Late drama at Loftus Road

Of course, anyone who has been to see Queens Park Rangers will know that the Loftus Road Stadium is not on Loftus Road, but South Africa Road.
The only contact the ground has with Loftus Road is between a couple of the house lining the said road, a narrow opening allowing patrons access to the turnstiles of the Loftus Road Stand.

Our game was televised and the road was lined with all sorts of vehicles connected with the TV company filming the event, from BT vans to giant artics to catering trucks setting out their stalls.

It is worth mentioning in passing that the gaps in the buildings giving access to the Ellerslie Road Stand turnstiles and those on Loftus Road were there long before the actual football ground existed, being evident on Ordnance Survey maps of the area in 1893, whereas the ground only came to be used as a football ground in 1904, by Shepherd's Bush FC. They soon disbanded and QPR took over the ground in 1917. Prior to moving to Loftus Road the club had had a nomadic existence having played at more than 10 grounds during their early years. And, even since moving into their present home, they have moved out a couple of times for short periods to the White City Stadium which used to be up South Africa Road towards Wood Lane. In fact the location of that iconic (well, to my generation anyway) stadium which was used for the 1908 Olympics, is where the away coaches are parked these days.

During my SAS days, we had a small depot near White City, which was the starting point for many interesting exercises throughout the UK and I was reminded of this when walking down South Africa Road and passing the 4 Para compound, as we were situated next door to 10 Para (as it used to be before reorganisation) in those far off days in the 60s and, as you can imagine, there was healthy rivalry between the two Regiments. I had a bit of time before the game started so I went for a moment of silent contemplation in Hammersmith Park, sandwiched between the BBC building and local housing, which is a haven of greenery and birdsong amidst the tarmac, brick and concrete of the surrounding cityscape. This park is all that remains of the garden area originally designed for the 1908 Olympics and redesigned as a Japanese garden for an exhibition in 1910.

Queens Park Rangers FC was formed in 1886 by the merger of two clubs, St Jude's  and Christchurch Rangers and presumably named as such because most of the players came from the Queen's Park area. It is interesting that the club claims to have been established in 1882, which is the date of the establishment of the oldest of the two clubs which merged to form QPR. Their nicknames are The Hoops, or Superhoops to ardent fans ( QPR being one of the few clubs in the league to play in hooped shirts), and The R's.

Loftus Road Stadium is a ground squeezed in amongst the houses of West London and it shows inside the ground. The stands cascade almost onto the pitch and it has an unfinished look, possibly because the club is looking at the possibility of moving to a bigger location. There are four stands and they are butt-jointed together so that part of each stand  has seating with restricted views at the extremities. The only place where the seating wraps around the corner is between the South Africa Road Stand and the Loftus Road Stand. At the other corners you can see evidence of preparations being made for the same effect, but it has just been abandoned for some reason.

The away fans are situated in the upper tier of the School End which is a similar layout to the Loftus Road Stand. The school giving it's name to this stand was in place long before the ground and the site is presently occupied by the Jack Tizard School. Fans may have noticed the exterior design of the school which is quite striking, a significant feature because the school presently caters for children with severe special needs. The club also uses the car park of the school as the player's car park on match days. Peering through the fence into the car park like a little boy peering into a sweet shop enabled me to have a few words with JJ (our own Jermaine Jenas) signed by QPR from Spurs. The regular QPR fans refer to the Loftus Road Stand as the Loft and it houses the police control box and on the facia between the two tiers is a small scoreboard.
This scoreboard is repeated at the School End, but a major difference here to the Loft is the location on the roof of a large video screen, which follows the practice seen at some other grounds of being totally invisible to the away fans.

The South Africa Road Stand is the oldest in the ground and is two tiers, the lower tier being very shallow indeed, with a mid-line of executive boxes. The seats are banded white and blue across the upper tier and the players tunnel and dug outs are on the halfway line. Opposite this stand is the Ellerslie Road Stand, a single tiered structure which has further evidence of the squeeze on space inside the ground. The media gantry is installed just under the roof of the stand and almost level with the touchline on that side of the pitch.

Also slotted in, right at the School End of the stand, is a glass fronted box, acting as a TV studio for the pundits at live matches, supported by a pillar and accessed by a set of stairs running up the back of the stand. Some of the restricted view seats are behind this monstrosity which, to my mind is taking the mickey, charging for such a poor view.

The game itself was I think, pretty exciting for the neutral, but ultimately heart-breaking for the Forest fans. Gary Brazil made four changes to the side which fought back so valiantly against Sheffield Wednesday. Collins was suspended after his red card so Kelvin Wilson came in for him and there were also starts for Fox, Cox and Halford. Tudgay, after such a fine first appearance of the season last week picked up an injury in that game (story of our season) and was out and Paterson was also absent through illness. David Vaughan was listed as a sub after another lengthy injury absence, this time for a broken kneecap, but he wasn't called upon to help the cause.

The game started disastrously for The Reds. Halford, whose praises I have sung this season, has one major footballing flaw, a lack of pace. And, within a minute this flaw was exposed by a tricky, pacey winger. Hoilett combined with Carroll, on loan at QPR from Spurs, with Halford backing away from the advancing duo. A shot was fired in, Darlow could only parry the swerving ball and Benayoun headed the loose ball into the net from close range. The hosts enjoyed more of the play for a considerable period until Forest forced a corner in the 37th minute and Lascelles headed an equaliser. This season we have shown a remarkable ability to shoot ourselves in the foot and it happened again just five minutes later. Confident we would go in level at the break, I was thinking that the lads had done well, when Halford was again undone by the winger who finished off a piece of deft interplay with Carroll by pushing the ball past Darlow into the net. 2-1 at the interval. JJ went off after only 13 minutes with a recurrence of an injury.

Second half started quite well. Both sides had chances, with one particular header by Halford from a corner looking bound for the top corner, but the full back on the line managed to get his head to the ball and keep it out. Lansbury and Jara were substituted by Greening and Osborn and they both managed to get into the game, particularly young Osborn who looked lively down the left and was swinging really good corners into the box. And on 75 minutes, he put in yet another dangerous corner for Derbyshire to head into the net.

Game on, though immediately QPR started to put pressure on the Reds defence. And that pressure told when a QPR corner was not properly cleared and the ball was passed to Onuoha who swung the ball into the net for his first league goal of the season. QPR back into the lead and it was one they would not only keep, but increase. During added time they scored two more goals with the Forest defence at sixes and sevens. So the match finished 5-2 to the hosts when only minutes earlier some of us had been dreaming of a winner to the Reds.

I felt sorry for our players as they trooped off, for they had given a pretty good account of themselves and so nearly gained something from the match. So I left and walked up to White City tube station to make my way to Putney Bridge tube station and then across the verdant pastures of Bishop's Park to Craven Cottage, long the home of Fulham FC. I had little chance of actually getting into the ground because they kicked off a Premier League game against Norwich City at 3 pm and I was due to arrive shortly after this. Our game had kicked off at 12.15 due to TV coverage (and as yet, I have not felt able to view the resultant recording). Even if I had been able to wheedle my way into Craven Cottage it is forbidden to take photographs of matches in progress unless specifically authorised. As it was I made for the main reception and pressed my case to a most pleasant lady who politely told me to get lost. Not in so many words, you understand, but that was the import of her message.

So I wandered around the ground and took any number of photos of Johnny Haynes statue and the facade of the ground fronting Stevenage Road because there are just no other views of the ground worth taking. In fact, the Stevenage Road Stand, now renamed the Johnny Haynes Stand, is a Grade II listed building as is the Cottage standing in one corner of the ground. The Cottage was built because the architect of the Stevenage Road Stand, Archibald Leitch, forgot to include changing rooms in his original plan! The players still change in this building and players families and friends traditionally view the game from the balcony here.

One side of the ground is practically in the River Thames. I can remember standing on the old river terrace many times in the sixties. I lived in Putney, over the river, and made many trips to Fulham, Chelsea and the other London grounds in that time.

Fulham were founded in 1879 and have never won a major trophy, which is extraordinary for a club which has been in the top two levels of English football for so long. They moved to the Craven Cottage ground  in 1896 after moving around almost as many grounds as QPR. As at West Ham, the area around the ground is associated with Anne Boleyn, who had hunting grounds in this locality. The original Craven Cottage was built on what is now the centre spot of the pitch, but this building burnt down in 1888 and the area was derelict until Fulham commenced construction of their ground.

The statue of Johnny Haynes commemorates a fine player (who played in the old-fashioned position of inside forward) who achieved fame not only for his fine performances for Fulham and England, but also because, after the removal of the maximum wage, he became the first £100 a week footballer. A sum which seems small beer these days, but in 1961 was a good weekly wage. Most working lads would have considered £10 a week pretty handsome remuneration.

It was pointless to hang around the ground so I made my way back to the tube, my car and the hotel.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. I set off round the M25 to drive to Brentford, AFC Wimbledon and Gillingham. Most people who have flown into Heathrow Airport over the City of London will have seen the Brentford FC ground, Griffin Park. They have for many years painted large, bright advertising logos on to the roof of the stands just for that purpose. The ground is similar to Loftus Road in that it is completely hemmed in by residential housing with only the occasional opening through the rows of houses to allow access to the ground.

The actual frontage of the ground is on Braemar Road, but this is even smaller than that of QPR's ground onto South Africa Road. Then one has to walk around to Brook Road to find a narrow entrance to the away stand.
Further round still for the narrow access to the Bill Axbey Stand. The final stand of the ground, the BIAS Ealling Road Terrace has no direct entrance and fans have to make their way through the main entrance gates.

Brentford FC was formed in 1889 and moved to Griffin Park in 1904. Their nickname is the Bees and the bar inside the ground is "The Hive"! Because the ground is so tight to the local housing and was also locked up tight I have little else to say about it. I wandered around as usual, took photos of the four pubs which are to be found at each corner of the ground and climbed up onto any vantage point I could find to try to see into the ground, but it wasn't much.

I even accosted a couple of chaps who walked up to the main gate, hoping they were connected to the club, but they were just waiting for a lift to their Sunday morning game. I understand that Brentford have finally obtained planning permission for a new ground about half a mile from their present site in the curve of the M4 by Chiswick High Road.

So I drove away on a glorious Sunday morning to try and find AFC Wimbledon at their home The Cherry Red Records Stadium, or more simply, Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames, some way from Wimbledon. But I understand they still harbour hopes of returning to their spiritual home. I don't suppose many will need reminding of the move of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes and their change to MK Dons. AFC Wimbledon was set up in defiance of the "franchise" move to MK and they have fought their way up the football pyramid.

I have no love of driving in towns, particularly London, because whatever lane I'm in is always the wrong one and Londoners can be so aggressive in their cars, probably because they know exactly where they are going and the quickest way to accomplish that feat. Anyway, after a detour round Hampton Court Palace and a few other map reading mistakes, I turned into the short driveway, Jack Goodchild Way, of the Cherry Records Stadium, though the arch over the road insists that I had arrived at Kingsmeadow. Though that might be the name given to the whole complex, football stadium and athletics venue.
My first impression was not of the football ground, but the buzz of activity going on in the fitness and athletic centre at the other side of the car park. Through a barred gate I could see an athletics track and small stadium laid out and being used most enthusiastically. Actually the athletics area looked bigger than the stadium which is owned by Kingston Council and leased by AFC Wimbledon.

As I parked the car I noted a sign at the end of the car park welcoming me to the Eco House End. I thought this was a fine stand until I realised that the sign was affixed to the back of the athletics track stand! AFC Wimbledon share the ground with Kingstonian FC, who play in the Ryman League. Kingstonian used to hold the lease, but AFC Wimbledon took that over in 2003 in order, I think, to safeguard the future of the ground and also the future of Kingstonian, who use an annual friendly match with Wimbledon to help pay their rent. I remember that, as a young boy, one of the few games on TV was the FA Amateur Cup Final watched by 100,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium! Kingstonian won that trophy in the 20s, but nowadays are a semi-pro outfit.

Sadly, there was no buzz at the football stadium. It seems all London area football grounds are securely locked up on Sundays in contrast to my experience at other grounds round the country. This stillness around the ground should not detract from the dynamic progress AFC Wimbledon have made in their short history. Formed in 2002 by fans dismayed at the disbanding of their club Wimbledon FC to make way for MK Dons, the club has risen from the ninth tier of English football to the fourth in that short time. They are the only club to be formed in the 21st century to play in the league. Despite MK also taking the name "Dons", AFC Wimbledon still proudly use the nickname the Dons themselves, as, I suppose, the rightful successors to that name.



The ground is formed of four stands and despite my best endeavours, that is about all I could see, despite poking my nose through any nook and cranny I could see. The main stand (The Paul Strank Stand) exterior faces the main car park and the police control post is situated at the end of this stand by Jack Goodchild Way. This stand has seating and the one next to it has seating also. Through a small gap in the gate, I could see the EcoHouse End is a neat terrace with a roof and on top of the roof are high nets (similar to those around tennis courts) to stop wild clearances lobbing the ball into exciting athletic events. Opposite the Paul Strank Stand is also terracing topped with a roof which is in turn surmounted by another of those extraordinary media gantries made up of scaffolding poles and corrugated iron. Actually that in itself is a bit of advertising as Paul Strank Ltd is a roofing contractor with a scaffolding hire subsidiary.

I made my way around to the other side of the ground onto the active allotment site alongside the ground, but all I could see was the groundsman's mower and other tools. I'd done the best I could so decided to move on to Gillingham, a ground I had planned to do when visiting friends in Dover, but Mike had had some bad news so I postponed my visit with the result I had to fit it in with other visits. This way seemed the best bet.

Getting to the vicinity of Gillingham was easy, but finding the ground in the maze of housing and one way roads was a bit more tricky even using my ancient sat nav. But we got there. I put the post code into the machine and when I arrived in the vicinity of the ground and saw Priestfield Road,  I thought that the MEMS Priestfield Stadium was bound to be up it. Well, it was, sort of. The road is a dead end with the away supporters turnstiles at the end of it.
A friendly local informed me that I should go up the next road along, Linden Road, and I would find Redfern Avenue, the actual address of the stadium, there. Gillingham were founded as New Brompton FC in 1893, changing their name later, and immediately moved into the Priestfield Stadium where they have played ever since. No one seems to know whether the ground is named after the road or vice versa. The club nickname is The Gills. The chairman has several time indicated he wishes to move the club to a new home (as with many inner city clubs, the land on which the present ground stands is valuable and would be sold to partly fund a move), but this still has yet to be made more than a vision for the future.

The present chairman arrived as owner in 1995 and started to completely modernise the ground, so that the three permanent stands have been rebuilt since then. And, of course, the Brian Moore Stand.

The ground is very short of parking spaces, the frontage on to Redfern Avenue being directly onto the pavement. The players entrance and other vehicular access, is, in fact, through a metal shutter over a gateway at one end of the ground, so short of space are they. On the other side of the ground, the Gordon Road Stand is also directly onto the pavement.
In fact, here there is so little space available that fans have to enter through the ends of the stand, there is no direct entry from the road. There is also a very narrow alley way from both Linden Road and Gordon Road leading round the back of the ground to the away supporters turnstiles at the top of Priestfield Road.

There is some parking available, which of course I used, at the Rainham End of the ground where there is a conference and banqueting facility which is actually attached to the main stand, the Medway Stand. This also houses The Blues Rock Cafe nightspot. Apparently many of the fixtures and fittings of the conference centre were purchased at a discount when these items were sold upon the closure of the Millennium Dome. The ground was locked up tight and I could see little inside.

The Brian Moore Stand, a temporary structure once planned to be a proper stand, houses the away fans. Finances did not allow a permanent structure, so the away fans sit open to the vagaries of the weather, which would be wonderful on the brilliant sunny day I visited, but absolutely appalling in the depths of winter, as the stand is quite high. Yeovil's away stand is bad enough, but is only half the height.

It had been a long and somewhat frustrating day with not one ground penetrated. However, as ever, I enjoyed pottering around the grounds and seeing the ingenious ways clubs find to utilise their assets. I set sail for the Dartford Crossing and home, stopping a couple of times to see the family on the way.  I really am beginning to tick off the grounds and my map now has far more clear pins than colours on it. Only seven grounds to go which does not seem possible, the time has just flown by, how will I fill my time when the season ends?