TT No.60: Andy Gallon - Sat 25th September 2010; Needham Market v Chipstead; FA Cup 2QR;       Res: 0-0; Att: 231; Admission: £8; Programme: £1 (60pp); FGIF Match Rating: **** 

 

 

Matchday images (16) http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/footballgroundsinfocus/NeedhamMarketFC02 

 

THE PLACE: Needham Market must be one of the most under-rated destinations in Suffolk. It has been compared to the celebrated Long Melford, only without the tourists. And that’s no loss. Certainly, the main street is very pleasant and boasts a number of charming buildings. For my money, though, its real attraction is the south-north walk from Needham Lake (a flooded former gravel pit) along the banks of the sleepy River Gipping and round to the main street via Alder Carr Farm (superb carrot cake!) and the red-brick splendour of water-powered Hawks Mill, once a key component of the cloth industry hereabouts and now private homes. Rail-linked Needham Market, handy commuter country, has a growing population. No wonder. It looks a smashing place to live.

 

THE GROUND: Signs of TLC ooze from every polished nook and cranny of Bloomfields, a lovely enclosure on the western edge of this small town (or large village, depending what you’re used to). Beyond the ground, heading west, there is nothing but fertile fields, freshly ploughed for the next round of vegetable production, stretching away who knows how far. Thanks to the friendliness of an elderly club helper, I was treated to a pre-match tour of Bloomfields - including the home and away dressing rooms and the sponsors’ lounge. The pitch, flawless and mowed into sexy concentric circles, was a thing of beauty. The main stand, in the middle of the east touchline, is a boxy, modern affair, containing an odd mixture of seats. Two mismatched covers help fill in the area behind the goal at the south end, behind which is a second pitch used for training and pre-match warm-ups. Half the west side is given over to a narrow cover over shallow terracing backed by a tall hedge which dwarfs anything Brechin City can boast. As well as the hedge, strategically planted trees act as windbreaks and help produce a more compact, homely atmosphere than would otherwise be the case. The unremarkable social club/bar, dressing rooms, kitchen and loos are housed in the much-extended (and therefore rather haphazard) red-brick building which confronts visitors as they arrive up the drive and head through the large car park. Needham Market, Eastern Counties League champions last season, are clearly an ambitious club, and one going places. They have the space to expand and improve their facilities as and when they see fit. Good luck to them.

 

THE GAME: After a fortnight of watching Eastern Counties League stuff, this wind-blown contest between two Ryman League One clubs was an obvious step-up in quality. It was also that rare beast - an exciting goalless draw. Needham Market should have won, and yet could have lost. For the neutral, it was edge of the seat stuff throughout. The Marketmen hit a post, struck the crossbar twice and saw another effort cleared off the line. And yet Chipstead impressed. The visitors from Surrey worked their socks off, harrying the home players out of their stride and chasing down every ball, in all quarters of the pitch. Towards the end, the Chips had a couple of decent scoring opportunities of their own. An indication of how well Chipstead played was provided by the comments of the home fans, who have seen their team win all but one of their games this season. They rated it Needham Market’s worst display of 2010-11. And some of the credit for that has to go to Chipstead. The midweek replay should be interesting.

 

THE PROGRAMME: Appearances can be deceptive. An eye-catching cover and a relatively thick pagination promised much. And, sadly, delivered little. The ratio of adverts to editorial was disproportionate, the layout uninspiring and the type on the tiny side. I loved the reference to a barmy (sic) September evening at Redbridge in the match report for the Marketmen’s previous outing. The old ones are still the best, eh? In the team listings, one of the Chipstead players appeared as Louise Hollingsworth. Turned out his name was Louis. Bet it takes him a while to live that one down.

 

THE VERDICT: Appealing little ground, lovely little town. What more does a hopper need? If you haven’t yet been to Bloomfields, get it on your list!

 

contributed on 26/09/10