Brixham - Wall Park

Brixham AFC

Wall Park

25 Wall Park Road

Brixham 

Devon

TQ5 9UE

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1506

Saturday 6th December 2025

Brixham 0-2 Didcot Town

Southern League D1 South

BRIXHAM AFC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was only established in 2012, following a merger of two local clubs. Neither of them had especially prominent histories - Brixham Villa had been formed in 1953, and their greatest achievement was winning the South Devon League Premier Division in 2007. This sits at level 12 of English Football, or step 8 of Non-League.  Brixham United had a slightly more illustrious history, having played five seasons in the Western League and the FA Vse in the 1970s, but were still in the South Devon League at the time of the merger. The new club used the ground of Brixham United, as Villa's facilities were inadequate for promotion; however, they had finished far higher in the table (3rd as opposed to 12th) than their town rivals. Villa's former ground at St Mary's Park is still used for the club's youth sides.

Brixham AFC finished 4th in their maiden season and then as runners-up behind Watcombe Wanderers in 2014. This earned them promotion to the South West Peninsula Division 1 East, at the time, a step 7 Division. A third-place finish and restructuring saw them placed in the step 6 South West Peninsula Eas,t where they established themselves before finishing as runners-up in 2022. Despite amassing 92 points from 38 games, Torpoint Athletic took the title and only promotion place by hitting 100 points. This was put right the following season with the league title and promotion to the Western Premier in 2023. They finished a solid 8th in their first season before a 3rd place finish last season.  The club beat former Southern League sides Barnstable Town and Clevedon United in the playoffs to reach the Southern League Division 1 South for this season.

This season saw record FA Cup progress. Brixham beat Street, Mousehole and Falmouth Town (the latter with a 5-0 victory) before going out in the 2nd Qualifying Round to Dorchester Town. Falmouth gained revenge, beating Brixham 4-0 in their first and to date only FA Trophy game. In the FA Vase, several good cup runs have been enjoyed. Most notably in the 2022.23 season when they beat Odd Down, Andover New Street, Shaftesbury and Raynes Park Vale before losing to Corsham Town on penalties in the 5th Round.

The coastal town of Brixham is located in the Torbay area of Devon. It is believed that the name Brixham originates from the personal name of an early resident, Brioc, followed by the Old English suffix ham, meaning home. The predominantly hilly town is built around a natural harbour, which, in addition to leisure craft, provides anchorage for what is now one of England's largest remaining commercial fishing fleets. A conspicuous local tourist attraction is the permanently moored replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship Golden Hind. The annual Brixham Pirate Festival usually takes place over the early May Bank Holiday, and is known for its world record attempts, live music, free entertainment and for filling Brixham with pirates. The festival is a very large event in the town, with thousands of residents and visitors attending the festival yearly. Archery is one of the more popular sports played in the area, and Brixham Rugby Club play in the National League 3 South West, which is the fifth tier. Additionally, Brixham Town FC play in the South Devon Football League Division 1 (step 9) and share with the local cricket club.

MY VISIT

Back when the league constitutions were decided, this was the one game I was looking for.  I had been with Didcot Town a couple of times last season, and between them and Thatcham Town, going on their coaches had helped me complete the Southern League Division 1 South. Both were excellent, friendly clubs, but sadly Thatcham were relegated. That left me with the closer Didcot Town to help me out with going to Brixham. It was a fairly short trip, though the route was not my favourite, having lost two tyres and endured a six-hour wait for recovery from the RAC after hitting a big pothole on a bad road last season, after I went over to see some Friday night football. I wasn't going to let that put me off, although I was a tad concerned when the fixture was scheduled for December. I was glad when they announced that they were running a coach the week before the game, and when I checked the weather on Monday, it looked fine. Brixham looked like a cracking town, and it was a shame I wasn't making a weekend of it. Looking at my stats as ever, it was the 36th closest ground at steps 1-6 that I needed to visit.

From our game at Stapleford, it was a nice run down the M1, and Andy Crane kept us company with the 'Top Ten At Ten'. I guessed correctly as 1977, thnaks to a clue about the Sex Pistols. Before my time, but a good year for music. It was a miracle I could hear any of it, because as usual, Colin didn't shut up the entire trip, talking constantly. This was especially irritating when trying to listen to Google Maps divert us due to a closure on the M25. Even then, he whined for five minutes about the way it took us back, as the expert non-driver, he thought he knew a better way. The thick fog made driving difficult, too. After dropping him back at his hovel, I was back around midnight. It took me ages to drop off, and as a result, I got less than three hours of sleep. At least I got a good sleep in the night before, plus it was my short shift at work. I had a short 90-minute nap the following afternoon, when I got my blog up.  It was a fairly dull Thursday and Friday at work, but still quite busy.

Friday evening was spent having a few drinks. Given the lack of rain, I was surprised to see that there was a pitch inspection forecast, but the early call would be appreciated. My assumption was based upon Accuweather, though, Chris, who was down that way, had a more gloomy outlook. The Didcot contact I had messaged to ask for my mobile number, so I could be kept up to date, and although I'd be on my way, I shouldn't have got too far by the time the outcome was decided. After a few drinks, I was asleep by 9.30. I awoke earlier than my alarm and so had time to kill before breakfast. As there was a pitch inspection at 8, I left, leaving until then. I picked up Colin and stopped for cash, and was just by High Wycombe train station when I got a message to confirm that the game was on. This was great news, as a trip to my backup, Dagenham United, didn't appeal. We got to Didcot at 9.05, and the coach arrived bang on time. By the time we had loaded all the stuff on and got away, it was just after 9.20.

It was a gloomy old day with rain on the trip down, a typical December day. I made use of the free time by putting a plan together for next Saturday's trip to OIR v Owens, which should be a good value day out and include four new Wetherspoons. Colin's mouth had been working so hard with constant talking for 90 minutes, so he had a sleep after wearing himself out. He woke up as we got to Sedgemoor services. It was as grim as you would expect it to be, overpriced and boring. It showed brief promise with a farm shop but only had Non Alcoholic stuff. We saw Hungerford Town on their way to Dorchester and Hartpury on their way to Bideford whilst there. Colin's mouth was back off again, teaching a young fan how to use Futbology. We were set to arrive at 1.30, meaning time would be tighter than I'd have liked, but we spent longer than planned at the services. We eventually got in at 1.35. I checked in at the ground and then walked to the Wetherspoons, 20 minutes away. A Christmas pizza, some wings and two pints of Black Dragon were just over £20. Above average for Spoons, but still great value. All a bit rushed for my liking, but it was 20 minutes walk back to the ground, all uphill, which was a struggle with me having had plentiful food and drink. Entry was a tenner, a fair price in this day and age.

 

Didcot Town were 18th in the table, just above the relegation zone. They'd not won for six games since they had beaten bottom side Tavistock 1-0 on 1st November. They were on a run of three defeats, most recently a 2-0 loss at home to Frome Town last Saturday. Brixham were a couple of points and places lower in 20th. They were on a run of three defeats, most recently a 3-2 loss to Mousehole a week ago on Tuesday. It was a bright start, but the game soon got a bit of a slog. Didcot took the lead on 37 minutes, Tyger Hall netting after Brixham failed to deal with the attack. The hosts then hit both posts on the break, but it was still 1-0. The second half started with a Didcot man felled, but they got nothing from the Westcountry-based referee. Didcot made it 2-0 with a header from Owen James on 50 minutes as he was left totally unmarked. They also had a player sent off, but they saw the game out without much fuss. Less happy news was to be heard in Devon, with Wycombe thumped 4-0 at Exeter in a terrible showing. A Thatchers Gold was enjoyed, rather uninspiring in a cider region, but very refreshing nevertheless.

 

THE GROUND

WALL PARK is a quirky three-sided venue with the far goal closed off to fans. The entrance is unusual, being a hut on the side of a road. There is a smart bar with a limited range of drinks and a decent range of food. The ground comprises of a mish-mash of stands on one side, but these are wonderful, a mixture of seats and benches. The far side is open, and the other end has a small bit of cover. Parking is limited at the ground, but street parking is available. The lovely town is 20 minutes walk away and has enough to suit most tastes. Overall, a great place to visit, and you can never have too much time here.

Stapleford Town - Hickings Lane Recreation Ground

Stapleford Town FC 

Hickings Lane Recreation Ground

Hickings Lane

Stapleford

Nottingham 

Notts

NG9 8PB

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1505

Tuesday 2nd December 2025

Stapleford Town 3-3 FCV Grace Dieu

United Counties D1

STAPLEFORD TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2012, replacing Stapleford Villa, who were established a decade earlier. They were primarily a youth side at first, establishing an adult team in 2017. They entered the Notts Senior League Division 1, winning the title at the first attempt. The success continued with the Premier Division title the following year; however, at the time, they didn't have the facilities to allow promotion. After a couple of modest finishes during the two pandemic-interrupted seasons, Stapleford finished as runners-up to Southwell City in 2022, whilst sharing at Borrowash Victoria. Further titles followed in 2023 & 2024, and following a groundsharing agreement at Radford, they were finally allowed to take promotion to the United Counties League Division 1. They finished in mid-table last season before moving home in the summer to a now-upgraded ground.

Stapleford Town entered the FA Vase for the first time this season; however, they lost 3-0 at home to Coalville Town. Local cup honours include the Notts FA Junior Trophy in 2018 and the Notts FA Senior Trophy in 2023. The town of Stapleford is located six miles from Nottingham and has a population of around 15,500.  Stapleford lies on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. To the north of Stapleford is Ilkeston, and to the east is Beeston. To the west across the River Erewash is Sandiacre, and in the south is Toton. Sir John Borlase Warren, an 18th-century MP for Nottingham and an admiral, lived in Stapleford. The now-closed Happy Man and Warren Arms pubs were named after him and his family. A large Wetherspoons named after him is located in the town centre. Dave Watson, who was a defender in the Sunderland team that won the FA Cup in 1973, was born in Stapleford in 1946.

MY VISIT

Stapleford Town was the second closest ground that I needed to visit. Originally, I was due to visit when they played Coalville Town in October, but it was moved due to a county cup game. Then, I was due to visit on 18th November, but the game sold out, something I learned before I had a wasted journey. At nearly 250 miles, though, it was a fair old way. Nevertheless, I decided that it would be done on a midweek. They played at home on a Tuesday fairly often, so I had plenty of choice. That Forest game was perfect, with not many options on, although I could have done with their 3G pitch the previous week, as I went without a game until Friday. On the day of my original visit, Twitter was down, and it was only via email that I learned that the game in the Notts Senior Cup had sold out. The third and hopefully final attempt was on 2nd December against Grace Dieu.

From my game at Mile End, it was around a ten-minute walk to the station. I learned that Wycombe had drawn at Rotherham after being 1-0 up, not a bad result all told. From there, it was a few minutes wait for a Central Line tube to Bank and then the Northern Line to Camden Town. The place was rammed for some reason, and it was a slow walk to the Ice Wharf Wetherspoons, 461 for me. Packed in there too, nowhere to sit. At least my £2.99 pint of Stowford Press was obtained quickly with excellent service at the bar, but this was not a place that I was keen to revisit. The Northern to Euston and a walk to Euston Square provided me with the final train of the day, a Metropolitan Line to Amersham. This was not as plain sailing as I'd have liked. A 'points failure' at Chalfont and Latimer meant we were booted off the train at Rickmansworth. Or not, as they fixed it within ten minutes, I made the bus by the skin of my teeth and was home by 8.40. A few drinks and dinner were had, though not enough to take my mind off of work the next day. I really could have done with more sleep, but I was not tired. In any case, I am reluctant to let work affect my day off in a negative way.

I was asleep just after 11, and slightly tired the next morning, but I didn't care. It was an OK day at work, far less stressful than other Sundays, but still very busy. As planned, I went to Flackwell Heath Ladies v Barton United Ladies after -  my first visit to Wilks Park since last July. It was a fairly decent game, Flackwell deservedly winning 2-0. After, I went to Home Bargains, which was full of the usual noisy families. I found what I wanted, though, the Irn Bru Winter Spiced drink, which I had been after for ages without luck. Finally, I got home, 12 hours after leaving for work that morning. It was an early night on Sunday, and Monday was a decent day at work. Another early night saw me sleep for eleven hours on Monday night, and I woke up just after 9 am. As a result, I didn't do my usual walk to town and back until well past 10, meaning that it was far busier than usual as I hit the shops just before lunchtime. I got all that I needed, arriving back around 2 and having lunch.

As a result, I didn't have much time to kill before it was time to go. I checked my tyre pressures and watched TV for a bit before leaving around 3.30. Colin wasn't ready, and so I had to go up to his messy flat where he was still in bed. It was lucky that everything was unlocked, as my phone calls failed to wake him up. We got going 25 minutes later than intended, as he took a long time to get ready. It was a pain getting to and onto the M1, but once we were on it, it was a very decent run up. The variable speed limit helped with both traffic flow and fuel economy. We were at the ground by 6.40 and walked the 15 minutes to the Sir Admiral John Borlase Warren Wetherspoons. A revisit for me, but an excellent example of a Spoons with several boxed ciders. I was driving, and it was midweek, so Cranberry juice it was. Along with the Christmas Brie and bacon burger, it cost £9.31. It was most enjoyable, and it was nice to sit in the warmth. From there, it was a fifteen-minute walk to the ground, where we arrived just on kickoff. £6 was excellent value for entry and would have included a programme had they not run out. News later reached us that Wycombe had lost 2-0 at Northampton in the Vertu Trophy, annoying as I enjoyed the early kickoffs at home. It was good to see and chat to Shrewsbury fan Lee Vaughan, who had made his way down for the game.

Stapleford sat 5th in the league, having won fourteen, drawn four and lost five of their games so far. They were in mixed form and had suffered a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Staveley Miners Welfare on Saturday. Newly promoted FCV Grace Dieu were a place lower in 6th, having won eleven, drawn nine and lost two. They were unbeaten in seventeen, but had drawn six of their last seven. On Saturday, they drew 1-1 at South Nortmanton Athletic. It was the visitors who were on top; they took the lead through a good run and a low shot by Jerrell Sellars on 12 minutes. They doubled their lead on 18 minutes, an attack down the left, a low cross and a shot from ten yards by Jack Butterfill. On the half hour, it was 3-0, a good ball forward and a low finish from 20 yards, which turned out to be a deflected own goal. In the second half, Stapleford were better. They pulled a goal back on 50 minutes through Oliver Ball, lobbing over the keeper after he could only palm the initial shot out. It was 3-2 on the hour; a goal-line clearance was not enough as it was over the line, scored by Max Taylor. There was another clearance off the line, a real game of two halves. Five minutes from time, Stapleford got the equaliser they deserved, a David Olatomide header from a left-wing cross to spark jubilant scenes. They had a number of chances to win it, but were quite wasteful near the end.

 

THE GROUND

HICKINGS LANE RECREATION GROUND is a fairly typical modern 3G cage. The main pitch is on a tight footprint. As a result, the space is narrow, and the ground has just one end, plus one and a bit sides. There are two metal stands, as ever, one seated and one standing. They hold around 50 each, but at least they are in good colours and have the club badge on them. The club facilities are behind the goal where you come in. They are fairly bland, but offer a basic range of food and drinks. The bar upstairs has Sports TV. There is a small car park at the ground, plus parking on the road outside. Buses run nearby. The town is a short ten-minute walk away. This offers a good range of pubs, restaurants and takeaways. Despite a road cutting straight through it, it looks like a place with plenty to make a good day out.