I've not had time to add another ground before the weekend, & I'm away in Glasgow now, for a Supporters' Football Tournament.
Hope to add something new on Monday night.
Thanks for looking in.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Mile Oak
Mile Oak compete in the Sussex County League Division Two, & I saw a game here on a Wednesday evening in August 2010. Not that I had really planned to, but they had been drawn against Tunbridge Wells in the FA Cup, with the winners home to Dulwich Hamlet. If it had been Dulwich I would have been working that day, so decided to 'tick' it off just in case, just to avoid a ribbing from my fellow Hamlet fans who would have been at that match! As it happens Tunbridge Wells went through...& we lost to them in a dire replay at Champion Hill!
Mile Oak is supposed to be an awkward one to get to, & while it is a fair trek from the nearest railway station there is a bus from Brighton that stops in the street where it is tucked behind. So it was just as easy to jump on a bus back to Brighton after the game, rather than get the train.
There is a small car park in front of the changing rooms, which is in part of building that is a local community centre.
Someone's car specially customised!
The changing rooms are outside the ground, the 'tunnel' up the steps where the rail is, to the left of the match officials.
This is how the players get to the pitch.
The entrance for spectators is further along the path, up the next set of steps.
These ones here.
Prices prominently displayed.
Back down the bottom through the doors of the local playgroup is a room selling refreshments, but no alcohol, there is no actual bar here.
This is where you pay your admission money.
We are now behind the goal, with a small area of cover to our right.
Team line-ups are helpfully displayed, for those who like to note them down.
We are going to turn left, and walk round the ground clockwise. This end is completely open, with hard standing along the length.
Behind the net the ground looks very open, set in a residential area.
As we walk round the players start to appear from up their steps.
Here we see them from up above.
The path continues to the corner.
But stops, with just a rail down the side, note the boy struggling to keep the corner flag upright!
As we look over the pitch from the corner it looks like he's done it.
It's very narrow down this side, with a drop behind.
Take care when going behind the dugouts. A strange set they are too..
As you can see from the front, extended with plastic sheeting.
In use here.
Past them the grass is flatter.
But still on an incline.
At the next corner we look back along the dugout side.
And then across the pitch toward the cover.
The hard standing is back behind this goal.
From near the next goal we can note the grass bank along the other side.
Through the net.
The path curves at the corner, at we can see there is a small concrete 'wall' at the bottom of the slope, which you can use as 'seating'.
As you can see here.
Before we stroll along the path we clamber up the grass banking to get a shot of this end of the ground.
Then turn to our left, to cover the rest of the pitch.
As we move along the top of the slope we reach the covered standing section.
Here we are directly behind it.
Finally looking toward the end where the entrance is.
Back at the bottom, on the hard standing, down the other end.
Almost at the section of cover.
Just a couple of steps of terrace, surprisingly with no rail at all in front of it. It might be basic, but it's nice to see it painted in the club colours.
A front on view, taken at half time.
And a little closer, from a slight side angle.
Beyond the 'shed' it is more hard standing, and the low wall 'seating'.
Heading toward the end where we began our tour.
Another climb up to the top, to see the ground from this corner of the slope.
And back behind the goal where we started, pay booth now shut.
Some 'bored yoof' making their mark in the concrete!
A few shots of the game to finish...
Finishing up with a look along the main side of the ground as the summer night time draws in.
Mile Oak is supposed to be an awkward one to get to, & while it is a fair trek from the nearest railway station there is a bus from Brighton that stops in the street where it is tucked behind. So it was just as easy to jump on a bus back to Brighton after the game, rather than get the train.
There is a small car park in front of the changing rooms, which is in part of building that is a local community centre.
Someone's car specially customised!
The changing rooms are outside the ground, the 'tunnel' up the steps where the rail is, to the left of the match officials.
This is how the players get to the pitch.
The entrance for spectators is further along the path, up the next set of steps.
These ones here.
Prices prominently displayed.
Back down the bottom through the doors of the local playgroup is a room selling refreshments, but no alcohol, there is no actual bar here.
This is where you pay your admission money.
We are now behind the goal, with a small area of cover to our right.
Team line-ups are helpfully displayed, for those who like to note them down.
We are going to turn left, and walk round the ground clockwise. This end is completely open, with hard standing along the length.
Behind the net the ground looks very open, set in a residential area.
As we walk round the players start to appear from up their steps.
Here we see them from up above.
The path continues to the corner.
But stops, with just a rail down the side, note the boy struggling to keep the corner flag upright!
As we look over the pitch from the corner it looks like he's done it.
It's very narrow down this side, with a drop behind.
Take care when going behind the dugouts. A strange set they are too..
As you can see from the front, extended with plastic sheeting.
In use here.
Past them the grass is flatter.
But still on an incline.
At the next corner we look back along the dugout side.
And then across the pitch toward the cover.
The hard standing is back behind this goal.
From near the next goal we can note the grass bank along the other side.
Through the net.
The path curves at the corner, at we can see there is a small concrete 'wall' at the bottom of the slope, which you can use as 'seating'.
As you can see here.
Before we stroll along the path we clamber up the grass banking to get a shot of this end of the ground.
Then turn to our left, to cover the rest of the pitch.
As we move along the top of the slope we reach the covered standing section.
Here we are directly behind it.
Finally looking toward the end where the entrance is.
Back at the bottom, on the hard standing, down the other end.
Almost at the section of cover.
Just a couple of steps of terrace, surprisingly with no rail at all in front of it. It might be basic, but it's nice to see it painted in the club colours.
A front on view, taken at half time.
And a little closer, from a slight side angle.
Beyond the 'shed' it is more hard standing, and the low wall 'seating'.
Heading toward the end where we began our tour.
Another climb up to the top, to see the ground from this corner of the slope.
And back behind the goal where we started, pay booth now shut.
Some 'bored yoof' making their mark in the concrete!
A few shots of the game to finish...
Finishing up with a look along the main side of the ground as the summer night time draws in.