Trying to stat-pad the goal tally…. Beckenham Town v Crowborough Athletic

Yes, back again just four days after my last game, this can only mean one thing… 

Groundhopping is officially back!

This Wednesday night trip took me to Beckenham Town and obviously getting there wasn’t straight forward as it hasn’t been at all recently. 

To cut a long story short, I had to run from my flat to the station because if we missed that train then making it in time for kick off would be a struggle. 

Anyway I managed to make an 18 minute walk into a 10 minute run and made the train with a bit of time to spare.

Thankfully this week there were no dramas trying to find the ground and we even had time to do a lap around the pitch before the game. 

I heard Beckenham we’re claiming that their burgers are the ‘best in the league’ so obviously I had to try it. 
My knowledge of the standard quality of burgers in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division isn’t exactly Mastermind worthy but the burger was nice  although nothing to write home about really.

This game promised goals, Crowborough Athletic had lost five straight games and were conceding for fun, while their hosts had won their last five, so surely this was going to be a mauling. 

Much to our surprise Crowborough took the lead, a goal we hardly saw because James decided the seats we chose pre-match weren’t good enough and that we should go to the opposite side. 

Despite the early goal Beckenham were by far the better side and overall they showed this, scoring four unanswered goals to win 4-1. 

By far the highlight of the game was a hat trick by their number 11 and his goals were pretty good to be fair to him. However my favourite part of his performance was his celebrations, it was almost as if he had practiced them in the mirror (he probably had). 

He must’ve been smiling looking out the window yesterday to see the rain belting it down because he knew that if he could find the back of the net, he could unveil a perfectly executed knee slide, which he did.
Celebrations are obviously commonplace in football but they are rarely too fancy in non-league, hence why I think it’s worth mentioning here. 

Each to their own though I suppose…
Overall it was a pleasant evening with an entertaining game too. 

One gripe I had with the experience was the unwelcoming nature of some of the volunteers. 
Obviously I’m not expecting them to roll out the red carpet for me as I turn up to the game but the man on the turnstile looked at me as if I’d killed his cat when I asked for a student ticket. 

One thing that always impresses me about non-league is that the people often seem grateful that you’ve turned up but here that was missing somewhat. 

• GROUND: Eden Park Avenue
• GAME: Beckenham Town 4-1 Crowborough Athletic
• COMPETITION: Southern Counties East League Premier Division
• GROUND NUMBER: 58
• WOULD I GO BACK: Probably not
• TICKET PRICE: £4 (Student)