2013 Stadium #14 - Crown Meadow

Date: 6th May 2013
Stadium: Crown Meadow
Location: Lowestoft, Suffolk

My fourteenth stadium of 2013 was on Monday 6th May 2013 at Crown Meadow in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The match was Lowestoft Town vs. Concord Rangers in the Isthmian League Premier Division Play-Off Final.

Crown Meadow is located in Lowestoft town centre and is around half a mile north of the town's train station. The ground has been the home of Lowestoft Town since 1894.

The Main Stand is the sole all-seater structure in the venue and this sits level with the half-way line on the eastern side of the ground. The stand has enough seating for around 450 fans. Adjacent to this is a covered terrace consisting of raised concrete steps. This stand extends down to the southern end of the ground. Fans in these two stands are likely to have their views somewhat restricted by the four floodlights which sit in front of the barrier, right by the side of the pitch.

The remainder of the ground consists of uncovered standing except for a very small covered section directly behind the goal at the northern end of the ground. The ground is quite cramped behind both goals which are little more than concrete walkways. However, this game's attendance of 2,490 was three-times the usual gate for the club so lack of space isn't a major issue. The player dressing rooms are situated next to the Main Stand and the remainder of the facilities, including the clubhouse, are at the southern end of the ground.

The game was an important one for both clubs with the winner guaranteed promotion to the 6th tier. Concord started the stronger and took the lead in the 13th minute when Ben Greenhalgh's free-kick was met by the head of Steve King who directed his header into the bottom of the net. A couple of minutes later it was almost 2-0 to the visitors as a cross was curled into the box and just missed an advancing Concord player at the back post. Fortunately for Lowestoft they were shaken into action by this and shortly after they equalised. It was another header from a cross, this time Scott Mitchell glanced the ball into the far corner of the net with Dan Gleeson claiming the assist. The away side then had to withstand a lengthy spell of pressure as Lowestoft had numerous set pieces to try and score another goal. Concord weathered this storm and the two sides reached the interval all-square. The second half never really got going as there were several stoppages for injuries which disrupted the flow of the game. Lowestoft had plenty of the ball but didn't really look like doing a lot with it and in the 85th minute the visitors grabbed the winner as Leon Gordon struck from close range. The frequent injury stoppages meant there were seven additional minutes at the end of normal time for the home side to try and get the equalising goal which would force the tie into extra-time. Their best chance came from a mad scramble from a corner but Concord were able to clear their lines meaning Lowestoft were consigned to their third successive play-off final defeat with Concord Rangers gaining promotion to Conference South.

Result: Lowestoft Town 1-2 Concord Rangers
Division: Isthmian League Premier Division
Attendance: 2,490

2013 Stadium #13 - Milton Road

Date: 27th April 2013
Stadium: Milton Road
Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

My thirteenth stadium of 2013 was on Saturday 27th April 2013 at Milton Road in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. The match was Cambridge City vs. Redditch United in the Southern League Premier Division.

Milton Road, also known as the City Ground, is located in the Chesterton area of the city, north of the city centre. At just over 2 miles from Cambridge train station it was the home of Cambridge City from 1922 until April 2013 with this game being the last at the venue.

Though the club played at Milton Road for 91 years most of this was period was spent at a larger stadium than the one used in later years. During the mid-1980s part of the site was sold off for development and City moved back into a downsized version of Milton Road. The Main Stand is on the north-east side of the venue  and consists of two sections with the smaller part of the structure added more recently. It is a covered all-seater stand with a capacity of 500. A hospitality area, clubhouse and player dressing rooms are contained within the Main Stand.

On the opposite side of the pitch there is a covered terrace split into sections with the middle section taken by the most vocal home fans. The rest of this side of the ground is uncovered standing and it is the same story behind both of the goals although being quite narrow, these also double as walkways between the two main spectator areas on either side of the pitch.

The game did not start well for the home side as they had to make two substitutions in the opening 12 minutes including one for a concussion to defender Lee Chaffey. Just a few minutes after this stoppage things got better for Cambridge as they took the lead. The ball was passed out wide to Ieuan Lewis who cut inside and took a shot which took a deflection of a defender. This carried it past two Cambridge players as well as the Redditch goalkeeper leaving Adrian Cambridge an easy tap-in from a couple of yards out. Redditch were limited to a couple of wayward long-range efforts in a half which had few other chances. Cambridge really should have extended their lead just after the break but their shooting was off-target and the Redditch goalkeeper not forced to make a save. The closest they got was an Adrian Cambridge volley from outside the box which fizzed just wide of the post. Redditch's best chance fell to George Washbourne who sprung free of the defence to get one-on-one with the goalkeeper. His shot bobbled wide and so the final game at Milton Road ended in victory for Cambridge City. The club will groundshare with nearby Histon at their Bridge Road ground for the next few years with plans for Cambridge City to move into a new permanent home in Sawston after this.

Result: Cambridge City 1-0 Redditch United
Division: Southern League Premier Division
Attendance: 814

2013 Stadium #12 - Scraley Road

Date: 23rd April 2013
Location: Heybridge, Essex
Stadium: Scraley Road

My twelfth stadium of 2013 was on Tuesday 23rd April 2013 at Scraley Road in Heybridge, Essex. The match was Heybridge Swifts vs. Grays Athletic in the Isthmian League Division One North.

Scraley Road is on the eastern outskirts of the village of Heybridge and is 6 miles from the nearest train station at Witham. The venue has been home to the club since 1966.

The Main Stand is level with the half-way line on the eastern side of the ground. Built in 1995, this covered all-seater stand can hold a couple of hundred fans. This side of the venue also has a television gantry close to the Main Stand. The other seated stand is directly the opposite and consists of rows of wooden benches. Both stands have a number of supporting pillars.

Most of the area behind the goal at the southern end of the ground is taken up by a covered terrace. The South Stand has raised concrete a platform for standing and like the other two seated areas also contains supporting pillars. The other end of the ground is uncovered standing although this is also where all the club facilities are located. A pleasant clubhouse, a seating area of benches and the player dressing rooms all reside here.

The game was not a bad one with two fairly even teams battling out in their attempts to gain promotion at the end of the season. Grays came into the game having won their last 17 league games in a row and they shaded an open first 45 minutes. However, it may have been a different game had Heybridge taken an early lead when their striker went clean through with the goalkeeper only to see his tame effort saved. After this Grays created a number of chances and only a goalline clearance prevented them taking a 20th minute lead. The visitors made the breakthrough in the 44th minute as a looping cross into the box found the head of Joao Carlos who nodded into the bottom corner of the net. Their lead did not last long after the restart though as it took only 30 seconds of the second half to elapse for Heybridge to equalise. The Grays goalkeeper misjudged a long throw and the ball bounced over him allowing Luke Callendar to head into an open net. It was end-to-end football after this with Heybridge having a shot cleared off the line and Grays having a goal disallowed for a foul on the keeper. In the 53rd minute Grays scored a goal of real quality. The move began with some neat build-up play before the ball fell to Kris Newby on the right-wing. His cross was met with a powerful header into the back of the net by Jack West to restore Grays' one-goal advantage. Heybridge made a real effort to pull the game back to 2-2 but some last-ditch defending saved the visitors on several occasions as they held out to extend their winning streak to 18 games.

Result: Heybridge Swifts 1-2 Grays Athletic
Division: Isthmian League Division One North
Attendance: 162

2013 Stadium #11 - Middlesex Stadium

Date: 8th April 2013
Location: Ruislip, London
Stadium:  Middlesex Stadium

My eleventh stadium of 2013 was on Monday 8th April 2013 at Middlesex Stadium in Ruislip, London. The match was Hillingdon Borough vs. AFC Dunstable in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.

Middlesex Stadium is located on the northern outskirts of Ruislip with the venue surrounded by fields. It is 1.5 miles from Ruislip tube station and has been home to the club since they re-formed in 1990.

The entrance to the ground is through a sports bar which was built in 2007. This is an impressive attachment to the venue and the outside seated area doubles as a balcony to watch the game from. The rest of the southern side of the ground is uncovered standing behind the fencing. It is a similar story on the opposite side of the pitch with just the dugouts and a raised concrete section in this area.

There is an all-seater stand which sits behind the goal at the eastern end of the ground. With around 200 seats this is fully covered. Behind the goal at the northern end of the venue there is a covered stand which consists of a raised concrete section. This side of the football arena backs onto a multi-use 3G astroturf pitch  behind the wall.

The game saw Hillingdon start the better of the two sides. The hosts were dangerous from set pieces and could've netted on a couple of occasions in the opening 10 minutes. The opening goal came in the 20th minute and it was a goal Dunstable would rather forget. A long ball was punted towards the Dunstable penalty area but with the goalkeeper advancing towards the ball to hoof it up the pitch there didn't seem to be any danger. Unfortunately the keeper completely missed the ball allowing a Hillingdon striker to then slot it into the empty net. The visitors were frustrated for the rest of the half and were limited to speculative long-range efforts which rarely troubled Hillingdon's shotstopper. Just after the hour mark the home side doubled their lead as an attacker was left acres of space to push into the penalty area. He drew the keeper and then passed it across the box to a teammate who rolled it into the goal. The home side started the game many places below Dunstable in the league but were by far the better team on the night. Hillingdon could have won by a few more goals but it finished 2-0.

Result: Hillingdon Borough 2-0 AFC Dunstable
Division: Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Attendance: 38

2013 Stadium #10 - Mile End Stadium

Date: 3rd April 2013
Location: Mile End, London
Stadium: Mile End Stadium

My tenth stadium of 2013 was on Wednesday 3rd April 2013 at Mile End Stadium in Mile End, London. The match was Sporting Bengal United vs. London Bari in the Essex Senior League.

Mile End Stadium is part of a sports complex in Mile End Park in the east end of London. It is in walking distance of several tube stations with the closest of these being Mile End which is around half a mile from the ground. The venue is home to two Essex Senior League clubs - Sporting Bengal United and Bethnal Green United.

Built in the 1950s as the King George V Stadium the stadium was re-opened as Mile End Stadium in 1990. The ground is an athletics venue with a running track around the outside of the pitch. There is one covered stand which sits level with the half-way line on the eastern side of the ground. Behind this is the reception area which doubles as the entrance for fans and the dressing rooms.

On the eastern side of the stadium is the recently renovated leisure centre and there are basketball court and astroturf football pitches dotted around the rest of the complex. For football games at the venue, aside from the western stand, the venue is uncovered standing behind the fencing which surrounds the athletics track. This means you can be quite a way from the action, particularly if viewing behind either of the two goals.

The game consisted of a low quality opening half-hour during which neither team registered a shot on target. The visiting side came closest to scoring during this period when the ball was crossed into the box only for the ball to be blazed well over the bar from the attacker from a few yards out. When the first effort on target did come after 30 minutes it resulted in a goal and it was the home side who got it. A free-kick went through the London Bari defence and the ball landed at the feet on an unmarked Sporting Bengal forward who poked the ball past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0. The hosts netted a second goal just after the half-time break to double the lead. Some nice build-up play from Sporting Bengal culminated with the ball being laid off to the attacker who had snuck down the right wing unnoticed and he neatly clipped the ball past the advancing goalkeeper. After this the home side played some decent football and controlled the game fairly comfortably against a London Bari side who from this point on did not look likely to get anything out of the game. The match ended in a 2-0 win for Sporting Bengal United and it was a deserved victory for the home side.

Result: Sporting Bengal United 2-0 London Bari
Division: Essex Senior League
Attendance: 25

2013 Stadium #9 - Riverside Stadium

Date: 2nd April 2013
Location: Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
Stadium: Riverside Stadium

My ninth stadium of 2013 was on Tuesday 2nd April at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. The match was Middlesbrough vs. Peterborough United in the Football League Championship.

The Riverside Stadium is located on the banks of the River Tees in an area of the north of the town which has seen much development over the past 20 years. The venue has been home to the club since 1995 when they left their town centre home at Ayresome Park where they had played since 1903.

When the ground was built the West Stand stood separate from the other three stands as the largest in the ground. This stand contains most of the club's facilities including reception area, ticket office, club shop and player dressing rooms. The stadium's executive boxes also sit in between the upper and lower tiers inside the ground. Outside the front of the stand sits the original gate entrance to their previous Ayresome Park home as well as statues of former players George Hardwick and Wilf Mannion.

A few years after moving into the venue the north-west and south-west corners were filled in to join the West Stand up with the already linked remaining stands. This turned the stadium into a bowl, although the larger West Stand gives it an unbalanced appearance. This took the ground to a total capacity of just under 35,000 which is easily enough for Middlesbrough's current attendances.

The game was a drab encounter which always looked likely to end goalless. Middlesbrough dominated the first half with Peterborough having to be content with the odd counter-attacks. The visitors did however have the best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes when Joe Newell ran untracked into the box and with just the keeper to beat shot wide. Middlesbrough had a number of half-chances but the away defence was well-organised and closed down the home side pretty effectively. The main outlet for Middlesbrough was Sammy Ameobi who danced his way through the Peterborough defence on a number of occasions but his final ball was often wide of the mark leading to the attacks breaking down. The second half was marginally better to watch, Peterborough's best go at scoring was just after the hour-mark when the ball reached Mark Little a few yards from goal. With Little unable to control the ball his scuffed shot was easily handled by Jason Steele. Middlesbrough bossed the final 20 minutes and Grant Leadbitter's rasping 25-yard effort very nearly found the back of the net. This period of Middlesbrough did not amount to anything though and to the home side's frustration the final whistle went with the teams tied at 0-0.

Result: Middlesbrough 0-0 Peterborough United
Division: Football League Championship
Attendance: 13,683

2013 Stadium #8 - Turf Moor

Date: 1st April 2013
Location: Burnley, Lancashire
Stadium: Turf Moor

My eighth stadium of 2013 was on Monday 1st April 2013 at Turf Moor in Burnley, Lancashire. The match was Burnley vs. Nottingham Forest in the Football League Championship.

Turf Moor is close to the centre of Burnley in a residential area of the town. The ground is just under a mile from the two of the town's train stations (Burnley Manchester Road and Burnley Central) and has been home to the club since 1883.

Two sides of Turf Moor were redeveloped during the mid-90s with the North Stand the largest in the venue. This two-tiered structure runs alongside the pitch and has a total capacity of 8,154. Adjacent to this behind the goal at the eastern end of the ground is the Jimmy McIlroy Stand. This is the other two-tiered stand in the ground and can house 6,280 fans. Both of these stands have executive boxes in between the two tiers and the North Stand is also the home of the media centre.

The remaining two stands are more dated in appearance as they have not been seriously renovated in recent years. The Bob Lord Stand runs along the southern side of the ground and has a capacity of just under 4,000. There are some executive lounges in this stand and the club shop and ticket office are also contained within. There are a number of supporting pillars which can cause view restrictions to fans in this stand. Behind the northern goal is the Cricket Field Stand which backs onto Burnley Cricket Club. This stand has a couple of stanchions and hold just over 4,000 supporters. It is usually given over to away fans and in contrast to the rest of the ground this stand is mostly made up of wooden seating.

The game started brightly enough with Nottingham Forest playing some decent attacking football as they attempted to continue their excellent league form. A couple of good saves from Burnley keeper Lee Grant prevented a Billy Sharp header and a long-range Henri Lansbury effort from finding the net during the first half. Burnley started slowly but came back into the game and Junior Stanislas' shot would've given them the lead but not for Karl Darlow in the away goal. Unfortunately the second half was dismal affair with numerous injury stoppages breaking up the game's flow. However, in the 67th minute Burnley took the lead when a cross from Joseph Mills bypassed the entire Nottingham Forest defence before falling to Stanislas whose deflected shot looped over Darlow in the Forest goal. Forest tried in vain to get an equaliser and they got the perfect opportunity in the 7th minute of stoppage time when Lansbury was tripped in the box leading to a penalty. Lewis McGugan sent Grant the wrong way to tuck the ball into the bottom corner to rescue an unlikely point for the visitors. The home side weren't happy with the lengthy injury time and could count themselves unlucky not to have grabbed all three points.

Result: Burnley 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Division: Football League Championship
Attendance: 13,618