Stewkley - Stewkley Recreation Ground

Stewkley FC

Stewkley Recreation Ground

Soulbury Road

Stewkley

Leighton Buzzard 

Buckinghamshire

LU7 0HN

Official Website

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Ground Number: 1429

Saturday 10th May 2025

Stewkley 4-0 MK City
North Bucks & District Premier

STEWKLEY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1946, following the end of the 2nd World War. They were long-time members of the Aylesbury & District League, which they won in 1979 and 1991. They also won the league's Thomas Field Shield in 1964 & 1967. They are currently long-time members of the North Bucks & District League, where they won the Premier Division in 1993 and the Premier Division Cup in 1995. They were also Premier Division runners-up to Potterspury in 2017. Recently, they won the Marsworth Cup in 2020 and have five Oving Cups to their name, including back-to-back titles in the past two years.

The village is about 5 miles east of Winslow and about 4 miles west of Leighton Buzzard. The toponym Stewkley is derived from the Old English for woodland clearing with tree stumps. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Stiuclai. Alastair Cook, England cricket captain, was married at the Methodist Chapel on 31 December 2011. Darren Gough, a former England cricketer, previously lived in and played football for the village.

MY VISIT

This game was only decided the evening prior, as very few teams in the leagues that were still playing had a reliable social media presence. I had tweeted the likes of Bromelians and Norsemen, which would have provided a day out on the train as well as ACD United in the Essex Olympian League, but had no response. So, my preference was to do something in the car, so if the game was off, I could go elsewhere. I stumbled upon a bit of luck, having already decided to go to Wing Village for the 2 PM game as they had posted about it on Facebook. Due to today's sides playing in a reserve game Cup Final at Buckingham, their game was rescheduled to 4 PM. It was perfect with only a six-minute drive between the villages. It also meant that I could go to the Farmfoods shop in Aylesbury to stock up the freezer, an opportunity I'd not had since December.

At the Wing Village game, I had met a hopper called Roland who was here on public transport from London. Like a fellow hopper had helped me and Ollie get between two games in the North West, I offered to help out once I realised he was a hopper. It was six minutes to Stewkley, and as the car park was full, I had to park on the road. I was parched by now, so I got myself a pint of Magners for £4 from the clubhouse. A reasonable price and a cider I had not had for ages. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder, and I'll not miss it if I don't have it for years again. At least it killed my thirst. I was able to find out the results of some games that I'd considered going to. I was right to bin off the ACD United game as it was called off. That league has more flakes than an ice cream van at this time of year, so it's one to avoid. The players observed a minute's silence before the game. My game here kicked off late at 16:08.

Stewkley were 2nd in the league and could win the title if they kept on winning. They had suffered a blow in their last game, going down 2-1 at leaders MK United, but had been in good form, winning their four league games before that. MK City were in the relegation zone, having only won three games all season. They'd lost ten games in a row, including a 3-0 defeat to Wing Village last time out. When the teams last met on 26th October, they gave a good account of themselves, going down 3-2. I did have a more detailed assessment of this game but thanks to a malfunction on my notes app, I am having to rely on memory. Stewkley took the lead around eight minutes in, a header at the back post. It was then a stubborn rearguard action from relegated MK City as they offered little going forward, but luck and hard work prevented the score from being added to. A penalty was awarded halfway through the second half, which was converted to make it 2-0. MK City then had a man sent off for talking back to the referee. In the final ten minutes, two more goals were added, one where the keeper failed to gather a high ball and another where the glovesman's parry was followed up.

It wasn't the best game, and although MK City showed great resilience, they offered little going forward. Most of the other games I had considered went ahead, but with no social media confirmation, I was happy with my choices. From the ground, it was 20 minutes back to Aylesbury Shopping Park, where I dropped Roland so he could get his train home. My target, FarmFoods, was not as good as it was back in December, but I still got plenty to take home. As ever, though, it attracted parents with extremely noisy and unruly children, but at least the prices were excellent. It was around 35 minutes back from there with me getting in at 7.15. I got some hot and spicy popcorn, which was as good as it could be for a quid. I'd done most of my first blog, but this one took a while. I had a few drinks to help me unwind whilst watching the 100% Club on ITV. The plan was to get to bed around 10.30, ahead of work and the Wycombe game tomorrow. 

THE GROUND

STEWKLEY RECREATION GROUND is a multi-sport venue where the main thing is cricket. This has a nice clubhouse with reasonable prices and an electronic scoreboard. The other side is an area with space for two football pitches. On this occasion, it was the far side, and as it was quite hemmed in, you get a sense of enclosure on three sides. On the nearside is a rope and some advertising boards, although no permanent dugouts. Overall, it's a decent place to watch a game with enough street parking for a busy day. 

Wing Village FC - Wing Sports & Social Club

Wing Village FC

Wing Sports & Social Club

Leighton Road

Wing

Leighton Buzzard 

LU7 0NW

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Ground Number: 1428

Saturday 10th May 2025
Wing Village 1-2 MK United
North Bucks & District Premier

WING VILLAGE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1896 as Wing Village FC. Their first notable achievement came in 1911 when they won the Oving Cup. They also won the Marsworth Cup in 1928. They were long-time members of the Aylesbury & District League, winning the Premier Division title in 1967, 1978 and 1980. They also won it three times in a row between 1997 & 1999 by which time they were known as Wing FC, although the names appear to be interchangeable. They are also six-time winners of the Thomas Field Shield, whilst their reserves have won the Division 1 title twice. Recent records are a little harder to find. They are currently in the North Bucks League, where they finished 10th in the Premier Division in 2018. They were Division 1 champions in 2023 and then went on to finish a credible 5th place in the Premier Division last season. This league sits at step 8 of the non-league pyramid and feeds into the Spartan South Midlands Division 2.

During the War, football grounds and teams in Buckinghamshire made themselves available to troops billeted in the area should they want to have a match. During World War 2, the RAF’s OTU 26 at Wing had a football team which included English internationals Ivor Broadis and Bill Williams, and Wycombe Wanderers players George Jackson and Arthur Hallwood. The village is on the main A418 road between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard. It is about 8 miles north-east of Aylesbury, 3 miles west of Leighton Buzzard, and 12 miles south of Milton Keynes. The population is just over 2,700. In 1971, the Roskill Commission identified the disused RAF Wing as the best site for a four-runway national hub airport, generally known as Cublington Airport. This attracted considerable opposition on environmental and noise nuisance grounds, and the plans were first changed to focus on a coastal site at Maplin Sands in the Thames Estuary and eventually scrapped altogether.

MY VISIT 

Options were really starting to dry up by now, at least if you wanted something at step 7 or a decent day out. There were still hundreds of games on, but these were mainly at lower levels, where the social media and communication are not as reliable. So, I whittled it down to around ten when the Football Traveller came out on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, it was reduced to five choices, and I got in contact with Colin to see if he had any preferences. I decided that if he fancied something in the car, I would favour Runwell Sports v Toby. With no pubs of note and it being cheaper by car if we split the petrol, it made sense to do it that way, rather than by public transport. If he went elsewhere, I'd favour a treble in the Chatham area - a revisit to Chatham Town for a 10:30 am final between Dover Rangers and Old Roan, followed by a couple of games at the RSME Sports Ground, including the 1875 FA Cup Final Rematch. Other options were ACD United, Bromelians and a final at Tipton Town FC.

I drove home from the game at Hashtag United on Wednesday. It had been a good evening catching up with everyone, and Colin's voice box certainly got a good workout. I dropped him off at 9.40 and got home myself just before 10. I managed to get my photos sorted and blog up before I went to sleep. Due to only getting just over four hours of sleep for the second night in a row, I was drowsy the next morning. This was the main reason I'll probably not bother with Wycombe's 2nd leg playoff at Charlton, as it'll probably mean getting back with less than three hours of sleep. I was tired enough on Friday, but at least I had a game to look forward to. I spent the afternoon researching Runwell Sports, only to learn that the fixture was postponed. This was probably due to Toby pulling out of their last two games, given that they were bottom of the league. I had them down next Saturday too, but that looks unlikely to happen. Annoying, but I can just use the work for a future visit.

By the time Friday finished, I had decided on my game, and it was to be a double. Firstly, Wing Village at 2 PM and, owing to a quirk of kickoff times, Stewkley at 4 PM. The real clincher was being able to go to Farmfoods in Aylesbury to stock up on food. I'd already dismissed the Chatham idea as I didn't want to get up early. I also shelved the idea of Bromelians or Norsemen on the train as there was no social media presence, and I didn't want to be left stranded without a game. Colin was off doing his own thing, either at cricket in Thame or football in Sarratt or 61FC Luton. Following the disappointment of Holmer Green losing on penalties, we left Abbey Rangers just before 10. I dropped Colin off at 10.30 and got home myself 20 minutes later. I updated my Abbey Rangers blog and got that up as well as having a couple of drinks. I would have kicked off my research into the following days' teams, but I decided to get into bed instead.

I awoke at 6.30 after six hours of sleep. After getting up and getting ready, I left at 8 am. I walked down to Lidl and, as I wanted to get back quicker, got the bus home. I still got a good 7 miles in, though. I was back at 11 and spent time researching today's clubs. This took a while with information very sporadic, but I enjoyed it as ever. I left later than expected at 1.10 and despite some slow drivers, the road was pretty clear. I got to the ground ten minutes before kickoff and parked up at the social club. They only did Thatchers Gold on the Cider front, so I headed to the pitch where the teams were just kicking off.

 

Wing Village sat 9th in the league, having won six, drawn four and lost ten of their games so far. They'd won one of their last five; the last result was a 4-1 loss at Old Bradwell United Development. MK United were top of the league, but the title was out of their hands if 2nd place Stewkley won all of their games. They'd won their last four, including when they beat Wing 7-0 in the Premier Division Challenge Trophy Semi-Final, a few weeks ago. In the league, they had triumphed 5-1 in the return fixture. MK United started the brightest, and they missed a golden opportunity a few minutes in. A great ball from the right found a striker clear on goal, but his shot hit the post. The visitors had a couple more chances, but it was Wing who took a surprise lead on 11 minutes. A cross was put in from the left side and headed home at the near post. Both sides continued to have chances but the visitors were on top. Good organisation and a great flying save on 25 minutes preserved Wing's lead, though. The hosts had some chances on the bread,k but it was all MK United. Another couple of great saves kept Wing's lead but it could only last for so long. On 41 minutes, the MK #17 headed home from close range following a series of corners. The second half was calmer, but still with MK on top. Finally, the pressure told on 72 minutes, a striker got away from the defence and finished past the keeper with a composed finish from just outside of the area. Wing wouldn't lie down, though, and on 80 minutes they would have equalised but for a great save from the MK keeper. 

THE GROUND

WING RECREATION GROUND is a basic but pleasant venue. There is a social club attached to it, which appears pleasant. There are also a couple of pubs and a shop in the nearby village, which looks good. The ground itself is just a pitch with movable goals, a rope surround and dugouts. The best side to stand is the far side, away from the constant drone of traffic, which takes away from what looks like a nice village.

Abbey Rangers - Addlestone Moor

Abbey Rangers FC

Addlestone Moor

Surrey
KT15 2QH

01932 422962
Official Website
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Ground Number: 563
Monday 7th March 2016
Abbey Rangers 1-2 Worcester Park
Surrey Premier Cup Quarter Final









ABBEY RANGERS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1976 as a youth club and were named after the then nearby Chertsey Abbey. Having played in Chertsey and Addlestone, they became members of the Surrey & Hants Border League, winning Division 1 in 2005. After finishing as runners-up the following season, they left the league, joining the Guildford & Woking Alliance Division 1. They were champions at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The club were Premier Division runners-up the following season, and were promoted to the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Division 1. They were champions in 2009 and then in 2011 finishing as runners-up to Wrecclesham. Four seasons were spent in the Surrey Elite Intermediate League before a 4th place finish was good enough for promotion to the Combined Counties League in 2015. Abbey Rangers finished 3rd in Division 1 in their first season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. A 3rd place finish in 2019 is their highest so far. In 2021, the league was expanded, and after spending a single season in the Premier Division North, the club was switched to the Southern equivalent.

After three consecutive Extra Preliminary Round exits, Abbey Rangers had their best FA Cup run in 2019. They beat Loxwood and East Grinstead Town, before winning 1-0 at Isthmian Premier side Whitehawk 1-0. After overcoming Walthamstow in a replay, the side lost 2-0 at home to Whyteleafe. A year previously, they reached the FA Vase 5th Round, beating Lydney Town, Chipping Sodbury Town, Rayners Lane, Lordswood, Eastbourne Town and Bearstead before a 3-1 loss at eventual finalists Cray Valley PM. Minot cup wins include the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Cup in 2009. The club is based in the Surrey Town of Addleston, which has a population of just under 16,000. The now-defunct Addlestone & Weybridge Town were established as Addlestone Town in 1885 and played at their ground in Liberty Lane until their dissolution in 1985. There is now housing on the site of the club's ground. Addlestone FC, formerly Lyne FC, play at a local school in the Surrey County Premier League.

 

MY FIRST VISIT

Having completed the Combined Counties Premier for groundhops recently, I was also keen to get Division 1 done. It was a bit harder as most games are played at weekends owing to the small size of the league, but Abbey Rangers occasionally had Monday night games. Usually, I like to get a good night's sleep on a Monday, as it's my only decent kip of the week, but with me being off work, this Monday represented an ideal opportunity. I found out about their Surrey Premier Cup game a few weeks back and pencilled it in. It was to be sandwiched between my weekend groundhop to Germany and a couple of days up north on Tuesday and Wednesday, so it was a really busy time for me. I'd been hoping to persuade fellow groundhopper, Anwar, to come along, however, he was ill and unable to attend, so it was me on my own.

I spent the morning catching up on my blogs, with a mammoth four to do from my German adventures, though a lot of that was written during the dead time that had been spent travelling around on public transport. I also wanted to do as much research as possible for my upcoming trips, including tonight's game. It was mission accomplished, though, and as well as a little bit of work, I had time to watch some YouTube videos and chat online before leaving for the game just after 6.15 PM. I was happy that I'd been retweeted by the official Eintracht Frankfurt English account, which had a fair few followers, as rarely any club above the Conference North and South bothers with interaction and sharing links. It was only a 28-mile trip, but my prior experience of rush hour traffic made me think it would be anything but simple and straightforward. In the end, I left around 6.30 after I'd got petrol, but luckily the roads were in perfect order and I was there by 7.10. I paid £3 to get in, there was no programme, but they sorted me out a free teamsheet, which was fine by me. I met fellow groundhopper Andy in the bar and we had a chat while we waited for the game to start.

 

It was a first half of very few clear-cut chances, but visitors Worcester Park were enjoying the better of the possession. However, it was the hosts who opened the scoring on 40 minutes with Paul Hodges slotting nearly in the bottom left-hand corner from around ten yards. It was 1-1 just before half-time. Lee Davison who only a few minutes ago had been in agony with an ankle injury, dived to head in Archie Watkins' cross from the left. It was a fair reflection of the game so far with Abbey Rangers stepping their game up after scoring. Again, the second half didn't have too many chances, but it did get quite physical. Abbey Rangers scorer Paul Hodges got his marching orders after a second booking. Just as it looked as if it was going to penalties, Lee Davison grabbed his second with another header.

 

During the second half, I chatted to a Sutton United fan who was also groundhopping at the game and used the 'Non-League Matters' forum that I often go on. We talked about old games between our clubs, though I only saw the two clashes between us in the FA Trophy semi-final of 1993. It was nearly 9.50 by the game finished, as there was lots of time added on, but there was no sign of the penalty shoot-out I was hoping for. The journey home was a good one, only taking half an hour, and I was soon back home. I watched Corrie while writing my blog before watching YouTube videos in bed.

MY SECOND VISIT

Originally, I wasn't intending on revisiting Abbey Rangers, as I considered 2016 to be 'fairly recent' in terms of groundhopping. But then, my local side, Holmer Green, got to the Combined Counties Division 1 Cup Final against Langley, with the final being played at Addlestone Moor. It was also being played on a Friday night, which I am a big fan of. I'd decided to visit around ten days in advance of the game, and the more I looked into it, the more I liked the idea of a revisit. I'd already seen lots of positive comments about the food, and looking back, I see that it seemed popular but untested last time. When I took a more comprehensive look, I discovered that there wasn't even a stand in place when I last went. Also, the quality of the photos left a little to be desired, so upon reflection, a revisit would be most welcome.

The day of the game came, and it was a tiring one at work. I came home and could have done with a few drinks to unwind but I had the far healthier pursuit of football in mind. I spent the afternoon at home, catching up with the night's TV and YouTube. I left at 6, picking up Colin along the way. It was a busy journey due to traffic, but we were there before 7. It was quite steep at £10 to get in, and it was disappointing that a pennant was on display but not for sale. However, the food made up for it. A dirty burger - burger, cheese, onion rings and sausage (as they had no bacon) for a fiver was excellent. I also got £2.50 chips after. Later I got a programme for £1 whilst deciding what game to do tomorrow after my initial choice of Runwell Sports bit the dust.

 

I was one of the 63 present as Holmer Green beat Hillingdon Borough 5-4 in their thrilling cup tie in the first round of this competition. They then overcame Bedfont 2-1 in the Quarter Final before beating London Samurai Rovers in the last game they played on April 19th. The Greens had finished 7th on 73 points, whereas Langley had finished 14th on 50 points. They had beaten Spartans Youth 7-5, Windsor and Eton 3-2, Yateley United 4-1 and Belstone 2-1. In the league, Holmer Green won 4-1 at Langley's base in Uxbridge, whilst it was 1-1 at the game in Holmer Green. The Greens had made a few changes, a notable absentee was top scorer Jeffrey Fordjour, recently returned from Flackwell Heath. Holmer had the first chance, but then Langley had a spell of domination. It was a dull game on a dusty pitch, plenty of effort but no goal chances. The second half saw Holmer Green dominate, and they took the lead on 61 minutes, a shot on the turn by Joshua Peck from the edge of the area. 12 minutes from time, Langley equalised, a James Evans header from a corner following a good spell. The game died out, with Langley probably finishing the stronger. After a fair bit of injury time, it went to penalties. Two misses from Holmer Green cost them, despite a good penalty save from Holmer keeper Sam Bell, it was not to be for them as they lost the final 4-3 in the shootout.

THE GROUND - 2016

ADDLESTONE MOOR must be one of the most basic grounds at step 6, with just a railed-off pitch. There is an area of cover thanks to the overhang from the bar area. Talking of the bar it's warm & welcoming and has the usual range of drinks. The tea bar is even better, having a wide range of food which several people seemed to be tucking into and enjoying.

THE GROUND - 2025

The ground had been built up on my latest visit. A small standing area was supplemented by two Arena units of around 50 seats each. This made it a functional ground, but there were also some nice touches, like the large sign behind the goal. The bar did the job, though Inch's cider is too sweet for my liking. There is also a small range of merch. The real star of the show, though, is the food. A fantastic range, tasty and fresh, and all cooked to order. They were overwhelmed by orders but were very efficient, calling your number when your order was ready.