Bromsgrove Sporting FC
Victoria Ground
Birmingham Road
Bromsgrove
Worcestershire
B61 0DR
Ground: 61
Date: Saturday 3rd November 2018
Bromsgrove Sporting 2-1 Yaxley
Southern League Division 1 Central
Attendance: 748 (official)
Attendance: 748 (official)
Bromsgrove Sporting FC - History
Bromsgrove Sporting were founded in 2009, initially as a supporters' consortium which intended to buy Bromsgrove Rovers to save them from administration. However, when a new owner was found for Rovers soon after, the consortium decided to create a new club instead. In June 2010, the club gained the lease to the ground and were initially going to allow Rovers to play their home games there too. However, Rovers were expelled from the Southern League and folded, giving Sporting the sole use of the ground.
For the club's first season (the 2010/11 season), they entered Division 2 of the Midland Combination League, finishing 3rd to earn promotion to Division 1. A 3rd-place finish in Division 1 the following season was once again enough to earn promotion, this time to the Premier Division. The club finished 6th in their first season at this level, before finishing as runners-up the following season.
In the 2014/15 season, the Midland Combination League merged with the Midland Alliance to form the Midland Football League, with the club placed in Division 1. The club finished as runners-up for two seasons running before winning the title in the 2016/17 season to earn promotion to the Premier Division. The club then went on to win the Premier Division title last season to earn promotion to Division 1 Central of the Southern League.
In the FA Cup, the club have reached the Preliminary Round in each of their five campaigns, but never progressed beyond it; this season, they suffered a 4-3 loss away at Alvechurch. The club competed in the FA Trophy for the first time this season, but they lost 3-1 at home against Corby Town in the Extra Preliminary Round. As for the FA Vase, the club's best run came in the 2016/17 season when they reached the Semi-Finals, beating Ellistown & Ibstock United, Tipton Town, Cadbury Athletic, Lichfield City, Nuneaton Griff, Sun Sports, Bristol Manor Farm and Buckland Athletic before losing to Cleethorpes Town over two legs.
My Visit
As soon as it became clear that Yaxley would be in the same league as Bromsgrove Sporting this season, I was desperately hoping that the fixture list would make it possible for me to visit the ground, as it had been on my radar for quite some time. As such, I was quite disappointed to see this game in early November, but I then remembered that I get a week off from University at the start of November and, fortunately enough, this worked out perfectly for getting to this game.
The only obstacle between then and now was the recent issues surrounding our (Yaxley's) FA Trophy game against Kidsgrove Athletic, which was postponed because of an FA investigation that seemed to drag on and on, to the point that I assumed that the conclusion would see our tie for that round replacing this game instead. However, it became apparent earlier in the week that this would not be the case, even though it didn't become clear what outcome the FA investigation had reached until Friday night (Kidsgrove kicked out for fielding an ineligible player two rounds running, with Wisbech reinstated and Yaxley heading there on Tuesday night to decide who hosts Ramsbottom United next Saturday).
I left the house yesterday morning at around 10:20am, arriving at our ground half an hour later and waited for the arrival of the Supporters' Coach. Eventually, this arrived just after 11am and, upon doing so, the players, supporters and club officials got on the coach as it headed out. Considering that it was on the other side of Birmingham, the journey to Bromsgrove was actually surprisingly easy, as we avoided the main roads near and into Birmingham and as such didn't get caught up in traffic.
Once we got into Bromsgrove at 1pm, we got a little lost as the coach tried to find the ground, eventually doing so after ten minutes and then getting off to allow the coach driver to be directed to somewhere to park. After paying £6 admission and £2 for a programme, I was in the ground with just under 2 hours to go until kick-off. While this wasn't particularly ideal (mainly due to how cold and windy it was), it did have the positive of meaning I could get all of my photos of the ground well before the crowd started pouring in as I knew it eventually would (the official attendance ended up being 748).
Taking photos occupied me for about 20 or so minutes, after which I attempted to hold out until 2pm before getting some food. Ultimately, I failed due to the cold and bought myself a hot dog and some chips to warm me up. Both were pretty good by football food standards, and after this it was just a matter of waiting until the teams were announced and the game kicked off. When it eventually did, I initially moved to in front of the bar where a couple of other Yaxley fans were, but we soon moved to behind the goal due to how limited the views were from in front of the bar. Near half-time, we moved again to the far side, and for the second half we moved to the other side of the main stand, where we remained for the entirety of the second half.
The table left no room for doubt about just how difficult this fixture was going to be for us, but I was slightly optimistic due to Bromsgrove's recent drubbings against Corby and Bedford. Because of that, it seemed like as good a time as any for us to be playing them, and I saw no reason why we couldn't get a result out of the game.
Here's my report on a game that was engaging but, from a Yaxley perspective, was ultimately frustrating as a poor refereeing decision turned the game and virtually cost us the point we deserved:
We took the lead after 4 minutes, a through ball reaching Dan Cotton who chipped over Bromsgrove keeper Dan Crane to score. However, this lead only lasted 12 minutes, as Jason Cowley rode the tackle of Josh Pike, cut inside and took a curling shot from the edge of the box, which then appeared to take a slight deflection on its way in. Chances then came and went for both teams, but the only other notable incident of the half was Kyle Nolan being forced off with an injury, Sam Spencer returning from injury and slotting into defence, with Charley Sanders then moving forwards into the attack. This was fortunate in that it gave Spencer some much-needed game time, but was mostly unfortunate as Nolan had been playing excellently in the first half hour and had been integral to a lot of our good midfield play. 1-1 at half-time.
Ten minutes into the second half, the controversial penalty decision that turned the game was awarded: a scuffed clearance set Richard Gregory through on goal from Bromsgrove and Dan Cotton tussled with him to try and stop him, but Gregory went over and, after considerable deliberation with his assistant, the referee gave the penalty. Admittedly, I could not tell from where I was standing whether Gregory had gone over in the box or not, but what I do know for certain is that the tussling and pulling started well outside the box, so if a foul was given it should have been a free kick not a penalty (perhaps unsurprisingly though, the referee caved to the pressure of the home crowd). Regardless, Gregory converted from the spot to give the home side the lead. In the next ten minutes, Bromsgrove's Charlie Dowd received two yellows and was sent off for twice hacking down Matt Sparrow from behind: this gave us the impetus to lay siege to the Bromsgrove goal, but it simply didn't fall for us and we couldn't score. The closest we came was a Charley Sanders header that rattled off the post and an audacious volley from him that went just wide, but it ultimately wasn't to be.
This was another frustrating result for us, as we did not deserve to lose and definitely deserved at least a point, but ended up missing out because of a poor decision from the referee. In fact, this was one of the best performances I've seen us put in all season as we played at a pace and intensity we've not often managed before: this side has improved massively since the defeat to Bedford back in August, and results are going to improve because of that (we'll certainly have to beat Kidlington in a couple of weeks though, just to make sure they don't narrow the gap on us).
My Visit
As soon as it became clear that Yaxley would be in the same league as Bromsgrove Sporting this season, I was desperately hoping that the fixture list would make it possible for me to visit the ground, as it had been on my radar for quite some time. As such, I was quite disappointed to see this game in early November, but I then remembered that I get a week off from University at the start of November and, fortunately enough, this worked out perfectly for getting to this game.
The only obstacle between then and now was the recent issues surrounding our (Yaxley's) FA Trophy game against Kidsgrove Athletic, which was postponed because of an FA investigation that seemed to drag on and on, to the point that I assumed that the conclusion would see our tie for that round replacing this game instead. However, it became apparent earlier in the week that this would not be the case, even though it didn't become clear what outcome the FA investigation had reached until Friday night (Kidsgrove kicked out for fielding an ineligible player two rounds running, with Wisbech reinstated and Yaxley heading there on Tuesday night to decide who hosts Ramsbottom United next Saturday).
I left the house yesterday morning at around 10:20am, arriving at our ground half an hour later and waited for the arrival of the Supporters' Coach. Eventually, this arrived just after 11am and, upon doing so, the players, supporters and club officials got on the coach as it headed out. Considering that it was on the other side of Birmingham, the journey to Bromsgrove was actually surprisingly easy, as we avoided the main roads near and into Birmingham and as such didn't get caught up in traffic.
Once we got into Bromsgrove at 1pm, we got a little lost as the coach tried to find the ground, eventually doing so after ten minutes and then getting off to allow the coach driver to be directed to somewhere to park. After paying £6 admission and £2 for a programme, I was in the ground with just under 2 hours to go until kick-off. While this wasn't particularly ideal (mainly due to how cold and windy it was), it did have the positive of meaning I could get all of my photos of the ground well before the crowd started pouring in as I knew it eventually would (the official attendance ended up being 748).
Taking photos occupied me for about 20 or so minutes, after which I attempted to hold out until 2pm before getting some food. Ultimately, I failed due to the cold and bought myself a hot dog and some chips to warm me up. Both were pretty good by football food standards, and after this it was just a matter of waiting until the teams were announced and the game kicked off. When it eventually did, I initially moved to in front of the bar where a couple of other Yaxley fans were, but we soon moved to behind the goal due to how limited the views were from in front of the bar. Near half-time, we moved again to the far side, and for the second half we moved to the other side of the main stand, where we remained for the entirety of the second half.
The table left no room for doubt about just how difficult this fixture was going to be for us, but I was slightly optimistic due to Bromsgrove's recent drubbings against Corby and Bedford. Because of that, it seemed like as good a time as any for us to be playing them, and I saw no reason why we couldn't get a result out of the game.
Here's my report on a game that was engaging but, from a Yaxley perspective, was ultimately frustrating as a poor refereeing decision turned the game and virtually cost us the point we deserved:
We took the lead after 4 minutes, a through ball reaching Dan Cotton who chipped over Bromsgrove keeper Dan Crane to score. However, this lead only lasted 12 minutes, as Jason Cowley rode the tackle of Josh Pike, cut inside and took a curling shot from the edge of the box, which then appeared to take a slight deflection on its way in. Chances then came and went for both teams, but the only other notable incident of the half was Kyle Nolan being forced off with an injury, Sam Spencer returning from injury and slotting into defence, with Charley Sanders then moving forwards into the attack. This was fortunate in that it gave Spencer some much-needed game time, but was mostly unfortunate as Nolan had been playing excellently in the first half hour and had been integral to a lot of our good midfield play. 1-1 at half-time.
Ten minutes into the second half, the controversial penalty decision that turned the game was awarded: a scuffed clearance set Richard Gregory through on goal from Bromsgrove and Dan Cotton tussled with him to try and stop him, but Gregory went over and, after considerable deliberation with his assistant, the referee gave the penalty. Admittedly, I could not tell from where I was standing whether Gregory had gone over in the box or not, but what I do know for certain is that the tussling and pulling started well outside the box, so if a foul was given it should have been a free kick not a penalty (perhaps unsurprisingly though, the referee caved to the pressure of the home crowd). Regardless, Gregory converted from the spot to give the home side the lead. In the next ten minutes, Bromsgrove's Charlie Dowd received two yellows and was sent off for twice hacking down Matt Sparrow from behind: this gave us the impetus to lay siege to the Bromsgrove goal, but it simply didn't fall for us and we couldn't score. The closest we came was a Charley Sanders header that rattled off the post and an audacious volley from him that went just wide, but it ultimately wasn't to be.
This was another frustrating result for us, as we did not deserve to lose and definitely deserved at least a point, but ended up missing out because of a poor decision from the referee. In fact, this was one of the best performances I've seen us put in all season as we played at a pace and intensity we've not often managed before: this side has improved massively since the defeat to Bedford back in August, and results are going to improve because of that (we'll certainly have to beat Kidlington in a couple of weeks though, just to make sure they don't narrow the gap on us).
Going into this groundhop as an away fan, I have to confess that I did have some reservations, especially after what I saw when Bromsgrove visited Thatcham in the FA Vase last season (I felt a little nervous after celebrating our goal early on, at least). However, I am pleased to say that there were no issues whatsoever, and in fact the hospitality we received was impeccable and the atmosphere intense yet friendly throughout. So, while they may have a few fans who cause issues sometimes, that is absolutely not representative of their fans as a whole, and most definitely not representative of their club officials at all. Some delightfully friendly people involved at Bromsgrove, and I wish them all the best for the rest of the season (the reverse fixture notwithstanding, of course).
With Yaxley set to be at home next Saturday, my next groundhop is now two weeks away and, so long as the weather holds up, it will see me paying a visit to Kidlington for Yaxley's away game there (as that's one of the ones I can access via the train from University).
The Ground
The Victoria Ground is a remarkable one for Step 4, no doubt because of its past use at Step 1 during the high years of Bromsgrove Rovers. The imposing main stand provides seating for around 400 people, most of which is elevated high above the pitch. Other than this, there's an impressive covered terrace behind the far goal, which I imagine could hold around 1,000 people. There's then an uncovered terrace behind the near goal, which could hold a few hundred people, and there's a small area of cover on the near side as well. In terms of football furniture, this should be good enough or almost good enough for Step 2 I would assume, but apparently Bromsgrove are one of the clubs who currently fall foul of the changing room rules that the FA recently reiterated (so that could prove quite the hindrance until it's resolved).
The rest of the ground is open hard standing, and it has an overall capacity of 3,500 (this used to be 4,800, but this was apparently restricted in 2017 (presumably for health and safety reasons). The record attendance for a Sporting game at the ground was 3,349 for the first leg of the FA Vase semi-final against Cleethorpes Town in 2017. At the time of my visit, the ground was also shared by Worcester City, but they have since moved into a new ground of their own back in Worcester itself.
Photos
Good fair report and you were unlucky not to get a draw.It was Jason Cowley that was fouled in the box for the penalty with Richard Gregory putting the penalty. I thought the two yellow cards for Charlie Dowd was harsh but perhaps showed his inexperience as an 18 year old. Changing room issues being sorted and new officials changing room being built round the back as well. Anyway always more than welcome at the Victoria Ground and good luck for the rest of the season particularly at Wisbech where our goalkeeper was racially abused last year(they were fined)
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