No.1 - Sat. 8th August 2009; Combined Counties League Division 1                             3.00pm at the South Park Sports Assoc, Whitehall Lane, South Park, Reigate, Surrey.

Matchday images (16) >view>   South Park (2) 0 Feltham (0) 0   The heat is on...   It was nearly 2 o'clock and the sun was beating down on us. The Wraymobile was crawling along in slow moving and heavy traffic as it approached the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford. Things were not looking at all good for the hoppers from racing HQ. An earlier traffic bulletin on Radio Five Live announced that a caravan had somehow overturned on the motorway leaving a ten mile tailback in its wake. It had taken us an hour to travel this short distance from the M25 Brentwood turning.   With much frustration and a desperate gnashing of teeth we were certainly sweating. This was our first game of the new season and already it was touch and go that we might not make it for the 3pm kick-off. Don't you just wish that you had taken up a different hobby? I imagine stamp collectors can't experience such agonising moments! Eventually we edged past the toll pay booths and started to moved up the gears once again. But time was quickly running out for two fans of the beautiful game!   A relatively clear road and a bit of luck (from the 'hopping gods) saw the re-invigorated travellers arrive at the car park of the South Park Sports Association in Reigate forty minutes later for the start (just) of the Combined Counties League Division 1 encounter against Feltham. Game on! Mrs W still couldn't quite believe that there was a football club called South Park. No matter how hard she tried the thoughts of that infamous cartoon series on Channel 4 just kept popping into her head! The club logo certainly didn't depict any of the characters shown in the programme.      The main sports field is shared by the local cricket club who play on the adjoining pitch. A game was already in progress and this meant a rather precarious walk around the boundary line was needed in order to reach the main entrance safely. Thankfully a quick thinking spectator managed to save the day as he leapt out of his deckchair to intercept a ball hit in our direction off a rather poor delivery. By the time two more runs had been scored we had successfully managed to reach the main entrance in one piece. Helpful matchday secretary Nick Thatcher met us as at the gate and gave us a couple of programmes before filling us in on the recent history of the football club. This gave us a few moments to make our way pitchside and find a shady spot out of the searing heat.   Before the kick off the PA announcer ran through the teams: Mrs W remarked that there was no mention of Stan, Kyle, Eric and Kenny in the South Park line up! Appropriately there was also a minute's applause before the kick-off in memory of Sir Bobby Robson who had died earlier during the week. A true football legend indeed.   The match was played on a well grassed and beautifully manicured playing surface which looked in perfect condition. It was conducive to playing fast flowing football but today the players wisely reacted to the hot conditions and let the ball do most of the work. South Park opened the scoring after some neat build up play down the left before Jason Mellows (8) ran goalwards and beat keeper Glen McCulloch in a competitive one on one. His last touch placed the ball low inside the left hand post. Karl Parker (10) almost doubled his club's lead with a well timed header moments later but that was deemed offside. The tall striker wearing the number ten on his shirt made amends on the half hour when he cleverly beat the last defender and scored with a beautifully taken goal made with outside of his foot. Rob Horan (45+) almost made it three but his goal was also disallowed when an eagle-eyed assistant referee spotted a push on the keeper seconds before the ball was kicked into the empty goal.   It was much of the same in the second half as South Park looked to add to their total. Matt Ward (66) and Chris Smith (88) came closest with a header and a well struck shot respectively that were parried safely away by keeper McCulloch. Feltham rallied late on but just couldn't find the breakthrough they needed. A well organised home team had deservedly taken all three points and by full time rightly claimed a joint top of the table position (with Chobham, Hartley Wintney and Farleigh Rovers all having recorded sound victories themselves on this the opening day).   The game was attended by almost 50 spectators including a handful of hoppers most of whom had journeyed from neighbouring areas of Surrey. This included traveller Mark Hewitt from Addlestone who had recently made a trip to Tromso in Norway. Check out his superb photos in this month's Album. A colourful but rather basic 12 page programme was issued for the game. Although this was rather thin on news (as you might expect at this time of the season) it contained all the essentials to keep the paper chaser happy.      The club is now into its fourth season playing at the newly developed SPSA. Having visited most of the clubs in this division of the Combined Counties League I would say that this is definitely one of the better grounds. The venue is bordered by adjoining fields on three sides and has an enclosed feel about it. There are some spectacular elevated views looking towards Reigate. A large section of netting separates the adjoining cricket club at one the end (nearest to the entrance). Despite this one cricket ball struck with some force did breach this barrier and eventually ended up near the half-way line! Luckily no one got hurt! A concrete path is found on all sides to provide plenty of spectator hard standing. The pitch itself is enclosed by a sturdy metal perimeter fence (with advertising boards) surrounding the pitch. There is a large modern clubhouse and changing pavilion on one side. All the facilities are found in here including a well stocked tea bar which provides the hungry hopper with a wide range of refreshments throughout the afternoon. The club has the use of floodlights with three masts on each side each containing three (disproportionately) large bulbs on the top. Sadly there is no cover at the ground apart from the perspex players' dug outs situated near the half-way line.   Despite our difficult journey down to Reigate the trip had been worthwhile. Honest! A visit to this friendly club comes highly recommended to all hoppers. With the first day of the new season successfully completed may I wish you all a happy (and stressfree) campaign for 2009-2010!  The joys of hopping continue...      FGIF Match Stats Scorers: (H) Mellows (8); Parker (30) and (A) N/A  Attendance: 48; Admission: £3; Programme: £1; Match rating: 3/5; Ground rating: 4/5. Links - Map

edited 14/08/09