Eastwood Town

My garden shed is bigger than this

As David Herbert Lawrence sat down to pen the finishing touches to Lady Chatterley's Lover, his last and most controversial novel, his Father's works football team Eastwood Collieries had just clinched the Nottinghamshire Intermediate Cup for an unprecedented consecutive fourth time. By the 1930/31 season they would win it again, but in the same the year Eastwood lost one of the world's greatest writers to illness, With his passing, the fortunes of Eastwood Collieries waned. This story though has a happy ending, as out of the ashes of Eastwood Collieries rose a new footballing flame - the Badgers of Eastwood Town.

Formed in 1953, following the disbandment of the town's colliery side, the Badgers, so named following a fans competition in 1981, did not waste anytime getting into their stride with a 4-1 victory in their first match against Bilsthorpe Colliery. Within ten years they had won the Notts Alliance Champions, been promoted, captured the Central Alliance League and been promoted again to the East Midlands Regional League. Heady success in the F.A. Amateur Cup, including a record crowd of 2723 against Enfield, convinced the Club to turn semi-professional. As a result, the Badgers joined the more challenging Midlands Counties League in 1971.

As founder members both of the Northern Counties East League in 1982 and the Northern Premier in 1987, the Badgers continued to prosper. Over a 16 year period between 1976 - 1992 they managed to surpass the dominance of Eastwood Collieries in Nottinghamshire's Cup competitions, winning the Notts F.A.Senior Cup a staggering 9 times.

The 2003/04 season marked the 50th anniversary of the Club's existence and how wonderfully they marked the event. The Badgers lifted both the NCEL Presidents Cup & Notts F.A. Senior Cup, had an F.A.Vase Quarter Final appearance, were runners up in the NCEL and made the third qualifying round in the F.A.Cup. Between 2005 - 2008 they rekindled their love affair with the Notts F.A. Senior Cup, winning it three times on the trot. The best was yet to come though, with a remarkable run in the F.A.Cup taking them all the way to the 3rd Round Proper under the spotlight of the nation as the lowest ranked survivor. The highlight of the run was a 2-0 win over then unbeaten League Two leaders, Wycombe Wanderers, with a crowd of 1995 crammed in at Coronation Park. Mr Lawrence Senior, and perhaps Junior, would have been very proud men indeed.

At Coronation Park, so called due to its inauguration in the coronation year of 1953, you'll find the largest football ground in Nottinghamshire outside of the Football League. Former manager, Brian Chambers, once commented during a half time team talk "Remember, we are from council estates and pit villages", yet the Coronation Park setting has quite a rural feel to it. The centrepieces of the ground is the new Main Stand & dressing room complex on the Nottingham Road side of the ground. The Main Stand is a small, yet elegant cantilevered stand located slightly off the half way line, down the slope. This is set quite a way back from the pitch, with room for 300 spectators. The seats within are decked out in the Club's black & white, with the white seats spelling out the Club's initials 'E.T.F.C.'. Situated to the side of the Main Stand is the dressing room complex provided superb facilities for players and officials. The stand and the complex cost over �250,000 to build. Just over half came from a Sports Council Grant, with the remainder being funded by the Club through shrewd transfer deals, particularly the �72,500 received from the sale of Richard Liburd to Middlesborough .

The home and away dug outs, installed in 2008, are continental affairs located on the half way line. Running along the entire length of the pitch on either side of the dug outs is well marked out three step terracing. Also located on the Nottingham Road side of the ground is the Club's splendid Social Club and Club Shop, selling all manner of badgers related products. The large Social Club is open throughout the week and provides both hot and cold food on matchdays. At the front of the Social Club you'll find three large glass windows ideally placed for those wishing to keep an eye on events on the pitch within the warmth and comfort of the Club, though this area is for members only. To the front of this area is a unique elevated seating area which provides covered executive seating for up to 40 spectators, the seats again decked out in black & white. The brick wall in front of this seating area has a number of protruding bricks with the names of some of the Club's loyal supporters, a lovely touch indeed, though I'm sure this came at a price.

In 1980, a star-studded Wolverhamton Wanderers team was invited to the Club for the official switching on of the Club's floodlights. Four metal poll floodlights flank each side of the ground, each holding aloft two powerful clusters. Unfortunately, one of these floodlights is right in the middle of the Main Stand, which takes a little of the shine off the benefits of its fine cantilevered roof.

At the Chewton Street End there is a continuation of the terracing from the Nottingham Road side of the ground. However, the club have fixed a cantilevered green roof to the rear wall to provide cover for the majority stood at the club's traditional home end. Directly opposite at the Fire Station End is an almost identical structure, though the wall is painted green. Away fans are usually accommodated at this end of the ground. The Badgers are one of only a few Nottinghamshire clubs who can provide safe segregation of visiting supporters, if absolutely necessary.

On the Coronation Park side of the ground, the sloping pitch is particularly evident due to the line of sponsors boards clearly running downhill from left to right. Here you will find a continuation of uncovered step terracing for the majority of spectators. An added feature is a covered stand between the two central floodlights housing 70 blue & white seats. This is clearly an older stand as the roof is held a loft by six white steel posts. At the back of this stand is an interesting enclosed area, situated on the half way line to accommodate the press on matchdays.

Future Plans

Over the summer of 2008, there wa a considerable amount of remedial work performed on the Coronation Park pitch. The focus in the close season was to level the pitch by taking out all the ridges that currently run its length. Work on the gradient will begin at the end of the 2008/09 season. It is hoped that by the start of the 2009/10 season, Eastwood Town will have one of the best playing surfaces in the league, whatever league that may be.