No.21 – Wed. 18th October 2006; Ryman League Division 1 North           7.45pm at Barrows Farm, The Pinnacles, Harlow, Essex (att: 458; prog: 40pp, £1.50)  View matchday images                         01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18                                 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35  Harlow Town (1) 2  Ware Town (0) 0 Hawks celebrate in style!   When the impressive Harlow Town Football Club website announced that the Hawks were set to move into their new 3500 capacity stadium at Barrows Farm, I felt a great sense of anticipation. It was going to be a great occasion for the club who had waited months for this to become a reality. The final remedial building work was now complete and it couldn't have been planned better either as the official ground opener. Amazingly it was exactly 127 years to the date that the club played their first ever match at the College Cricket ground against Saffron Walden back in 1879!. And so after parking up I hurriedly climbed out of the car and made my way to the main entrance where a couple of officials let me in for a sneak preview and to take some ground photos. It was only five oclock and already there was a great buzz about the place as several club personnel were busy making their final preparations before the big curtain-raiser. Like a man possessed, I walked briskly across the car park and with heart beating faster, stopped at the end of the tunnel with a view of the arena in front of me. Wow! What a magnificent sight. I snapped randomnly at anything and everything, making sure that nothing was missed on my tour of the pitch. The photos will serve as a ground description as my own words would not do justice to it! Within a couple of hours the turnstiles next to the car park were busy clicking as the crowd started to grow. As expected a large contingent of 'hoppers were in attendance, having ventured from all parts of the country to witness this special occasion. Local travellers Steve Coulson (whose son plays for the club's Youth side) and Shane McCormick were both on hand to provide us all with the very latest club news and essential ground facts. Cheers fellas.  Although the game was not a thriller, 458 fans saw some exciting football played in an incredible atmosphere. The Hawks took the lead through a Danny Boateng deflected shot and dominated the second half. Sammy Winston converted a penalty after he was brought down in the box by Adam Spenceley to make it 2-0. An impressive 40-page programme was issued for the game. Jam packed with reading material, the content includes a welcome, focus on the visitors and plenty of up-to-date stats. Each article was beautifully laid out with the club web address in prominence, framing the edges of each page. Snacks were available from a refreshment tea bar next to the main stand. The extra demand caused a few teething problems (literally!). I shouldn't imagine that anyone was too upset about missing out on a plate of chips!! The club is based on the western fringes of Harlow in an area known as The Pinnacles. From junction eight of the M11 follow signs for the town before picking up the A1169 travelling towards the village of Roydon. After passing the large Glaxo Smith Kline works/depot continue along Elizabeth Way to the next roundabout where the ground soon becomes visible. Tonight the new floodlights shone brightly and could be picked up from some distance away - a most useful landmark for an evening fixture!  There is plenty of room to park on either side of the driveway which leads up to a larger space for cars next to the stadium itself.       As a new era beckons for everyone at the club. They can truly feel proud of what they have achieved so far and there is no doubt that the move could just be the start of bigger things to come. It goes without saying that a visit to Barrows Farm comes highly recommended. Happy Birthday You Hawks!!     FGIF Rating: 5*  Links - Map l HT FC website