I’m back!
Recently groundhopping has not been at the forefront of my priorities for one reason or another but this week it was time to get back on it.
Anyway we had decided to go to East Grinstead Town, we left London in good time and we were just about to arrive when a Twitter post thwarted our progress.
The game was called off just one hour before kick off, meaning we had to think on our feet.
We soon discovered that a lot of games around that area had suffered the same fate, but thankfully my friend had done his research on teams with 3G pitches nearby.
So we then diverted, and made our way to Horsham.
We arrived about five minutes before kick off as we also had to stop and get cash, we found one of the last parking spaces and got into the ground just as the players came onto the pitch.
We were very impressed upon entry, there were lots in attendance (539) and the stand and clubhouse looked good.
We were also excited about the prospect of this game, Horsham went into the game in 2nd, while East Thurrock sat near the play off spots.
The visitors started the brighter of the two teams, they didn’t have any clear cut chances, but the majority of the opening exchanges were played in Horsham’s half.
But it was the Yellows who took the lead with an excellent, acrobatic goal in the 34th minute.
From then on in the game followed a fairly consistent pattern.
The home side sat back and defended excellently, hitting East Thurrock on the counter attack with regularity.
I lost count of how many times the Horsham hit the post but it was at least three.
Once the final whistle had blown it confirmed a well earned three points for the home side.
I would thoroughly recommend a trip to the Camping World Community Stadium, while the game wasn’t the best i’ve seen this year, it was still a very good place to watch a game.
If you do visit make sure you have their chips, I didn’t have a burger again this week as I was going out for dinner, but I did have the chips and they were exquisite.
The stewards were all very welcoming which is such a nice touch when you go to Non League football.
Hopefully Horsham are successful in their bid for promotion as it would be great to see them up in the National League South!
- GROUND: Camping World Community Stadium
- GAME: Horsham FC 1-0 East Thurrock United
- COMPETITION: Isthmian Premier Division
- GROUND NUMBER: 66
- WOULD I GO BACK: Yes
- TICKET PRICE: £6
A Groundhoppers Guide to the Pyramid 