Beaconsfield SYCOB 0-5 Hemel Hempstead Town

As i mentioned i went to Holloway Park last night for the first time, to take in a Southern League Division 1 West game. I have now visited 20 current non-league grounds, and 2 out of use non-league grounds, along with 61 current football league grounds, and 4 out of use football league grounds.
I really like football at this level. Everything is on such a smaller scale. The crowd was 142, the away support (the self styled 'Hemel army') probably numbered about 20-30 odd, among them 4 people with three air horns and a snare drum between them. Sure, the standard isn't great, but thats not really the point. One of the things that makes football in this country so special is the existance of teams like this and people's willingness to go and watch them... It was lovely to watch the moon over the far end of the ground, the distant roar of the M40, and just have time to relax and enjoy a game, rather than be tearing my hair out for ninety minutes.
So tonight i'm off to Aylesbury to watch Thame play Ashford Town (Mdx) in the same league. You may wonder why i'm going to Aylesbury to watch Thame play. It's because Thame have had their own (rather lovely) ground taken off them by the creditors...perhaps the Southern League isn't so perfect after all!