TT No.92: Mike Latham - Tues 16 October 2007: Sport Italia West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division.  Goodrich 1-0 Gornal Athletic. Attendance: 50 (h/c); Admission: £3; 16pp programme: £1; FGIF Match Rating: 3*

There are those grounds you expect to visit just the once, see a game, buy a programme, linger awhile and depart having seen 90 minutes of football and got the programme to prove it depart with a tick for your records never to return.   I expected Goodrich to fall into that category and, making my way down a typically congested M6 on a darkening Tuesday evening, was not exactly full of vim and vigour at the prospect of an evening to be spent at a works ground in the northern suburbs of Wolverhampton.   But the beauty of our hobby is that a surprise- sometimes good, sometimes bad- lies around every corner and this was certainly the case here.   The Goodrich ground is far easier to locate than I had been warned.  Exit the M6 at J13 and travel in the direction of Wolverhampton on the A449 through Penkridge, over the A5 roundabout, under the M54 and then turn right at the second set of traffic lights into the slip-road that skirts alongside the factory to the sports ground.   All pretty straightforward stuff and, with the floodlights burning brightly, Goodrich Sports Ground was easy to locate.  Football has been played here, so the programme informs for over 50 years, with Goodrich FC being the successor to previous incarnations as Aero Lucas, Lucas Flight Controls and Lucas Sports.   Goodrich Corporation is a leading global supplier of systems and services to the aerospace and defence industry and Goodrich products, we are told, are on almost every aircraft in the world.   On a drizzly though mild evening a small crowd has gathered to see this level-six game, at least half the number accompanying the visitors.  They gather on the veranda of the changing pavilion located between the goal and corner flag that overlooks the magnificently manicured green sward- far and away the best pitch I’ve seen all season.  Another pitch, complete with dug-outs but without the smart white-painted post-and-rail fence and floodlights lies alongside, equally well maintained.   The locals are friendly and the tea bar, serving a variety of hot drinks, is doing brisk business while a sports and social club around 100 yards walk away is also open for business. Parking is easy and there are lots of cars around the place, most of them presumably owned by workers toiling away in the adjoining red-bricked buildings.   The multi- faceted pavilion aside there are no other great facilities to speak of apart from a small seated stand along the far touch-line with around 200 red bucket seats.  Closer inspection reveals that this facility is one side of a wagon that opens out- a remarkable piece of ingenuity that presumably fulfils the requirements of the ground graders.   So it’s a works ground in a featureless part of the West Midlands with the drone of distant traffic the only thing to spoil the tranquillity.  But it’s also a green oasis- where the pride of the grounds-man in preparing such a magnificent facility is readily apparent. It’s a stress-free and friendly place to watch a decent game of football on a surface that wouldn’t look out of place in the Premiership. The accompanying programme is a good effort, with a striking red cover, good statistics and match reports and historical features.   Goodrich win a well contested game with a 25th-minute goal though the issue is in doubt until the end.  Afterwards the journey back to the M6 is easy with the rush-hour traffic long dissipated.  It was a most enjoyable evening spent in a pleasant and unusual venue where it’s easy to access and park. Recommended.

contributed on 19/10/07