Larkhall Athletic vs. Barnstable Town

Fantastic backdrop of Plain Ham

This weekend I was set to visit my 450th ground and so I wanted it to be somewhere fairly special. I'd seen and read a lot about Larkhall Athletic's Plain Ham ground and as Bath itself is a great place to visit it was the perfect choice. Larkhall play in the Western Division of The Southern League and their visitors today were Barnstable Town. The closest I'd ever come to seeing Barnstable is visiting there while staying in Appledore a very long time ago on family holidays. Larkhall defeated Barnstable away three nil on the second match of the season (an incredible Tuesday night trek) but since then they have gone in different directions. Larkhall were in mid table while today's visitors were just outside the play offs. 

Kick off at Plain Ham

The game has a steady, tentative start with both sides getting the feel for one another. Larkhall have the first real sight of goal as a drilled ball goes across the edge of the six yard box but there is no one there to get the final touch. They don't have to wait long for the opener as a looping cross goes into the box before being headed powerfully into the net. Barnstable aren't really creating much, their best chances coming from free kicks that fail to really trouble the keeper. Larkhall come close to doubling the lead when the forward beats the Barnstable keeper to ball but his poked effort is headed off the line.

Barnstable look to pressure the Larkhall defence

It is still Larkhall making all the headway at the start of the second half as the attacker gets to the byline but his team mate can't enough on the ball to send it into the net. They repeat the trick a short while afterwards, this time the Barnstable keeper makes a great save to keep the gap to one goal. Barnstable are having a lot of the ball but they can't seem to find the final pass. They almost gift the hosts the third when the keeper makes a mistake from a long ball forward but he is again helped out by a covering defender. Larkhall do seal the points as the attacker powers through the defence and he then squares to his team who doubles the lead.

Barnstable corner towards the clubhouse

So as I mentioned earlier, the first step of a trip to Larkhall is take a train from Paddington to Bath which takes around an hour and a half. Then from the bus station next door you take the number six bus into Larkhall which should take about ten minutes depending on traffic and parking on the exceptionally tight streets. If you have time, it is absolutely worth having an explore of Bath city centre. In Larkhall itself there is a good selection of pubs. Firstly there is the The Larkhall Inn which is an old school pubs with the sports channels followed by The Rose and Crown which is a bit fancier but does have a great selection of beers. The last pub before the severe ascent to the ground is The Bladuds Head which is a welcoming locals feeling pub. The walk up to the ground is pretty punishing and the last hundred yards or so are unlit and unpaved but it is a hundred percent worth it. Not many grounds come close to matching The Dripping Pan as my favorite ground but Plain Ham comes pretty close. The clubhouse at the ground had the usual selection of drinks as well as tasty rolls behind the bar. 

Another view of the covered accommodation