Sporting Bengal United FC
Mile End Stadium
Rhodeswell Road
Tower Hamlets
London
R14 7TW
Ground: 95
Date: Saturday 2nd November 2019
Sporting Bengal United 2-1 Hashtag United
Essex Senior League
Attendance: 101 (official)
Sporting Bengal United - History
Sporting Bengal United were founded in 1996 to increase opportunities for Asian footballers in London. The club initially played in the London Intermediate League, before moving up to the Kent League for the 2003/04 season after being granted senior status (after a tour of Bangladesh and a friendly against the Bangladesh national team). The club finished near the bottom of the Kent League every season, eventually being transferred to the Essex Senior League for the 2011/12 season. This is where the club - who are operated by the Bangladesh Football Association (UK) - have remained ever since, finishing as high as 8th last season and as low as bottom in the 2014/15 season.
In the FA Cup, the club's best run saw them reach the 1st Qualifying Round in the 2016/17 season, beating Ipswich Wanderers and Clapton before losing to Kings Langley. As for the FA Vase, they reached the 3rd Round in the 2011/12 season, beating Hatfield Town, Sawbridgeworth Town, Burnham Ramblers and Mildenhall Town before losing to Bethnal Green United.
My Visit
With the frequency at which I've been changing my plans recently, it's almost not worth finishing this section with my outline of my plans anymore. And yesterday was no exception, as my original plan to head to Reading City or somewhere like that (and to go into London again next weekend) ended up falling by the wayside by Friday.
The reason my plans changed this time was because the opportunity for a double presented itself in London, with Rayners Lane advertising a free friendly against a Brentford XI kicking off at 12pm yesterday. With my plans to go into London next weekend, as well as the knowledge that I wouldn't be able to afford to head into London three weekends running, I spent a day or two seriously considering my options. Eventually, midway through Friday, I opted to head into London again to do my first ever groundhopping double, with my plan being to head to Wembley for my 3pm kick-off.
There were some concerns with the weather going into Saturday, but I wasn't too worried and ordered my train tickets shortly after coming to my decision. I then spent the rest of the afternoon planning out the day, eventually coming to the conclusion that I would have to get a 10am train into London to have any chance of getting to Rayners Lane for kick-off. This meant waking up earlier than usual yesterday morning, and before I departed I made sure to check that Wembley's match would be going ahead, and at the time they answered in the affirmative (though it ended up being postponed, I noticed later).
I got to Guildford station with about ten minutes to spare, picked up my tickets and headed onto the platform. However, it was at this point that news emerged of a tree blocking the line near Witley, which meant that none of the fast trains into London Waterloo would be running for quite some time. This left me in a bind, as it meant that I couldn't get into London in time to have any chance of making kick-off at Rayners Lane (as the only trains into Waterloo were the long ones which take an hour, which would not give me anywhere near enough time to reach Rayners Lane on the Underground).
As a result of this, I had little choice but to head back to the house for a rethink. For starters, I double-checked the games at both Wembley and North Greenford United and, seeing that they were still on at that point (though neither ended up going ahead), I double-checked the Tube timings so I could plan how much time to give myself in getting into London (after not leaving anywhere near enough last week). This then highlighted the fact that the Tube wasn't running to either of those grounds (at least, not on routes I could use) due to leaves on the line, which left me even more stuck.
This forced me to check the Groundhopper app for any other matches in London, ideally ones which were a quick walk from the nearest Tube station. In doing this, I found three options: this, Cockfosters and Newbury Forest (who groundshare at Redbridge). First, I checked the Twitter feeds for any news of pitch issues, finding that Sporting Bengal and Hashtag seemed confident of the match going ahead, that Cockfosters hadn't updated all morning again (though they did later confirm that they had no pitch issues, in fairness to them) and that there was a pitch inspection at Newbury Forest.
With that in mind, I checked the Tube timings and started to plan things out relative to my train into Waterloo, at which point news emerged of a postponement at Newbury Forest. At this point, I had Sporting Bengal down as first choice due to my curiosity about Hashtag United, and eventually set off with that in mind (and with Cockfosters as back-up if needed). Upon getting to Guildford station for a second time, I got on the 12:28pm into Waterloo (the same train as last week, I believe), only for that to be cancelled at the last minute. This meant I ended up on the 12:34pm instead, which set off after a couple of minutes delay.
Eventually, after all was said and done, I was in Waterloo just over an hour later and, after quickly stopping off for a toilet break, I headed down to the Underground and made quick progress towards Mile End (and, thanks to much-improved planning on my part, I had much more leeway than I gave myself last week).
Upon leaving Mile End Tube station, I noticed a sign warning people to be careful with having their phones out, so I decided to play it safe and tried to find my way to the ground without Google Maps. This meant that a 10-minute walk took almost twice as long as I got lost once or twice and ended up at the completely wrong entrance once I did find the ground, having to walk all the way round to find the football entrance to the ground.
This all meant that I arrived at the ground at around 2:30pm, which was later than expected but still significantly better than arriving five minutes before kick-off like last week. I paid £6 for admission and £1.50 for the 8-page programme before heading out to take some photos. Normally, I do a full circuit, but there wasn't much to see at this ground besides the stand so I only walked a little further along that side, and only to get a photo of the stand from a different angle. I then took a seat in the main stand as I waited for kick-off, making sure to sit a few rows back just in case the rain came into the stand.
Looking at the table and the recent form of both sides, only one outcome seemed likely here, though it seemed likely that there would be a lot of goals whatever happened. However, with my luck on that front of late, I was careful not to get my hopes too high.
This forced me to check the Groundhopper app for any other matches in London, ideally ones which were a quick walk from the nearest Tube station. In doing this, I found three options: this, Cockfosters and Newbury Forest (who groundshare at Redbridge). First, I checked the Twitter feeds for any news of pitch issues, finding that Sporting Bengal and Hashtag seemed confident of the match going ahead, that Cockfosters hadn't updated all morning again (though they did later confirm that they had no pitch issues, in fairness to them) and that there was a pitch inspection at Newbury Forest.
With that in mind, I checked the Tube timings and started to plan things out relative to my train into Waterloo, at which point news emerged of a postponement at Newbury Forest. At this point, I had Sporting Bengal down as first choice due to my curiosity about Hashtag United, and eventually set off with that in mind (and with Cockfosters as back-up if needed). Upon getting to Guildford station for a second time, I got on the 12:28pm into Waterloo (the same train as last week, I believe), only for that to be cancelled at the last minute. This meant I ended up on the 12:34pm instead, which set off after a couple of minutes delay.
Eventually, after all was said and done, I was in Waterloo just over an hour later and, after quickly stopping off for a toilet break, I headed down to the Underground and made quick progress towards Mile End (and, thanks to much-improved planning on my part, I had much more leeway than I gave myself last week).
Upon leaving Mile End Tube station, I noticed a sign warning people to be careful with having their phones out, so I decided to play it safe and tried to find my way to the ground without Google Maps. This meant that a 10-minute walk took almost twice as long as I got lost once or twice and ended up at the completely wrong entrance once I did find the ground, having to walk all the way round to find the football entrance to the ground.
This all meant that I arrived at the ground at around 2:30pm, which was later than expected but still significantly better than arriving five minutes before kick-off like last week. I paid £6 for admission and £1.50 for the 8-page programme before heading out to take some photos. Normally, I do a full circuit, but there wasn't much to see at this ground besides the stand so I only walked a little further along that side, and only to get a photo of the stand from a different angle. I then took a seat in the main stand as I waited for kick-off, making sure to sit a few rows back just in case the rain came into the stand.
Looking at the table and the recent form of both sides, only one outcome seemed likely here, though it seemed likely that there would be a lot of goals whatever happened. However, with my luck on that front of late, I was careful not to get my hopes too high.
Had to show Hashtag's team sheet separately due to their decision to use squad numbers rather than 1-11 like everyone else at this level
Here's my report on a match which saw the form book flipped on its head, as Sporting Bengal United deservedly triumphed over the disappointing league leaders:
Hashtag almost took the lead after just four minutes when a low free kick from the left wing was aimed towards goal and nearly poked in, though they were denied by both Sporting Bengal keeper Bilal Khan and the linesman's flag. After this, the opening 25 minutes of this match were quiet and uneventful, with just one other chance of note: in the 19th minute, Hashtag played a low cross into the box from the left wing, with Joshua Osude's goalbound effort pushed wide for a corner by Khan. The away side then came close again in the 27th minute through Jesse Waller-Lassen's driven shot from 25 yards, but Khan was there to make the save again.
Despite Hashtag having all the early chances, it was Sporting Bengal who were having the better of the overall play and they deservedly took the lead in the 28th minute: after one cross from the right was blocked, Chaka Barnett picked up the loose ball and crossed from the byline for Bobby Redwood to tap in. Two minutes later, the home side's lead was doubled as they caught Hashtag cold, Chaka Barnett again causing chaos on the right wing and crossing for Steven Carvell, who powered his effort past Louis Hawes in the Hashtag goal. As I was making note of and subsequently posting on Twitter about these two goals, Hashtag went up the other end and, after something happened in the box, they earned an indirect free kick. They attempted to capitalise, but the home defence held firm and blocked the shot. Both sides had chances after this, but it remained 2-0 going into half-time.
After a torrential downpour during the interval, the second half took a long time to get going, with very little happening for much of the half. The main reason for this is that Hashtag were continuing to be thoroughly ineffective when attacking, while at the same time they looked much more solid defensively and were comfortably holding Sporting Bengal's attackers at arm's length. This deadlock continued until the away side earned a free kick from 25 yards out in the 74th minute. Ross Gleed stepped up to take and his low shot caught everyone off-guard and flew into the net.
This was the spark the match needed to come back to life, as well as the spark Hashtag needed to drastically up the intensity in pursuit of an equaliser (and probably a winner as well, if they had equalised). This saw them almost gain complete control of the match, having all of the ball and pinning the home side into their own half. The away side created at least a dozen chances in this period, but it seemed like they wouldn't be able to find the finish. However, in the 88th minute, Hashtag should have equalised but were somehow kept out: a corner was played into the box and led to a frantic goalmouth scramble (I would have to watch it again (and I will be when Hashtag release their match video) to properly explain what happened) before play was stopped due to a facial injury to Khan. This held up play for five minutes and, when the match started up again, Gleed almost scored from another long-range free kick, only to be denied by Khan (who anticipated the low shot this time). The home side were then able to hold out for the victory.
Overall, much of the day was an absolute nightmare due to transport issues, terrible weather and the fact that I was denied the chance to do a groundhopping double for the first time, but the match made for a decent afternoon's entertainment, even if it was somewhat inconsistent: there were notable periods of drama and excitement, but also large stretches in which next-to-nothing happened and my patience was tested. Still, it was a decent day out at a welcoming club and, despite a crowd below 100, there was a good atmosphere throughout from both sets of supporters.
Unlike the journey into Waterloo, the journey out was simple enough, though I did get lucky with how things worked out: the match didn't finish until just after 5pm, yet I was able to get back to Waterloo quickly enough to just get onto the 5:30pm quick train back into Guildford, meaning I was back in the house at 6:30pm, which was another drastic improvement on last week (when I didn't get back in until 8pm).
As regular readers can tell now, my upcoming plans are very, very tenuous, but after this groundhop I cannot afford heading into London for a third week running, so my planned visit to Bedfont & Feltham will be delayed for now. Instead, my first choice is a visit to Bicester United, though I an equally likely to end up at somewhere like Molesey or Colliers Wood United. My plans for the 16th (just after I get more money again) haven't changed yet, though after missing out on a double yesterday I am now debating whether to head to Dulwich Hamlet on the 19th: I'm less keen on midweek groundhops when relying on public transport, but it's also a question of whether that's affordable in the build-up to Christmas. I'd imagine it won't be, but we'll see how things pan out on that front.
The Ground
Normally, I'm less bothered by athletics grounds than the average groundhopper (as my entry about Grantham Town's excellent ground can attest to), but I find myself hard-pressed to say much about the Mile End Stadium. The only cover at the ground is the large main stand, which provides bench seating for 439 people.
Other than this, the only other feature of the ground is a few steps of uncovered terracing beyond the main stand. That aside, the rest of the ground is open hard standing, and everything was very far away from the pitch (even more so than other athletics grounds I've visited for football, it felt like). The elevation of the main stand does at least offset that issue somewhat, however.
The ground has an overall capacity of 2,000 and was, at the time of writing this article, equally shared by both Tower Hamlets and Sporting Bengal United. However, with the release of the 2020/21 league constitutions on 21st July 2020, it was announced that Tower Hamlets had moved into a groundshare with Phoenix Sports, making Sporting Bengal United the current sole tenants at the ground.
Photos
Hashtag almost took the lead after just four minutes when a low free kick from the left wing was aimed towards goal and nearly poked in, though they were denied by both Sporting Bengal keeper Bilal Khan and the linesman's flag. After this, the opening 25 minutes of this match were quiet and uneventful, with just one other chance of note: in the 19th minute, Hashtag played a low cross into the box from the left wing, with Joshua Osude's goalbound effort pushed wide for a corner by Khan. The away side then came close again in the 27th minute through Jesse Waller-Lassen's driven shot from 25 yards, but Khan was there to make the save again.
Despite Hashtag having all the early chances, it was Sporting Bengal who were having the better of the overall play and they deservedly took the lead in the 28th minute: after one cross from the right was blocked, Chaka Barnett picked up the loose ball and crossed from the byline for Bobby Redwood to tap in. Two minutes later, the home side's lead was doubled as they caught Hashtag cold, Chaka Barnett again causing chaos on the right wing and crossing for Steven Carvell, who powered his effort past Louis Hawes in the Hashtag goal. As I was making note of and subsequently posting on Twitter about these two goals, Hashtag went up the other end and, after something happened in the box, they earned an indirect free kick. They attempted to capitalise, but the home defence held firm and blocked the shot. Both sides had chances after this, but it remained 2-0 going into half-time.
After a torrential downpour during the interval, the second half took a long time to get going, with very little happening for much of the half. The main reason for this is that Hashtag were continuing to be thoroughly ineffective when attacking, while at the same time they looked much more solid defensively and were comfortably holding Sporting Bengal's attackers at arm's length. This deadlock continued until the away side earned a free kick from 25 yards out in the 74th minute. Ross Gleed stepped up to take and his low shot caught everyone off-guard and flew into the net.
This was the spark the match needed to come back to life, as well as the spark Hashtag needed to drastically up the intensity in pursuit of an equaliser (and probably a winner as well, if they had equalised). This saw them almost gain complete control of the match, having all of the ball and pinning the home side into their own half. The away side created at least a dozen chances in this period, but it seemed like they wouldn't be able to find the finish. However, in the 88th minute, Hashtag should have equalised but were somehow kept out: a corner was played into the box and led to a frantic goalmouth scramble (I would have to watch it again (and I will be when Hashtag release their match video) to properly explain what happened) before play was stopped due to a facial injury to Khan. This held up play for five minutes and, when the match started up again, Gleed almost scored from another long-range free kick, only to be denied by Khan (who anticipated the low shot this time). The home side were then able to hold out for the victory.
Overall, much of the day was an absolute nightmare due to transport issues, terrible weather and the fact that I was denied the chance to do a groundhopping double for the first time, but the match made for a decent afternoon's entertainment, even if it was somewhat inconsistent: there were notable periods of drama and excitement, but also large stretches in which next-to-nothing happened and my patience was tested. Still, it was a decent day out at a welcoming club and, despite a crowd below 100, there was a good atmosphere throughout from both sets of supporters.
Unlike the journey into Waterloo, the journey out was simple enough, though I did get lucky with how things worked out: the match didn't finish until just after 5pm, yet I was able to get back to Waterloo quickly enough to just get onto the 5:30pm quick train back into Guildford, meaning I was back in the house at 6:30pm, which was another drastic improvement on last week (when I didn't get back in until 8pm).
As regular readers can tell now, my upcoming plans are very, very tenuous, but after this groundhop I cannot afford heading into London for a third week running, so my planned visit to Bedfont & Feltham will be delayed for now. Instead, my first choice is a visit to Bicester United, though I an equally likely to end up at somewhere like Molesey or Colliers Wood United. My plans for the 16th (just after I get more money again) haven't changed yet, though after missing out on a double yesterday I am now debating whether to head to Dulwich Hamlet on the 19th: I'm less keen on midweek groundhops when relying on public transport, but it's also a question of whether that's affordable in the build-up to Christmas. I'd imagine it won't be, but we'll see how things pan out on that front.
The Ground
Normally, I'm less bothered by athletics grounds than the average groundhopper (as my entry about Grantham Town's excellent ground can attest to), but I find myself hard-pressed to say much about the Mile End Stadium. The only cover at the ground is the large main stand, which provides bench seating for 439 people.
Other than this, the only other feature of the ground is a few steps of uncovered terracing beyond the main stand. That aside, the rest of the ground is open hard standing, and everything was very far away from the pitch (even more so than other athletics grounds I've visited for football, it felt like). The elevation of the main stand does at least offset that issue somewhat, however.
The ground has an overall capacity of 2,000 and was, at the time of writing this article, equally shared by both Tower Hamlets and Sporting Bengal United. However, with the release of the 2020/21 league constitutions on 21st July 2020, it was announced that Tower Hamlets had moved into a groundshare with Phoenix Sports, making Sporting Bengal United the current sole tenants at the ground.
Photos
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