My Matchday - 290 Broadfield Stadium

Crawley Town 3v2 AFC Wimbledon
League Cup Preliminary Round
Friday 29th July 2011

Five years after almost going out of business, Crawley Town kick off the 2011-12 season as a Football League club after winning the Conference title by a tatty field last season, 15 points ahead of fellow promotion winners AFC Wimbledon.
The two clubs renew rivalries straightaway in the preliminary round of the League Cup, the tie taking place due to relegated Birmingham City giving a bye in the competition because of their pending involvement in the Europa Cup, which also means I can quickly tick off Broadfield Stadium before the season gets into full swing.

The former market town of Crawley developed from the 13th century due to its location on the main road from London to Brighton. It served as a popular relocation for families moving out of over populated London, being designated as a new town in 1946.
Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport is located 3 miles north of the town, last year over 31.3 million passengers passed through Gatwick, making it the 9th largest in Europe for passenger traffic and the 12th busiest in terms of international users.
Apart from football my only previous knowledge of Crawley was being the location where The Cure, one of my favourite bands of all time were formed in 1976 by my long lost cousin Robert Smith, with Michael Dempsey and Lol Tolhurst when attending St Wilfrid's RC School.
Crawley FC played in the West Sussex League after their formation in 1896 before moving to the Mid-Sussex League in 1901. They went on to the Sussex County League then the Metropolitan League in the 1950s, a decade when the Town suffix was added to their name.
In 1962 the Red Devils turned semi-professional, joining the Southern League First Division the following year. In 1969 the club had a brief stint in the Southern Premier League before eventually winning promotion again in 1983-84, where they played for 20 years until winning the title and promotion to the Conference.
Over the last few years the club have battled with financial problems, flirting with administration in the late 1990s, then in March 2006 the players and staff wages were halved with the entire squad put up for sale, going into administration in June of that year with debts totalling £1.4m, due to the financial plight of club benefactors the Majeed brothers.
The struggle continued with the Red Devils hours from liquidation in August 2006, but the club survived, confirmed clear of debt in May 2007. Another setback came in February 2010 as they faced a winding up order in the High Court due to money being owed to HMRC, however the case was later dismissed by the High Court as the club proved the debt had been paid.

Last season saw a complete financial turnaround, totally transformed from a club living on the bones of its arse to being tagged the Man City of the Conference. Mysterious and anonymous financial clout saw big money signings and under the guidance of experienced manager Steve Evans the ambitious “Project Promotion” was achieved just as the supermarkets took stock of chocolate eggs and stuffed toy rabbits.
A memorable season will also be remembered for their giant killing exploits in the FA Cup, after knocking out League clubs Swindon Town, Derby County and Torquay United, they were a width of a post away from taking Manchester United back to Broadfield in the 5th round after a brave display in front of a near 75,000 crowd at Old Trafford.


Crawley Town moved a couple of miles across town to Broadfield Stadium, after 48 years at their previous home Town Mead which was sold to developers in 1997. Broadfield is the club’s sixth ground having previously played at Malthouse Farm, Victory Hall & Rectory Field, Yetmans Field and Ifield Recreation Ground.
The council owned stadium has a capacity of 4,996, dominated by the main West Stand which has a single tier capacity of 1,150 red seats. The stand looks more attractive by the triangular designed red tubing which supports the three floodlights on the roof. Spectator access is gained via staircases at the front and there’s also Perspex windshields at each side.
The North and South terraces’ are both fully covered with the roofs curving around in the corners to meet the main stand. At the far side the open East Terrace has a basic centrally positioned electric scoreboard and three floodlight pylons.
The record attendance is 4,522 against Weymouth in the club’s 2003-04 title winning season, witnessing a 2-1 victory against the eventual runners-up.

Crawley Town is now pushed into the same envelope as previous ground visits to Norwich City(19- 9-81) and Crystal Palace (29-11-97) as journeys from hell when circumstances beyond my control has meant I’ve missed the kick-off and a good chunk of the match.

This trip was split into the two parts. The first leg of the journey was with the breadknife and kids, as we were staying with family in Lincolnshire for the weekend, then Mariners fan, Squad#88 and fellow radio star from The Completists - Graham Precious picked me up in Grantham at 3.30pm.

The drive south takes around three hours, allowing plenty of time to negotiate the nightmare on tarmac; the M25, however Graham got caught up in heavy traffic in Lincoln so didn’t turn up until 415pm, but there was still sufficient time left to get to the match and maybe have a pre-match pint.

The journey was going swimmingly until we came to a sudden halt in the middle of the M25, roadwork’s stretching 10 miles on the north side of the Dartford Toll Crossing meant it took a good one and a half hours to do the last 13 mile before crossing the Thames.

When we finally got to the toll, the digital display clock at the cash point read 7:38 in bright red digits. It was as if the clock was taunting me, telling me we still had a good 40 miles left with only seven minutes until kick-off.

Full marks to Graham though, his bully-boy tactical driving meant he made up good time, reaching the stadium just as I heard a loud cheer and the match MC announcing that the scorer of AFC Wimbledon’s goal is Luke Moore.
We discovered we had just missed the first goal of the game, but after we finally settled on the South Terrace, I overheard a Crawley fan saying he wasn’t impressed with his team’s performance and also stating what a poor game it had been, maybe the players were waiting for our arrival because the match I watched was a cracking game with both teams hungry for a place in the First Round of the League Cup.
Crawley equalised on 38 minutes when a left wing cross found Akdan in the box unmarked with time to rifle in a right foot shot into the far corner, only for Dons new summer signing Jack Midson to restore the advantage straight from the restart.
It was nice to see a goal from Torres, but this was Sergio not Fernando, who again drew the home side level, seizing on a loose ball before placing his shot with precision past keeper Brown.
Both teams went all out for a winner and it was last seasons top scorer in the Conference, Matt Tubbs who grabbed it with a superb piece of skill, showing great control to bring the ball down on his chest and volley the ball home to book a date with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on the 9th August.
Broadfield Stadium will be a welcome addition to the Football League and I can see both clubs doing well this coming season and I wouldn't be surprised if Crawley Town manage to repeat the feat of Stevenage last term, by winning promotion in their first season in League Two.
After the game we went to the club shop for a programme and after a bit of a wait, we were informed they had sold out, but they’ll most likely do a reprint. I also tried to get a pin badge but they had none of these either, reason being they had to send them back due to a spelling mistake.( Crowley Town or Red Evils perhaps?…Eddy)
The return journey went smoothly, back at my weekend headquarters at Ann and Malcolm’s for 1215am. Malc has built his very own pub at the top of his garden which is named(by yours truly) ‘The Man Cave’ I had a quick pint of Guinness before finally going to bed (which was inside the man made pub) pleased I’d quickly ticked off the newcomers to the 92 and I also having another match to look forward to at Gainsborough Trinity later in the day.

Matchday stats CTFC 3(Akpan 38,Torres 53, Tubbs 64) AFCW 2(L Moore 26, Midson 46)

Admission £16 Programme:sold out

att.3,204

Ground no.290 Broadfield Stadium - Matchday Web album(18 pictures)

My Matchday - 267 Kingsmeadow

AFC Wimbledon 1v0 Gateshead
Blue Sq.Bet Premier
Saturday 16th October 2010

My third trip to the smoke this season is also a personal first, being my primary trip down to that London supporting the Heed Army for their Blue Sq.Bet Premier clash with AFC Wimbledon.
AFC Wimbledon unfortunately don’t play in Wimbledon, they ground share with Kingstonian in Kingston-upon-Thames, 8 miles away at Kingsmeadow Stadium, which is now known as The Cherry Red Records ‘Fans Stadium- Kingsmeadow.
The Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames is an ancient market town which lies 10 miles south-west of Charing Cross. The suburb is historically known as the place where Saxon kings were crowned and the site of the first crossing point over the River Thames.
The stadium was built in 1989 on the site of the old Norbiton Sports Ground which replaced their traditional Richmond Road ground. The first game saw Kingstonian take on Queens Park Rangers in a friendly.
The stadium and football club was purchased by the Khosla family after Kingstonian went into administration after relegation from the Conference in 2001.
AFC Wimbledon undertook to buy the leasehold of the ground from the Khoslas in 2002. The capital was raised by The Dons Trust, who launching a share issue and in turn arranged for a commercial loan to clear the remaining debt to the owners.
AFC Wimbledon kept Kingstonian on as tenants and charged them a lower rent than they had been charged by the previous proprietor, with Kingstonian retaining both gate receipts and bar takings at their home games.

The stadium had a capacity of 4,720. Safety work and improvements which were carried out before last season have brought the stadium up to the required Conference standards, thus reducing the capacity from 6,299.
The Paul Strank Stand is the main stand which has a single tier of 1,125, made up of eight rows of red seats. The stand also houses the stadium's bars and facilities and was extended during the 2008-09 season when additional seats were added and the roof extended.
Opposite the main stand is The John Smiths' Stand, which is a shallow terrace which runs pitch length with cover running parallel up to the edge of each goalmouth.
The Kingston Road End is usually the away end with partial cover at the rear of the terrace which was improved and updated in the summer of 2009.
The Athletics End is a covered terrace which was named after the Kingston Athletics Centre, which is situated behind the stand. Cover was added during the 2005-06 season and was renamed the “The Tempest End" after the Dons shirt sponsor who contributed to the stands improvements. The front gangway is trench like with the terrace partly set back, which improves the view of the pitch.

The death of the original Wimbledon FC has been one of the most contentious decisions and a debatable issue amongst the football fan community in recent years.
The relocation 56 miles north to Buckinghamshire was unparallel in English football and by moving such a long distance and cutting all ties with the area, it was only natural that Dons fans turned their backs on the new MKD club in protest.
I can only compare it if the same situation happened to my own team. It would be alike in distance to relocating across to Carlisle or up to Berwick. Apart from the sheer injustice of such a move, I personally couldn’t be bothered to travel so far for what is supposed to be a “home” game, as Cumbria or Tweedside isn’t where I’m from, so how could you possibly call it home?

The Dons fans were determined not to let the a proud 104 year history die, a history which evokes memories from Southern League FA Cup giant killers in the 1970’s to the world of the Crazy Gang, who had the mettle to upset the odds and beat the mighty Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final. The Dons were one of the original members of the Premiership when Sky TV took over the working mans game in 1992, constantly upsetting and become a frequent thorn in the side of the so called bigger clubs.

The new club was founded in June 2002 just days after the FA gave permission for the Milton Keynes relocation. The club is entirely owned by the supporters as a co-operative. The Dons Trust having a one fan - one vote system with each member having a voice in the club.
Once the club was formed, player trials took place on Wimbledon Common over a three day period to assemble a squad for the new club’s inaugural season. Within a few weeks the team was ready and played their first ever game, which attracted a crowd of 4,657 for a pre-season friendly against Sutton United, which they lost 4–0.

The new Dons' opening match in the Combined Counties League was played at Sandhurst Town's basic Bottom Meadow ground and attracted a crowd of 2,449. A third place finish at the end of that first campaign represented a solid start, but the following season the Dons secured a league and cup double and ever since the club haven’t looked back.
Five years after that first promotion, AFC Wimbledon are now just one step away from the Football League after achieving four further promotions through the Ryman Leagues and topped off by winning the Conference South title at the first attempt in 2008-09.

Last season the Wombles had a decent season, comfortably adapting to the big league with an 8th place finish. This season they’re looking to make a push for promotion and after a narrow victory against The Tynesiders, they finishing the day in pole position.
In a tight game where one goal was going to be enough to clinch victory, it was a 72nd minute header from Ismail Yakubu which finally saw off a determined Gateshead.
An even first half saw the home side create a few half chances for Kedwell, while Jolley had a good effort with an overhead kick. However it was the visitors who had the best chance and could have gone ahead, but Kris Gates fired over from six yards after good work from Nelthorpe.

The Dons improved as the game progressed and went close to taking the lead when Ricky Wellard's header hit the post a minute after Jon Shaw almost scored at the other end, his diving header from a corner kick came back off the woodwork.
The home side did eventually find a winner when a Wellard free kick fell perfectly to Yakubu, who found time and space to bullet in a header from 12 yards which earned three more precious points for the Dons.

This matchday was as long one, like one of those really long days you see in a complete series of “24” I left home at 0610 and didn’t return until midnight, thanks to engineering works on the east coast line which put an extra two hours plus on to my journey home.
I arrived at Kings Cross at 0950(must mention that I spoke to Shepherd aka Celtic Heed doing his trolley-dolly job for on the train) and took the tube straight to the Wetherspoons at Liverpool Street Station, planning to have breakfast and a pint. However on arrival I found the pub chock full of Spurs supporters and also Norwich fans who were in town to take on QPR, so I just have to settle for the pint - and no bait!
Around lunchtime I headed down to Waterloo to catch my connection train towards Hampton Court, where I was meeting Squad #162 Michael Green for a drink in New Malden. Michael had emailed me after he viewed the ‘Possibles and Probables’ column and noticed I was due to visit Kingsmeadow. He suggested meeting up for a drink and promising me “a unique pub experience”
The public house in question is called Woodies Freehouse and it was a splendid choice. The pub is covered from floor to ceiling in sporting memorabilia and serves a decent selection of ales. The bar also does a good choice of grub, the delicious chicken and leek pie more that compensated for earlier missing out on breakfast in ‘spoons.
I finally arrived at Kingsmeadow at 2.30pm and spoke to a few members of the Heed Army, as well as finally meeting Terry’s Badges, I’m a regular customers of his and he has a large badge stall behind the Main Stand
I was made very welcome by Club Secretary David Charles and the local press guys, as is normally the case, my arrival is met with much anticipation as they’re always desperate to know before kick-off Gateshead’s formation and who’ll be playing in each position.(Why don’t they just ask Ian Bogie?…Eddy)

One thing that caught my eye at the match was the club mascot. Unfortunately I’m old enough to remember the Bernard Cribbins narrated kids show The Wombles, which first hit our TV screens back in the 70’s. Although I wasn’t a fan, I have seen it, and what I do remember is that the characters were a bunch of pointy nosed happy-go-lucky types, who were at their most content picking up rubbish found on the common and making good use of the things that they’d found.
The Dons club mascot is Hayden the Womble who is nothing like those TV characters who proceeded him. Hayden tries his best to drum up the home support by carting ‘round an empty wheelie bin, then proceeds to bang the lid up and down and wait for the crowd to respond. I know it’s just a bloke in a big sweaty suit but his face just looks pig sick all the time, as if he just can’t be chewed with the hassle, at one point I felt almost sorry for the yellow faced litter picker, he’s just not in the same class as Wellington, Orinoco, Great Uncle Bulgaria and of course the greatest of them all - Superwomble.

Most fans will be in total agreement that if one club deserves a return to League football then no one could argue the case against AFC Wimbledon. The club seem to be heading in the right direction, although I feel their future would be more suited away from Kingsmeadow. The ground is good enough for this level of football, however there isn’t much scope for improvement should the club progress.
It would be a Wombiling dream to see the club return to SW19, but that isn’t likely to happen in the near future, but in the meantime they’ll happily settle for the Wimbledon name to return to the Football League, I for one really hope they can do it.



Matchday stats
AFCW 1(Yakubu 72) GFC 0
Att.3,330
Admission: (PP) £14
Programme £2.50

Ground no.267 Kingsmeadow - Matchday web album (18 pictures)