Monday 23rd October 2017 ko 19.45

Southern League- Eastern Division

BEACONSFIELD TOWN 0

AYLESBURY 3 (Scott 52 66 Deacon 80)

Att 91

Entry £8

Programme £2

I suspect many see Beaconsfield’s Holloways Park as the ground next door to the M40 Service Station, you can see the lit gibbet from behind the goal. A less well-known fact is that the original plans for the M40 saw the service placed between the Wycombe and Loudwater junctions, you can see the truncated slip roads on either side of the carriageway. But one way or another the motorway has been good for the club.

The road runs through what used to be Beaconsfield United’s ground, they moved about a little as is possible in 1971 today’s Holloways Park. They settled into a moderate existance in the London Spartan, now the Spartan South Midlands League, but were struggling in 1994 so merged with Slough Youth Centre Old Boys who had the committee and players but no ground of their own.

The merger worked well, I was there in 2004 when the new clubbhouse was opened with a thumping win on a frozen pitch against Royston Town and that year saw them win the Spartan South Midlands League for a second time, and with it promotion the Southern League. They’ve had one season back in the SSML but have now re-established themselves back in the Southern League.

I have two memories of SYCOB, one is the “Next Match” board that always seemed to say “Brook House” (Now AFC Hayes) and the seats from old Wembley Stadium that was recycled for used in the main stand. The “Arena” stand behind the far goal is apparently a legacy of Slough Town’s stint here before moving to their new ground at Arbour Park.

From a personal point of view I’m saddened that the SYCOB suffix was dropped for this season. For me the unique name was something that made the club stand out but from speaking to club officials it was seen as a piece of club history that was no longer relevant.

On the day the club had a more pressing issue than nomenclature. Referee Robert Wainwright had decided that the pitch markings were not visible enough for play so the groundsman was dispatched from Windsor to paint over them. The game was delayed for 30 minutes while the referee was made happy.

The delay seemed to affect both sides as the first half was a virtual non-event, a turgid affair. The second half was in contrast a triumph for the visitors who looked far sharper and ran in three goals to deservedly win the game. We grabbed a coffee at the services before heading for home, the amount of advertising from there that has sent revenue Town’s way it seemed rude not to!