Saturday 27 March 2010

Chessington & Hook United

I took the opportunity of visiting Chessington & Hook United in the latter part of the 2008/09 season, on an Easter Monday morning, as Dulwich Hamlet were not too far away at Leatherhead in the afternoon. It was for a Combined Counties League Premier Division match against Molesey. They have plans to redevelop the ground in the not too distant future, moving thepitch,and having new changing rooms & social facilities, I was told by a friendly local. So if you haven't been here yet try to do so before it disappears in its current form.



The Chessington name is more well known for it's 'World of Adventures' rather than it's football club.



This is the lane, which leads to the ground, & it is across the road from the theme park.



It's a quiet, narrow turning, but there is a football ground at the end of it.



It looks a bit shabby on arriving at the gates.



And this sign makes it seem a bit of a dodgy location!



There's a reasonable sized car park, as you can see. The entrance ahead is for players and officials. We have to turn right, as spectators. The clubhouse and changing rooms are through there, to the left.



Another shot of the car park, ground in the background.



This is the bar area, inside.



But to get there we have to go down here, to get into the ground.



No turnstile, just one person collecting gate money.



The ground is quite open, from the '(non)turnstile' corner we look across the pitch.



To our left, behind the goal, in the clockwise direction which we will go round the ground, is a couple of shallow steps of terracing, with some more substantial covered terrace past it.



Note the 'seating' at the start of the cover!



Club sign behind it, I think those seats have seen better days!



The cover must come in handy on rainy days, but not needed for those visiting Molesey fans in front this morning.



Just beyond the cover is this pathway, the 'tunnel' where the players come from the changing rooms, which are set back behind them. The linesman on the right is a certain Mr. Nick Robinson, who is the Secretary of the Isthmian League.



Molesey fans on the other side of the 'tunnel'. I'm not sure where the one on the right is from, but he had a Scandanavian accent. Sweden maybe?



The usual pre-match handshakes.



In this corner, set back, is the clubhouse.



Pitchside is a patio, for the tea bar, which is to the left of this snap.



Which had this amusing sign on it!



Along the side is a handy ladder, to retrieve hoofed out footballs.



From this picture you can see that quite a few must go over the fence during the game.



From this corner flag we look over the pitch and see the stand on the far side.



Starting to move along the side, we look back at the Molesey fans, with their flags, behind the covered goal.



Down the side it's an open hard standing path all the way along, with dugouts a bit of a way between each other.



On the halfway line we look over to the stand.



Set back from the field of play is this pitch marker, & my attempt at an 'arty shot' for the day! ;-)



The hard standing, & shale, continue to the corner.



Almost at the next corner we look up the pitch.



From a railing down the side it's now fencing behind the goal, with a paved walkway. Second pitch behind, to the left.



Here we look back down the side we've just walked down.



Now behind the goal, a bit of action, seats in the background.



From the same spot we see the dugouts.



Here is a close up of the home one.



We're now at the next corner, more hard standing, leading up to the seats.



Almost there!



Bland modern style, but more than adequate.



Separate area for club officials.



Beyond it, set back a little from the pitch, it's a bit of a mess.



This is a shot of the stand, from on the pitch.



Past the stand it's back to the basic paved hard standing once more.



As we move along we glance back to the seats.



A similar view, just a bit further along.



And finally back to the covered end where we started our tour.



A little goalmouth action, behind that goal, where I settled for the rest of the match.



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