No.1 - Sat. 9th August 2008; United Counties Football League Premier Division 3.00pm at Rowley Park, Kester Way, St. Neots, Cambs. (Att: 221; Admn: £5 & Prog: 44pp, £1)
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St. Neots Town (0) 3 Newport Pagnell Town (0) 0
Home from home!
With driving rain, strong cross winds and a chill in the air it can only mean one thing. Yes, the new football season has started! Our opening game of the 2008-2009 is only a short drive from racing HQ and it doesn’t take long for the trusty WraymobileII to reach the impressive
Today the home side get down to the serious business of United Counties League action after playing a number of friendly matches over the last few weeks (including a well deserved 2-0 victory over Kettering Town). To be honest I’m not a keen fan of this pre-season fare – it simply doesn’t appeal and in truth I’m quite glad when it’s all over! But each to his own as they say.
After an even first half the Saints open the scoring when the small but tricky Luigi Rocco makes space for himself inside the area to beat the keeper with a clever close range touch (50). Strike partner Peter Okechukwu soon adds a couple more: the first is a superb diving header (65) and this is followed up by a rasping drive some ten minutes later. This goal flurry unsettles the Swans who react by bringing more players back into their defence. It works and the match ends 3-0. Not a stiff test for the Saints but I suspect things will be much tighter here on Tuesday evening when the club entertains current UCL champions Stotfold in another Premier Division league game. A respectable crowd of 221 spectators are in attendance (including several well known ‘hoppers who have travelled to the small Cambridgeshire market town from all parts of the country). This is an encouraging gate and is the highest in the UCL (Daventry is in fact the next best with with 120 turning up for their home game against Cogenhoe).
A glossy 44-page programme priced £1 is issued for the game. Although it is a bit heavy on adverts there is still plenty to read inside the New Rowley Review with space devoted to editorial, spotlight on the visitors, player and (unusually) fan profiles, photos from recent games and all the usual stats. The team line ups are listed on the back page which is something that I always prefer simply as a matter of convenience. Well done Dave Brown the programme editor! A range of hot and cold food is available from a well stocked tea bar located beyond the main stand. The service is efficient and comes with a smile – how refreshing!
What a cracking ground this is! It certainly must be the envy of many clubs in the UCL and those higher up the pyramid. The new site is in fact only a stone’s throw away from the old base on the Cambridge Road (land which is now occupied by local property developers who are fast covering it with modern housing apartments).
New
Travellers will definitely be impressed by the extensive amount of spectator cover on site. Apart from the all-seated main stand (on the entrance side) there is further covered terracing stretching behind both goals. A comfortable and well appointed clubhouse boasts a smart bar and livery with the obligatory 50-inch plasma TV screens showing all Sky games. This function room was opened by John Gregory (an ex- manager) and is now appropriately named the Gregory Suite. An excellent 3G (third generation) floodlit astroturf multi use games area is built on land opposite. This will no doubt save the pitch from wear and tear particularly in the winter months and provide a valuable source of income. Hopefully the matchday images above will help to add a little bit more detail and save further description.
After initial teething problems, the playing surface as you would expect is now in immaculate condition being flat and well grassed. Apparently it’s totally different from the old pitch with more sand and a little soil meeting strict horticultural specifications and guidelines. This is surrounded by a robust metal fence (painted in olive green like the crush barriers in the stands). The club is pro-active in attracting business and this is clear judging by the encouraging number of advertising hoardings suspended from the perimeter railings. Two large, modern perspex dugouts designed with curved backs are positioned close to the half-way line on the open far side touchline.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the club and recommend others to do the same. You will be impressed by the setting. This new ground has an appealing quality which is not always the case with many modern football stadia (I can sympathise with Andy Gallon’s comments in his second MPG article).
Special mention must also go to the enthusiastic and hard working club secretary Peter Naylor (a
To reach the club you can leave the A428 at the first signposted St. Neots turning (the nearest to
driveway with some unmarked speed bumps leads to the car park right next to ground. For travellers relying on public transport I was reliably informed by
FGIF Match Rating: 4.
edited 13/08/08