Not in South London - Sutton Athletic vs. Kennington

Sweltering day for football

This Good Friday I had planned to travel to Stourbridge but I thankfully realised early enough that their game kicked off at half seven. My next choice was Melksham but the trains were a nightmare so I went to a ground that I have saved for a time when it would be light post game as some of the approach roads were unpaved. The ground in question was The London Hire Stadium which is home of Sutton Athletic of the SCEFL (Southern Counties East Football League) Division One and today they were hosting Kennington. This league and The Invicta League before it have have always produced enjoyable visits with interesting grounds and decent programmes and today would prove no different. Today's visitors still had an outside chance of second place while Sutton were in the top half.

Kick off under blazing sun

Both sides have early crosses that cause some concern but they are both dealt with. Kennington have another which is a free kick from wide that the Sutton keeper does well to punch over the bar. Then Kennington get to the byline which allows the ball to be lofted to the back post where the number nine nods in from close range. They get a second when they get behind the home defence and the ball ends up in the back of the net.

Kennington get a shot in front of the clubhouse

Sutton come out looking to get back in the game and they are unfortunate to see a shot crash off the bar. They do get back into the game as the Kennington keeper makes a save from a drilled effort before the rebound is put into the net. Kennington come close to restoring the two goal lead but the Sutton defence does well to block after a corner. Sutton push for an equaliser which nearly comes a result of a header from a cross that goes just wide. The last decent chance for Sutton comes when a ball in from an overlap that is just kept out.

Sutton try to get the opening goal in the first half

The London Hire Stadium is on the edge of Hextable which is reached by a five minute bus ride of route 477 from Swanley, you get here with a twenty five minute train ride from Victoria. Hextable is interesting in that there are no pubs in the village because of a stipulation from old landowners. There are a couple of the edge of the village, the only one I got to was The Ship which had a good beer garden which was busy with the weather. The ground is a ten minute walk from the village centre and as I said earlier, the last section is unlit and unpaved but the road is quite quiet. The clubhouse had the usual drinks and sports channels and everyone was very welcoming. Special mention has to go to the programme which was a fantastic publication. On the way back I called at The Cotton Mill which is an excellent micro pub close to the railway station and had a great selection of ales.

Further cover on the dugout side of the ground