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Meeting up with my mate Geoff at Debden Sports FC's car park, just off exit 5 of the M11 and not 150 yards distant from Debden Underground station, he had had a look at the ground there and instantly stated he 'didn't fancy it'. Plan 'B' was to drive along Langston Road, opposite, and take a look at the Academy, the home of Mountnessing FC. Geoff wasn't ecstatic about this venue either, but the atrophy of his enthusiasm was less so here and after a lovely couple of hours searching out some idyllic rural Essex GBG listed pubs, it was to here we sojourned for our weekly dose of football.
Langston Road isn't the most pleasing of boulevards to the eye, being situated in the industrial area of Debden, but once at the ground, things do get better. A massive car park is situated next to a plush clubhouse and a vast area of tented, green mini soccer pitches aback the actual 1st X1 pitch proper. A ramp-way leads up to a reception area (not many Non League clubs have such grandiose entrances) and on into the club and sports facilities. The football Academy has actually only just opened this season and this is the first season the club have been located here. It's so new in fact, that at first it's a bit off-putting (we like things a bit more grubby!), but after a while we both grew to like the place. Oddly, it must be all of 10 miles from the actual village of Mountnessing itself.
A decent 12 page, computer generated, programme was given away free of charge, and it was soon time for the start of this top-of-the-table clash. There's a raised area running the whole length of the nearside of the pitch, and this offers a good vantage point for watching the game, and the speeding traffic on the M11, just beyond! You can watch from the warmth of the club too, if so desired. The immaculate clubhouse had welcome hot drinks(lattes!) for sale on this bitter afternoon, along with everything else such a facility ought to offer.
White Ensign, from Southend-On-Sea, have enjoyed much success in recent years and are always near or top of the league. This season is no exception, and really before the home side had found their straps the visitors were 2 nil up with a couple of sharply taken strikes, and coasting to what looked likely to be a very straightforward victory. That's how it appeared at half time. What a different second half, though! Mountnessing threw everything at White Ensign and deservedly got a goal back after about the hour mark. From thereon in it was a constant siege upon the visitors goal, and really how the homesters didn't get at least a point we'll never know. As the teams trudged off at full time, with Ensign taking home the 3 points, you could tell what this result had meant to the lads from the coast, as heated vitriol crackled between the two sets of players. This had been a hard fought, but never dirty, affair.
Reticent at the outset, Geoff said that in the end he had thoroughly enjoyed his visit to the Academy, as had I, and we both concurred it had been a most interesting and entertaining game of football.
FGIF Rating: 4* |