Longwell Green Sports - Longwell Green Community Ground

Longwell Green Sports FC

Longwell Green Community Ground

Shellards Road

Longwell Green 

Bristol

BS30 9DU

01179 323722

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Ground Number: 1257

Tuesday 16th January 2024

Longwell Green 2-2 Brislington

Western D1

LONGWELL GREEN SPORTS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1966 by the staff of Longwell Green Coachworks following England's World Cup win. The club have played at the Longwell Green Community Stadium since their establishment, with the pitch first marked out in 1966 on what was then open farmland. They became members of the Bristol & District League and reached Division 1 by the 1980s. After finishing third in Division One in 1991, the club were promoted to the Senior Division. They went on to win the Senior Division the following season and subsequently moved up to Division 1 of the Avon Premier Combination. They finished as runners-up in their first season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 1994 the league became the Bristol Premier Combination. The club were Premier Division runners-up in 2004 and were promoted to the Gloucestershire County League. They were runners-up behind Highridge United in their first season, winning promotion to the Western League D1. They were runners-up behind Larkhall Athletic in 2009, winning promotion to the Premier Division. They found things tough at the higher level and their best finish came in 2012 when they finished 13th. They were relegated back to Division 1 in 2018 and have remained there ever since.

Longwell Green Sports have played ten seasons in the FA Cup. Their best campaign came in 2014 when they beat Melksham Town & Fareham Town before losing in the 1st Qualifying Round to Folland Sports. They've also reached the FA Vase 2nd Round three times, most recently this season when they lost 5-2 at Bridgwater United. The club's record attendance of 500 came in 2005 against Mangotsfield United. Longwell Green is a suburb just outside the east fringe of Bristol. Longwell Green takes its name from the medieval well which used to be situated on the site of the Church. Olympic gymnast and 4 times gold medal winner, Claudia Fragapane is from Longwell Green. Overall, the population of the area is just under 10,000. It was home to Longwell Green Abbotonians FC until they merged with Oldand in 1998. Other local rivals include Bitton FC who play in the Western Premier.

MY VISIT

I hadn't done enough football since my last blog for my liking, especially in terms of new grounds. On Tuesday I saw the freezing weather and with temperatures at 3 degrees at the highest, I decided on a night in. As it was, Whitchurch Alport, Eastbourne United, Downton and Ringwood Town all went ahead with plenty of goals in the latter two. I stayed in instead and had a few drinks watching Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 West Ham United U23 online. I'd liked to have gone, but it would have meant watching Wycombe sober and driving or walking two hours home. Thursday saw a load of progress with me booking hotels for the upcoming Scottish and Southwest hops. I'd be going with fellow hoppers Dan & Richard to the former and it would be part of a decent bit of time off work. Due to the company slightly altering the holiday year, an extra day had become available. However, my request for the Sunday of the North West Counties Hop was rejected due to too many off and with the systems out of action for seven weeks, it'll be a while before I can try again. It was d disappointing end to a dull week.

I did at least have a couple of revisits to go to. First, on Friday I went across to Burnham to watch the Hellenic League Division 2 East Showcase match between Britwell and Holmer Green Devs. The 'hosts' won 4-1 and were far more clinical and well-drilled than Holmer Green who were unlucky. The only downer was a half-hour stoppage for a nasty clash of heads between two players. It was a nice evening and a good welcome by the friendly Burnham director I often see about. A smart but thin programme was £1 on top of the £3 entry. It was amusing to see a reference to 'devil's dandruff' (cocaine) in the programme and there was a distinct smell of cannabis in the air. Not something I'm into but life is there to be enjoyed. I hope to see Britwell at their own ground later in the season if they have an evening game. With the official attendance of 86, they must have raised enough for a nice drink for the players. Saturday was Wycombe Wanderers v Lincoln City which included the usual pre-match routine. Sadly, the football was as tedious as ever. We looked set for a rare win until we conceded in the 8th minute of injury time, the last kick of the game. Out of my ten visits to Adams Park this season, I've only genuinely enjoyed one - when we beat Leyton Orient 3-2. It makes me wonder why I bother when I enjoy hopping far more.

Sunday would never be easy after that, the worst day of the week. I couldn't walk more than about five yards without someone asking a question but I managed to bite my tongue and remain polite. It was also very busy and I was tired by the end. I'd already decided on Longwell Green for my game, it won out over a revisit to Birmingham City having discounted New Milton due to it being frozen again. Monday was another horrid day, very busy. I stayed and helped out for ten hours before getting fed up and going home. I was glad my day off was coming up and even more looking forward to some time off work having not had any since September. It was my usual walk to town and back on the morning of the game, then a few hours at home. I used the time to look ahead to Saturday's options, although a lot will depend on the weather. There were plenty of games being called off due to the big freeze and I was glad I'd chosen Longwell Green for my game. I left at 4.10 and met Colin at the bus stop.

We had a good journey to Bristol and got to the Orient Express takeaway at 6.30. I got Mongolian Chicken and rice for just short of a tenner. We took it back to the ground and the friendly gateman told us to eat it in the bar. After we discovered that the lady at the Chinese had given us the wrong meals, my food was excellent. It was £6 to get in and as they'd been such a nice club, bought a hat for £7.50 which was a tad small but in nice colours. We then went into the ground. It was one that fellow hopper Dan said was awful but it was all neat and tidy. As another hopper Laurence said, it's not bricks and mortar that make clubs, it's people and I certainly a view that I share. We learned from the gateman that the club originally played in green, but switched to blue and white stripes following Argentina's World Cup win in 1978. I also found out that Longwell Green Abbotonians had played at the ground before their move and merger with Oldland. Later I looked at pictures of the ground before its 3G conversion and it appears to have moved and the seated stand renewed.

Longwell Green Sports were 11th with 39 points whilst Brislington, having played four games less were 5th with 50 points. It was a real local derby with just 3.5 miles separating the sides. The hosts had won their last two games - 6-2 at Hengrove Athletic and 2-0 against Middlezoy Rovers before that. However, they'd lost their previous three. Brislington were in mixed form having gone down 3-1 at Wincanton Town on Saturday, though they'd had 4-0 wins over Bishop Sutton and Odd Down recently. It was notable that whipping boys Bishop Sutton had gained one of their two points against Longwell Green in a 2-2 draw on 17th October. The visitors started well and were ahead after a few minutes, an excellent low shot was drilled home from the edge of the area. They had a second goal disallowed for offside with less than ten minutes on the clock. Their lead was doubled on 13 minutes, a quick attack down the right and a neat finish from the edge of the area. Longwell Green were battling back before long and they hit the top right of the post and bar from 20 yards out. After 40 minutes the hosts did pull a goal back, a deflection from a long-range free-kick which was credited to Matt Brown. It was 2-2 a couple of minutes later, a great through ball found Sonny Passco who blasted home from just inside the area. Just as with the first half, Brislington dominated the start of the second. The hosts came back into it but there were no further goals. It was a decent second half but it didn't match the excitement of the first period.

 

A deflected goal pulls one back for Longwell Green but it remains 2-1 to Brislington pic.twitter.com/SlkQAuzS55

— ⚽Russell Cox💙 (@RussWWFC) January 16, 2024

There was an attendance of 94 at the game, though a lot of them were in the bar watching Bristol City beat West Ham United 1-0 in the FA Cup. Birmingham beat Hull City 2-1 in the cup game I was considering. I felt we had made the right choice as our alternative at New Milton fell victim to the weather. Colin's two options of Beckenham Town and Concord Rangers likewise, the latter little over an hour before kickoff. We left just after 9.30 and listened to BBC 5 Live and then Greatest Hits Radio. I got the 'Guess The Year' correct thanks to their clue about Knightmare, one of my favourite shows as a kid. I dropped Colin off at 11.30 and was home 20 minutes later. I got straight into bed but it took me ages to drop off and I didn't get to sleep until well gone 1. Not the best with me having a 5 am alarm the following morning but I survived.

THE GROUND

LONGWELL GREEN COMMUNITY GROUND or SHELLARDS ROAD is a neat and tidy setup, albeit rather bland. The car park is fairly large and the ground is served by buses. There is no proper turnstile but a friendly man will take payment by cash or card. The bar is outside the ground and this is large and smart. It has sports TV and does a good range of merchandise and basic food options. The ground itself is a 3G cage. Three sides offer accommodation for supporters and the far side, whilst accessible, houses the dugouts and spare goals for kids football. Covered accommodation is provided by metal stands, around 100 seating and 100 standing. A few steps of open terracing are also available.