Brian Whitehead Sports Ground
Wick Lane
Downton
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP5 3NF
Ground Number: 1283
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Downton 1-2 Bradford Town
Wiltshire Senior Cup Semi-Final
DOWNTON FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was established in September 1905. They joined the Salisbury & District League after the First World War and were promoted to Division 1 in 1920 but were relegated back four years later. In 1950 they joined the Bournemouth League, quickly gaining promotion to Division 1 which they won on five occasions and the Senior Division on seven occasions. The club moved up to the Hampshire League in 1968, their first major honour came in 1979 when they were runners-up in Division 3 and a third-place finish in Division 2 the following season ensured promotion to Division 1. Downton would spend all but one season in the league's top tier until they joined the Wessex League in 1993. They tended to struggle and in 2004 when the league added another tier, the club were relegated to the second tier. Downton would alternate between the two levels between 2006 and 2014, their best finish 6th in the Premier Division in 2012. Since 2014, they have been in the lower tier, tending to finish around mid-table.
MY VISIT
This game was decided upon on Saturday morning as Colin was very keen to do a game with me this Tuesday. I'd been with him all weekend in the northeast and Scotland but despite his faults, he'd been good company and had helped keep costs down. I presented him with a list of options and he chose Salisbury. We had tried to do it before, but not for the first or the last time the weather ruined things. The club had initially given the go-ahead but the referee called it off upon arrival. At least we had only got to Heathrow at that point and we ended up doing a revisit to Deportivo Galacia at Bedfont Sports on their 3G pitch. He even paid his petrol on Sunday evening when fellow hopper Daniel once again invited himself around to our hotel room. Even so, I was able to start my blog, the big disappointment was the poor choice of food places so I tweeted the club as I'd rather give money to them. They were quick in replying and I was happy to hear that they did burgers and chips which was as good as any of the other places.
We left Newcastle at 9 am on Monday and headed for Northallerton. At the least, we would get another Wetherspoons tick and a nice breakfast. There was also the potential of a game. My laptop battery had been frustrating me lately and it was also not as quick as I'd like. So, I ordered a new laptop from eBay for a good price. For something that I use pretty much constantly, it's well worth it. We arrived at Northallerton Town at 10.35 and the Darlington v Stocksbridge Park Steels game was confirmed as a 12pm kickoff on the main pitch. Richard, Colin & I headed to Wetherspoons but Daniel elected to stay at the ground and not tick the Wetherspoons to avoid spending 38p on a Blackcurrant Cordial. For me, I was peckish and I was unlikely to go back to Northallerton as this was my second visit. Any of us would have bought him breakfast so it was a strange decision. We saw a cracking game as Darlington beat Stocksbridge Park Steels 4-3 with a late winner in the Conference Youth Alliance. It was a long journey home with me eventually getting in at 22:35, following stops, drop-offs and a train home. It was not quite as eventful a trip home as one hopper, spent too long in the pub, lost his phone and missed his flight home. I've had a few close shaves, travel-wise, so won't name names, other than to say the Sussex-based hopper shares a name with the Swansea City manager.
It was a fairly late night the day before and I awoke at 8.30. Remarkably, my new laptop was due to arrive less than 24 hours after ordering it. The only problem is that it was delivered to the wrong address. Luckily, it was only down the road and I was able to retrieve it. I briefly checked it before walking into town, and having an excellent chicken burrito for lunch. I walked back, getting home around 3. I had 90 minutes at home before I had to leave. I was frustrated by the fact that my new purchase had packed up within the hour. Luckily, it was a business seller, so I put the wheels in motion for a return. I eventually had to leave, meeting Colin in Amersham at 4.45. It was a good journey down, taking two hours, the only delay between the M25 and M3. We were there at 6.45, paying £8 to get in. It was a ground with several nice touches, not least the club shop which was overflowing with old programmes, books and merchandise. I got a couple of old books and a pennant for a fiver. I then got some chips for £3 before taking my place on the far side.
Downton were having their best season in years, sitting top of the Wessex D1, albeit second-placed Hamworthy Recreation were a point behind with four games in hand. To get to this semi-final, they had beaten Shewton United 2-0 and Devizes Town 6-1. Bradford Town were tenth in the Western D1 and had beaten Kingsdown 3-1 to get to this game. The visitors dominated the opening period. They took the lead on 18 minutes, Sam Jordan crashing a shot in off of the right-hand post from inside the area. After half an hour, it was 2-0, Jack Witcombe with a low drilled free kick. Bradford continued to be the better side, although Downton had a couple of chances on the break. It was a premature end to the game for the visitors' Owen Bartley who went off with a suspected collarbone injury. Never nice to see, hopefully, he gets well soon. Downton played better in the second half and they pulled a goal back on 54 minutes, an attack down the left and a shot from a narrow-angle. The hosts gave it a real go in the second half and were the dominant side. The game got physical at times, some strong challenges from Bradford as they clung onto their lead.
Downton 0-2 BRADFORD TOWN. Jack Witcombe free kick on 30 minutes. Wiltshire Senior Cup Semi Final. pic.twitter.com/LMrIQlIAnx
— ⚽Russell Cox💙 (@RussWWFC) March 19, 2024
Downton had been a pleasant surprise in terms of how decent it was. It was disappointing though that the more senior clubs did not take the Wiltshire Senior Cup more seriously with even the likes of Melksham Town and Royal Wootton Bassett Town fielding second-string sides. Downton had won the previous two titles but it was not to be for them tonight. It was a shame only 88 fans turned out too. Bradford had decent support, cheered on by around ten fans who gave them vocal backing too, having traveled over an hour and nearly 50 miles to get there. I'd really enjoyed my visit there when they giant killed Hungerford Town in a 2014 cup tie. They will now meet Amesbury Town in a final to be played at Bemerton Heath Harlequins next month. It was quite a late finish due to the earlier injury with us getting away at 9.50. I dropped Colin off at 11,35 and got home 15 minutes later, not really looking forward to the 5 am start for work tomorrow morning.
THE GROUND
THe BRIAN WHITEHEAD SPORTS GROUND is a solid ground for the level with the main stand comprising of bench seating for around 200. This is the only cover aside from a covered drinking area behind one goal. The ground is set in pleasant surroundings with trees tight against one side. But the ground has several features with lots of signage to let you know who plays there. The bar is OK for cider drinkers but for beer fans, they are supplied by a local brewery. The tea bar offers a reasonable range of food compared to the limited range in town. The highlight is the club shop which is a trasure trove of old programmes, books and merchandise. The only downside is that there is so much, I probably missed a lot of what I'd like to buy. The car parking is also quite limited which could cause issues for bigger games. There is a bus that runs from Salisbury and should suffice for Saturday games.
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