Wednsday July 10th 2019 ko 19.30

Pre-Season Friendly

DUNSTABLE TOWN 1 (DaSilva 80)

AMPTHILL TOWN 1 (15)

Att c40

At the 3G pitch at Creasey Park

Entry by donation

I spent much of the journey trying to pinpoint exactly when I’d last visited Creasey Park. I know it was for a AFC Dunstable game (they’re joint tenants at Creasey Park) soon after their name change from Old Dunstabilians. That happened in 2004 so I reckon it was around 2005. Creasey Park was a very different place then…

There was the loo block I made a beeline for a half time only to discover via a locked door and my sense of smell that it was well and truly off-limits. Then there was a quite wonderful Atcost stand that again had been condemned. I remember ruefully smiling that if enough hoppers had seen that stand, they’d never have made the mistake of confusing the horrible squat “Arena” stands for the pre-formed concrete barn-influenced Atcosts.

All that was swept away in June 2010 with the new Creasey Park opening in September 2011. That included all kinds of changes to the main ground; I’ll revisit to show those changes. But there was room enough to build a 3G pitch at the back of the new ground too. I’ll leave the pedants to ruminate on whether this pitch counts as a new ground, believe me I’ve better things to worry about. The only real question I found myself asking myself was why the facility built without a viewing area? It was perfectly fine watching through the fence sat on the grass bank, but it was July not December! It wasn’t as of there was a lack of room along the far touchline to have place the fence back a couple of yards and provided somewhere to watch inside of the cage?

The game was interesting, Dunstable Town may be newly relegated into the Spartan South Midlands League but I still see them as Southern League club, and it must grate their people that AFC Dunstable still play in that league. They were playing Ampthill Town, from a division lower but you really wouldn’t have known.

With all the usual caveats you’d apply to friendlies there was enough for both clubs to feel they got good a good season in front of them. As the the fence, it wasn’t ideal but I’m old enough to remember the fences at Football League grounds in the 1980’s. You taught your eyes to filter out the chain links, and I just about managed it here.

But afterwards as I took a few seconds poke my head round the gate to get a preview of the new Creasey Park, I reflected on what an enjoyable evening out we’d had.