison and with the champions electing not to seek promotion, Moneyfields took their place. They finished 4th in the Southern League Division 1 South in 2019 before losing out to Yate Town in the end-of-season playoffs.   Following the pandemic, Moneyfields took voluntary relegation back to the Wessex League. They won the Premier Divison last season and earned promotion back to step 4. They currently sit 14th in the Isthmian Division 1 Central.

Moneyfields' record  FA Cup run came in 2018. They beat Andover New Street, Thamesmead Town and Hayes & Yeading United before losing 3-2 to Worthing in the 3rd Qualifying Round. They have also reached the FA Trophy 1st Round. The 2015/16 season saw their best run in the FA Vase - after beating Corsham, Hallen & Brimscombe & Thrupp they suffered a 4th Round defeat at the hands of Bristol Manor Farm. Local cup honours include the Portsmouth Senior Cup on five occasions and the Hampshire Intermediate Cup twice. Famous players to play for the club include Rowan Vine, Scott Donnelly and former Juventus and Portsmouth striker Vincent Pericard.

Up until 1994, the club played at Copnor Road, the site of the current Portsmouth FC training ground. They then moved to the Moneyfields Sports Ground before decamping to Havant & Waterlooville between 2022 and 2024 whilst their ground was rebuilt. In 2024 the club returned to the redeveloped venue, which was renamed the John Jenkins Stadium after a D-Day veteran. The club is based in the Portsmouth suburb of Copnor which has a population of around 13,600. It was the birthplace of former British Prime Minister James Callaghan who served under Labour from 1976-1979.

MY VISIT

After getting home from Willand Rovers on Saturday, I had the only negative of going to an away game with Didcot Town, the drive home. It's a horrible route back to the M40 with tiny slow roads full of roadworks, traffic-calming and no lighting. I dropped Colin off at 10.10 and home myself 15 minutes later. After a decent night's sleep before, I was in no mood for sleep and ended up getting just 3.5 hours of sleep before my 4 am alarm. It was the usual hectic Sunday and the lack of sleep took its toll towards the end of the shift. It was a quick turnaround with me finishing at 1 and having a quick Chicken Dhansak for lunch, which perked me up before walking up to my local club Holmer Green for a 2 PM kick-off. Their ladies side faced Maidenhead United Development in a Berks & Bucks Cup Quarter Final. On a nippy afternoon, Maidenhead comfortably won 6-2 and were especially dominant in the first half. Holmer did well to show some resilience and their goalkeeper played well to keep the score down. It was also good to see that Holmer Green had made some improvements to the ground with the adjacent 3G going in and it was now a fully four-sided ground.

With the weather in mind and a forecasted cold snap coming up, it looked like my original choice of Hartpury University was a non-starter. It would have completed the Hellenic Premier for me but with it due to be zero degrees at kickoff, I wasn't going to risk it. Instead, Moneyfields would be brought forward from Boxing Day as they had a 3G pitch. I'm suspecting it'll be a long cold winter despite the lukewarm summer we got as that seems to be the weather's modus operandi in recent years. I caught up on sleep on Sunday night, getting in seven hours but I still felt tired. Monday was fairly easy at work and amazingly I got all of my Christmas shopping done early, taking advantage of an extra discount at work. The evening was spent at home, finalising my research for this visit. I got another early night and got in my best night's sleep for ages, nearly ten hours. Waking up at 7.30, I had breakfast and a bath. Outside was covered in snow which hadn't been forecast. The roads are a pain with all the hills so I was glad when most of it cleared quickly. I set off for my Tuesday walk at 9.30, getting in 6.5 miles, undone by getting a meal deal at Tesco.

 

I was home just in time for when Wealdstone v Wycombe Wanderers FA Cup tickets went on sale. I was happy to be able to secure one, keeping up my run of seeing a game in every round so far. It'll probably end soon but it's good to keep going whilst I can. Elsewhere, games had already started falling. I was happy with my game choice as other games had already started falling. Add that to the fact that my Boxing Day double had been killed due to a change to kickoff time and it was a great choice. I left at 3.45 and met Colin nearby. To my surprise, Google Maps took us via the M25 and as predicted, there was a fair bit of delay. We were there at 6.10 and with the weather being frozen, it was a revisit to Wetherspoons for me, a 25-minute walk away. I ordered chicken, stuffing, bacon and cranberry Panini with chips and a Thatchers Zero for £7.14. It was all excellent and we were back at the ground by 7.30. It was not as busy as expected and was a bargain £5 to get in.

 

The Portsmouth Senior Cup was very inclusive and included several step 7 sides Both teams had played in a previous round with Moneyfields beating Liss Athletic 6-1 and Portsmouth beating Meon Milton 4-1. Moneyfields were on top in the opening exchanges but didn't create many chances. They got their chance from the penalty spot following a trip in the area. Scott Hills stepped up and made it 1-0 on 21 minutes. On 42 minutes, Isaac Kamin made it 2-0 with a close-range header, Portsmouth had barely mustered a chance. Moneyfields started the second period as they finished the first, hitting the post twice in the opening twenty minutes. Jafer Mahammedkier made it 3-0 in the last minute with a shot on the turn from just inside the area. It was not the greatest of games, Portsmouth offered very little. To my surprise, the game at Hartpury went ahead although I did avoid a 0-0 draw.

THE GROUND 

THE JOHN JENKINS STADIUM is more of a community facility than anything and the ground is probably a downgrade on their old stadium. All the cover is on one side, consisting of around 250 seats and 50 standing. The ground is tightly hemmed in, making future expansion difficult. The tea bar offers basic snacks and drinks but I didn't visit the bar. Parking is quite tight but public transport links are decent with Copnor not far away which has a Wetherspoons and loads of takeaways.