Tuesday 6 September 2011

Cobham

I visited Cobham on a Friday night, early in the 2010/11 season for an FA cup tie between their tenants Mole Valley SCR, against Chertsey Town. Both sides currently compete in the
Combined Counties League. Cobham at step six, in Division One; while Mole Valley SCR at at step five, in the Premier Division.




A poster in a shop window, on the local high street.




This club sign was a bit of a way from the ground, at the start of the drive from the main road.




Straight ahead!




The floodlights are straight ahead.




Players warming up pre-match, in the open park, just outside the ground.




The ground is the other side of this netting, with the club name on it.




Here is the entrance, through the car park.




Through them the changing rooms are to the right, stand past that, & bar behind the stand.




From this point we look over the pitch, there is some cover behind the goal, down the far end.




Across the pitch, on the open far side, are the dugouts.




Another small bit of cover, to the tree lined end to our left, but other than that quite open to the elements.




We going to head toward that end, turning left, moving round the ground clockwise. There is a hard standing path up to the corner.




This continues behind the goal.




Looking along the touchline toward the goal, we can see the small covered area, directly behind the net.




The net seems to stretch back a lot further than most?




Still back at the first corner we look over the pitch.




Behind the goal now, high netting along a lot of it, supported on the pitch perimeter fence.




From here we turn back to the main side.



We've arrived at the cover! 'Basic' doesn't do it justice! Better than none at all, but I really can't see it keeping anyone dry!




Behind the net the dugouts are to our left.




Under the 'shed' the path continues past it to the next corner.




At the next turn there is a flat grassed area, I am guessing used for training.




Yes, the goal further along is a bit of a giveaway, I think.




From this corner we glance over to the main stand on the other side of the ground.




Almost at the dugouts, not the gate on the left, where some players are coming in from their warm up, where we saw them outside, as we arrived.




Behind the dugouts, graffiti covered.




Here they are from the front, with the club name proudly on display beetween the two.




Over the halfway line we look at the stand.




Moving on once more, it's more of the 'same', open hard standing to the other end of the ground.




Another shot of the stand, floodlight pylons either side.




Turning left, we see the cover behind the other goal, a little more substantial than the 'shed' at the end we've come from!




Almost at the corner now, gate for tractor access, I guess.




Behind the goal it's open hard standing, like most of the place, until the cover in the centre.




Behind this corner it looks like people have bunked in here before.




The covered bit, from on the pitch.




From here we 'zoom in' on the main stand on the side to the left.




Which we see again here, from behind the net.




Under the cover now. no actual steps, but at least you will keep dry.




The other side of the net we see the whole stand clearly.




Past the cover it's open hard standing, with grass behind, yet again.




Turning round now, to glance at the cover, from this side.




It's a busy night, with lots of cars here ,being unusual Friday night football.




The last 'corner flag' picture of the night, dugouts as the backdrop.




Railway sleeper type planks 'mark' the gap between the ground & the car park, forming the only step of 'terrace' in the whole venue.




We've almost reach the stand now, with the clubhouse behind it.




This is the bar, to the left.




There's a food hatch inside.




As well as a proper bar, with memorabilia on the wall, albeit from professional football.




Autographed too.




Back outside we see the stand from the front, at the far corner as we walk round, just before kick off.




Beyond this is the tunnel, changing room behind them.




I watched a lot of the match from under the 'proper' covered end, as the heavy rain returned.




A floodlit look at the open side.




With a small bit of action to finish.






The stand I watched the game from, snap taken along the side, once the rain stopped.




Here you can see how heavy the rain was, as we reach the point where we started.




I then noticed this board, I don't know if it was filled in tonight & the rain had washed it away, or if it was wiped clean after the previous Cobham match.




If in doubt take a photo of the teams from a passing groundhopper!





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