Coulsdon United

I visited Coulsdon United for the first time during the christmas break in last season's big freeze, when it was one of the few games on. This was for a Combined Counties League Division One match against South Park, & they ended up losing 3-0. I actually left thinking they had won ....programmes had sold out by the time I got there, & inside the ground I bumped into a chap called Eddie Scutt, who I knew in the late eighties when he was the star player for London Blackpool, in the Home Counties Football Quiz League, against whom we sometimes got beaten by, in the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' Club team. He lives in Redhill, & is now retired, so doesn't get to the north-west much. So he follows local non-league matches, being involved at Three Bridges FC. He told me the wrong colours for the teams, so as I spent most of the game having a chinwag with him, we both got the result wrong. Doh!

This season Coulsdon United have dropped down into the Surrey Elite Intermediate League.





Thi is the spectators' entrance into the ground, from inside.



It is set back behind the goal, the club building at this end, which houses both the changing rooms and the clubhouse.



This is the inside of the bar area.



A previous name of the club is on the gla inside, NVFC standing for Netherne Village.



At the other end of the building, from the gate, is where the players come out onto the pitch.



The pre-match shaking of hands.



Here we are, stil lbehind the clubhouse goal, in the corner where our entrance is. We are going to head down the side to the left, in a clockwise direction.



It is a very open ground, set up on a hill, railed off, with the pitch boarded in, as you can see.



Here we turn the corner, looking over to the dugouts, on the far side.



Again very open along the side, there is hard standing, with grass behind.



From this corner we see across the goalmouth.



Moving round slightly, we see the boards behind that goal.



Not the best of snap, with the bright winter sun shining directly into the camera, but we can see the hard standing clearly, as well as a small bit of cover further along.



Time for a look across the pitch, as the match is about to kick off.



Here we are under the covered shed, looking back to get a better look, with the sun behind us.



Over the halfway line.



Lokking ahead, past the cover.



Another shot across the pitch.



Just past the covered standing area, we look back at it.



Moving along, more hard standing, very open.



At the corner we see back down the side with the cover.



A half time corner flag shot.



And onward, behind this goal. Just fenced off, no concrete at all under foot.



From this end we look back at the small cover.



With the dugouts in the other direction, from behind the goal.



Here we see along the dugout touchline.



And this is the same stretch of the ground, but on the spectator side.



From this side we look back at the far end.



Reaching the dugouts next.



From where we look over to the cover.



Past the dugouts there is some more hardstanding.



Which we see here, as we head on round to the clubhouse end, where we began.



Moving closer we see the gap in the pitch perimeter where the players come onto the pitch.



We are almost at the last corner now.



Looking back down the side.



Another corner flag picture, cover opposite almost lost in the trees behind.



And now back behind the goal where we came in.



This is the 'tunnel'.



And the way onto the pitch.



Keep off the pitch!



And back to where we came in, this is the entrance from outside.



A brief bit of the game.



Lastly, this is the man from Blackpool & Three Bridges-Eddie Scutt.