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No.42 - Sat 24th March 2012; Kent County League Division 2 East; 2.45pm at Guru Nanak Sports Club, Khalsa Avenue off Trinity Road, Gravesend, Kent; DA12 1LU. |
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Matchday images (66) https://picasaweb.google.com/footballgroundsinfocus/GuruNanakFC02
Guru Nanak (1) 1 NK Aces (1) 1 A ground definitely worth sikh-ing out... If you had to ask any traveller to tell you about some of their favourite all-time football grounds I am sure it wouldn't take too long for them to recount their definitive list. Being a highly subjective topic the reasons for this would vary as you might expect from one hopper to another. The choice for some may perhaps reflect a particular club, it's unique location or even memorable match that has been played there. For others it might be down to a truly outstanding feature like a crumbling old terrace, a pitched stand roof or maybe ornate decoration the likes of which are sadly being replaced all too quickly these days by more modern (and dare I say it, soulless) stadia. Although I do enjoy salivating over such remarkable features found inside these venues I must admit that it's the location that's far more important in grabbing my attention - it's the unique setting or landscape that does it for me. I suppose you could call it the 'groundscape' for want of a better description that characterises my own personal favourite grounds. Off the top of my head I would include Arundel FC; Belper Town FC; Ebbsfleet FC; Colne FC; Darlaston FC; Glossop North End FC and Lakenheath as some of the inspirational venues visited to date. But there's more. As always I am truly indebted to our fantastic team of contributors who regularly provide more food for thought with some of the very best photos (including mouth-watering backdrops) of non league stadia around. How do they do it? Although I haven't been there (yet) Mike Latham's photo taken from Acrefair Youth FC in North Wales some time ago is still up there amongst the best I've seen. However it was more recently (back in October) that senior correspondent Paul Roth e-mailed me with another batch of great pictures. The particular selection of photos followed his trip to Guru Nanak FC for a Kent County League game. The ground definitely had that 'wow' factor and for me the images ticked all the necessary hopping boxes. See his beautifully penned TT report for more. In essence I just couldn't wait to get there for a game myself. Five months have passed since Paul submitted his superb report and here we are after a stress-free journey over the QEII bridge at the magnificent Guru Nanak Sports Club in Gravesend! The Sikh community has had a large presence in the Thames-adjacent north Kent town and its environs for many years. As Paul expertly points out the football club has made its headquarters here following a catastrophic fire at their former AEI Henley Sports Club base in Dunkirk Close which destroyed all of their facilities back in 2009. Now located within the grounds of the newly-constructed Shri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Temple (built at a cost of £20M+) and now virtually completed, it must be one of the most unique backdrops found anywhere on the non-league circuit. A short bumpy driveway leads to a narrow car park on the left. Here the Sports Club houses an extensive sports hall with changing facilities for both players and officials. The playing field is accessed through a narrow gate in the perimeter fence across Khalsa Avenue where there are two pitches set alongside the temple's southerly flank. The main one (marked out nearest to the pavilion) is railed on three sides and includes two spacious dugouts. The areas behind the left hand goal and near side touchline are raised up by grass embankments which provide an alternative view of the action. There's no mistaking where you are with the distinctive yellow and blue club logo appearing throughout the arena as displayed on the welcome sign, club building and notices.
Today's game, a Division Two East fixture welcomes rivals NK Aces from neighbouring Istead Rise to Khalsa Avenue. Ahead of this derby match both sides are still in with a shout of promotion. Hosts Nanak currently sit in second place (behind leaders Malgo who incidentally come here in seven days time) on 43 points and look to be a good bet for going up. However Aces despite being some fifteen points adrift in sixth still have seven more games to play and shouldn't be discounted just yet. No doubt everyone at the Nanak Sports Club will be looking nervously over their shoulders at the chasing pack which also includes (at the time of writing) Sevenoaks and Swale Football Clubs.
A close game ends in a 1-1 draw which points-wise frustratingly suits neither club at this tense end of season run-in. After a tight opening twenty minutes Nanak take the lead through Courtney Rayfield (27) whose clever lob from 15 yards out beats Aces keeper Dean Harpley. The visitors reply within ten minutes when Luke Mannering on the right hand side of the box runs past his marker, turns and strikes the ball beyond Tony Carlton in the home goal. Based on possession and chances Aces bully the second half but cannot find a winner. A contentious close range shot from Tony Clarke (85) is turned out by Harpley but the ball does not fully cross the line much to annoyance of the visiting players and management. The result was a fair outcome for a competitive and at times fractious contest.
The match played on a hard surface in beautiful sunny conditions attracted nearly thirty spectators including local hopper Dave from Maidstone who provided great company and source of invaluable info from things to do with the Kent County Football League. Neither a matchday programme nor refreshments of any kind were provided by the club. If you do require further details about the KCL can I recommend the excellent league website run by Philip Smith. Click on the link below for more. No visit here would be complete of course without a tour of the Gudwara temple considered to be the largest of its kind in Europe. With suitable head covering my beloved and I strode bare footed throughout the wonderful multi-roomed building as tastefully decorated inside as it is on the outside. Mrs W was well impressed by the cavernous salubrious marble toilets. It was certainly a most rewarding and calming experience before venturing homeward and back on the M25!
A visit to the Guru Nanak Sports Club comes highly recommended. Travellers here will find a lovely club, run by a well organised committee with many friendly supporters. If you had to ask me whether this is one of my favourite all time grounds then I would have to say a resounding YES! Ah the joys of hopping at one of the most unique settings for a football ground anywhere! Have fun when you go.
FGIF Match Stats Scorers: (H) C Rayfield (27) and (A) L Mannering (36). Attendance: 28; Admission and Programme: N/A; Match rating: 4/5; Ground rating: 5/5. Links http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/gurunanakfc01 http://www.kentcountyfootballleague.co.uk/ |
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edited on 25/03/12 |
