Tuesday 16th March 2025 ko 19:45

North West Counties League Division One South

SHAWBURY UNITED 1 (Sowe 76)

TELFORD TOWN 3 (Greer 53 70 Hesson 55)

Att 162

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

In all walks of life it pays to be adaptable, and that goes double if you’re trying to watch non league football in December in the wet! Oddly I was fortunate, I was heading to Allscott Heath near Wolverhampton but got caught in traffic. Since I was stationary I checked Twitter and soon found my choice of game had fallen to a waterlogged pitch. No matter, I had plan B….

That involved making for Shrewsbury, and the small village of Shawbury, I’d watched United back in 2010 when they were sharing at Wem Town, and I do wonder if the changing rooms at Butler Sports Centre, had remained in use whether Shawbury would have stayed put, the groundshare seemed to work for both Wem and Shawbury. As it was the club became homeless in 2017 and groundshared at Ludlow Town, and on the Community Pitch at Shrewsbury Town, while the club sought a permanent base in the village.

Planning permission was granted for community stadium just off the A53 in December 2014, with the land eventually secured on a 99 year lease following a donation from the land owner Gerard Verdino. The Shawbury Community Sports Centre opened for business at the start of the 2024/25 season. It is a stadium that is functional rather than pretty, but what would you expect for a 2 year old ground? What is important is that’s in Shawbury and there’s loads of room for expansion too.

Many will remember Telford Town in their former guise of Wellington Amateurs- they were the Amateurs when I visited School Grove back in the day. Here they won straightforwardly enough, in a night that was memorable for how cold it was than how much rain had fallen. In due course I’m sure we’ll take the North West Counties Hop here; I have a feeling Shawbury will do well….