Eastern Counties League Division One South
Roding Lane, Buckhurst Hill
Admission including programme: £6.00
Attendance: 113
After last Saturday's very wet and very long day out, today promised to be a much more pleasant experience, with warm and sunny conditions forecast, and a visit planned to my most local senior football ground that I had not previously visited, albeit still some 60 miles from home. It would also enable me to recomplete visiting all grounds in the Eastern Counties League Division One South. I should actually have been at The Valley today watching Charlton against Rotherham, but thankfully, given the desperate start that the Addicks have made to this season, that game was postponed due to international call-ups, allowing a bonus groundhopping adventure today.
Roding Lane is about a 15 minute walk downhill eastwards from Buckhurst Hill London Underground station, which is located towards the eastern end of the Central Line. A roadside sign guides visitors off the passing road and into a large car park, located behind the perimeter fence along one length. Prior to 2019, the main pitch was an open and roped off, but there has been some impressively rapid upgrading of facilities here since then, with perimeter fencing, pitch side railing, hard standing, and permanent dugouts installed in 2019, and further upgrades have been made this year to satisfy ground grading criteria to host step 6 football. Spectators enter the ground in one corner, through a corridor of a small building finished with green coloured wooden slats which blends in well with the surroundings, paying at a window, whilst the other side of the building has a tea bar, named The Stags Kettle, with a pitch facing hatch and offering a good selection of hot and cold refreshments. A modern metallic stand with seating in club colours of black and blue has been installed towards the half way line this year, as have the floodlights. The clubhouse is located behind the goal closest to the entrance, with the bar area bright, spacious and with a good selection of drinks, with another tea bar window to one side. A walkway outside the clubhouse provides a good elevated view to watch the action from behind the goal. Some wooden chairs and a table have been placed on the grass area to one side of the clubhouse, whilst there is hard standing around the remainder of the ground. Several other football pitches stretch behind the length furthest from the entrance, which reflects what a community based club this is, with over 40 teams fielded at youth and senior levels, and there is a slightly surprisingly rural feel to ground, given its location on the fringes of Greater London. A 16 page printed programme is included in the admission fee, and as well as an all colour and attractive cover, it covers the essentials along with providing some interesting reading material.
Buckhurst Hill were elevated from Step 7 into the Eastern Counties League Division One South this season, and they certainly have earned their first ever crack at step 6 football, having been a class apart in the Essex Olympian League Premier Division over the last few seasons. Although they came into this game in eighth place in the table, that does not tell the story of their season, as they have won seven and drawn one of their nine league games so far, have at least two games in hand on all clubs above them in the table, and are seven points adrift of leaders Ipswich Wanderers, but with three games in hand. They have been in good goalscoring form too, winning their last two games 5-1 at home and 1-7 away, and scoring 19 goals in their last four games. Harwich & Parkeston have had a disappointing start to their season, winless in their opening 13 league games, although they have drawn eight of those, including an opening day goalless draw at home to Buckhurst Hill. They came into this game in 18th place in the 20 club division.
On a bright sunny day, following several dry days, it was something of a shock to discover club officials working hard to clear and drain a couple of small saturated areas of the pitch. Plenty of standing water remained in the affected areas on the pitch, but fortunately a pleasingly willing referee deemed that the pitch was firm enough under the surface for the game to go ahead. Buckhurst Hill started the game strongly, and after the visitors were indebted to the linesman for ruling out two goals for offside, on 7 and 13 minutes, it was third time unlucky for them on 14 minutes as the hosts opened the scoring, following a curling cross to the far post which was headed home. After Harwich saw a very decent chance on 33 minutes blazed over the bar from a slight angle, the hosts opened up a two goal lead when the ball was floated in from the right, and the ball was tapped home on the stretch. It was a lead they certainly deserved, and Harwich were thankful to their keeper for some very good saves to keep his team still in the game at the break.
The visitors improved after the break, but still we’re not able to really pose a serious threat on goal, and although Buckhurst Hill seemed in cruise control for most of the second half, very comfortable in their two goal lead, they continued to come close to scoring again, seeing a goal bound shot blocked, and the visiting keeper forced into making some more very good saves. Surprisingly, there turned out to be no further goals scored in the second half, with Buckhurst Hill claiming the win which lifts them into fifth place and the final play-off berth. There was a real sign of confidence about their play and at this early stage of the season, they certainly look contenders for a second successive promotion, as long as pitch issues do not derail their season in the dark and wet months of winter to come. Harwich's search for their first league win of the season goes on, and with bottom side Brimsdown winning today, Harwich are now the only winless side in the division, and their battle may be to avoid falling out of the National League System, with the bottom two clubs at risk of relegation this season, although if they can find more of a cutting edge to their play, they should start to climb the table soon.
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