Portland United - The Camp & Satherley Stadium

Portland United FC

The Camp & Satherley Stadium

Grove Road

Portland

Dorset

DT5 1DP

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1444

Saturday 5th July 2025

Portland United 2-4 Weymouth

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PORTLAND UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1920, joining the Dorset County & District League upon formation. They were continuously amongst the top clubs in the league but without actually taking the title. Portland United joined the Western League Division 2 in 1925 and saw great success between 1926 & 1932 with two 3rd place finishes, two runners-up spots and two titles. They didn't go up to Division 1 until after the end of the Second World War. Portland remained here until 1970, their best finish coming in 1966 when they finished as runners-up to Welton Rovers.

After leaving the Western League, they embarked upon a 31-year stint in the Dorset Combination. Portland finished as runners-up to Parley Sports in 1984 before winning the title in 1999 & 2000. After finishing as runners-up to Hamworthy Recreation in 2001, they were promoted to the Wessex League. Despite finishing 8th in 2003, the club struggled, going back down to the Dorset League in 2006. Four more titles followed before Portland went up to the Wessex League in 2015, once more as runners-up to Hamworthy Recreation. It was a hugely successful time for the club as they won Division 1 and the Premier Division in successive seasons, but did not take up the promotion. They have been here ever since, their lowest finish of 17th coming last season.

Portland United have reached the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round on five occasions. The latest of these was in 1966 when they took Yeovil Town to a replay. They have also reached the FA Vase 2nd Round three times. Local honours include four Dorset Premier League Cups. Their record attendance of 4,129 came against Weymouth in 1949.

The Isle of Portland is a tied island in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies 5 miles south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset. It has a population of around 13,500. Portland is a central part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Portland stone, a limestone famous for its use in British and world architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters, continues to be quarried here. The most famous person from Portland is Paul Durkin, the former Premier League referee.

The location is probably most well-known for a 1980s kids' TV show. The Adventures of Portland Bill is a British stop motion animated children's television series made in 1983. It is set in a fictional lighthouse on the Guillemot Rock, just off the coast from the fictional village of McGuillycuddy. Norman Rossington provides the voice of all the characters, with Portland Bill the principal keeper acting as the narrator of each episode.

MY VISIT

I had long wanted to go to Portland United. However, at around three hours each way, it was just that bit too far for midweek, what with work at 4 in the morning. A Saturday it would have to be then and it would have made a great day out on public transport. However, even with using Colin's railcard, even with getting the bus to Reading to save money and having a slower journey and even with using split fares, it was still cheaper by around £15 to get in the car and drive if we split the costs between us. Madness if you believe the government's claims about trying to achieve net zero, but then, the same as always, the government is just trying to milk the public to help out mates. It'd be a nice day out an an opportunity to visit the two Wetherspoons in Weymouth. Having not been to Weymouth FC since 2004 and wanting to update my blog, it was a shame that it was so far away. The only situation I can see myself doing a revisit is with Wycombe since Colin has already been.

I conducted research on Portland United on Thursday evening, which took far longer than expected. From our game at Chislehurst, it was a bus to Sidcup station, a train to London Bridge and two tubes home. We were very lucky to only have a three-minute wait for the half-hourly service to Amersham which meant we got back half an hour ahead of schedule. It was then an easy journey home via Colin and I was able to have a couple of drinks and sort my stuff before going to bed at 1. My alarm woke me up at 8:10 after a reasonably good night of sleep. I got up, got freshened up, got dressed and had breakfast before getting ready to leave. I got going at 9, meeting Colin at the end of my road. It was a good journey until we hit the A31 at Ringwood with lots of delays here. There was then a delay getting into Weymouth but we were there at 12.10. The cheap car park I selected near the Quay did the job, though there were few spaces. It was a reasonable £1.70 for two hours.

The Quay looked lovely, even against an overcast sky. Typically, it had been blazing sunshine all week, before a gloomy weekend. A typical dirty trick by the weather. From there, it was a walk to the first Wetherspoons, The William Henry. Very busy but I bagged a table and had a pint of Dorset Nectar Dabinett which was excellent. From there, it was a look around Weymouth. There was a nice-looking cake shop, but they were cash only. Although I'm not as militant as fellow hopper Richard in avoiding card-only places, it wasn't sufficiently tempting for me to avoid inflexible places. From there, it was to the other Wetherspoons, the Swan for lunch. I ordered spicy chicken pizza and a Monster Energy drink. Whereas the other pub had a hen party, this one was full of Coffin Dodgers, as evidenced by the row of mobility scooters parked up outside. Service was less swift here but a tick is a tick. Weymouth looked like a great and popular place to visit, maybe I'll return someday. The pizza was great, though it could have been warmer. Either way, Weymouth had been a great pitstop, even though I felt like I'd only scratched the surface. Colin wanted to have a look around a few shops and inevitably, the fat bastard in me ended up back at that cake shop. However, it was so sparsely stocked, I decided that I'd rather give my money to someone else. From there, it was under 20 minutes to Portland, where we parked on a side road a couple of minutes' walk from the ground.

 

It was £7 in and £1 for a programme. I then went to the bar to see what they did, but it was only Thatchers, so I didn't bother. As I came down the stairs, I could hear a spoiled, entitled brat moaning to a club official about the lack of pin badges. I did a lap of the ground to get some pictures. Weymouth were the better side early on and they took the lead on 14 minutes, a dipping shot from outside of the area by Jake McCarthy. Two minutes later, it was 2-0 when one of five trialists poked home. The lead was halved on 37 minutes when #10 advanced down the right, cut in and planted a beautiful curling shot in the top left corner from just outside the area. However, Weymouth made it 3-1 a couple of minutes later, the same trialist netting again. The second half was quieter but Portland dominated. They pulled it back to 3-2 on the hour, a low shot on the turn from 25 yards by Archie Woolford. They ran out of steam after this, and on 87 minutes, Weymouth made it 4-2, squeezing home from a tight angle.

 

THE GROUND

GROVE CORNER or THE CAMP AND SATHERLEY STADIUM is a fantastic place amongst nice scenery. There is plenty of parking and regular buses link it to Weymouth. Food and drink-wise, a pleasant bar is available, though sadly no local Dorset cider - just Thatchers. There is a snack bar and a burger bar, although I tried neither. There are two seated stands, which hold around 200 people between them under cover. There is also a small standing covered area, officially for wheelchairs, it appears. The rest of the ground is open, but has grass banking, meaning you can get a great view. A superb programme is available for just £1, which would put many higher clubs to shame. It's a friendly club in a lovely part of the world, and I'd recommend a visit.

St Barts Royal London Hospital FC - Queen Mary University Sports Ground

St Barts Royal London Hospital FC 

Queen Mary University of London Sports Ground

Perry Street 

Chislehurst 

Bromley

BR7 6SD

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Wikipedia Page

Ground Number: 1443

Friday 4th July 2025

Stansfeld 2-2 Lordswood

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QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY SPORTS GROUND HISTORY

The ground was established in 1937 when the sports teams of St Bartholomew's Royal Hospital (formerly the Royal Hospital) decided that their home at Winchmore Hill was no longer sufficient for their needs. They purchased the patch of land in Chislehurst where the ground stands today. Rugby is the dominant sport nowadays, but that was not always the case. St Bart's entered the FA Cup in 1882 and were drawn to face the five-time winners, the Wanderers, in the first round. However, the Wanderers were unable to field a team as their members, drawn from elite public schools such as Eton and Harrow, had chosen to play for their respective old boys' teams instead. It was the last time the Wanderers entered the FA Cup, and St Bart's, playing in black shirts with the hospital crest on them, lost in the second round to Great Marlow. It would be the last time the hospital team entered the FA Cup in their own right, although a combined team encompassing several London hospitals would continue for a couple of seasons after. These games were before they got their ground in Winchmore Hill and were played at the Old Spotted Dog, home of Clapton CFC in the present day. Although the team no longer plays in any FA competitions, they are highly successful in student and college football and have a host of honours to their name.

The new sports ground in Chislehurst was bought to take into account the increased popularity of sport as part of a wider fitness craze and the growth of sporting societies at St Bartholomew's. Money was borrowed to build a pavilion, and the student union was charged a higher rent. In June 1938, the pavilion was completed, and after the grounds had been levelled and returfed, three rugby pitches and a football and hockey pitch were opened. Residents were invited to the opening ceremony to ‘foster association’ with the hope of securing donations. Other sports facilities followed. Current facilities include three football pitches, two rugby pitches, a cricket pitch and a grass tennis court. During the Second World War, the sports ground at Chislehurst was taken over by the Army and trenches were dug across the ground to prevent the landing of aeroplanes, but some pitches were usable and continued to be played upon.

MY VISIT

Originally, I had planned to go to Hitchin Town v Luton Town for a revisit on this day. It was one of my favourite grounds, and I needed the Wetherspoons in town. It was also against Luton Town, and there was a slight chance that former legendary Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield would be there. This was the plan until Wednesday evening, when I started looking further into it. To start, I was already pleased with my blog entry, having expanded on it during my 2015 revisit. At the time, it was my favourite ground, having been there before I visited Falmouth Town. The final straw was the £13 entry fee they were asking for. Not outrageous, but if it was normal pricing, then I would save it for a better game. With my recent trip to Wales being quite pricey, it would be nice to keep the costs down too, and also give my car a rest by going on the train instead. The Queen Mary University Sports Ground looked like a nice venue, although it was annoying that the stand was used for rugby only.

From my game in Luton on Tuesday, it was a nice, easy drive home and I was back by around 9,45 after dropping Colin off. I was pleased that the game had added just £7 to my football costs, once I'd split petrol with Colin. I managed to get my blog up before bed, but sleep was tricky. It was the tail end of the heatwave, but it felt like the warmest night by far. I got enough sleep to be OK for my shortest shift of the week at work, and I was home by midday. I spent the afternoon at home, updating the step 7 leagues on this blog, but there was still plenty of work to do. The evening was when I had to put more work into this trip. Colin had changed his days at work, so two Spoons in Central London became one on the outskirts so that he could have time to drop his stuff off at home. It was a relaxed and uneventful Thursday. I had considered going to the CONIFA Asia Cup game at Walton & Hersham in the afternoon, but opted for a rest instead.

On Thursday evening, Colin had a change of heart and decided to come straight from work. Therefore, two Wetherspoons was back on the cards. Friday was a killer at work as with every other Friday, being the busiest day of the week. I finished at 1, got petrol and went home. It was a busy hour at home, getting lunch, putting uniform in the wash, getting my things together and checking out the FA Cup draw. I left at 2.30, delayed by the usual roadworks with no work. I was still at Amersham Station ten minutes early, though, meeting Colin on the train. We took the 2.52 to Baker Street, discussing the FA Cup draw on the way. Colin was all for going to see Amersham Town at Cinderford, for me, it's a choice of 17 new grounds in the draw. We changed at Finchley Road to the Jubilee Line, which was boiling. Colin enjoyed a sleep after his gruelling four-hour shift, so I woke him up to get off at Canada Water. The station reminded me of the Kevin Bloody Wilson song 'You can't say cunt in Canada'. It was a scorcher but a pleasant walk, and ten minutes later I was at Wetherspoons 414 - The Surrey Docks in Rotherhithe. An unremarkable pub, they only had ghastly Rum and Raisin and Toffee Apple ciders at the Cider festival. But £1.99 for a pint of Stowford Press in London was a bargain.

 

The transport situation was frustrating after I got on the wrong train. It should have been an easy bus to Peckham from there, but a 7-minute wait turned into a 25-minute one. Finally, the bus came and we were at Spoons 20 minutes late. The area was a complete hovel but it was a decent Spoons, menu-wise. Shawarma Chips, wings and a pint of Hecks Dabinett for £11.77. The food and drink were great but service was variable. My food came in a few minutes, the drink took ten minutes and Colin's fish and chips took fifteen minutes. I'd have liked another pint, but time was tight now, that said, we'd still make kickoff. It was a ten-minute walk through a filthy slum ghetto to get to the station. I hate feeling bad about a place, and there was probably some great food places here. But the streets were chaotic, and even two pints deep, it was frustrating. It was a nice air-conditioned train to Bickley, where we got a bus to the ground. The late arrival of an earlier bus made it a breeze to get to the ground, and time was made up.

 

We got to the ground 15 minutes before kickoff. Meeting up with Dan and Richard was nice and the ground was better than expected too. Lordswood took the lead on 12 minutes with a lobbed goal from outside the area. There was an equaliser on 29 minutes, a high shot was followed up from close range. It was a very quick halftime, just five minutes during which I went over and got a picture of the rugby stand. The second half was a typically slow pre-season, but on 86 minutes, Lordswood plundered what looked like a late winner. However, in injury time, it was 2-2, a great strike from the edge of the area.

 

THE GROUND 

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY SPORTS GROUND is a pleasant venue, though the pitch area is basic with no rail or dugouts. It is impeccably kept though with a superb surface. There is a clubhouse which is a decent building, this houses dressing rooms, WC and a bar which was not open on my visit. The adjacent rugby pitch has a stand which is a classic wooden structure. There's not a huge amount around the ground, although it's well linked by buses.

Stopsley United - Stockwood Park Academy

Stopsley United FC

Stockwood Park Academy 3G

Rotheram Avenue 

Luton 

Bedsfordshire

LU1 5PP

Official Website

FAFT Page

Twitter

Ground Number: 1442
Tuesday 1st July 2025

AFC Welwyn 9-2 Codicote
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AFC WELWYN - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2023 with lofty aims, having previously been the development side of Welwyn Garden City FC. For their first two seasons, the club played at the Herns Way ground, which it shared with their former parent club but now they share at Potters Bar Town FC. They started out in the Spartan South Midlands D2 and won their first competitive game in the league 8-1, at home, against Milton Keynes Irish Reserves. It was a sign of things to come as they won the title at the first time of asking. Last season, they stormed to the Spartan South Midlands D1 title and will play at step 5 for the first time this season.

AFC Welwyn are also known as "The Romans", chosen because of the nearby Welwyn Roman Baths, situated in Welwyn Village. This theme was also incorporated into the team logo and badge. The club motto is "Sic Parvis Magna", which translates into English as "Greatness from Small Beginnings". They won the Spartan South Midlands D2 Cup in 2024 and will enter the FA Cup for the first time this season. Last season, they entered the FA Vase for the first time but fell at the first hurdle against Arlesey Town.

The ground that was being used tonight was Stockwood Park Academy. It is part of a secondary school in Luton. It is in the Farley Hill Suburb of Luton which is located to the south of the town and has a population of 11,500. The area includes Stockwood Park, which contains the Mossman Collection, Stockwood Museum, gardens, playing fields and 3 3-par golf course. Luton Town Women's Reserves use the ground as do Stopsley United of the Beds County League who won promotion to the Beds County Premier for this season.

MY VISIT

Originally, I had a nice double lined up on this day, a rarity for a Tuesday. CONIFA initially announced that Tibet v Tamil Eelam would be a 12.30 kickoff, which would mean a nice day out in London and a later game at 7 PM. It was also going to be at a new ground, Selhurst Sports Arena. However, the goalposts were then moved with the game being relocated to Walton & Hersham FC with a 5.30 kickoff. I looked, and it was a terrible journey by public transport and not much nicer by car. It would also be a revisit, so a change of plan was put in action. Codicote v AFC Welwyn was being played at a neutral venue, so I'd use it as an opportunity to delve into the history of AFC Welwyn, given that they were a groundsharer. I'd also try to see if any teams used the Stockwood Academy for home games. I'd also have Colin on board for the first time in ages; I'd not seen him in over a month.

From the game at Machynlleth, I had a five-minute walk to the car. It was less than four hours to home, broken by a stop at Frankley Services for the bog and an energy drink. I was back at 7:50 to hear the news that good friends Dan and Richard had suffered a blowout on the M6, but were thankfully okay. It was a few drinks for me and a big catch-up on all the things I'd missed this weekend. That energy drink meant I was wide awake, even after three bottles of cider, but I'd had a good day. I eventually went to sleep around 11, and this affected me the next morning. It was hard to get through the day, especially when it turned into the busiest Sunday of the year, with many families enjoying their usual day out. I was glad when 1 PM came and I could go home. I had a couple of hours' sleep and felt a lot better for it. I started updating steps 5 and 6 on this blog, hoping that any appeals would be resolved by now.

 

Monday was another busy one at work, but I was in a better frame of mind after a good sleep. I was pleased when the Cymru North fixtures came out, as it meant I could find my Friday night game for the West Lancs Hop. Llandudno, Rhyl, Holyhead, and Buckley were options, but Llandudno won out due to the scarcity of accommodation at the others. It was my usual day off on Tuesday, and I took an early morning walk down to Wycombe before meeting up with Colin and walking home. The chicken wings that I purchased from Lidl made for an excellent lunch. The afternoon was spent updating the step 5 and 6 leagues on my blog. A big undertaking which took longer than I'd hoped, however, I was glad to get it done. I got my stuff together and left just before 5, being sure to take plenty of fluids with me. I It was a fairly slow journey over to Colin, owing to roadworks. The M25 was OK, but the M1 had some slow bits. We got to Tiago's in Luton at 6.20. I got a Mexican Burger, a huge portion of fries and a can of Rubicon for £8.48. It was very decent for the money, and I'd not bother charging it to my football costs.

 

From there, it was a few minutes walk to the ground. Both teams were in their change kits, AFC Welwyn in yellow and Codicote in blue. The game kicked off at 7.05. Within two minutes, Codicote were ahead on two minutes when a right-side corner was recycled and prodded home. It was sloppy defending that saw the Welwyn equaliser on four minutes, lines were not cleared, and the ball was put home from six yards. Then on five minutes, AFC Welwyn were ahead, a penalty awarded for a trip was converted. It was 3-1 on 20 minutes, a ball across the area and a low finish from 15 yards. Then on 30 minutes, not including a water break, Codicote reduced the arrears to 3-2, heading home a long ball from six yards. The two-goal lead was restored on 34 minutes following an attack down the right and a low shot from ten yards. It was only a five-minute half-time and within a few minutes of the restart, a well-worked move saw AFC Welwyn lead 5-2. On 50 minutes, it was 6-2, a mazy run and a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the area. There was a bit of aggravation between two players, despite it being a friendly. Another attack down the right made it 7-2 on 55 minutes. Two minutes later, it was 8-2, a great shot into the top right corner. On 80 minutes, it was 9-2, another case of sloppy defending from Codicote, although they had a few chances in between the goals.

 

THE GROUND

THE STOCKWOOD ACADEMY is very basic as far as the pitch goes, as it's a basic 3G cage with no viewing area. There is no food or drink for sale. It does have plenty of parking, though and is well connected by buses. Plenty of takeaways are within a 20-minute walk, and I can recommend Tiagos.