Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Match 34. Hullbridge Sports v Ilford

Saturday 18thApril 2015 @3pm
Essex Senior League
HULLBRIDGE SPORTS 1-1 ILFORD
Lower Road, Hullbridge, Hockley

Admission: £6
Programme: £1
Attendance: 45
Refreshments: Guinness £3, Mini Cheddars, £1.

One of the closest Step 5 grounds I had yet to visit, so the one hour drive was uneventful and the Dartford Crossing was behaving itself.  I arrived just after 2pm and there is plenty of parking outside the ground.  The club building facilities are outside the entrance for the visitor and only the changing room area is inside the ground boundary.  There is a club bar, toilets and a kitchen which sells the hot food and drinks.  Then the entrance hut is in the near corner of the ground.  The fencing doesn’t block the view from outside so there are some wooden boarding erected behind the goal to obscure the view from the car park.  The dugouts are on the open touchline and the cover is on the facilities side of the ground. There is a flat are of standing cover on the halfway line which is sandwiched between 2x50 seated atcost stands. Another small area of standing cover is found towards the far side of the touchline, much more of a DIY effort.  The rest of the railed perimeter is hard standing.

The match was very dull as the swirling wind defied the bright sunny skies and together with a dry, bumpy pitch made both teams hustle and bustle through the 90 minutes.  Even the goals were uninspiring.  Hullbridge took the lead when a cross was fumbled by the keeper as he tried to catch the ball in the wind and only succeeded in dropping the ball into his own net.  Ilford drew level early in the second half after a scramble in the area and the rest of the game really was a tale of both sides trying to control the ball with dozens of errors. 


Just one of those days where the game is instantly forgettable and at least it was a new ground visit.

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