Pre-season Friendly
Recreation Ground, Stockbridge
Admission & Programme: None
Attendance: 60 (rough head count)
So, finally, some 140 long days since my last visit to a football ground today, back on Saturday 14th March, today was the day when football matches were permitted to take place once more. Despite the announcement on 18th July coming that "grassroots" football matches could be played from 1st August onwards, there was plenty of uncertainty about whether spectators could attend or not, with not even clubs nor league secretaries seeming to be completely certain about what and wasn't permitted. It soon became clear that any host ground of a club in the National League System would be out of bounds. But then it emerged that a NLS taking part in a game could cause problems for spectators attending even if played at a non-NLS ground, and even games at grounds not involving a NLS club would be dependent on the host club satisfactorily having Covid-19 risk assessments approved.
In shortlisting potential visits today, I was looking for a club that would be welcoming to spectators, and after so long without being able to groundhop, I wanted a decent day out and to visit a ground that I had not previously visited, with reasonable facilities, in a nice part of the world. A visit to the Recreation Ground, Stockbridge, emerged as my chosen destination, with the club extending a warm welcome to visitors on Twitter, a full Covid-19 risk assessment available for perusal on the club's website, and the ground being a former Wessex League venue for ten seasons up to 2014, and may well be again in the not too distant future, with the club applying for a return to senior football during the last couple of seasons.
The Recreation Ground is located just off the main high street, down a short and narrow lane, and just beyond the entrance gate, visitors were invited to use hand sanitizer gel from a dispenser, and to write down their name and contact telephone number for the Track and Trace purposes. To the left of the entrance gate is a low slung building from which refreshments were available, tables under gazebos erected just to the front. Adjacent to this area, set in the corner of the ground, is an attractively designed pavilion, completed in 2014, housing the changing rooms, with a small children's playground area tucked right in the corner. The ground is railed along three sides, with floodlights present, and a couple of benches are located behind the goal at the clubhouse end. Railing and hard standing extends along both lengths, and although there is a black metallic prefab stand with metal bench seating inside, this was cordoned off with metal fencing today. There is no walkway along the remaining end. It is a very pleasant and tranquil setting on a summer's day, with the ground surrounded by trees.
This friendly was a local derby, with less than five miles separating the two clubs, and the fixture had some poignancy as the club held a minute's applause ahead of kick-off to celebrate the life of Ian Belbin, who played for many years for Broughton and was the grandfather of Stockbridge's current captain, Ross Belbin, who played at right back today. Both clubs are members of the Hampshire Premier League, and when last season was abandoned Stockbridge were in sixth place in the Senior Division, eight points adrift of the top five, and 26 points adrift of the leaders and only promotion spot, while Broughton were in fourth place in Division One.
On a mainly overcast but pleasantly warm afternoon, this turned out to be a very entertaining game for a friendly so early in pre-season, and it certainly had a lively start, with the visitors taking the lead inside the opening couple of minutes. A free-kick was floated in from deep from the left wing, and a Broughton forward got a faint touch to divert the ball past the keeper, who was in no-mans land, and it bounced into the net. Broughton scored again in ten minutes, when a ball was pumped high forward, dropping at the edge of the area, and the Broughton player just managed to toe-poke the ball past the onrushing keeper, to send it rolling into the net. The rest of the half was an enjoyable watch, with Stockbridge settling down after a very rocky defensive start, and both sides created some chances, but with no further goals by the break.
The start of the second half was dominated by Stockbridge, as Broughton struggled to get out of their own half, and the hosts got on the scoresheet on 54 minutes, when a cross from the left was headed in from close range by Luke Conrad. They certainly had chances to score again, but then so did Broughton as they came back into the game more as the second half wore on, particularly on the break, but there were no further goals. Both clubs will be happy with the work-out today, with the match played at a good tempo and with plenty of good football played.
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