Beaconsfield Town’s first match back at Holloways Patk
Tomorrow evening (18th) Beaconsfield Town play at home to Walton Casuals in the Southern League Premier Division South (7.45 kick-off). This is the first match back at Holloways Park since their new 3G pitch was installed.
If you fancy seeing how it looks & plays the ground is opposite the Beaconsfield Services on the A355. Funnily, their pitch was always one of the best around the local area but they’ve gone for greater usage like Oxford City. Adults £10, Concessions £6, under 16s free.
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3G is just about the right reason not to attend a football match.
Holloway Park is another one added to my list.
@A_Worboys, having played on it hell of a lot in my younger days, I wouldn’t have called it one of the best surfaces ever. Always had problems with flint rising to the surface even though it was dug up and relaid numerous times
Playing Junior Football, Marlow and Flackwell had poor playing surfaces, probably due to over use.
Amersham Towns was the worst.
Broom and Wade used to have a lovely surface when they had a full time groundsman.
And Molins pitches were like a bowling green.
Wow that lot bring back memories @ChasHarps
One of my mates ripped his knee to pieces due to flints playing on a pitch in Marlow for our team, hospital visit and didn't play for weeks after
Other decent surfaces were Stocklakes old pitches, and Martin Baker sports. Nice pitches at the old John Halls way site near the sports centre.
Beacons Bottom could be quite challenging, the corner taker used to all but disappear in the far right.
Fernis fields always seemed like -2 temp even in the summer.
Shelley Road was akin to Derby's Baseball ground.
Fernie Fields - blimey I swear it was always the windiest day ever when I played as an adult, and when I was a kid we were forever having players get covered in dog 5h1t when doing a sliding tackle (glad that improved!).
My kid played on the 3G at Holloway in november 2019, where have Beaconsfield been in that time?
Forgot about Shelley Road !
I scored an absolute belter of an own goal up there once !
I smashed someone’s greenhouse when I cleared a ball ?
Heart used to sink when you saw Shelley Road next to your fixture.
Amersham Town levelled the pitch out a few years ago didn’t they ?
However, Shelley Road DID have an electric heater on the wall that was excellent on a cold day ?
Yes Fernie Fields bring back nightmares of putting up and taking down posts and nets on freezing cold Sunday and then freezing to death in those dressing rooms. Then there were the legendary referees of the day - Bill and Ron Cleare, Dave North etc. All great fun.
God knows how we ever managed to kick a ball on Sunday morning after a game on the Saturday and a few pints ?? in the clubhouse afterwards. We never worried about recovery time.
And you can’t mention Sunday morning football without giving a mention to the legendary late Martin Cyster who ran the HW Sunday Combination for many years. A really great guy.
Belmont away was always a cringeworthy fixture. Getting changed in a shed with no glass in the windows, no heating, (pointless), no showers and the few attendees watching from the touchline tripping you up if you dared getting past the full back!
I used to love Dave North reffing... gave you a running commentary of the match as you were playing, and you almost had to kill someone to get a yellow card
Northy still watches Wycombe along with his son. Great character.
Great Ref was Dave North, I believe he liked a tackle in his playing days. Certainly didn't discourage it, in his officiating days.
Booming loud voice 'Play on'.
I love it @ChasHarps. Yes Northy was a tough old cookie in his plying days. I played against him when he played for the Gate on Sundays.
Playing
Half-time: Beaconsfield Town 1 Walton Casuals 3. Visitors three up after 14 minutes but Beaconsfield pulled one back on 25 minutes when Scott Donnelly (remember him?) lobbed the keeper from 25 yards.
Full-time: Beaconsfield Town 2 Walton Casuals 4. Home side pulled a goal back just after half-time and pressed hard for an equaliser but were picked off on the break in injury time as Walton secured a 4-2 win. Attendance 185 on a wet, drizzly evening. Good entertainment for £10.
A few thoughts on the game tonight. I’m not an advocate of 3G pitches for Non-League steps 1-4 but this did play well with one exception. The rolling ball did kick up a lot of water due to the drizzle.
The match had several flashpoints with players squaring up to each other. The problem (yet again) was a Non-League referee not clamping down on bad challenges early enough. Consequently the retributions start & it’s very difficult to bring under control from then onwards.
The difference between the sides tonight was the performances of the 2 keepers. The Walton Casuals keeper made some good saves & was technically good around his area. The Beaconsfield keeper had a nightmare. The first goal he conceded was a tame shot that he just watched go past him while his short passes out put his side under constant pressure.
In terms of possession Walton just about shaded it but their clinical finishing was way above the home side’s efforts. A slightly bigger crowd than normal for Beaconsfield & a thoroughly entertaining match.