Chipstead 0-3 Leatherhead
High Road
26/12/13
Att: ~100
Our plans up until about 12pm on the day was to head over to Maidstone, but the delays on the M25 meant that Phil arrived at UK HQ a lot later than intended. As such we had to look elsewhere. By elsewhere, I mean the one game that was both possible to get to before Kick Off, and get our crossing at the Channel Tunnel. Step forward Chipstead. By getting their game on, we managed to avoid a second successive Boxing Day without witnessing football. Due to the lack of research, a solitary tweet to Leatherhead to confirm the game was on, everything about this trip was to be a surprise.
Via the scenic roads from the motorway, we pulled into the already full car park half an hour before kick off. It turns out it was just a small Car Park, rather than a bumper festive crowd. From the outside I was struck by how similar it appeared to nearby Chessington & Hook, although a lot more pleasing to the eye due to actually being maintained. The similarities continued on the inside. Nestled in the corner you enter is the cosy clubhouse and changing room facility, with one window overlooking the pitch. Beside this is the customary Arena Stand, housing around 100. The rest of the ground is, awfully tight, hard standing, save for a small covered area behind one goal. I was unsurprised that Chipstead were a former CoCo league team, as the ground is fairly typical of the step. Tidy yet functional. The club playing at their highest ever level.
One interesting note was 'The Muddy Boot' or to use the common term, the Tea Hut. As shown by a photo below, the menu didn't use normal terms like Bacon Roll or Sausage Bap, oh no. Instead we had to order Brian's Baps or The Parson's nose, and tasty they were (I believe all locally sourced ingredients). A programme is supplied on entry, and made for interesting reading. Most notably the club's record home attendance, just shy of a 1000, came not in a first team game but a Youth game v Chelsea. Chipstead were also the first ever home game for AFC Wimbledon with Epsom & Ewell are tenants at the ground.
In regards to the game, you'd have forgiven Leatherhead for not turning up on the pitch. The recent torrential rains had seen their ground completely submerged by water, so much so that they had to borrow kit for today's game. Instead they took home all 3 points, in a game that they had dominated from start to finish, the first goal scored in the 7th minute with the 3rd coming with a well taken goal (pictured) 14 minutes from time. The scoreline could be considered harsh on the hosts, but that's what you get when you have an inability to put the ball in the back of the net. Late in the second half I was joined by Graham of the entertaining Modus Hopper Random blog, a definite recommended read from us here at PDM.
Via the scenic roads from the motorway, we pulled into the already full car park half an hour before kick off. It turns out it was just a small Car Park, rather than a bumper festive crowd. From the outside I was struck by how similar it appeared to nearby Chessington & Hook, although a lot more pleasing to the eye due to actually being maintained. The similarities continued on the inside. Nestled in the corner you enter is the cosy clubhouse and changing room facility, with one window overlooking the pitch. Beside this is the customary Arena Stand, housing around 100. The rest of the ground is, awfully tight, hard standing, save for a small covered area behind one goal. I was unsurprised that Chipstead were a former CoCo league team, as the ground is fairly typical of the step. Tidy yet functional. The club playing at their highest ever level.
One interesting note was 'The Muddy Boot' or to use the common term, the Tea Hut. As shown by a photo below, the menu didn't use normal terms like Bacon Roll or Sausage Bap, oh no. Instead we had to order Brian's Baps or The Parson's nose, and tasty they were (I believe all locally sourced ingredients). A programme is supplied on entry, and made for interesting reading. Most notably the club's record home attendance, just shy of a 1000, came not in a first team game but a Youth game v Chelsea. Chipstead were also the first ever home game for AFC Wimbledon with Epsom & Ewell are tenants at the ground.
In regards to the game, you'd have forgiven Leatherhead for not turning up on the pitch. The recent torrential rains had seen their ground completely submerged by water, so much so that they had to borrow kit for today's game. Instead they took home all 3 points, in a game that they had dominated from start to finish, the first goal scored in the 7th minute with the 3rd coming with a well taken goal (pictured) 14 minutes from time. The scoreline could be considered harsh on the hosts, but that's what you get when you have an inability to put the ball in the back of the net. Late in the second half I was joined by Graham of the entertaining Modus Hopper Random blog, a definite recommended read from us here at PDM.