Park View - New River Sports Stadium

Park View FC

The New River Sports Stadium

White Hart Lane

Wood Green

London

N22 5QW

Official Website (under construction)
Wikipedia Page

Ground Number: 822
Saturday 1st December 2018
Park View 0-5 Winslow United
Spartan South Midlands League D1





PARK VIEW FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in Tottenham in 1991 and at first, played only friendlies. They draw a lot of their players from the Ghanaian community in London and as a result joined the Ghanaian Football Society League in 2003, winning its Premier  Division in 2006 and 2007. After their second win, they joined the Middlesex County League Division 1 Central & East, winning it before leaving the league. Spells in the London League (winning its Premier Division in 2011 and 2012) and the London Commercial League (winning Division 1 in 2012) before they made the switch to the Amateur Football Association. They were a huge success here, winning three titles. Park View reverted to standard FA football at the start of last season, joining the Spartan South Midlands League Division 2, where they were champions in their first season. This season has seen the positive progress continue and they sat 6th in the league prior to today's game.

The club are yet to enter the FA Cup or FA Vase, but they have  won a host of local cups including the Middlesex County FA Cup (2008, 2010 & 2015), the London Football League Cup (2011 & 2012), the London Commercial League Cup (2014) and the Spartan South Midlands Division 2 Cup (2018)



MY VISIT

Thanks to Wycombe's exit from the FA Cup at Luton in the 1st Round, I knew we wouldn't have a game this weekend. Thoughts turned to where I could go and there was one that I really fancied doing - Lye Town v Leighton Town in the FA Vase. Normally I'd be able to get cheap tickets up there thanks to advance fares from Chiltern Railways. However, despite trying to buy tickets nearly two weeks in advance, there were no cheap ones available. Fellow hopper Anwar suggested Ilkeston, but I fancied one on public transport. London was the obvious choice, with it being a decent time to visit the capital, what with it being my last free Saturday before Christmas. There were not too many options for new grounds, but in the end, Peckham Town v Bexley won out over other options at Fire United and Park View. These were kept as backups though in case of rain, along with a revisit to Redbridge. Friday evening was spent planning other things to do in London such as a trip to Borough Market, as well as watching TV before grabbing a fairly early night.




Despite that early night, I woke up at my normal work time and couldn’t get back to sleep. After lying in bed for a few hours, I had breakfast and a bath as well as a Lemsip as I wasn’t feeling great. Whereas others would stay in, wallowing in misery and breathing in my own germs, I knew the best answer was some nice fresh air and a trip out. I left home just after 9.30, stopping at Amersham Tesco for a Daily Star and a bottle of Irn Bru. I got the 10.14 train out of Amersham, already feeling better and in a good mood. I received disappointing news that the Peckham game was off, no surprise given the deluge of rain. It always seems to pelt it down on my day off, while remaining dry whilst I’m stuck in work and this appeared to be the case for the following Tuesday. I continued ahead to Borough Market, via a change at Finchley Road before getting off at London Bridge. With me not fancying Fire United’s limited cover and poor view due to an athletics track, it was going to be either Park View v Winslow or a revisit to Redbridge v Chertsey Town. The former appealed more due to the 3G pitch and despite having a running track, the stand was well elevated and offered a decent view.  So I got to the wonderful Borough Market around 11.30. The New Forest Cider stall was the order of the day and I tried a couple of new bottles, namely Oliver’s Gold Rush and Little Pomona C’est Si Bon-Bonne. In between, I had some excellent Wild Boar Tortellini with Pesto and Tomato sauce. All this came at a premium, but it was not going to be added to my football costs for the season, as I do like to splash out on nice food and drink when I’m in the mood. I researched online for where to go and so got the 12.50 Northern Line train to Kings Cross St Pancras where I got the final leg of my journey, the Piccadilly to Wood Green. I then stopped at McDonald's where they messed up and gave me someone else’s order, albeit a mistake that benefited me. I got to the ground at 2.15, initially no one taking entry, but later on sometime coming around and charging a fiver which included a programme. I met a couple of other hoppers whose games had also been called off and we had a chat as we waited for kick off.



Though Park View were in 6th, Winslow United were higher in 4th place. It looked as if the game was going to be a close one, but that turned out to be anything but the case. Winslow had brought along a decent number of fans, compared to the handful of home supporters. The game kicked off pretty late, nearer 3.10 than the stated kick off time. It was a Winslow break that provided the first goal as they moved the ball quickly up the other end and although Aaron King's shot was initially saved, Jack Bowers followed up with the rebound. King got on the scoresheet himself just before halftime when a corner was put in, the ball was headed back across and he got the final touch, though the home keeper might have wanted to do better. Park View were not giving up and they had some chances of their own, with Winslow playing a lot of the game on the break, Parsons hitting the bar for the visitors. They made it 3-0 to pretty much seal the game, a foul in the area resulting in a penalty which Ryan Freshwater converted. Just before this goal, Park View had their number 12 sent off for a second bookable offence after he had only just come on as a substitute. The 4th was the only goal that I didn't get on camera and it looked like a keeper error as Shibs scored from a fairly tame shot. Park View let frustration get the better of them and their number 14 was the second substitute to get his marching orders and again it was a second yellow following a late tackle. A member of the home bench was also sent off. The visitors made it 5-0 late on. A series of corners finally resulted in the ball falling to Harry Dalton at the back post who headed home. 

So, a comprehensive win for Winslow and not what I expected looking at the table on kick off. The game was also much delayed due to the late start and various incidents in the game, so I didn’t leave until 5.10. I made my way back to the station, stopping at Morrisons on the way to get some cartons of drink. I decided to go up into central London, stopping off at Leicester Square for a look around. There were absolutely tons of homeless people around, with tents and sleeping bags everywhere. I hope our government are proud of their legacy. I stopped at the brilliant Harp Pub in Trafalgar Square for a half of Easter Hill Cox Cider before taking the 20-minute walk along the Embankment to the Southbank Christmas market. I avoided temptation and at around 7.30 started to head for home. A walk to Waterloo, changes at Finchley Road and Harrow on the Hill were made before my final train to Amersham. I got back just before 9. It was the usual Saturday evening of relaxing until Match Of The Day and the usual late night followed by a 4 am start at work the following morning.



THE GROUND

The NEW RIVER SPORTS CENTRE is a multi-sport venue which has an athletics track. However. this doesn't make the view from the large 1,040-seater stand bad, in fact, it's great, thanks to the stand being elevated and tall. The rest of the ground is open and has plenty of terracing all around the pitch. Facilities at the ground are restricted to basic drinks and snacks. Parking is limited to pay & display car parks, so you are better off coming by train. Wood Green station is a 20-minute walk away and offers a wide range of food and drink places, including a decent Wetherspoons called Spouters Corner. 

Ashby Ivanhoe - NFU Sports Ground

Ashby Ivanhoe FC

NFU Sports Ground

Lower Packington Road

Ashby-De-La-Zouch

Leicestershire

LE65 1TS

07807 261975

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 821
Tuesday 27th November 2018
Ashby Ivanhoe 5-1 Ingles
Leicestershire County Cup Quarter Final





ASHBY IVANHOE - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in 1948, joining the Coalville & District League upon formation. A transfer to the Burton & District League followed in 1967 where fortunes were mixed. The late 1980s saw them join the North Leicestershire League, winning its Premier Division on four occasions. The club made the step up to the Leicestershire Senior League in 2005, starting out in its step 8 Division 1. Ashby Ivanhoe performed well and by 2008, a runners-up spot behind Ashfordby Amateurs was good enough to gain promotion to the Premier Division. Finishes again were excellent, with the Premier Division title being lifted in 2011. A 3rd place finish in 2014 was good enough to see the club promoted to the East Midlands Counties League, although they only missed out on winning the title due to goal difference with Allexton & New Parks and Melton Mowbray finishing above them. Finishes in the EMCL have finished from 3rd in 2016 to 17th last season. This season has seen a slight improvement, with Ashby Ivanhoe sitting 13th at the time of kick off.

In the FA Cup, the club entered for the only time in the 2016/17 season. They beat Quorn 4-3 and Loughborough Dynamo (a significant giant-killing as they were the away side at a team two levels higher) before a 6-0 home defeat to Ilkeston in the 1st Qualifying Round (although this game produced the club record attendance of 693). The 2016/17 season also saw the club's best ever FA Vase Run, beating Pelsall Villa and Stone Old Alleynians before losing to Hucknall Town in the 1st Round. Local cup wins include the North Leicestershire League Chairman's Shield twice, the Cobbin Trophy in 1997, the Ivanhoe Shield in 1981, the Ashby Charity Cup in 1997 and the Coalville Charity Cup in 2011. Famous names in the dugout include Tony Hemmings with the former Wycombe striker managing the club between 2013 and 2015. The club is based in Ashby-De-La-Zouch, a small town with a population of  13,759. It is well-known for being the home of the snack manufacturer KP. Famous people to come from the town include footballer Russell Hoult and radio and TV presenter Max Rushden. Fictionally, Adrian Mole lived in Ashby-De-La-Zouch during his lifetime with his girlfriend Pandora Braithwaite later becoming MP for the town, although she'd sacked him off long before then.



MY VISIT

There was a really limited choice of games on this Tuesday, what with the weather getting colder and wetter. I'd have Chris with me for a change and it was due to the weather that we decided to opt for a league game to play it safe, despite our initial preference being Clay Cross Town. Our options boiled down to two - Sheffield Wednesday & Leicester City. I'd visited both of course as I'd completed the 92, but with both visits coming in 2012, I was happy to revisit to update my blog and get better pictures. The day of the game came and I'd had a reasonable night sleep. After getting ready, it was my usual walk down town where I got some soup for lunch, plus a few other bits. I came back and did my final bits of research for tonight. Lots of games had already been called off before I left at 3.30, but these were tending to be down south, where the weather had hit earliest. I got to Chris about 4 40 and had fully intended to book tickets for Leicester. I'd not booked them at home in case of any late changes or car problems and thought it would be simple enough on my iPad. I was completely wrong, a series of failed CAPTCHA's and complaints that my perfectly valid landline number was not valid meant we tried to ring the ticket hotline. Only to be greeted by a recorded message of Jamie Vardy telling us to ring back between 9 am and 6pm. With it being 5 pm now and 20 minutes already wasted, we decided to search for what was still on. Thankfully, I had a directory of all the names and numbers of club secretaries. Though the Ashby Ivanhoe man didn't answer, he called back within a few minutes and confirmed that the game was on.



For once, the journey was a really good one, with only minimal delays. Most surprising at that time of night. After arriving at 6.40 and checking in at the ground to confirm that the game was on, we drove back into town for dinner. I wasn't expecting much from Nick's Fish Bar, but it turned out to be pretty decent with a tasty and generous portion of chicken curry and chips costing £3.50.  We got back to the ground at 7.10 and paid an excellent value £4 to get in. There were no programmes, but with me rapidly running out of space, it doesn't bother me to be honest. The game was a 7.30 kick off, so I had barely any time to catch up on things before it started. The hosts started very brightly and they took the lead on 5 minutes. A Ben Minshull corner was put in and Joel Earps headed home. There was some debate as to whether it was over the line as it bounced down off of the bar, but the referee gave it. After 12 minutes it was 2-0, a really well-worked move resulting in a close-range finish by top goalscorer Kerr Horn. This was a just score given the hosts' early dominance, but Ingles were starting to come into the game and had a really good spell. They saw plenty of the ball but didn't really trouble the home keeper too much. It was 3-0 just before halftime, just like the first goal it was a Minshull corner and an Earps finish, this time a low, close-range effort. Ingles continued to have the upper hand in the second half, but again, the finishing was lacking. Ashby Ivanhoe made it 4-0 with a goal on the break, a good run from Sam Carline set up Mitch Woodbine who slotted calmly past the keeper. The visitors got a much-deserved goal back on 84 minutes, Kyle Fowkes heading in a cross. The rout was complete in the last minute when Horn got his second, rounding the keeper and blasting into the top corner.



The scoreline had been very harsh on Ingles and although Ashby Ivanhoe deserved their win, it should have been by a one or two goal margin. It had been a really good pick too, only 3 out of 7 step 2 and below games were on and even Football League side Mansfield Town called their game off at 6.30, very poor considering the opponents had travelled from Crawley. The club had been very friendly and it had been a much better ground than I expected. I was delighted to hear on my way home that Wycombe had grabbed a late winner to win 2-1 at Accrington. Incredibly, that lifted us up to 10th, a great position considering our expectations at the start of the season. We'd also dodged a bullet at Leicester, reporter Alan Green made snoring noises to describe their 0-0 draw at home to Southampton, with the hosts eventually winning on penalties. Elsewhere, Manchester United grabbed a late winner yet again as they fluked their way to victory over Swiss side Young Boys. They've done this on a number of occasions and I reckon this side is not much better than some of the sides that have been relegated from the Premiership in the past. Radio 5 kept us company until we got to Chris's at 10:40, then I switched on my Podcasts. After going back via the M1 and M25, I got in an hour later. As per usual, I couldn't get to sleep until 2 am, my lie in the previous morning meaning that my body clock would not let me go to sleep. I caught up with a nap the following afternoon though, but I didn't feel that tired when I woke at 4 am on Wednesday for work.



THE GROUND

THE NFU SPORTS GROUND is a great little ground for the level, though it's located a fair way from town, around a mile in fact. At the ground are food and drink facilities, these offer a fairly basic range but at good prices. The ground itself was a lot better than expected. The side where you come in (behind the goal) has two wooden structures - a seated stand holding 50 and covered standing for around 150. On the side is a small metal stand provided by Stadium Solutions, this holds around 50 and is a lot better than the more common 'Arena' efforts. The rest of the ground is open hard standing although only two sides are officially available to fans due to it being a multi-sports venue. This adds to the charm though and with the club being really friendly, I'd definitely recommend a visit.

Clipstone - The Lido Ground

Clipstone FC
The Lido Ground
Clipstone Road East
Clipstone Village
Mansfield
Notts
NG21 9AB

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 820
Tuesday 20th November 2018
Clipstone 1-2 Sherwood Colliery
EMCL Cup 2nd Round





CLIPSTONE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1928 as Clipstone Combine and have also been known as Clipstone Boys Brigade and Clipstone Welfare at various points during their history. Early leagues included the Colliery Alliance League, the Mansfield & District League, the Sutton & Skegby League, the Notts Spartan League and the Notts Alliance. The latter proved to be a period of great success with them winning the league twice in 1993 and 1994. It was after the second of those wins that they made the step up to the Central Midlands League, starting in its second-tier Premier Division. They were champions in 1995 and 1997, the second of these occasions saw them make the step up to the Supreme Division where finishes ranged from 5th in 2007 to bottom the following season. In 2011, the league was restructured into two regional divisions, with Clipstone finishing 4th in the CML North. This was good enough for promotion to the step 6 NCEL D1 in 2012. They won this league in 2015 and were promoted to the Premier Division. The 2015/16 season saw the club's record finish of 13th in the NCEL Premier, but results soon fell away. Last season was an especially dreadful one, going the entire season without a league win and only managing two draws - at home to Hall Road Rangers (2-2) and away to Staveley Miners Welfare (0-0). Obviously, this meant relegation, in this case to the East Midlands Counties League. This season started poorly with two defeats, but finally, on 18th August they recorded their first league win since 18th March 2017 as they won 1-0 at Teversal. It's been an unspectacular but steady season since then with the team sitting in 14th at the time of my visit.

Clipstone first entered the FA Cup in 2014, beating Harrowby United and Loughborough University before losing to Grantham Town in the 1st Qualifying Round, a feat they matched the following season. In the FA Vase, the best run came during the 1992/93 season as they beat Hall Road Rangers, Hatfield Main, Glasshoughton Welfare & Hucknall Town before a 1-0 defeat at Hinckley Athletic. Local cup wins include the CML Floodlit Cup in 2007, the Notts Spartan League Cup & Notts Intermediate Cup in 1956, the Notts Senior Cup twice and the Notts Alliance League Cup on four occasions. Clipstone itself has a population of 3,500 and is a small ex-coal mining village with the pit closing in 2003. The Welfare Ground in Clipstone was used as a location in the 2007 film 'Control' which told the life story of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.



MY VISIT

Once again, it was time for Anwar & I's Tuesday groundhop, though I wasn't sure if he would be available as his appearances have been rather sporadic of late. Thankfully he was and he was happy to go further for once, thanks to his mate Scouse Carl coming with us. It had been over 4 years since he's made an appearance, but his presence was welcome, even though they got to choose where we went due to them putting a good proportion of the petrol costs in. They opted for Alfreton v Leamington, a ground that I'd enjoyed and might have considered a revisit to, had it not been for the hefty £14 entrance fee. They've always been an expensive club to visit in my experience, but in fairness, the cost was in line with a lot of other clubs in the division. The options were fairly sparse and in the end, boiled down to two options - Swallownest or Clipstone. I opted for the latter as the ground looked a lot better. I got all my research done, including finding a reasonable place for dinner in Alfreton.




The day of the game came and I had a great night's sleep, making the long trip all the more sensible as I can never get to sleep early the following night. The morning bought the disappointing news that fellow hopper Chris had pulled out of Friday's trip to Chadderton and although I was disappointed, I was thankful for the notice. Although it looked rainy, I decided to proceed with my plans to walk to town and back, 7 miles in all, mainly for the exercise. I purchased a few small bits down there as well as having a very nice 'Pigs Under Blankets' toasted baguette from Greggs. I'd left fairly late and got back at 2, so I only had an hour to spare before I headed out again. My decision to choose Clipstone over Swallownest had proven to be a wise one, as Swallownest had been postponed at 2 pm due to a waterlogged pitch. I got my flask and headed out at around 3 as I wanted to go to a shop in Aylesbury called B&M Bargains to get a few bits that I'd been unable to get in Wycombe for my desired price. I managed to get some things and picked up Anwar & Carl at 4.05. We were soon on our way but were delayed by a broken down bus getting out of Aylesbury. There was then the usual fun of getting through Milton Keynes then roadworks on the M1 with around 30 minutes added to our journey which went pretty quickly with us chatting and catching up. I dropped the lads off at 6.45 and it was half an hour to Clipstone. I had planned to stop for dinner in Alfreton, but with time tight, I'd driven straight to the ground. I paid £5 to get in, £1.50 for a programme and £2 for sausage and chips from the excellent Cafe in the ground. I then caught up on Twitter as I waited for kick off.




There was drizzle on and off, so I took shelter in the stand. It was a keenly contested local derby and very physical at times. Sherwood always looked a cut above and they took the lead on 38 minutes, a header at the back post from 5 yards by Kieran Wells following a good run and cross from the left. Halftime came soon after and I had another portion of chips for £1. The second half continued with the visitors on the front foot but Clipstone did have some good spells including hitting the post from a free kick on 55 minutes. Clipstone were the better side second half and they equalised 5 minutes from time with a scrappy goal that saw the ball eased over the line by Mark Carter. As much as I was pleased for Clipstone, I wasn't really fancying extra time with two mates to pick up and so I was glad that both teams were going in search of a winner. It came within a couple of minutes when Sherwood put a cross in from the right, home keeper Charlie Dando could only parry it into the path of Connor Nowaczyk who scored an unfortunate own goal for Clipstone despite his side having the better of the second half. I left at 9.45 and it took me half an hour to get back to Alfreton at 10.15. It was a reasonable journey home and despite long stretches of roadworks and them throwing us off the M1 a junction early. I dropped Anwar and Carl off at 12:20 and was back home myself at 12.45. As expected I couldn't get to sleep for ages and only got an hours sleep, needing a catchup nap the following afternoon.

View this post on Instagram

Last minute own goal appears to have won the game for Sherwood Colliery at Clipstone (1-2)

A post shared by Russell Cox (@russ_wwfc) on Nov 20, 2018 at 1:37pm PST

THE GROUND


THE LIDO GROUND is a great venue for step 6 and is probably good enough for step 3 or 4. Most of the far side is covered, comprising of a stand that holds 100 seated and another that holds 200 standing. Behind the goal where the turnstile is, there's a further covered standing area which holds 100 plus a few seated. Behind the rest of the ground is hard standing, as is the dugout side. The far goal is grass banking and is closed to fans. Facilities at the ground include a great value cafe with decent food and a small choice of alcohol in cans. The ground is situated near the village of Clipstone, but I didn't check out what was there. The club is nice and friendly and well worth a visit, the programme is one of the better ones I have seen this season and is good value at £1.50.