Merthyr Town v Chippenham Town, Tuesday 13th December, 2016

As the name suggests, ground-hopping involves dropping in to a football club, watching them play and then moving on to the next ground. Tonight I was in the rare position of watching a team for the second time in a week. Here I was at Penydarren Park in Merthyr, watching them take on Chippenham who I'd witnessed play Slough in a thrilling 3-3 draw last Tuesday.

Originally for this Tuesday I'd planned to travel to Newport to watch their FA cup replay against Plymouth. Due to T.V. scheduling this had been moved and so I found my self looking for a football fix elsewhere. The game at Merthyr seemed the obvious option and not just because I had been so entertained by Chippenham last week. I'd been wanting to visit Penydarren Park for a while, having heard tales of it's charms from various fellow travellers.

I was also aware that Merthyr Town are one of the growing number clubs owned by their supporters which was an attraction. In addition, they have a rich history stretching back over 100 years. In the mid 20th century they had a period in the football league and then in the 80's pulled off one of the great European shocks when they beat Atalanta from Serie A in the Cup Winners cup.

The dawn of the 21st century saw Merthyr Tydfil struggle financially before they were eventually wound up 2010. Fortunately the supporters trust which had formed in 2006 was on hand to reform the club immediately as Merthyr Town FC. A lot of hard work and a couple of promotions followed and the club nicknamed 'The Martyrs' now find themselves towards the top of the Southern Premier league. 

                         

                        

On entering the ground the first thing that struck me was it's size. The big terraces and stands hint at the history and success of the club in years gone by. It also felt like quite an open ground with the stands set back from the pitch with a fair bit of shiny tarmac in between. I wasn't surprised to find out that it once accommodated a greyhound track. This was the first time I'd seen a 4G pitch in the flesh and it's lush greeness was very easy on the eye. Along with a very shiny silver building which I think houses the club offices, the artificial pitch juxaposed with the rest of the ground, much of which looked like it had remained unchanged for many a decade.

                             

The old and the ....

...Very futuristic looking building next to the main stand

Initially I found my self in a covered stand behind the goal to which Chippenham were attacking in their green away kit. It was a good sized stand with a mixture of terracing and seating. In addition the stadium comprised of a seated main stand with the dug outs in front and the futuristic building next to it. Behind the other goal is an open terrace which with the rain coming down wasn't very busy as I arrived. The final stand is a beaut, a large covered terrace stretching the length of the pitch and then some. Whilst a lot of lower non league grounds have terraces stretching the length of the pitch it's rare to find such a large one these days. It reminded me a bit of the one at Bath City's Twerton Park. 

                           

                               

From inside the terrace it felt even bigger. It's roof over hangs and it doesn't have much in the way of lighting, so from opposite it's hard to see quite how far it goes back or how many people are in there. The darkness added to the feel of the stand as a big cavernous enclave from which to peer out at the football below.

The ground seemed so big that it felt like corners and sections of it had literally been forgotten about and had been close to being reclaimed by nature.

  

                            

Whilst I enjoyed the seemingly never ending expanses of concrete terraces around me, the game was in full flow. Travelling from Bristol after work on a Tuesday night, I knew I was pushing it trying to make it for a 7.45 kick off. As it turned out, due to not being able to find my wallet at home and a closed lane on the M4, my fears proved well founded and I arrived ten minutes after kick off. The man on the turnstile informed that I'd missed a goal. Merthyr were already 1-0 up courtesy of a headed goal from Ryan Prosser.

Fortunately I didn't have to wait long to witness the second goal of the evening and it was that man Prosser again. The bearded target man displayed some strong hold up play before playing a one two with Jarrad Wright, slotting home the return with a low shot to the keepers right from inside the box. 

With Merthry taking an early 2-0 lead, the away team looked to get back in to the game. The good news for them is that in Pratt and Sandell they have what must surely be the most feared strike partnership in the Southern League. Chippenham have scored more goals than any other team and Sandell is comfortably the top individual scorer in the league. Though they struggled to make inroads in the first half, it wasn't hard to see why they are such an effective duo. The running that Pratt does is incredible, nothing seems to be a lost cause for him and aswell as the goals he scores himself, the space he creates for Sandell must help explain why their partnership is so prolific.

                        

2-0 at the half time saw me head for the bar at the back of the main stand. It was a good size, with plenty of T.V. screens on the walls, it certainly wasn't as old or as characterful as much of the ground. Devoid of much club memorabilia, it had a bit of bland feel to it. The beer was cold though and I had a nice chat with a couple of locals who filled me in on on some of Merthyr's fortunes over the season to date.
                               

It got a lot busier than this

The home side looked to pick up where they left off after the break but soon found their lead halved as that man Sandell pulled one back. Chasing a through ball after some neat passing in midfield, he was strong and composed enough to shrug off his marker, round the keeper and from a very tight angle, pass the ball in to the net in off the far post.                                  

Merthyr were soon on the front foot again and had a period of sustained pressure resulting in a flurry of corners at the Chippenham end. I was watching from the second half from the main stand where a few vocal away fans had chosen to sit and were soon enjoying some banter with the Merthry fans as they both sought to 'encourage' the linesman on the near side to give decisions their way.  

  

                             

Merthyr came close to restoring their two goal cushion when Barrow hit a fierce left foot shot from distance which Chitty in goal did well to acrobatically turn over the bar. Merthyr continued to win more corners but they couldn't convert one and soon Chippenham had a golden chance to level. Sandell was adjudged to have been bought down in the box by centre back Curtis McDonald and stepped up himself to take the penalty. He smashed it past the keeper and it was all square. 

A couple of minutes later the linesman called the ref over and after a hushed conversation and much confusion, McDonald was summoned and promptly shown a straight red card. Word in the crowd was he must have said something to the lino over the award of the penalty. 

      

McDonald see's red after ref consults with the "whispering assassin"

With 12 minutes left on the clock, Chippenham had the chance to push for a winner. Merthyr looked to the bench to sure things up and I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that Eliot Richards was among their substitutes and was coming on. Richards started his career at Bristol Rovers and broke in to the first team as a teenager, going on to make over 100 appearances. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance when he scored a hatrick in a 7-1 demolition of Burton Albion. Still only 25 he is rebuilding his carer having battled through cancer. It was nice to see him back on a football pitch.

Chippenham were unable to exploit the numerical advantage and the final few minutes passed without either team coming close to grabbing a winner.

                     

Full time: Merthyr 2 Chippenham 2.

An enjoyable evening amongst the 386 in attendance at Penydarren Park. Now in safe hands and with a big stadium and catchment area, Merthyr feels very much like a club on the up.
.

Chippenham Town v Slough Town, Tuesday 6th December, 2016

With 75 miles between the two clubs, it might be stretching it a bit to call this an M4 derby. But with both teams in fine form and looking for promotion, a fiercely contested game was expected. Chippenham went in to the match in 4th place with games in hand, whilst the visitors Slough were second behind league leaders Leamington. As it turned out I counted myself lucky to be one of the 328 in attendance who witnessed a pulsating 3-3 draw.

Having dragged my mate Bryan along, we parked on the main road and walked up the hill through a slightly confusing car park and in to the ground. We paid our £10 to the young man on the turnstile and walked in to Hardenhuish Park. As the evening progressed it was noticeable that a lot of the stewards, volunteers and supporters could still genuinely claim to be in the first flush of youth. It's nice to see a set of young people volunteering and getting behind their local team. Forgoing the ipad /playstation / sniffing glue or what ever it is the younger generation tend get up to these days on dark Tuesday nights.

We entered at one end of the main stand which runs most of the length of one side of the pitch. This is a smart covered all seater in the club colour of blue. The highlight of the ground in my opinion was the bar, situated at the top of the main stand. It's long and thin and on the long side is all windowed offering great raised views of the pitch. It had an impressive display of club memorabilia including team photos on the wall going all the way back to the start of the 20th century. In addition, there was a wide selection of beers on tap and myself and Bryan enjoyed a refreshing pint of East Coast IPA as the teams warmed up below us. The rest of Hardenhusih Park is enclosed with a long narrow tunnel like covered terrace opposite the main stand with the dug outs in front. Behind the goals are two good size terraces, one covered and one open to the elements.

The players emerge watched from the bar

When looking in to the teams beforehand, the one man that stood out for me was Andy Sandell. I'd seen him a few times during his time at Bath City and then been a season ticket holder at Bristol Rovers when he moved there from Bath for the 2006/7 season. Mainly used as a winger, Sandell played a big part in Rovers promotion to league one that season. With promotion secured, perhaps fearing his first team opportunities might be limited, he made the seemingly strange decision to drop down to the conference with Salisbury whilst barely in to his mid 20's. Not surprisingly he found his way back in to league football with Aldershot, Wycombe and Newport before moving to Chippenham last season where his scoring has been prolific.

I didn't know much about the Slough team before the game, I was aware though, having met a Slough fan in exile at Swindon Supermarine in pre season, that this is an exciting time for the club from up the M4. They moved back in the town in to a brand new stadium in the summer, Arbour Park, having been exiled for 10 years in Beaconsfield. Along with their fine form this season, the new ground has seen them attract regular crowds of over 500 as they try and get in to the National League South,

Kick off found us watching from the covered terrace that Chippenham were attacking. It turned out we'd chosen the right end as the home team made the early running, Sandell was combining well with his strike partner David Pratt (Infamously Pratt once got sent off after 3 seconds and apparently holds the unenviable world record for the fasted ever dismissal.) It wasn't a surprise when  Chippenham went ahead. Sandell chased a through ball from Beeden, got there at the same time as his marker, managed to out muscle him, keep control of the ball, before dropping his shoulder and neatly slotting home past the Slough keeper, Mark Scott.

Sandell was in the thick of the action again as a few minutes later he raced on to another through ball, the keeper rushed out and in what looked a 50 - 50 challenge, they ended up kicking each others legs as the ball bounced away, Scott came off worse and took a while to get up from the floor. It was clear he struggling as he gingerly staggered around his box. The word in the crowd was that there was no keeper on the bench so he bravely embarked on hobbling through the 65 or so remaining minutes.

Slough gradually came back in to the game and were passing the ball around nicely at times. Their right back had possibly the longest throw I've seen this season and almost caught the home defence out when he rifled in his first one. Importantly they managed to restrict the amount of shots Chippenham could fire in at the struggling goalie, meaning it was 1-0 at the break.

I found Chippenham to be a very friendly football club, it was also clear that this was a club somewhat in shell shock. On the Saturday before this game they had been at home to Chesham, unfortunately a Chesham player suffered a serious leg break. This resulted in an air ambulance landing on the pitch and the game being abandoned. Evidently the experience had left a mark on those who witnessed it and it was nice to see the club collecting donations throughout the game to aid the players recovery. All the best to Bruce Wilson.

After buying a chicken and mushroom pie from the snack bar it was time for the second half. It was a bit scrappy to start with and it took a while for the quality that had been on display in the first period to reassert itself. The ref was being called upon regularly and soon both sets of players and bench's were in his ear as the game heated up.



Slough ended up equalising on 51 minutes. After a deep corner was neatly chested down by Nesbit, he laid it off to Guy Hollis who hit a shot from outside the area, it took a big deflection and gave the keeper no chance.

Slough weren't level for long. Chippenham were awarded a free kick on the right. James Guthrie delivered what looked like a curling cross, it carried on bending in and with no one getting a touch, sneaked in to the corner passed the struggling Scott. If not injured, I'm sure he would have banked on being able to turn it round the corner. Scott did make an impressive save from another free kick, hit high and to his right, he some how managed to hop along his line and beat the ball away with his fists.

When Andy Sandell converted a pentaly to make it 3-1 with 25 minutes to go, it looked like Chippenham had the points in the bag. Pratt looked to put things beyond doubt when he went on a lovely run, wriggling through two defenders, only to be denied by Scott who made up for his lack of mobility by getting his angles right and saving well from close range.

Slough bought men on from the bench in a bid to freshen things up. They were soon right back in it when Simon Dunn scored with a low shot from the edge of the area. Again there was an element of luck involved as another deflection insured that the ball was diverted to the far corner and out of the reach of Chitty in the Chippenham goal.

I very almost wore this one

For the second half the travelling Slough fans were in the covered terrace. Now they were back in the game and had a roof to aid their acoustics, they were making a fair old din as they cheered on their team.
When they were awarded a penalty with ten minutes to go they must have sensed a great come back was about to be completed. Moone stepped up and hit the spot kick firmly to the keepers left, Chitty dived the right way and stuck up a very strong right hand and somehow managed to push the ball on to the bar before it was cleared away for a corner. A fantastic save.

Chippenham again looked to restore their two goal cushion but they were continually frustrated by the hard working Slough defence. In the final couple of minutes the travelling fans eventually got an equaliser to celebrate. Another long throw from the right found it's way to the back post where it was bundled in by Charlie Moone. 3-3 at the final whistle.

Chippenham will feel this was very much two points dropped and an opportunity to go second missed. Slough though had a quiet efficiency to their play and I'm sure both these teams will be in contention for promotion at the end of the season. It was nice to see the Slough team make a big effort to to go to the travelling fans at the end of the game and applaud them for their efforts. Clearly the vocal support had aided there comeback.

An enjoyable first trip to the home of the Bluebirds.

Larkhall v Totton. Tuesday 23rd November, 2016

Carved in to the side of a steep hill, Larkhall Athletic's picturesque home is a sought after tick on many a groundhopper's to do list. It can be found, with some difficulty, at the end of a series of narrow lanes. An impossibly tight hair pin bend renders any team coach attempting to get in to the car park a non starter. Plain Ham certainly has the feel of a hidden gem, a true footballing outpost.

The surrounding scenery also adds to it's allure. It sits above the Georgian city of Bath and offers lovely views down below. It also overlooks Solsbury Hill on the other side of the steep valley, a hill so good it has it's own Peter Gabriel song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fF8wU4Nl9Y

Tonights game, in late November, meant that I couldn't see much of the surrounding country side. I went to a game here last season in the spring and would recommend any first time visitor to go in day light. I made the mistake of missing the car park and parking in Larkhall itself. I set off walking up a steep road, after a while the houses and street lights stopped and I had to complete the final leg fumbling around in pitch black darkness, following the reassuring sounds eminating from the warm up.

Larkhall went in to this Southern League Div one south & west clash on the back of an eye brow raising 5-0 win at Shortwood. Totton meanwhile were third from the bottom and had just bought in the management duo of Louis Langdown and Adam Wilde in an effort to turn things around.

I arrived at the ground in plenty of time and sought out the clubhouse for a pint. Though quite big, it felt very cosy, it had some tasteful arches and even the bars on the windows somehow made it feel more homely; a safe refuge from the dark night outside. I got chatting to a Larks fan who was kind enough to tell me which players to look out for, and over a soda water told me how Larkhall were struggling for consistency so far this season. He added that the Larkhall womens team were running away with their league having been promoted last season.

Standing outside the bar, the gradient of the hill becomes apparent as you realise that the playing surface is sunk 20 feet or so below behind the turnstile in front of you. I paid my entry and got pitch side just in time to see the teams descend the steep stair case 'tunnel' down from the changing rooms.

The main stand at Plain ham is on the higher side of the hill, it stretches the majority of the length of the pitch, is covered and has a few rows of seats. The dug outs are at the bottom of the steep decline down to the touchline. Behind one goal is another steep slope up to the car park. There is more covered standing to be found on the other two sides of the pitch with high evergreen's providing a handsome backdrop. I opted to watch the opening exchanges from the main stand. I was on the look out for Tom of Partizan Bristle fame: http://partizanbristle.blogspot.co.uk/. He'd tweeted that he was going to be at the game and I thought this would be a good place to spot him from. The linesman on the near side was the first to catch the eye, he quickly set his stall out, firmly telling the coaching staff how he wanted to be talked too when they voiced frustration at a couple of early decisions. Go lino!

Both teams looked up for it. The long journey up the A36 from Hampshire did not seem to have drained the Totton players of any motivation or enthusiasm. In Neil Williams they had a combative central middle field general, he was keeping things ticking over, busy organising and encouraging some of the younger players around him including right back Connor York making his debut. I remembered being impressed with Larkhall centre back, Ollie Price on my last visit and he again was looking solid at the back for the home team. By this time I'd been joined by Tom and we swapped stories of recent travels, including his jaunt to Ireland and Wales last month, as the rest of the fairly uneventful first half played out. 0-0 at the interval. 

The tea hatch

After the break, the game started to open up. Larkhall began to show some of the quality that hinted at the kind of performance they were capable of on the previous Saturday. Their number 11 on the left, Jamie Lyons looked dangerous and Totton were having to work hard to contain him. They were proving effective though and Lyons frustration was evident as we kept hearing him encourage/ berate his team mates when attacks broke down or shots sailed over the bar.

One of Larkhall's best chances came from a throw in, Lyons took it quickly from the left, weighting it perfectly for Joe Tumelty to take in his stride, Tumelty showed a lovely bit of skill in taking it round an on rushing defender but his shot was well saved by Totton keeper Charlie Searle.

Larkhall created a number chances but either they couldn't find the target, or Searle, who was having a fine game, came to the away sides rescue. It was clear that Totton were holding on for a point, but they did look a threat on the counter attack in the final stages. Their number 9, Ben Cooper came in to the game more and more and with ten minutes to go created a golden opportunity. After good work on the right he cut inside and looked up to play in a team mate, by now he was in the area and unfortunately his drilled cross arrived at the feet of Williams before he had time to set himself and get his shot away.

At the final whistle it was clear how much the point meant to the Totton players and new management team. Cheers amongst the crowd also revealed that a significant number had travelled up to support the away team. An impressive following for a struggling team on a Tuesday night in what I imagine was at least a 4 hour round trip.

A hard fought attritional nil nil draw with plenty of commitment and desire. I said goodbye to Tom and Plain Ham and went off down the hill in search of my car.

Bideford v Swindon Supermarine, Saturday November 12th, 2016

There's something very enticing about an empty football ground on a hot summers day, visit in June and the beautiful game remains painfully out of reach for weeks to come. Yet the promise of what lies in wait echoes around what feels like an empty cathedral. You can't help but think of all those who have worshipped here, prayed here, rejoiced and despaired here, and will do so again. After all, this could be the big season.

                             

Last summer I had such an experience when driving through Bideford on a family holiday on route to the theme park 'The Big Sheep'. Spotting the siren like sight of four large floodlight pylons, I drove towards them and soon found myself entering the open gates of AFC Bideford's classic looking Sports Ground. Alas, pre-season training hadn't started yet and the 'attraction of the year' (as voted by Visit Devon 2013/14) awaited.

One day I'll be back to watch a game I thought to myself. 

The perfect opportunity presented itself last weekend when I was tasked with organising an annual lads trip away. North Devon seemed a good destination and what better way to break up the drinking and sightseeing than building the Saturday around a Southern League Div one South West clash between Bideford and Swindon Supermarine? 

That Supermarine were the opponents was another pull factor. I spent a very enjoyable evening in August at their Webbs Wood stadium home watching them take on Forest Green in a friendly. Everyone I met that night from the chairman to the man on the turnstiles had been very welcoming and I was looking forward to seeing them in action again.

The journey down to Devon was a smooth one. Despite a stop at Sedgemeer services and a flurry of excitement caused by the christmas cups at Costa, we arrived in Westward Ho! by 11 am. With kick off at 3, the plan was to spent a few hours walking the picturesque North Devon coast. Westward Ho! (the only place name in the world to include an explanation mark apparently) was chosen due to it's proximity to both Bideford and some well regarded stretches of the coastal path. 

Pulling in to Westward Ho! on a grey wet and windy day in November, it is unlikely we were seeing the seaside resort town at it's best. On parking up in the central car park and taking in his surroundings, one of our group warned us that he was "not very good at dealing with depressing places."

His pessimism proved ill placed and we found Westward Ho! to be a welcoming place and on the door step of some stunning cliffs and scenery.

 

Lunch in Westward Ho!

Having enjoyed our walk it was high time for some football. Bideford's sports ground is situated on Kingsley road in the middle of the town. Having been in existence since the Victorian times I imagine a lot of Bideford has grown around it. We entered via the North turnstiles, paying £8 entry and buying a full colour programme for £2 which proved to be a very good read.

With 45 minutes before kick off, we sought out the club bar. We found it on the first floor of the main building at the opposite at the end of the ground. Named the Robins Nest, it was a decent size and catering for a good number of both home and away fans. Enjoying it's elevated view of the pitch and the players warming up, we turned our attention to the two teams as we supped on pints of Amstel. Neither side were in great form. The hosts had been beaten 4-1 at home (admittedly fielding a weakened team) to fierce local rivals Barnstaple in a mid week cup game. Prior to that they had lost 2-1 away to Hereford (not a bad result considering Hereford remain unbeaten all season and are running away with the title). Supermarine were also coming in to the game on the back of a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Winchester and looking to make amends.

Inside the Robins Nest

On leaving the bar we looked around deciding where to watch the first half from. Behind one goal sits the club house whilst opposite is the main car park. The main spectator areas are to be found on the pitch's two sides. Next to the changing rooms is a narrow but deep fully roofed all seater. We opted to sit here first half and after buying a ticket each for the half time draw, enjoyed good supporting pillar free views of the action with the dug outs just in front of us.

Getting ready to enjoy the first half

Opposite was a longer covered area with a few rows of seats with terraced areas either sides. It was in the terrace to the right where the more vocal Bideford fans congregated and made a good noise throughout the game. A curved metal fence encircles the pitch separating the spectator areas from the playing surface,

                          

In the early exchanges it was the home team that seemed to be taking control. I'd been told to look out for Kevin Squire, Bideford's number 9. With a big bushy beard and standing 6'3 he was easy to spot anyway, but as the game went on, his class became more and more evident. He won all the early headers and was linking up well with the players around him, most notably Bideford's number 4, Sean Downing, who also looked a cut above. In a lovely move in the first half he plucked the ball out of the air with his back to goal before executing a sharp turn, leaving his marker for dead and going on a mazy run before crossing in to the box only for the ball to elude his striker by a whisker. I was later to learn that Downing has represented England C whilst at Bidefored. This is quite a feat given that it is predominantly national league players that get this honour. 

                        

Supermarine for their part were doing their best to get in to the game. The Bideford centre backs looked a bit nervous and in Connor Waldon they were trying to deal with a young striker with recent football league experience. The visitors almost took the lead after drawing a foul ten yards outside the box. The resultant free kick was hit hard and low and seemed to be heading straight in to the grateful arms of Bideford keeper, Josh Colwill, shortly before reaching him however it hit a bobble and bounced up viciously, Colwill perhaps due to his familiarity with the pitch had sensibly adopted a sort of long barrier position and the ball cannoned of his chest and away to safety via a skied effort from Supermarine's left back.

                  

Shortly after this scare Bideford took the lead. Will Richards raced in off the left wing and was played through on goal by Ben Watson, Supermarines keeper rushed out only for Richards to calmly chip it over the top of him and in to the net. 

1-0 at the break.

At half time our luck was in, we'd won 2nd and 3rd prize in the half time draw! With prize money of £10 and £5 respectively it was back to the Robins Nest to enjoy our winnings at the bar. 

As tempting as it was to watch the second half from the cosy vantage point of the Robins Nest, we ventured outside and after saying congratulations to the wedding party who had hired out the ground floor of the club house, we did a slow lap of the ground. It was Bideford who were back on the front foot, their attacking quartet of Squire, Downing, Richards and Watson was proving too hot to handle and it wasn't long before they doubled their lead. Squire was played in, just inside the box, though tightly marked and at a difficult angle, he made out as if he was shaping to shoot before holding the ball up, rolling his marker and playing a perfectly timed pass to the on rushing Richards who scored his second of the day.

By now we were standing by the singing section of the Bideford fans and it's fair to say they were loving it. Richards completed his hat-rick a few minutes later before Supermarines number ten was sent off for a bad tackle. The away teams misery was complete when an own goal made the score 4-0 shortly before the final whistle. "Who needs Mourinho, we've got Sean Joyceio" sang the Bideford faithful in honour of their long serving manager.

Bideford looked a class outfit and their supporters will be hopeful that they can kick on with a realistic chance of getting in the play offs. Having thoroughly enjoyed a very good game, we stumbled out the ground and in to the nearby Laceys Ale and Cider house. Here we entertained ourselves with a game of darts and a drop or two of local ale before venturing further in to the Bideford night.

The impressive Sean Downing

Sean Joyceio