Oakwood

Oakwood play in the Sussex County League, and is on the outskirts of Three Bridges, about a half hour walk from the station. I've been here quite a few times down the years, for both Dulwich Hamlet pre seasons, & to watch the Youth Team. It's awkward to find, the secret is to cut through the housing, rather than continuing up the road, to the approach road, & then 'double backing' down it, parallel to the street. It's a very basic ground, and whilst it's adequate for their needs I cannot work out how it mustered the ground gradings for their level.

I took these last December, at about nine in the morning, as I was on my way to a nearby crematorium for an ice hockey funeral.




This was the open entrance to the ground, having walked up a long drive to here. The 'gate box' appeared unused, and was full of rubbish.



It had this weather beaten sign on it.



Past this is the car park, with the pitch behind that, as you can see.



From this corner we will turn left, down the touchline, & head round, clockwise. All the club facilities are down this one side.



On the wall of the clubhouse is the team changes board from their last game.



And a nice colour poster publicising their junior section.



Just past the structure are the dugouts.



Here we are on the pitch, looking at the building. Bar to the left, changing rooms to the right.



Past the dugouts is hard standing, with a hard training area set back behind, to the left as we look here.



I'm not sure what this is...the closest you're going to get here to some resemblance of seating! ;-)



Almost down at the far corner, we look back down the path, and see the hard all-weather training area.



Fenced off behind the goal, not even hard standing, just grass.



From behind the goal we look back over to the built up side.



The only thing along the far side is an enclosed radio mast!



Which, as we move on, we see it's simply more grassed spectator standing.



From the halfway line we look back over the pitch.



And so we're now behind the other goal, again just fenced off, with no terracing of any sort.



Again we look over to the main side, and towards the corner where we came in, at the entrance.



As I leave the ground I take the 'short cut' through the houses, which-if you're walking from the station-this is the road for you to turn right & cut through, saving you seven or eight minutes walk.