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On the banks of the Trent, to the east of the
City of Nottingham, sits the peaceful haven of the Ferry Boat Pub &
Restaurant. For years, people have ventured from all over the County to
simply relax by the waters, partake in a picnic, sample the grub or settle
for a sip of the local ale, oblivious to what was hidden behind the trees
behind the Ferry Boat. Noticeable only for its floodlight pylons, lay the
Riverside Ground, home to Gedling Town Football Club.
The secret
is now well and truly out thanks to the arrival on the main road of a
smart blue & yellow sign (apparently procured from a local petrol
station) advertising the Club's presence to passers by, whom may just be
tempted by the announcement of a home game against
Borrowash Victoria.
Originally formed in 1986 as a
construction firm team, R & R Scaffolding, the Club's rapid success
led to the adoption of their present name following promotion to the
Central Midlands League in 1991. A period of consolidation ensued, before Town's progression up the pyramid continued unabated,
capturing the Central Midlands Supreme Championship and with it promotion to
the Northern Counties East League in 1999. Within three years they'd
added the NCEL Division One title to their ever increasing list of honours.
In the 2003/04 season, Town embarked on its best ever run in both the F.A. Cup (3rd qualifying round) and the F.A. Vase (4th Round).
In 2008/09 they
made the sideways move to the more locally based inaugural East Midlands Counties League.
Evidence of
the Town's rapid progression from 'pub team' to serious non-league
contenders can be found when examining its previous personnel.
Former Nottingham Forest player Gary Bull
appeared 216 times for the club, whilst, Notts County payed Town �5000 for
the services of Steve Scoffham in 2004. So well regarded was Steve, that a
stand was named after him in February 2005.
There are two entrances to the
ground, one for players & officials, one for spectators. The
spectators entrance is marked by the aforementioned blue & yellow
sign, through a pair of double wooden gates along a long driveway. The
entrance for players and officials is to the rear of the Clubhouse, by a
red and yellow sign bearing the club's name. Note the sign forbidding
spectators bringing in their drinks from the Ferry Boat.
Three stands occupy the west
side of the ground, the only side offering shelter for supporters. These
are neatly set out, with a covered stand being flanked on either side by
covered seating. The covered standing area, known as The Andy Elliott
Stand, is a basic affair, with a white corrugated sheeting backboard and
grey corrugated roof held aloft by twelve white steel posts. The stand
contains level standing room for up to 500 spectators and holds a sign in the centre
welcoming spectators to Gedling Town. The two stands on
either side are identical in description. The stand nearest the half way
line being the Steve Scoffham Stand. Though slightly higher than the
Andy Elliott Stand, they both once again contain a corrugated sheeting
backboard and roof, held aloft by five steel posts. However, they have
been thoughtfully decked out in green to fit in with the natural
surroundings and contain two rows of blue seats for up to 400
spectators.
In addition to the posts
holding these two stands aloft, the Club's unusual floodlights also pierce
their way through the stand. Four rather frail looking steel post
floodlights rise high above either side of the Riverside Ground. They are
unusual in that there are only three clusters mounted upon each, one at
the peak, and two nettled below.
Another unusual feature is
that the home & away dugouts are on opposite sides of the pitch. On
the east side half way line sits the isolated away teams dugout. This is a
white breezeblock construction divided into two sections, ideal if the
subs want to have a sneaky gossip about their manager sat on the other side.
The
Home dugout is directly opposite in
the front of the Andy Elliott Stand and is identical to the away dugout.
The pitch is completely encircled
by a permanent white barrier on three sides, with wooden advertising
boarding on the south side of the ground. To the north of the Ground is a
high fence installed to try to prevent the loss of too many balls onto the
adjoining farmers land. Further to the north, you should be able to make
out the source of what occasionally provides, in the case of a southerly
wind, an extremely unsavoury whiff which may well distract you from the
football. This is the Stoke Bardolph sewage treatment works, a huge operation
which treats 456,000 Nottinghamshire residence raw sewage. If the smell
doesn't put you off, and you fancy learning a little more, you could
always venture down to the company's onsite education Centre.
To the south of the ground by the entrance, you'll find the welcoming sight of the Clubhouse, serving hot and cold food on
matchdays, in addition to providing a licensed bar.
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From M1 J26 - Follow A610 towards Nottingham to
reach Ring Road. Turn left on to Ring Road for A60 - Mansfield. Follow
signposts for A60 towards Mansfield for about 4 miles passing over two
roundabouts then turn left at the traffic lights. Turn next right at Vale
Hotel pub on to Thackerays Lane. Proceed to roundabout and take second
left on to Arno Vale Road. Proceed through lights, passing the Arrow pub
on your LHS, to top of hill. Continue straight on through next set of
lights on to Arnold Lane. Proceed, past Gedling Church on your LHS,
straight over mini-roundabout. Continue as the road curves round to the
right until reaching junction with A612. Turn left towards Southwell,
proceed under railway bridge and after next pedestrian lights turn right
on to Stoke Lane. * Continue down Stoke Lane for 1.9 miles, passing Carlton
Town F.C. on your LHS, to the river. The Ground is behind the Ferryboat
Inn on your LHS. Here you'll find ample car parking at the Ferryboat pub,
or besides the river.
Dunn
Line offer a limited service 62 to Stoke (Nottm Queens Street -
Bingham). Alternatively, use the NCT Pathfinder Southwell
Sprinter 100 (Nottm Queens Street - Newark Northgate Street) to Burton Joyce. Ground is then a 1.1 stroll down Stoke Lane.
Burton
Joyce - a pleasant 1.2 mile riverside walk to the Ground.