Honourable Artillery Club - The Artillery Ground

Honourable Artillery Company FC

The Artillery Ground

Armoury House

City Road

London 

EC1Y 2BQ

HAC Website

SAL Page

HAC FC Instagram

Ground Number: 1504

Saturday 29th November 2025

Honourable Artillery Company 4-3 Apollo London

AFA Cup 2nd Round

HONOURABLE ARTILLERY CLUB FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The Honourable Artillery Company Football Club (often abbreviated to HAC FC) is one of the oldest amateur football clubs in the United Kingdom, closely affiliated with the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), the oldest regiment in the British Army, based at Armoury House in the City of London. The football section was established in 1897; its ties to the game stretch back even further. In 1863, HAC member Cowper “CD” Jackson, aged 24, helped frame the very first laws of football, making the Club a part of the sport’s earliest foundations, and Rugby was played as far back as 1870. They have never played in any of the FA's leagues or cups, instead adhering to the separate system of the Amateur Football Association. Despite this, they were one of the early adopters of the FA’s laws. The club played friendlies against other regimental sides, public schools, and early amateur clubs. They joined the Southern Amateur League as founder members in 1907 and had a spell away in the Amateur Football Combination, which they won in 2023, 2024 & 2025. The league was merged into the Southern Amateur League over the summer, with HAC rejoining as a consequence. They won the AFA Junior Cup in 2010, beating Polytechnic in the final. In 1999, they were Senior Cup runners-up, losing 4-1 to Old Finchleians. They also won the AFA Surrey/Kent Intermediate Cup in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016 & 2019, with some of the titles won by their second-string side.

The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the world. Today, it is also a charity whose purpose is to attend to the "better defence of the realm", primarily through supporting the HAC regiment. In the 17th century, its members played a significant part in the formation of both the Royal Marines and the Grenadier Guards. More recently, regiments, battalions and batteries of the Company fought with distinction in both World Wars and its current regiment, which forms part of the Army Reserve, is the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior in the Army Reserve. Members of the regiment are drawn, for the most part, from young men and women working in and around the City and Greater London. Those leaving the active units may become Veteran Members and remain within the fraternity of the company.

MY BLOG

Originally, I'd really fancied going for a revisit to Rotherham United v Wycombe Wanderers. It was a ground that I'd not been to since 2012. But several factors swayed me against it. Firstly, the ticket price. It was £30 on the day, or £28 in advance. At least the tickets were digital to save on postage.  Secondly, my favoured method of travel, the Independent Supporters Club, was not running a coach. This usually involves visiting a nice pub for a meal, and it's a lovely day out. The only coach on offer was the official one, which involves hanging around at a service station for 45 minutes and getting to the ground at 2. All very reliable, but not for me. At least £63 to just go, see the game and go home wasn't my idea of an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday. In the end, Honourable Artillery Club confirmed the game on Friday evening, the kickoff slightly earlier than anticipated at 1 PM. There was also the chance of a bonus game at the Mile End Stadium, but it would be a last-minute decision.

From our game at the Alexander Stadium, we headed to a chippy Daniel had spotted, which looked decent. Here, I had a Doner nacho burger and a battered Mars Bar. The burger was greed on my part, but I needed something extra so I could put it on my card. It was large and great value, but didn't live up to the pictures. The Mars was excellent, though. We left at 9.45, later than I'd have hoped. There were inevitably a few delays on the M6, but I've had worse journeys. As I was dropping Colin off and there were issues with the M40, it sent us down the M1, which added a fair few miles to the journey. Together with lots of traffic hitting the fuel economy, it wasn't as cheap as I'd hoped. I dropped Colin off at midnight and got home 15 minutes later. My initial plan when I was expecting an earlier homecoming was a 1 a.m. bedtime, and amazingly, I more or less stuck to it. I had a couple of drinks whilst I got my blog up, but tiredness meant that I was asleep by 1.15.

 

The early kickoff and pre-match plans meant a 7 am alarm. I got ready and had breakfast before leaving at 7.45. I had decided to do the entire trip by public transport, as opposed to driving to the station. This would give me more freedom with my post-match plans. It was a ghastly rainy morning, but everything was running on time, and I got the 8 am bus to the station. As usual, it didn't line up with the bus times, resulting in a 15-minute wait and a semi-busy platform. The Chiltern train was sparsely populated, though, and their free Wifi made for a pleasant and comfortable place to lay out this blog. Trains galore were cancelled going out of Marylebone, for reasons I didn't care about, as long as it was all good later. Del Amitri kept me company on Spotify for the short walk to Baker Street, where I got the Jubilee Line to London Bridge. From there, it was a few minutes walk to The Sun Wharf, Wetherspoons 460 for me. A breakfast muffin, a pint of Stowford Press and an Energy Drink for the bag set me back £6.98. The only shame was no Black Dragon but you can't win them all. A pleasant place for a pint and bolstering London Bridge as my favourite London terminus. From there, it was a walk to the Cider House in Borough Market, though due to coming from a different direction, it took me a while to get my bearings. It was found eventually and I had a pint of Pilton Pomme Pomme, a Ross on Wye Susie's Catch and an Eden Brut Natural, the latter in smaller measures. The last one was from the USA and was very good. It was then a buttermilk pheasant hot dog. I left one of my favourite places in London £24 lighter but highly content. It was a half-hour walk and a bit of a palaver to get in, but after giving my ID and contact details, I was fine. It was a splendid venue, superbly kept and very closed in.

 

HAC sat 4th in the Southern Combination Division 1, having won three, drawn two and lost three of their games so far. They had won their last two, including a 3-2 win at Weirside Rangers in the Southern Amateur Senior Cup last time out. Apollo London were top of the step 8 Middlesex County League D1 East and hailed from Finchley. They were top of the table, having won seven and drawn one. Last time out, they beat Edgware and Kingsbury Reserves 8-1, so far the only side to take points off them in a 3-3 draw last month. The game kicked off six minutes late, the hosts in their white change shirts. It was the hosts who dominated and took the lead on 7 minutes, a good finish from a right-side cross. HAC continued to dominate and hit the bar a couple of times. It was 2-0 from a cross and a close-range finish on 24 minutes. The posh bar was visited at half time, very nice and the nicest toilets I've been in. It was 3-0, a good strike and a hat trick a minute or so into the second half. Apollo pulled one back a few minutes later, a curling shot from the right. Ten minutes into the second half, it was 3-2, an attack down the left and a low-placed shot. On 56 minutes, it was 3-3, more damage from the cross and a wild game. After a spell where Apollo looked like they might turn the game on its head, HAC made it 4-3 on 83 minutes through a goal that was bundled home after many clearances.

So, a brilliant game and a deserved win for HAC, but I was running late for game two. It was a nice walk to Liverpool Street, although the main entrance was closed and I had to go back on myself and down the Elizabeth Line entrance. It was a couple of stops on the Central Line to Mile End, of course, no signal was available. I got off and walked ten minutes to the stadium. Wycombe had gone 1-0 up at Rotherham, so I was pleased I arrived just as Ilford scored their second at Sporting Bengal. £8 was a bit steep 24 minutes into the game, but there were only a handful of people there, so every penny counts. My first game was free anyway, but had I known, I'd have headed straight to Camden. I was slightly envious of the people who had brought cans with them; they turned out to be Ilford fans, as there was not a murmur when Sporting Bengal pulled one back from the corner through Brandy Makuendi on 36 minutes. Sporting Bengal had a good spell, but it was all Ilford straight after the break. They laid siege to the Sporting Bengal goal, pinning them in their own half and hitting the post. Sporting Bengal came close on the break, but it was 3-1 with a swift counterattack and smart finish from Nickal David Luzalo. It was 4-1 to Ilford ten minutes from time, the initial shot hitting the post before Rodney Dame deflected the ball in his own net for an unfortunate own goal. That was it, Sporting Bengal were second best, but not by three goals.

THE GROUND

THE ARTILLERY GROUND is a very basic venue; there is no rail or cover, just a pitch and two dugouts, plus a couple of park benches. It more than makes up for it with the stunning architecture, though. High buildings, model cannons and a lot more. It all looks very high spec and is a brilliant place to watch the game. Food and drink is available, a mobile van at the end of the pitch, plus a very posh bar with some great touches inside. Be prepared to contact the club in advance to get your name on the list, or bring photo ID and a patient attitude. It was more work than usual, but it was worth the effort.

West Bromwich Albion U21 - Alexander Stadium

West Bromwich Albion U21 & Women

Alexander Stadium

Walsall Road

Perry Barr

Birmingham

B42 2LR

Stadium Website

WBA Women Twitter

Ground Number: 1503
Friday 28th November 2025
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Brentford

Premier League Cup

ALEXANDER STADIUM - A BRIEF HISTORY

Alexander Stadium is an athletics stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham. It is the largest athletics stadium in the United Kingdom with a seated capacity of 18,000. The stadium site has four buildings, which include the Gymnastics and Martial Arts Centre (GMAC), High Performance Centre, East Stand and newly built West Stand. Original construction began in 1975, and the stadium opened in 1976. It is owned and operated by Birmingham City Council. The stadium underwent a renovation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The venue hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics and para-athletics competitions. The main stadium features a nine-lane, Category 1 World Athletics-certified track. The stadium has an additional 6-lane warm-up track and a separate throws field. Other events held there include the annual British Grand Prix between 2011 and 2019, and in 2022, the Amateur Athletics Association Championships, the 1998 Disability World Athletics Championships, and the English Schools' Athletics Championships. The Stadium also hosts the Midlands Hurricanes rugby league team from 2023. It is the home Stadium of Athletics Club Birchfield Harriers, replacing their former home at Alexander Sports Ground. The stadium will host the 2026 European Athletics Championships, the first time the continental championships will be held in the United Kingdom.

Before redevelopment, there were 7,000 covered seats in three separate stands: Main, Knowles (named after Dick Knowles), and Nelson (named after Doris Nelson, Neal OBE). Additionally, a 5,000-seater stand was located on the rear straight. The stadium has hosted numerous music events, including a one-day festival called Party in the Park, run by BRMB (now Hits Radio Birmingham), which featured acts such as Nelly Furtado, Westlife, Natasha Bedingfield, Blue, Sugababes, Debbie McGee, Girls Aloud, and The Calling. The event was later moved to Cannon Hill Park, a more central location in the city, making it easier for people from south Birmingham to attend. On 22 March 2016, fell-runner Lauren Jeska from Lancaster attacked UK Athletics official Ralph Knibbs at the stadium, stabbing him multiple times. Jeska had feared her records in women's events would be quashed due to her transgender identity. She later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment. She was also convicted of causing actual bodily harm to two bystanders who tried to defend Knibbs.

The stadium is used by West Bromwich Albion's U21 and women's teams. Perry Barr is a suburban area in north Birmingham with a population of around 23,500. Famous people from the Perry Barr area include television presenter Cat Deeley, musician John Taylor of Duran Duran, actor Martin Shaw, and cricketer Chris Woakes. Other notable individuals with connections to the area include musician Dave Swarbrick, actor David Harewood, and artist Gillian Wearing.  Aston Villa opened their Wellington Road ground in Perry Barr in 1876, playing there until 1897. The ground's record attendance of 26,849 was set for an FA Cup fifth round match against Preston North End on 7 January 1888. Preston won 3–1, and the match was marred by a huge pitch invasion, the first serious incidence of crowd trouble in English football.  The 1920s Perry Barr Stadium on Aldridge Road hosted greyhound racing and the Birmingham Brummies speedway team until its closure and demolition in 2025. It had a 500-seat capacity and was refurbished in 2004. It was the former home of the Birchfield Harriers, whose Art Deco-styled bas relief badge it still carried. Aston Manor Cricket Club are situated in Perry Barr. The Hub on Holford Drive is home to Continental Star F.C., as well as Continental Star Cricket, Continental Stars table tennis club, tennis clubs, and Aston Amateur Boxing Club.

MY VISIT 

I always like a bit of Friday night football, and so, this had been planned in for ages. As the day of the game approached, though, I started to have doubts. I'm not a huge fan of football at athletics stadiums, and it didn't count towards any team in the English pyramid. Also, I wasn't too keen on putting miles on my car. In the end, though, I had planned a day out in London that would be entirely on public transport. It would also involve a few pubs with a bit of luck, so a fairly sober Friday night would do me no harm. With regards to the history part of the blog, the past of the stadium itself would have to be discussed.

From our game at Llanelli, it was supposed to be a simple drive home. Get to the M4, then drive 150 miles before a half-hour journey to Colin. However, we were subjected to a 20-minute delay near Newport after a lorry shed its load. The emergency services dealt with it well, but it was a shame the negligence happened. I dropped Colin off at 01.20 and was home 15 minutes later. A couple of my Welsh ciders as I got my blog up and caught up with things, meant that I got to bed around 3.30, nearly 24 hours after I'd got up. I got around five hours of sleep, a standard night for me. The rain and a couple of errands meant that I left home later and slower than usual for my walk to Wycombe. The cold that Colin had kindly gifted me was coming through. Out of sorts and pushed for time, I decided to have lunch in our below-average Spoons. Despite this, the Falcon excelled, and I thoroughly enjoyed my festive sharer chips and Iron Brew beer. I still had time for a pint of Old Rosie at my favourite local, The Rose and Crown. Half of Titanic Cherry Porter was mightily disappointing, not a patch on the Kriek beers from Belgium. I had another bottle of Westons Vintage on the way to the ground, where it absolutely bucketed it down. Vile conditions, and one I was glad to be at Wycombe for.

Wycombe cruised into a two-goal lead against league leaders Lincoln, but were pegged back to 2-2 and looked distinctly second best. But, never underestimate captain Jack Grimmer, who popped up with a winner five minutes from time to make it 3-2. I had envisaged a walk home, but with it being so wet, I accepted a lift home. A few drinks were had before an early night. It was the usual grim Sunday, not helped by not being allowed to wear earphones, even when the store was closed. It was the usual busiest day of the week and absolutely gruelling. I finished at 1 and met Colin. We headed to Cowley Wetherspoons, the final bit taking ages as the Sunday shoppers were out in force. At my number 458, The William Morris, a brie and cranberry panini, chips and an orange juice came in at around £7.50 and was great. To the ground on a chilly day, it was a rather steep £9 on the gate for Oxford City v Swindon Town in the FA Cup. I should have purchased online as it was a more reasonable £7. There was a good crowd of 757 there; the game was less memorable as Swindon won 3-0 despite stubborn resistance, but little attacking threat from Oxford City. I'd mainly gone to try the food at the ground, the Brisket Fries were decent, but greedy and needless expense on my part. Monday was far calmer at work, but the afternoon provided an idea of where I would be heading on Saturday.

It was my day off on Tuesday, with my usual walk to Wycombe & back. In the evening, I made my 37th visit to Holmer Green for their local derby against Penn & Tylers Green. Just 142 turned up for a game between teams that are based less than three miles apart. A disappointing attendance and around 75 fewer than the corresponding fixture at Penn in August. The Baltic conditions no doubt played a big part, 3 degrees at kickoff and zero on the walk home. I've seen games called off for frozen pitches in 'warmer' conditions, so I was glad I stayed local. It was not the greatest of games, but not terrible either. Penn won 1-0, thanks to a 78th-minute goal that took advantage of the keeper losing the ball well out of his goal. Holmer Green had missed a penalty too, so not a great night for them. It was good to catch up with fellow hoppers Anwar & Richard. Elsewhere, Colin went to Dagenham & Redbridge v Chesham United, where they were charging an outrageous £22 for Conference South football.  Wednesday & Thursday were good days at work, but Friday was a real grueller with the store packed.

I spent a couple of hours at home, although it wasn't really enough time to catch up on all I needed to. I had lunch and got on with some of this blog, although Colin turned up 15 minutes early. It was just as well, as a difficult journey was predicted. It was fine until we got up to Birmingham, but we saved time and distance by coming off at Warwick. The final few miles were a crawl, but we got to the Charlie Hall Wetherspoons at 5.30. Number 459 in the chain for me, I got Spice Bag and Juicy Mango IPA for £9.02. A former bingo hall, this Wetherspoon pub takes its name from the actor who appeared in 47 films with Laurel and Hardy. Charlie Hall was born on 19 August 1899, in a small cottage at 23 Washwood Heath Road, Ward End, Birmingham. We met Daniel and the Essex guys there as they were doing the same as us. It was only a fifteen-minute drive to the ground, where parking was plentiful. It was impressive architecturally, and though the pitch was a long way away, the view was still OK.

Last time out, West Brom claimed a 5-1 triumph over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in their second outing in the group stage. They were in third with Brentford in second with two wins from three outings. In the last game, Brentford dominated the second 45 minutes to win 3-0 and close the gap on the Grecians. Brentford dominated the opening 18 minutes, but it was West Bromwich Albion who opened the scoring on the break with their first chance of the game, a composed finish by Souleyman Mandey. Gustavo Nunes was sent off on 37 minutes, though I wasn't sure what for. The game was even for a while but around 70 minutes in, Brentford laid siege to the West Brom goal, but everything was repelled. The game had plenty of stoppages, and that was after the game kicked off over ten minutes late. Colin's mouth was the hardest-working thing about him, as he talked constantly to random hoppers, rather than watching the game. There were no further goals, but it wasn't a bad game for a 1-0.

THE GROUND

THE ALEXANDER STADIUM is a decent venue for an athletics stadium. The 18,000-capacity stadium has two large side stands with multiple tiers and two uncovered ends. The design looks really good, especially when lit up at night. There is a basic tea bar and also hospitality for bigger matches. There is plenty of parking, and buses run nearby. Perry Barr shopping centre is around a half an hour walk away.