Stong Second Half Seals It - Whyteleafe vs. VCD Athletic

First half action in front of the stand

For the second consecutive Tuesday I revisited a ground from my formative ground hopping days and headed to Whyteleafe vs. VCD Athletic in the Ryman South. When I'd previously visited either of these sides grounds it was for a pre season game. My visit to Church Road was for a friendly with Carshalton Athletic whilst my visit for Oakwood was for the Kent League charity shield where they played Croydon. Since I'd first seen both sides, they'd moved around the leagues a bit. VCD had a spell in the Ryman Premier while Whyteleafe spent a short period in the Kent League. On opening day Whyteleafe drew 1-1 at Greenwich Borough and VCD suffered a five nil reverse at home to Faversham.

Pre match formalities under the Surrey dusk

VCD acquit themselves well on the plastic pitch and the first half is an even, fairly cagey affair. Whyteleafe take control at the start of the second half and the opening goal comes when the keeper is stranded someway off his line and the ball is drilled home from some distance. They get the second goal from the penalty spot before adding a third late in the game.

Whyteleafe look to get the ball in during the first half

To get to Church Road you can get a train from either London Bridge or Victoria to Whyteleafe South or Upper Warlingham. Both journeys take around half an hour. In between the two stations is the great Radius Arms which had a good choice including a seasonal one from the Oakham Brewery which I'd never tried before. There is also the tasty Salisbury Fish Bar which is the best chippy so far this season. The ground is then a short five minute walk from either establishment. The clubhouse had a wider choice of drinks than most clubhouses and also had the sports channels. A really enjoyable evening.

View from the stand in the second half