To be fair I'm sure it's not that bad... & there is the famous band.
I travelled there from the other side of the Thames, by boat, from Gravesend, in Kent.
Near the Tilbury pier was this fort, which I had travelled early enough to visit before the game.
It was a bit of walk from there to the ground, I've seen a lot of sights, but even I was surprised to see these animals grazing on the main road, by the Football Club!
The outer perimeter of the ground is only breeze block, but a nice attempt to give it a bit of individual character by using bricks, to spell out the Club initials.
The car park outside, turnstils on the right, bar straight ahead.
Into the bar first.
A very old 'silk scarf' above the bar, I am guessing this may have been from the period when they reached the Third Round Proper of the FA Cup, losing at Stoke City, in 1977/78?
This was also behind the bar!
Some old photos wee on the wall.
Here is one of them from the sixties.
Back outside the usual Ryman League sign, by the turnstiles.
In the ground, the other side of the turnstiles.
We are in this corner.
This is how rundown Tilbury is! ;-)
But, seriously, it's a smart tidy ground, well worth a visit. Down the side to our right, is open hard standing, with terracing set back, and a stand further along.
To our left, behind this goal at the bar end, are a couple of steps of uncovered terracing, with hard standing all the way along, this is the way we shall stroll, clockwise round the ground.
Noticeboard on the wall, no raffle today, as it's only a pre-season, I guess.
As we move toward the goal we can see there's high netting behind it, to stop balls flying out of the ground.
From this end we get another view of the stand on the right. The changing rooms are under this, but the actual elevated seats are no longer in use. I didn't find out why, but they are blocked off, & you cannot get up there.
Carrying on, we are moving toward the back of the clubhouse.
Moving past it, the netting isn't good if you like to stand behind the goal during games.
On the far side there is some new seating behind the dugouts, this snap taken through the mesh fence.
Carrying on, there is a sign pointing to the tea bar, at the end of it, to the left.
First we look down the pitch, behind the net.
Getting closer to the tea bar...
There it is.
Edge of the area, we're on our way to the side.
The open terracing goes to the corner.
A close up of the closed stand.
And a bit further back, from the corner flag.
Down the side it is mostly covered, a mix of terracing & seats.
Behind us, in this corner, is an unused turnstile block.
A good section of terracing geets us along the side.
From standing on it we glance back, behind the goal.
At the rear, under the roof.
Don't stand behind the pylon though!
In the centre the seating appears to have been built onto the terracing.
Before we look at the seats, we turn round for a view back along the first section of covered terrace.
Here we see it, from on the pitch.
Now we've reached the seats!
Club initials again in the brickwork.
See the black plank on top, in the middle...
Very faded, from an old structure in the same spot?
Over the halfway line, to the old stand.
And carrying on, past the last section of this stand, more covered terracing past it.
The seating, from this end of the stand.
And looking down onto the dugouts from in it, at this corner.
Here are the pair of dugouts, from the front.
A close-up of the home one.
Here is the second area of covered terrace, same at the first part up the other end of this side.
From under it we look toward the second open end, behind the next goal.
The terrace continues behind the goal, curving round at the corner.
Only two steps, but more than adequate, & better than many at this level.
Our last view down the covered side, while standing on it.
Here is the last bit of cover we've just seen, from on the oitch.
There is an old board from the Kent League, which is strange, because tilbury have never played in the kent League, & this is Essex!
Behind the goal now, at the corner, we have the old stand as backdrop.
Walking along, there is also a high mesh fence immediately behind the goal at this end.
The view can't be that good behind it...
Another close up, of the old main stand.
The centre terracing, immediately behind the goal.
This bit of brickwork indicates it may once have had some cover in the dim & distant past.
I was right, the view is rubbish through the netting.
Heading to the next corner.
Almost there, we can see the side is open all the way along, if you discount the closed stand.
Along the side we can see some old terracing, set back a fair way, and an old training goal through rusty gates.
Not used for a long time!
Behind us in the corner is another old, closed, turnstile block.
Last corner flag picture of the day.
And now the home straight, back to where we began, along the last side.
From just past the corner flag we turn back to the open end we've just seen.
Back from the pitch rails, we see along the open terrace.
Not sure why that ladder's there!
This is a strange 'stand alone' bit of terrace, with it's own crush barrier, just before the old stand.
Almost at the old stand now, players tunnel in the centre. Note the toilets sign on the side of the stand.
Somewhere past this tractor.
But they're closed & bricked up. Maybe it's like Scotland and 'gents' just wee up the wall!
Back round the front, almost at the tunnel.
And the area past it.
Halfway line from this side.
The old stand, from on the pitch.
Players tunnel.
With club sign just inside.
An advertising hoarding from the place that hogs the skyline with it's tall thin towers.
Past the old stand now, on the last bit of terrace.
The only interior angle I could get, for the old stand.
The final straight, heading back to the turnstiles where we started. Note there's two distinct parts of terrace, separated by the white wall behind the pylon.
Here's the first bit, set back more than the other.
And the last part, which we saw, as we came in.
So we finish...
I didn't notice this rusty roller in one of the corners, so will finish with it here.
Now for the game...a rubbish nil nil, if you were wondering..oh well!
