Sunday, 9 September 2018

Ramsgate - Southwood Stadium



Ramsgate FC
Southwood Stadium
Prices Avenue
Ramsgate
CT11 0AN

01843 591662




Ground Number: 792
Saturday 8th September 2018
Ramsgate 1-1 Sevenoaks Town
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round






RAMSGATE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The current club was established in 1945 as Ramsgate Athletic though there is a history of Ramsgate FC as far back as 1886, albeit a different club. They kept the 'Athletic' suffix up until 1972, The club was three times Kent League champions, a competition they entered upon formation. Despite only finishing 11th in 1959, they joined the Southern League. Starting out in the second tier Division 1, they won promotion in 1972 as runners-up to Waterlooville, a difference of just 3 goals denying them the title. Ramsgate would only last for a single season in the Southern Premier, but again it was the fine margin of goal difference that sealed their fate. Despite finishing as high as 4th in Division 1 in 1975, finances meant that they dropped back down to the Kent League the following year. They'd remain here for a while and despite a couple of rock-bottom finishes, remained in the top tier. Ramsgate were crowned champions in 1999 but waited until their next title in 2005 to take the promotion. They continued the success and a brilliant 2005/06 season saw the join the Isthmian League and win Division 1 in their first season. Promotion to the Premier Division followed and despite 9th and 5th place finishes in their first two seasons, they finished rock-bottom in 2009 and were promptly relegated. Since then, they've played in the Isthmian D1 South with finishes ranging from 7th in 2013 to 21st in 2015.

Ramsgate have reached the FA Cup 1st Round twice, the latest occasion being as recently as the 2005/06 season. That year the beat Merstham, Croydon Athletic, Southall, Walton & Hersham and Cirencester Town before a 2-0 defeat at Nuneaton Borough. The FA Trophy has yet to produce any memorable runs, with the best that the club has managed is the 3rd Qualifying Round. The FA Vase Quarter Final was reached at the turn of the century - Herne Bay, Lymington & New Milton, Berkhamsted Town & Woodbridge Town were beaten before a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Newcastle Town. Local honours include the Kent League Cup on six occasions, the Kent League Charity Sheild four times, the Kent Senior Trophy and Kent Senior Shield on three occasions apiece, the Kent Senior Cup in 1964, the Thames & Medway Combination Cup in 1960 and the Isthmian League Cup in 2008. A number of players have started out at Ramsgate before going on to better things and these include Liam Hatch who played for Barnet, Peterborough United, Luton Town and Darlington amongst others. 

 MY VISIT

I’d known for some time that I’d be free on this Saturday as Wycombe were playing at Charlton Athletic and I’d only been there last year. The plan was always to do a game in the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round as I’m a big fan of the competition. There were three favoured ways for me do it - double up with the 12:30 kick off on the BBC (ruled out as I’d already been to Maltby Main), combine with a Friday night kick off (ruled out because I’d gone to a more local game) or do something on the train. The latter option was taken, although it wasn’t as economical as I’d have wanted. I managed to bag tickets to Ramsgate for around £21 return from London Bridge and combined with me using my contactless card as an Oyster card, it meant that I was able to travel for a similar cost to what it would have cost me in petrol. It would mean leaving earlier and going on specific trains but I was happy to make those concessions as I’d be able to have a few pints and relax on the journey.




On the day of the game, I was knackered when I awoke, having only had under 5 hours of sleep thanks to a late night. I got up at 7, rushing around and getting out of the house within 20 minutes. I was at the station soon after and with my journey to London Bridge familiar I could have done it in my sleep. I had around 40 minutes to kill and so bought a newspaper. My train came at 9.20 and I was glad to get a table so I could have a bash at the crossword for some of the 2-hour journey. I got into Ramsgate at 11.20 and picked up a few bits in the shops including some olive oil ear drops as I had a blocked up ear. These didn’t solve the problem straight away so I headed to Wetherspoons to cheer myself up. The Royal Victoria Pavilion was huge but was poor for fans of decent cider. So I left without imbibing, instead, taking the short walk to the Hovelling Boat Inn which turned out to be an excellent Micropub. I had a couple of pints, firstly Biddenden Dry and then Kentish Pip Summer Session. After those, I headed off to the ground. I had a half pound egg burger at a local cafe along the way as well as some Chips. Entry was above average at £10 and I also bought an old book, a programme and a pen for £4.



It was a good club but it was a shame that the team didn't match up. Sevenoaks took the lead on 9 minutes, a cross from the right was headed in by Rob Saunders from around 8 yards out. Ramsgate didn't seem to care, either that or the Sevenoaks team were exceptional at stifling them for the rest of the first half. I had a decent portion of chips at halftime, though the second half didn't improve much. A few token efforts were made to attack but they came to nothing. Around 70 minutes in, the hosts equalised, a long punt forward was bundled into the net by Aaron Millbank. The rest of the game fizzled out, Sevenoaks looking like they were happy with the replay. Ramsgate did improve a bit, getting behind the visitors' defence on a couple of occasions but they lacked quality.



So, it hadn’t been the greatest of contests and it was by far my most expensive day of the season, pushing £50 all in. I had a fair amount of time to kill and so I jogged to the NauticAles Micropub. It was around a mile away so I was pretty knackered when I got there. I’d inadvertently forget my earphones in the rush to leave earlier but the replacements that I’d bought from Poundland were doing an OK job. I got a friendly welcome at the pub and had a retry, a Duddas Tun Perry. It had been a good day for drinking, all these beverages not counting towards my football costs as it was a separate hobby. I got back to the station after another lengthy walk at 6. It was 20 minutes wait for my train and I was glad to be heading home, listening to the commentary of the England match on the way. It was a pretty seamless journey with me only having to wait 5 minutes for each train. I got back to Amersham at 9.35 and stopped at Tesco on the way back to get some stuff for tomorrow's breakfast. I got in at 10, sorting out today's pictures whilst watching the Football League highlights. I then watched highlights of the England game. I was wide awake so I watched YouTube videos until 1 am, which meant I only got three hours of sleep before work the next morning.



THE GROUND

The Southwood Stadium is an old-school non-league ground. There are two areas of cover - a seated stand holding 500 and a covered terrace around the same size (at least according to the 1993 Non-League directory. There is extensive terracing elsewhere around the ground, giving it an overall capacity of 2,500. There's a decent club shop with a good range of merchandise as well as old programmes and books.

The tea bar is also pretty good, the portion of chips that I had were of decent quality and portion size. I didn't check out the bar, but the ground is around a mile from the town. Here you can find a great range of pubs and takeways, my favourite of which is The Hovelling Boat Inn which is a great MicroPub. 
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Mansfield Hosiery Mills - The Fieldings


Mansfield Hosiery Mills FC
The Fieldings
Sutton-In-Ashfield
Nottinghamshire
NG17 2TF


Ground Number: 791
Friday 7th September 2018
Mansfield Hosiery Mills 0-2 Kirton Brickworks
Notts Senior League - Division 1



A FEW FACTS ABOUT MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS

 There is very little information online about the club, but one thing that I can be sure of is that they started out as the works team of Mansfield Hosiery Mills, a local textile manufacturer. The factory has long since been closed, but the social club arm still remains, with a cricket club, formed in 1947 also playing on the same complex. The football team currently play in the Notts Senior League Division 1, this sits at step 8 of the Non-League Pyramid or Level 12 of the English League structure. Last season they finished in a mid-table position of 7th, that after a 9th place finish in Division 2 the previous year. The only other record I can find is of the 2014/15 season when they withdrew mid-season from the Midland Amateur Alliance. They were Division 2 champions of this league in 2012.

 They are based at The Fieldings, which once hosted step 5 football in the NCEL Premier. Formerly known as North Notts FC, they changed their name in 2002 and this brought about a period of great success. Runners-up in the CML Supreme Division in 2003 allowed them to progress to NCEL D1. They won another promotion to the NCEL Premier in 2005 and in their first season enjoyed a record high finish of 7th. In 2008, they dropped back down into the Central Midlands League, generally doing well. They were champions in 2013 and earned another promotion, this time to the East Midlands Counties League. Despite an 8th place finish, the club appears to have folded at the end of the season, owing to problems with the lease on the ground.



 MY VISIT

 Opportunities for fellow hopper Chris and I to do a groundhop together were extremely rare. A combination of him being unavailable on Tuesdays and Saturdays and me having to be up for work at 4am in the morning had limited our outings to just one in the past year. However, the Notts Senior League was to be our saviour, as they scheduled regular Friday night football. A lot of the grounds were pretty basic, so I'd resisted until now. But one fixture caught my eye - Mansfield Hosiery Mills v Kirton Brickworks. This was being played at the former home of Sutton Town FC, a ground I had visited 10-15 years ago on the way to a Wycombe away game at Bradford. Knowing that it was a decent venue, I made contact with Chris earlier in the week and happily, he was available. Plans were put in place to go, and so I started my research for the trip.



 On the day of the game it was a busy day at work and so I didn't get back home until after 1.30. That left very little time to have lunch, have a bath, catch up with things and get ready to leave, just before 3. Getting to Chris was an absolute nightmare. There were roadworks in Aylesbury town centre which added 15 minutes to the journey, then for some reason, the authorities decided to close the A4146 dual carriageway. This led to me being diverted through Leighton Buzzard where the town was unable to cope with the deluge of traffic. As a result, there was a further 35-minute delay, meaning I got to Chris at 4.20. He was there waiting for me and we had a reasonable journey up. The M1 is usually a disaster zone but today the delay was only 20 minutes through the roadworks - of course, as per usual, no one was working on them. We got to our pre-match stop of The Dandy Cock micro pub at 6.30 where I had a Thirsty Farmer dry. This was a pretty light one, but it helped me chill. Then it was next door to Mr Chan's Chinese where Chris and I had Singapore Vermicelli and Chicken Satay Skewers. It was a mixed bag. The Vermicelli was great, although the Chicken Satay Skewers were poor with battered chicken and separate sauce. We had our dinner and made our way to the ground, getting there at 7.25.



 Mansfield Hosiery Mills were having a poor start to the season, sitting 15th and having won just one of five games so far this season. This had come against Radford Reserves (4-1) but they'd lost the other four against Wollaton Reserves (4-5), Burton Joyce (0-3), Awsworth Villa Reserves (2-3) and Southwell City Reserves (1-3). Visitors Kirton Brickworks, by contrast, had enjoyed a good start and were sitting 6th. They'd had wins over Awsworth Villa Reserves (3-2), Wollaton Reserves (3-1) & Southwell City Reserves (1-0). The only blot on the landscape came in the latest game at home to Beeston, where they'd suffered a 2-0 defeat. It was good to see League secretary and charity fundraiser Rob Hornby at the game and we all had a nice chat with some other hoppers. The game was very open with Kirton hitting the post with a header in the opening few minutes. They took the lead 11 minutes in when Kyle Clarkson lifted a shot over Mansfield keeper Matt New from 10 yards out. A few minutes later the lead was doubled when a foul just inside the area resulted in a penalty. Jon Rowley converted successfully, hitting it fairly central past the home keeper. The second half had fewer chances with Mansfield Hosiery Mills coming close to reducing the arrears just before the hour with a long-range shot that hit the bar. 

There were a few other chances for both sides but there were no further goals. It had been a decent evening in good company, but it was time to go home. We left at 9.40 and true to form, the M1 was a pain in the neck. Several stretches were down to one lane and this resulted in delays thanks to drivers waiting until the last minute to merge in. All in all, there must have been 20 minutes delay meaning I dropped Chris off at 11,40. The Two Mikes had made the journey go reasonably quick, thanks to their show on TalkSPORT and by 12.30 I was back home. I stayed up for a while having a few drinks and catching up on my blog before going to sleep at around 2 am.

Click this link to read Rob Hornby's report of the game.

THE GROUND

 THE FIELDINGS is a smart ground which has a pretty tight and enclosed feel. The sole covered area is a stand holding around 200. Overall, I'd guess the capacity at 1,500. There's a tea bar at the ground, this sells hot food, tea, coffee, cold drinks and snacks. There's also a clubhouse outside the ground and plenty within walking distance of the ground in terms of takeaways and pubs. 

2007 PICS - SUTTON TOWN FC



2018 PICS

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Wednesday, 5 September 2018

Bemerton Heath Harlequins - Moon Park



Bemerton Heath Harlequins FC
Moon Park
Western Way
Bemerton
Salisbury
SP2 9DT



Ground Number: 790
Tuesday 4th September 2018
Bemerton Heath Harlequins 3-2 Thatcham Town
FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay




BEMERTON HEATH HARLEQUINS - A BRIEF HISTORY

 The club was established in 1989 following the merger of three local sides - Bemerton Athletic, Bemerton Boys and Moon. They joined the Wessex League upon formation and have played there ever since. Whilst the league was a single division, finishes ranged from 3rd in 1992/93 to 18th in 1990/91. In 2004 the Wessex League expanded to two divisions, Bemerton Heath Harlequins made the cut for the upper tier and have remained there ever since. They've never finished lower than 14th and in twice in a row in 2011 and 2012 they were runners-up. 

 In the FA Cup, the best ever run was in their debut season of 1992/93. After winning 2-1 at Sholing Sports in the Preliminary Round they faced another trip, this time to Abingdon United where they won 5-0. They'd have to again for the 2nd Qualifying Round, this time to Isthmian Premier side Bognor Regis Town. It would take four games to separate the sides, two at each side's home ground before Bemerton Heath Harlequins won 1-0 in the third replay. Their dream came to an end in the 3rd Qualifying Round with a 1-0 loss at Witney Town. In the FA Vase, the club has twice reached the 5th round, losing at Clitheroe in 1999 and Spennymoor in 2013. Local cup wins include the Wiltshire Senior Cup in 1993 and 2011, the Wessex League Cup in 2010 and the Russell Cotes Cup in 2012. The club's record attendance of 1,118 came for a 1994 FA Cup Preliminary Round game against Aldershot Town.



 MY VISIT

 I knew that I'd be on my own on this Tuesday as the two hoppers I usually go to games with were both busy. I was initially hoping to keep it local but with no revisits taking my fancy and all the new grounds being a long way away, I decided to look for something that was down south and that was also in the FA Cup or FA Vase. There were around 5 or 6 options, with me eventually whittling it down to two options - those being Corinthian v Fisher in the FA Vase and Bemerton Heath Harlequins v Thatcham Town in the FA Cup. The former ended in an exciting 4-4 draw and would save me 60 miles on the round trip, but it was against two teams from the same league. I decided to put it to the vote on Twitter and the FA Cup game came out on top - the original match having been drawn 0-0 at Thatcham Town, probably the highlight of Bemerton Heath Harlequins' disappointing start to the season so far.  They'd yet to win in the league with a home draw against Bashley their sole point of the season, the defeats coming against Sholing (0-4) and Tadley Calleva (0-3). Cup form had been a little better - a win over Cowes Sports (1-0) had seen them progress in the FA Cup, whilst Hythe & Dibden had been defeated on Saturday (2-1 after extra time) to progress in the FA Vase. Thatcham Town's start to the season had been fairly disappointing too, last season's Hellenic League champions had won just 1 of 4 games so far, albeit a thumping 6-0 win against Fleet Town on 27th August.



 On the day of the game, it was my day off work. I did the usual thing of walking down town, doing some shopping and getting a lift back with my Dad. After lunch, I whiled away the afternoon, catching up on various things before leaving around 4.30. It was a good journey down, even with a brief stop I was there by 6.30. I was in need of dinner so I went in search of the local chippy. Contrary to the impression I gained, it was actually 15 minutes walk from the ground, so I decided to drive. It was a decent decision as my chicken nuggets and chips took a while to be cooked, but they were tasty and good value for the £3.20 I paid. From there I went back to the ground, meeting a Leicester based hopper called Alan who I’d not seen for a while. We had a brief catch up before I went into the bar to get some pictures. When I came out, the turnstiles were not yet open, so I had another chat before they opened at 7.20. after going around and getting pictures, I caught up online, including news of Wycombe’s Checkatrade Trophy game at Northampton. The entry there was a bargain at £5 in a desperate attempt by the Football League to convince themselves that adding Premiership youth teams into the competition was not harming attendances. I’d have been there in any other competition, perhaps even a friendly but I decided to put principles over personal enjoyment and continued my boycott.



 The purchased programme was pretty poor, even for the quid paid. The outside was five years old from the 2013-14 season and the insert was pretty basic too. In this situation, I’d rather pay 20p for a teamsheet rather than a forced publication where the heart is not truly in it. Thankfully the game was far better, attracting 154 fans, their biggest crowd in 3 years, I believe. The game started with Thatcham creating a fair few chances in the opening 10 minutes, but gradually the hosts took control. They made it 1-0 on 25 minutes when a looping free-kick from the right was headed home by Jake Burgess. They doubled their lead a few minutes later, this time it was a finish by Kelvin Robinson, though I didn't have the best view of it as I was up the other end of the pitch.  The third, on 40 minutes was the goal of the game and the goal of my season so far, Charlie Young lobbing Thatcham keeper Chris Rackley from some 35 yards out. The visitors had been really poor in the first half, but they stepped it up for the second period. 52 minutes saw them reduce the arrears, James Tennant with a scrappy goal from close range. A penalty was awarded to Thatcham Town on 62 minutes, Shane Cooper-Clark's effort was initially saved but he followed up for the rebound. The rest of the game saw the visitors put pressure on Bemerton Heath Harlequins, but never really come close to scoring. In fact, it was the home side that came closest to getting a goal, very nearly being caught out on the break and needing a goal-line clearance to stay in the game. From the resulting corner, the hosts tried to keep it in the corner to run down the clock and although the ball broke free, soon enough it was full time and Bemerton Heath Harlequins could celebrate a giant-killing. Thery will now face a tip to Southern Premier side Taunton Town on Saturday. 

I met various other hoppers on the night, including Cherry Hopper off of the Non-League Matters forum. I left at 9.40, hoping to tune in to BBC Three Counties on my phone. However, they were doing their usual daft midweek thing of not broadcasting the show over the internet for 'commentary rights' reasons, even though it was just a round up. Wycombe won 1-0 in any case, thanks to a goal early on from Scott Kashket. The other game I was considering going to - Corinthian v Fisher also ended 3-2 to the home side. Instead, I listened to the end of the Yeovil game on BBC Somerset, before switching to other stations for the journey home. I made good time, getting in at 11.15 though I didn't go to bed straight away. As ever, I found it tricky to sleep after football, but I felt fine when I awoke for work at 4 am the following morning. It had been an enjoyable night, but a pricey one, costing £36 including fuel, food, entry & programme, my most expensive trip of the season so far.



THE GROUND

 MOON PARK as it has recently been renamed (in honour of one of the teams that were part of the merger that formed the club) is on the edge of a housing estate. It is surrounded by pleasant greenery and on three sides of the ground are trees which give it a more enclosed feel. The most interesting stand is behind the goal and is part of the clubhouse. Approximately 30 seats are available on the balcony and although these appear to be reserved for VIPs, it’s an aesthetically pleasing stand. There are two further areas that provide cover - a decent sized main stand with seating for between 200-250 and this has further standing behind. There’s also more standing cover to the side of this, around 150 capacity. The rest of the ground is open, with a few raised areas.
The bar is spacious and pleasant, this has Sky Sports and a reasonable range of drinks. The cider on draught is from Blackthorn, but I’m unsure of prices. There’s also a tea bar available, though I didn’t see the price list I had a good hotdog for £2. Burgers are also available, as are snacks and drinks. Not too far away from the ground is Mitchell’s Chippy which has won local awards and provides decent value.
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