WEALDSTONE v ST ALBANS GUESTING: TIM PARKS WORLD OF BALL highlight of the day. ground so big? Has the chairman not noticed We avoided the £4 hot dogs and that he cannot grow crowds in that part of had a look in the long ‘Legends’ bar Harrow? Why is he even contemplating I went to which runs pretty much the whole knocking down the final small terrace to add length of the ground, an excellent to the existing 5,356 seats? Mr Symmons facility but with very few ‘legends’ reckons that the size of the stand roofs play displayed on its walls. Barnet FC’s his- a key part, appearing to host solar or mobile the Hive and tory only seems to go back to the late phone panels, while I favour the theory that 1980s. What would Roger Figg, the he wants to move another, better-supported D’Arcy brothers, Les Eason or Ricky club into the Hive to groundshare. But George have to say about that? probably not Wealdstone. it’s true, I felt Through the tunnel and up into the Looking down on the action, as Barnet main stand - very impressive you have singularly failed to tippy-tappy their way through the massed ranks of Sutton defend- www.wfcmegastore.co.uk to admit, with great sweeping views from our seats in the top row across the ers, I came to the conclusion that the Hive is like a traitor rest of the ground and much of Canons simply inappropriate for non-League football. The plastic at ast Saturday was one of the (top to bottom) Park. You can see why the neighbours I don’t mind watching the chess matches most disturbing days I’ve ever Bromley, Sutton complained long and loud about the masquerading as Premier League football experienced in football. & Maidstone sheer size of this structure - and indeed when the football is precise, the crowd the even newer cantilever stand behind engaged and the skills sumptuous - but the LI saw the future of the game at a the North End goal. Do you think we’d hoofball on display at the Hive for £22 simply surreal, high-tech corporate level, and get away with this at The Vale? isn’t up to it. I didn’t like it. Opposite is the original leisure facility h, and finally, the final straw. No print- To be honest, it was a bit of a mistake Good view... but an anodyne experience enclosed within a similar sized build- ed programme. You can imagine how going to watch the Barnet v Sutton United deepest pockets won the day. ing, but with far fewer seats. This would upsetting this was for me, a traditional game at The Hive when our match at Weston Of course, we have the right to play at the have been the main stand when the Stones Ofootball-goer for whom programmes are an Super-Mare was rained off. There. I’ve said new stadium under the terms of the lease now were first building PEPF (as it was then essential part of the experience - especially it. I went to watch a game at The Hive. re-assigned to Barnet, but the Hertfordshire known) while the only surviving original metal at a new ground. And there were quite a That sounds like blasphemy, given the club (now laughably playing in Harrow while terraced area is to the right. This stand, a few people asking the same question inside history between Wealdstone and Barnet we, a Harrow club, have been forced away to longer version of the Bulla Stand at the Vale, the ground... and a lot of grey haired blokes concerning the stadium at Canons Park, and Hillingdon) insist on terms that are unsustain- is where most of the younger Barnet fans looking around listlessly at half time. There is myself and my travel companions - long-time able: No income from any of the congregate and you can see why: It is com- a digital version available for download but I Stones fans Mick Fishman and Nick facilities at the ground. It would just be a huge- pact, old school and seems more like ‘home’ don’t think I saw anybody - anybody - peering Symmons - were a bit uncomfortable about ly expensive groundshare. The Vale looks like than the rest of the ground put together. at a programme on their smart phone, even it but still intrigued to see how the Bees’ a Garden of Eden compared to the collossal, hy is The Hive so bloody big? The during the break. were settling into their new home. When the unwieldy grandiose hulk of The Hive. crowd for this Sutton game was I had a look when I got home and, frankly, alternatives are Yeading v Cheshunt or a ut putting any bitterness aside, what 1,300 with probably 300 making the it is an insult... page after digital page of long trek to Dulwich v Welling, it seemed like did we make of the whole matchday Wtrip up from South London (and penned in an adverts and sponsors messages, with the a decent option. experience? Well, it started area in the giant North Stand similar to the occasional over-displayed ‘gaffers’ column’ or But it wasn’t. On so many levels. Bamusingly when a very jolly ‘greeter’ wished one we took up at Woking) and barely 1,000 ‘skippers corner’ where the message is basi- Was there a bit of envy involved here? us a warm welcome to The Hive and directed home fans scattered in the ‘Legends’ stand cally a re-hash of ‘We were disappointed with Definitely. After all, Barnet FC and chairman us towards the ticketing booths. and on that terrace. It is simply not possible how the game went last week, but keep the Tony Kleanthous had wrestled control of the Wot, no turnstiles? Instead it was more akin to generate an atmosphere in a stadium so faith and get behind the boys this afternoon’. site some 13 years ago from the Stones. to buying theatre tickets as the young lady bleak and mostly empty. What a waste of time. Some ten years of locating, negotiating, behind the glass screen told us she could Yes, there are clearly generations of Is this what football is coming to at funding, lobbying and partly-completing the get us three tickets together in the ‘Legends Barnet fans who still watch their team - National League level? Chasing the corpo- facility (and spending £300,000 of the club’s Stand’ (legends already, this was our first mostly all travelling the half dozen miles rate buck, playing in an oversized, empty own monies) all came to nought when the visit) which equated to the monstrous stand south from Barnet, if the conversations I’ve stadium with clubs more interested in the private company paying the builders (Weald- (installed without the proper planning had are true) and most of them decorated income from renting out the facilities for wed- stone’s development partners) went into permission) backing onto the Jubilee Line. in brand new orange and black bar scarves. dings and barmitzvahs? liquidation. Something completely beyond Just £22 each (£14 for concessions). We Smatterings of half-hearted chanting ring out. It was an empty, expensive, anodyne the control of the club. walked around behind the Bees Terrace (a “We are the Black & Amber Army”. experience. The only upside was that Barnet Harrow Council put the unfinished stadium bargain £10) to find a long queue waiting to Amber? The team wear orange, the fans lost 1-0 to a 25-yard freekick, about the only and 44 acres of land up for tender and - with be frisked before you were actually let into wear orange. It’s like Wealdstone switching moment of real quality in the whole game. I the Stones unable to compete financially, the stadium, with your ticket read by barcode. to navy blue and nobody noticing. And going won’t be back.. unless it’s to watch the team FIND A WHOLE OF THE WORLD WEALDSTONE MEMORABILIA MEGASTORE: AT despite pairing up with another bidder - the Nick later admitted the pat-down was his back to my previous question, why is the who should be playing there. St.ALBANS CITY WEALDSTONE v St.ALBANS CITY the city rose again in 1908 and during its formative years competed in the Herts County SAINTS FACTS and Spartan Leagues. A move to the Athenian GROUND - Clarence Park League in 1920 heralded the start of the Saints FOUNDED- 1908 halcyon days as that championship was won MANAGER - Ian Allinson twice in three years paving the way for election 2017/18 - National League South 8th numerous successes during the 1980s, who to the Isthmian League. St Albans City won the Isthmian at the first attempt and followed it moulded a struggling outfit into an attack- has been reached on five occasions but, to minded one that rose to the safety of 14th with two further successes before the decade was out. City remained in the Isthmian League date, just one league scalp has been claimed place. The 2005-06 Conference South when Brentford were defeated 5-3 in 1924. www.wfcmegastore.co.uk season kicked off with two consecutive until 2003 but never again did the title return to Clarence Park. The most prestigious cup won by the Saints defeats before Lippiatt’s side found their was the London Senior Cup in 1971while ten rhythm and ultimately pushed Weymouth for other cups have been won a total of 49 times. the championship right to the final week of the The Famous Old Tree season.