Wednesday 7th May 2025 ko 18:30

Aylesbury & District League Premier Division

AW FC 1 (Sheppard 37)

GREAT MISSENDEN 3 (Smith 18 73 Stephenson 59)

Att 11 at St John’s Sports & Social, Stone

Free Entry

If you drive on the A418 between Thame and Aylesbury then inevitably you’ll pass through the pretty village of Stone. It’s one of those places that thousands of people drive through giving the place barely a thought. But there is plenty to enthuse….

I used the road as part of my commute for years, and soon spotted the little sports ground near the church and made a mental note. Now I know groundhoppers aren’t exactly known for patience, so consider that I last did that commute in 2005, and in 2014 thought I was seeing a game at St John’s but ended up 400 yards down the road at the War Memorial Ground. This was certainly one that took a while to get done.

The ground has an interesting past. Before 1991 St John’s Hospital was a mental institution, with a chapel at one end and the sports ground at the other. It dated from 1853 and was built in the Gothic style, and must have been at best spooky, and at worst terrifying as you entered the place. These days only the church and the sports ground are still intact, the church is Grade II listed. The clue is the new estate between the two- the houses are far newer than any other buildings in the village.

The problem I had with St John’s for the last 30-odd years is that no-one seemed to be using the place- for football at least! To put it in perspective I managed to start a relationship, get married, separate, divorce, start a new relationship and get married again between the time I first drove past and when I actually got to tick the place off!

Footballing salvation for me at least came in the form of AW FC. The A stands for Aston Clinton, and the W for Wendover so the club moved from the east of Aylesbury to the west- for the simple reason the club wanted a cheaper pitch to rent. Who can blame them for that but I do wonder why other clubs weren’t tempted when the facilities are this good?

The game went pretty much as I expected, I’d seen and enjoyed Great Missenden a couple of years ago on their way to the league title. I am pleased to report that the Chinese cat is still with the club and in good health! They didn’t win it this time, finishing second to Stoke Mandeville but had enough to win this one, with AW destined to finish comfortably mid-table. As for me, I was just happy to have finally watched a game at St Johns. Talk about playing the long game!