I travelled the short distance along the M4 to watch Mangotsfield play away to Chippenham Town on 8 September 2012. This was the First Qualifying round of the FA Cup, with £3,000 of prize money to the winners. The losers, get a handshake, and a share of the gate money.
The ground is very easy to find. Just drop down off the M4, go round the ring round and it is no more than half a mile off a roundabout. As I arrived very early, parking was a doddle. Was told that on a really big crowd, people park on the main round without any trouble.
This was my very first visit to the ground, and I found everyone very helpful and friendly. The main stand is very good, with a food outlet right as you walk in – perfect positioning. A lot of the ground has covered areas and there are a lot of advertising hoardings all the way around the ground. All in all, very nicely appointed and created the right sort of atmosphere.
View from the main stand
You may be able to spot from the photo that another sports complex is outside the ground. I am not sure if this is true, but was told the football club pay a rent, so they do not own the ground. But if you know any different, let me know!
View of the main stand on a nice sunny day
Another thing that was nice was the sign below which listed everyone who helped towards the cost of the main stand.
Chippenham Town sponsors being honoured
Whilst I did not sample any offerings from the food outlet, the price list seemed very reasonable to me. Additionally, there seemed to be an awful lot of people using it. That can only be good news for everyone visiting the ground.
Needless to say, there were some excellent characters in the Board Room and all the Mangotsfield Directors were well looked after. For me, I got totally sidetracked by Robin Townsley who is a Bluenose. Lots of reminiscing about Birmingham City FC then and initial plans hatched for an away trip together. As we all know, it’s a small world!
On the football side, it ended Chippenham Town 3 Mangotsfield United 1. I thought it was a pretty decent game, but Mangotsfield do lack fire power up front and the midfield players are too easily bundled off the ball at the moment. However, we have a very young side and it was only the 5th time they have played together.
If you are interested in seeing achieved photos of Mangotsfield United along with videos – including a video of the players warming up at this match, pop along to http://www.flickr.com/mufcphotos
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