Fleetdown United FC
Heath Lane Lower Ground
Heath Lane (Lower)
Dartford
Kent
DA1 2QH
Ground Number: 1323
Saturday 20th July 2024
Fleetdown United 4-2 Bexley
Friendly
Friendly
FLEETDOWN UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
Fleetdown FC was initially formed in 1971 with a junior side of U11’s leaving Fleetdown Primary School. They trained on the school’s field and joined the IJF League. Due to a lack of funds, the team decided on Tangerine as their colour of choice as no other side played in that colour and therefore no away kit would be required. The team was heavily reliant on goodwill and fundraising and the Fleet Estate Residence Association financed the first kit at the cost of £50. The IJF league proved quite difficult with both humbling results and travel logistics so the club joined the Bexley League and over time, they expanded the club to include several sides. Fundraising allowed them to buy and expand their current home which they moved to in 1992, the first building was the tea hut which still stands today. The clubhouse opened in 2004 which was a great help in calling the place home. After playing in local adult leagues, they joined the Kent League sometime before 2002 when they were in Division 1 West. They were relegated to Division 2 West in 2008 but won promotion back in 2011 when they were runners-up behind Hildenborough Athletic. They then won Division 1 in 2013 and have been in the Premier Division ever since. They've never looked like dropping back down and their best placing came in 2018 then they finished 5th.
MY VISIT
Though I briefly considered visiting Wales for a competitive game, this weekend was always going to be a weekend in the South East, preferably London. This was due to my longstanding intention to visit the Ciderdog Festival at the excellent Miller pub in London. I had missed last year due to spending my birthday weekend in Wales and for the same reason the previous year in Newcastle. However, this year, I'd booked my holidays at work more strategically, not wanting to 'waste' my limited resources on friendlies. I still needed a game to go to. My first thought was Benfleet as they kicked off at 12:30 but I really wanted to save them for a competitive game. Another possibility was Runwell Sports but this too was outside the environs of the TFL zones and with little to do pre-match. I saw by chance a Halls Athletic tweet that said that they had a game in Dartford but I was aiming to save that for poor weather. However, the ideal game did come nearby in the form of Fleetdown United v Bexley. I'd originally intended to visit the ground on 20th January but a frozen pitch put paid to that. I saw the club was originally looking for a home game on this Saturday and the club was very helpful in confirming that they were playing Bexley with a 13:30 kickoff. This was perfect for getting back to central London for the cider festival and then back to Amersham in time for the buses.
Since my last blog, I returned to London and ticked off another Wetherspoons near Tower Bridge. Everything else then aligned for getting home via the hourly bus service once back at Amersham and I was in just after 9. I was still tired the next morning getting up at 4 am though. It was more football the next day, albeit on TV. Spain had been the best team in Euro 2024 and that came to pass as they beat England in the final. England never really got going until the last twenty minutes and only had a brief hope before Spain struck a second to get a deserved win. On Tuesday I made my 23rd visit to Holmer Green as they lost 2-0 to Amersham Town. I decided my destination for the weekend on Wednesday after a tentative Twitter enquiry. Plans were swiftly drafted for the perfect day including Dartford Working Mens Club pre-game. This had been my plan for my original visit and although they had scaled back their cider range since my last visit, there was still one from my favourite maker of Ross-On-Wye. It was my 45th birthday on Thursday and just another day as far as I'm concerned with work as usual. I had a nice curry and watch the Connah's Quay Nomads v NK Bravo on TV. I wanted the Welsh side to win but late goals and tiredness was their undoing. One notable player for the Slovenians was Tais Šabotić, a 16-year-old who came on as a sub and looked a right handful for the tired Welsh defenders. It was work the next day but I was looking forward to my one-day weekend.
The night before I went up to one of my local clubs, Risborough Rangers. At just over 8 miles away, it was surprisingly only my 3rd visit as they beat Southall 1-0 in a friendly. It was a lovely friendly club and I really should visit more. I love a bit of Friday night football and wish more clubs would do it, especially with a rare nice day of weather. I got a good night's sleep, waking just before my 8am alarm, a four hour lie in compared to work. After breakfast and getting dressed, I left at 8.45, slightly behind schedule. Despite the slack organisation, it worked out far better than last week when I had a plan, what with all the roadworks disrupting the buses. I had a few minutes wait for the bus to Amersham station, rather than the 20 minutes I waited last week. I was there for my train 15 minutes ahead of time. Everything ran impeccably and after going across London on the Bakerloo, I was at Charing Cross well in time for the 10.50 to Dartford. Two of the most boring London interchanges in Marylebone and Charing Cross out of the way, I was looking forward to my favorite, London Bridge later. But for now, my train was on time and all was good. I was in Dartford at 11.35 and walked to the Working Men's Club. A pint of Ross On Wye Smooth Jazz was excellent for £4.20. As was the next pint of the same and a quarter-pounder bacon cheeseburger with chips was just £4.50.
From there, it was a walk to the ground, thrown off the scent by a misleading Google Maps location. I arrived five minutes before kickoff and was glad to see the two teams warming up. It was equal, the referee asserting his authority. He awarded Bexley a penalty on 20 minutes, a correct decision which they scored from. A drinks break followed following which Fleetdown equalised, #17 given too much time to finish smartly. Fleetdown were the better side and they headed home into the top left right on the stroke of halftime to lead 2-1. A truncated halftime followed, a ball over the top allowed #9 to finish well with a low shot, and it was now 3-1 Fleetdown. Around 20 minutes from time, #18 for Bexley, 'Lester' held off a challenge and used his strength to finish well past the keeper for 3-2. Fleetdown restored their two-goal advantage 15 min from time, Liam setting up George who showed great composure and finishing for a left-back who had come forward, the goal of the afternoon.
That was it as far as goalscoring was concerned and it had been an entertaining game. It had been a warmer afternoon than expected after a cloudy and dull morning. I wish I'd bought my shorts but for now, it was a walk back to the station. I headed to Poundland but they had no cans of chilled Irn-Bru, so I headed across the road to Londis to get some soft drinks. By the time I got to the station, I got a train fifteen minutes later than intended to London Bridge. The intention was to have a reasonably sensible night at the cider festival and hopefully be home before 9PM. Next up for me is a game on Tuesday, possibly Runwell Sports, though preferably something closer to home.
THE GROUND
HEATH LANE LOWER is a venue around a 25-minute walk from Dartford station. Decent places in town include the Working Mens Club although there is something for everyone. There is not much around the ground but it has a smart bar and adjacent food hatch. The pitch area comprises two pitches with no rail or dugouts but it's still well worth a visit.
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