Saturday 30 June 2012

Cray Wanderers-Hobblingwell Recreation Ground

Cray Wanderers are currently in 'long term' exile, playing at Bromley's Hayes Lane ground.

They are hoping for planning permission to return to their Cray heartlands in the not too distant future, having been formerly at Oxford Road, now home to Seven Acre & Sidcup, in the Kent Invicta League.

They have gone 'back to their roots' in the last few years, & played the occasional pre-season friendly at a local recreation ground, in St. Pauls Cray. This one was prior to the start of the 2011/12 season, on a Sunday afternoon & against Crockenhill.

The venue is a basic open public playing field, I do not know if it is, or has, been used as a lower division Kent County League venue by anyone else.In this picture we are standing on top of the grass bank behind the goal. Note the Cray Wanderers information tent yo the right, from where programmes were on sale, and the refreshment van.



The food waggon.



And the Club gazebo.



There was also a grass bank along the side, where most of the crowd were perched.



Including a number of groundhoppers.



More of them here.



A few snaps from the game itself, and that's it really, I spent the afternoon chatting to people more, rather than concentrating on taking pictures.











Monday 25 June 2012

Cambuslang Rangers ; Scotland

Cambuslang Rangers are a Scottish Junior club, who compete in the Stagecoach Central Division One They are from Glasgow, and as you should be able to guess from their name & badge, seem to be from the 'blue' side of the city!

I took these photos of their ground in June 2011, & it is an excellent example of a wondeful Scottish Junior stadium ,full of character, as opposed to many 'identikit' ones down in England.

I very much doubt I'll ever see a game here, but would love to!



The brick built turnstile block, clearly a Club that had a big following in days long past.



Fading club sign above the gates.



The way into their clubhouse.



The turnstiles, from the other side.



Turning round, we are facing the back of the changing rooms & bar.



Fire escape round the side, not sure how clear it is, as in the 'keep clear' notice! ;-)



That exit is at the bottom of these stairs. I got into the ground through these open gates.



This leads us into the side of the ground, near a corner. Opposite us is the covered terrace.



To our right is a large open terrace.



And to our left is another section of open terrace, club buildings, in the corner, behind.



That is the way we are going to head, clockwise round the ground. We start with this part of the terracing.



From on it we se more terracing, behind the goal, past the club premises.



Across the pitch, there's the cover opposite, and also open at the far end. Good old school concrete wall surrounding the pitch.



Turning the corner now, there's pub tables, a raised patio area at the back of this terrace, for smokers to enjoy, outside the bar.



Here we look at the corner terracing, from on the pitch.



Past it is the 'tunnel', into the changing rooms.



Past that we are heading toward the open end behind the goal.



Here we see it, approaching from the side of it.



There is a refreshment hut here. Note the pathway to the right of it.



This is the way in, from the turnstiles, this would be your first peek at the ground, if you came in this way.



Just behind the terrace.



From the side, as we are about to move onto it.



Here we are, on the top corner, looking over it, toward the covered enclosure.



Down behind us is a bit of patchy ground with a small goal, please tell me that's not their training ground!



On the terrace, directly behind the goal.



Turning, right, to the open side, where we can see the dugouts.



Then to the left, the covered area, where we are heading to.



The open terrace curves round the corner.



From on it it, at the bend, we see over the pitch.



The end we've just been on, from the pitch.



Another angle of it, pitchside.



Now we're going down the side, open terracing up to the cover, with a slight grass bank behind.



Though the terracing is substantial, it's clearly old a crumbling, attempts to patch it up all over the ground.



We reach the covered terrace.



Here it is, from on the pitch.



Now under the roof, we look back to the terracing we've already done.



The view along the terrace, under the roof.



Moving along...



Presumably a refreshment hatch at the rear.



And continuing.



Looking over, what is hopefully, the halfway line.



Toward the far goal, it seems to be grass banking up that end.



Past the end of the covered area is more open terracing., to the next corner.



Before we go on, we turn to see along the covered terrace.



From the front, pitchside. Note the advertising along the front.



This appears to be one of their major sponsors, it caught my eye because of the old TV programme!



Not many commercial sponsors, pad things out with your own bards!



And their own bar.



Another screen connection, loved this name for a local pizza & pasta place..the film is a classic!



Another 'in house' banner..for their Supporters Trust.



Time to move on now, along the rest of the terracing along the side.



Behind us is an electrical pylon...only highlighted because...



Of all the Rangers stickers on the box!



At the top of the terrace, in the corner, looking back.



Similar view, but on the other side of the wall.



At the corner the terrace finishes, grassh bank behind the goal, I have no idea if this was always the case, & if not, why they never built it all the way round.



I wouldn't have thought anyone but the diehards bother to stand behind this goal, when your team is attacking.



Though it is probably ok to stand at the top.



The covered side, viewed from the back of the banking.



Down the pitch, from up behind the goal.



And leftward toward the open terrace side.



The last corner of the ground beckons.



Not sure why I attempted this 'weird angle' shot, maybe to try and show the steepness of the banking. Whatever, it looks rather silly to me, but there you go!



Good old non-league roller in the corner, as the concrete terracing starts again.



Last corner angle picute, over the pitch.



The view along the dugouts side.



Getting closer to them.



Glancing back to the grassed end.



Behind the first dugout.



And from the front.



Then strolling along to the next one.



Up on the terrace behind it.



The frontal look at it, from on the pitch.



Stepping back onto the pitch here it is with the terracing as backdrop.



And so here we are, back at the part of the ground where we started, to complete our tour round Cambuslang Rangers.