This Site:
My favourite away ground
Other WFC-related Sites:
(This article was originally published in the WFC Programme in the 2001-02 season. It has not been changed, and may no longer be fully up-to date)
Paul Allison considers his happiest hunting ground, and admits his hatred of the humble breeze block...
To me, a non-league ground should be pretty much like Worthing’s: a bar inside the ground, some cover behind the goal, a good tea-bar, a decent-enough stand and access to hard-standing on all four sides of the pitch (preferably via either touchline, and not with petty restrictions.
A non-league ground should not be a study in breeze block, the favoured building material of our Southern League cousins. No matter how nice the facilities at Crawley’s shiny Broadfield Stadium may be, it’s got no soul, and may as well be built of lego! Langney Sports (or Eastbourne Borough) have heavily invested in Priory Lane, but it still looks low-level, and yes, those are breeze-blocks afore you! At least Woodside has some genuine elevation (even if you can’t see the near touchline from the stand).
In the County League there are a number of “quaint” grounds, such as the picturesque Mill Lane at Arundel, Wick’s Crabtree Park or Sammy’s Old Barn Way (Southwick). Of course, you have to take the rough with the smooth – both Mile Oak and Westfield (village of the damned) play on recreation grounds with youth clubs for clubhouses. And one club that should really have known better, Lancing FC, home to the Sussex FA, managed to build a stand about half-a-mile from the pitch, and then stick buildings in the sightlines to make both goals hidden from all bit a handful of seats. Horsham have an okay ground (although the planning officers may not agree, as half it may be about to be condemned!), and Lewes is very picturesque, yet exposed behind the goals (although, with their cup-run money in the bank, next season could be different).
Looking around our own division’s grounds, there are only a few that I have been to that meet my criteria of what I like in a ground. Harlow and Walton can be discounted straight away due to the running track, although strangely we do always manage to generate a decent atmosphere at Walton (or is that on the train trip there?). Bognor is very low-level, and too much of the dreaded breeze block for my liking, although it does have probably the best tea bar in the division. Aylesbury’s ground is okay from the inside, but the bar is too far away (and the tea bar queues too long!), Oxford City’s ground is very small and narrow, and Thame’s ground looks great on one side only (but does have cheesy chips on sale) – but all three look very Southern League-ish. Tooting’s old Sandy Lane, beautiful as it once no doubt was, is now more of a crumbling relic, although the White Lion Ground (where Wealdstone share with Edgware) is not too bad, despite the building work on my last visit.
As for the others - Carshalton’s not too bad,
Leatherhead (Div 2 this season) has a lovely covered terrace, although
they fall down on the inside bar requirement, as do Whyteleafe and Northwood.
Bromley’s ground has a nice, old feel about it (and once held 10,000),
but it’s clubhouse is no more than a portakabin. As for the rest,
I can’t say I’ve been. Dulwich looks lovely, but I won’t
be there until March (and as a Walton-esque approach will be adopted,
I may not be able to fully appreciate the architecture). So, all in all,
I can honestly say that my favourite ground is right here at Woodside
Road – no place like home!
7th Feb 2004