Tuesday 17 April 2012

Cheshunt

Cheshunt currently play in the Ryman League Division One North. I've never been here for a match, I was on my way to an FA Sunday Cup tie at nearby Broxbourne Borough V.& E. when I popped in. A local Sunday League match was in progress, but I didn't stay to watch, just snapped the ground, and moved on. I don't count this brief visit as a 'tick', even though a game was being played, as I didn't see it. I shall pop back here sometime next season to watch a Cheshunt game, the ground is a bit untidy, but not too rundown. I shall look forward to returning to watch an actual match, so I can count the ground.


The way into the ground, from the main road.



Through these gates, in club colours.



An old sign on the side of this building, which is the changing rooms.



The way in for the players, by the side of it.



Beyond that, as we go through the car park, is a function room.



There is also this bar, behind the old main stand.



Inbetween the two are the turnstiles.



Here they are, from inside the ground.



On the left are toilets, with the Ryman sponsors sign on the wall.



Straight ahead is one of their oen signs.



With those cannisters I hope these aren't seats for smokers, in front of a club noticeboard!



Ahead of us is the pitch, & there is another stand on the far side.



We are going to start our 'circuit' from the changing room corner, rather than the main turnstiles. Two reasons, there's a fence in this corner, & I couldn't be bothered to climb over it; & secondly, I gained access from another part of the ground, where there was an open gate, so these snaps are actually not the 'way round' I took them, but I'm now publishing them, as if I am beginning here, & we are going round clockwise from this spot. Here we see a good section of terrace, set back from the pitch perimeter wall. I asume that, in the dim & distant past, there was a track of some sort here, hence the wide space.



So we have an early corner flag picture.



To our right is the open end, players' tunnel gates to the right.



They lead into the old changing rooms, set back, which we saw from outside the ground, as we came in.



Now under the roof of the terrace, looking toward the goal at this end.



Looking left, the other way,  newer stand as backdrop.


This terrace is named after one of their players who died in a car accident in 2001.



Here we see it, from the front.



Here we see it from the side, where are are a few narrow open steps of terracing too.



We are now at the main turnstiles which we saw earlier, & will carry on past them.



Now under the roof of the 'main stand', you get a better look at the flatter teracing. I call this side the 'main stand' because it appears older than the one on the other side. As you can see on the right corner of this photo, there is a just a single row of seats to start with.



I would guess these are a fairly recent addition.



Here is the main section of the stand.



Brick walls divide it up, as we go along.



Club name above it, I would guess there were once changing rooms here, the 'tunnel' now leads into the bar.



A side\frontal view of the stand.



Press box.



Wooden seats now.



Looking along the stand, from the other end.



At the corner, across the pitch.



Side view from the 'wooden seat' end, now.



Past the stand is a tea bar, or rather ambitiously, a 'cafe', as they call it.



Moving on past the 'outdoor cafe'.



Then a 'traditional' non-league 'Steptoe' corner!



And here we are at the genuine corner...with the unusual pitch marking...



Now we're behind the 'triangle'.



Just reaching the penalty area, we look back along the main side of the ground.



Behind the goal there's no terracing, just open hard standing.



Past the goal now, we see over the penalty area.



Looking leftward now, toward the stand on the other side, with the dugouts in front of them.



Almost in the corner now, the full length behind this goal.



Penultimate corner flag photo.



Other side of the flag, glancing back along the touchline to the goal.



Down the side it's more hard standing of the same, up to the stadn, that, as you can see, is set back from the pitch.



Almost at the stand, the grass behind the hard standing is kept nice & trim.



The pitch fencing comes back, to the front of the stand.



Here we look into the stand.



Perhap there were once more seats on the empty zig-zagged steps?



The main side, from over the half-way line.



A few seats have seen better days.



From the back,  looking back to the end we've come from. You can see on of the brick dugouts, just, at the front, past the stand.



The other dugout is in a similar spot, by this end of the stand.



Past the stand, more of the same open hard standing, with grass behind.



Another side angle, from this end.



If this was once an athletics venue, I would guess it's the old long jump on the left, between the two dugouts.



The seats on this side again, from the hard standing beyond it.



Facing the newer stand, taken from the other side of the pitch.



Moving along now, toward the next corner, the stand again forming a backdrop.



Main stand opposite.



And the terrace.



Now we're at the last corner.



Flag in front of us.



And the last stretch of hard standing for us to cover, behind the goal.



Unusual hoarding on the corner, campaigning in support of a local hospital.



Another one advertises the local municipal museum.



Almost at the goal now, here we turn back to the last corner.



From behind this goal we zoom in, to include one of the dugouts.



Now we are behind the net, turning the same direction.



Past the other post, to the older side.



Past the goal now.



It was through this open fencing that I initially found my way into the ground.



At the corner, we look at the Kurtis Townshend Stand, from behind the goal end.



Finally we are back at the gate by the players' tunnel, where we end our walk round Cheshunt Football Club.