Avonmouth - King George V Recreation Ground

Avonmouth FC

King George V Recreation Ground

Avonmouth Road

Bristol

Gloucestershire 

BS11 9ND

Official Website

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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.