AFC Totton

AFC Totton play in the Zamaretto League South & West Division One, and are leaving their home ar Testwood Park, for the new development at Little Testwood Farm, in another part of the town. I stopped off here, to take some pictures, on my way to a pre-season match I heading to at Weymouth, but never saw a game here. Part of the ground had already been demolished, in anticipation of the impending move.



This is the main entrance to the ground, I think, from the residential road it's situated on.



Down the left hand side, as we enter from the corner we see a fairly open side, with a section of covered terrace.



But we're going to walk the other way. From where we came in we see the changing rooms, and the bar area is past it.



Club & League sponsors signage on the wall.



This is the interior of the bar.



This autographed AFC Totton shirt on the wall caught my eye, but I don't know the story behind it.



Here is an aerial picture of this ground, which we are at now.



Back outside again, we look over the pitch.



It's open behind the goal, tarmaced for an access road/car park; with the bar behind it, which we've just come out of.



A similar shot, with the Sydenhams sign in clear view on the front, presumably from their Wessex League days.



Netting behind the goal to protect cars & the buildings.



Now we're past the club buildings, we also see some storage shed, partly 'out of sight', set back slightly.



An open path down the far side.



Before we move along it, one more glance back behind the goal.



And across the pitch.



Now we move down the side, and we come to a fenced off open concrete area. I was told by a club man, who was on site, that this was where the old stand used to be, and it had been taken down for re building at the new stadium.



Just the concrete foundations left there now...so use your imagination. I have no idea what it looked like!



Now we look across the pitch, to the dugouts, & the covered terrace behind them.



We're now the other side of the 'phantom' stand.



The hard standing continues to the corner.



And once there we glance back down the side, & over the pitch.



The open path continues behind the goal, with a wooden fence behind. Utilised for some advertising hoardings.



The other side of the pitch appears to be the training area.



I'd no idea what the Daltons Cup is, nor who Daltons Transport are. To me Daltons will always mean ' Peaaaa--nuuuuuts!' I may be showing my age now, but whatever happened to the 'peanut man' at football? (To anyone under the age of,ooh, forty, ask yer dad! ;-)




Club sponsors displayed too.



As are the old League sponsors. Shouldn't the current ones ask for these to be taken down?



Behind the goal, we look over to the terraced side.



And then head to the next corner.



Behind that corner, behind the training area, it's a bit of an old scrap yard! Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose!



And now on the last leg, on our way to corner we came in.



Past the portakabin we see the covered terrace, set back from the pitch.



We pass the dugouts.



And just before the terrace is the turnstile. Presumably this is where supporters enter on a match day?



As we saw, this is set back a bit from the action, and only a shallow step under it, but a decent bit of cover nonetheless.



Fingers crossed there's not many people 'hugging the rail' in front of you.



Put up inside it is this policy from the league, personalised by the Club.



Here we are undernerath the shed, looking along it.



The club name is smartly, & proudly, on the overhang at the front.



Now we move on, open once more, with more storage sheds behind, on the left.



One of which is for the groundsman.



And another turnstile here, looking as though it was added to suppliment te other one, for ground grading reasons, at a guess.



Just a few more yards to go now, as we're back to where we started. Sad, in a way, that I never saw a game here, but pleased that I-at least- managed to have a quick look at it.

Totton & Eling

Totton & Eling play in the Wessex League Premier Division, & they currently play here at Southern Gardens, but not for much longer, with an imminent move to Little Testwood Farm. I never saw a game here, but took the opportunity to document the ground, as I stopped off on my way down to a game at Weymouth,, pre-season 2010. Some of the ground had already gone, as the move was so close.



The venue is shared with the local cricket club.



For some unbeknown reason I didn't take a snap of the approach to the ground. But the club house is in front of you, as is a small car park, from the road. To the left of the club house/pavilion was the cricket pitch, & beyond it is the football one. Here we are in the corner of it, there was no cover left anywhere, and it was just railed off with lights. We are going to start from this corner, & go leftwards, clockwise, around the pitch.



There is a gap in the railing here, presumably where the players come out of the changing rooms, which must be in the buildngs behind us.



Hard standing down the side, with some 'junk' fenced off further along. With the path going around it, I am wondering whether there was previously a stand here?



Prseumably 'this facility' mentioned on the funding plaque on the floodlight pylon refers to the lights themselves?



We continue round the pitch, you can see the boundary from the cricket field on the left, & the nets behind the goal.



I wouldn't like to stand here during a game in case a 'six' hit me on the back of the head!



The path continues behind the goal, at this now extremely basic venue.



We look back down the 'not very' main side, and you can now see the club house/pavilion to the far right.



From behind the goal we look over to the other open far side, where the dugouts are situated.



From behind the goal we look back to the side, for another angle, & signs of new buildings already going up on the right.



At the next corner now, we look over the very dry summer pitch.



The hard standing continues along hte side, as we reach the back of the dugouts.



Beyond them is a patch of concrete. Again I'm guessing that this may have been a small area of cover, now demolished?



Walking back a few yards, this is one of the dugouts from the pitch.



Here they are both in shot, with a training area behind.



The main sponsors had one of the few hoardings around the pitch.



Now we're on the last turn, behind the goal, looking toward where we began.



From behind this goal we look down the pitch.



Before going to the corner, & dashing off. More stops from the train, at Brockenhurst & Dorchester Town, but they're to show you another day!