MARCH TOWN UNITED (GER Ground)

EASTERN COUNTIES LEAGUE DIVISION ONE, MARCH TOWN UNITED 0-2 CORNARD UNITED, ATTENDANCE: 25

Following on from last weekends visit to Welton Rovers to see their old wooden stand, today was another such trip to see another iconic old stand, soon to bite the dust, this time at the home of March Town United.

March Town, founded in 1885, were one of two teams in March, the other being March GER United (the GER being the Great Eastern Railway) who were founded in 1911. March Town played at various grounds whilst March GER United played at the current ground after it opened in 1923, the year the famous old stand was built.

At the end of World War II, March GER United did not reform and March Town took over the GER ground, adding the suffix United to their name in 1950.

The wooden stand is a distance away from pitch, due to the ground hosting cycling, greyhound racing and cricket up until the 1960's. There are also plenty of posts obscuring the view of spectators, so even though the stand is a rare beauty some of the views are not the best. I sat towards the front of the stand and to be fair, it wasn't a bad spot.

This will not be a problem much longer as work is soon to commence on a new stand and changing block. The club hope work will be completed in time for next season.

The game pitted 3rd bottom versus bottom and you could tell. The game wasn't the greatest and won't live long in the memory. Cornard scored two second half goals, through Joe Paton and A.N.Other to take the three points. 

Another highlight of the afternoon was a visit to the local Wetherspoons, which is the old Hippodrome Cinema. Decorated with old film posters, with the upper tier of seats still intact, this has to be one of the few 'spoons worth a visit, couple that with the ongoing beer festival and it made for an ideal pre-match.