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On
entering The Fieldings, what strikes you initially is how modern
everything is. The smart housing estate, the Mansfield Hosiery Mill, the
impressive cricket
facilities and most importantly of all, the football ground. Yet, the
story of Sutton Town Football Club is draped in deep historical rhetoric,
and a fair bit of chaos.
Founded
in 1885, Sutton Town Football Club initially played at the rear of a
public house, decked out in red caps, white jerseys, white shorts and
black socks. After playing friendly matches for a few seasons, Sutton
joined the Notts & District League in 1890 and won the Championship in
successive seasons in 1906 and 1907. Two years later they captured their
first Notts Senior Challenge Cup, a feat they would repeat on a further 16
occasions, equalling the record set by Nottingham Forest.
Shortly
after joining
the Derbyshire League, Sutton Town made their first move to the New Cross
Ground, sharing with the now long defunct Sutton Cricket Club. In the 1920's they
would be on the move again, this time to the Avenue Ground behind the Pot Makers
Arms on Mansfield Road. The Ground also had a greyhound-racing track,
which was in use up to the 1970's, when the site was redeveloped. Whilst
residing at The Avenue, the Snipes, nicknamed after
the bird featured on the coat of arms of the former Sutton-in-Ashfield
Urban District Council, embarked on the
most successful period in their history. Between 1929 and 1934 they won the
Derbyshire Senior League for three seasons in a row. Having disposed of Rochdale in
the first round
of the FA Cup in 1930, they lost to Reading in the second round in front
of their biggest ever recorded crowd of 11,200.
Following the Second World War, the Snipes
were revived at a new ground on Priestsic Road, with a playing surface that was
the envy of all around, including football league clubs. Crowds of over five
thousand came to see the likes of the then non-league Peterborough United, North Shields, Ashington and Scarborough, as well as local rivals like Worksop Town. In the 1959-60 season Sutton enjoyed
more success in the FA Cup before going out to 3-0 away to Hull City. During this era, the
Club almost made the Notts Senior Cup its own
property. Between 1955 & 1977, they captured the trophy on no less
than 13 occasions, including a record four occasions on the trot between
1971-75. Unfortunately events then took a turn for the worst. The Priestsic Road
Ground,
adjacent to the town centre, was never owned by the Club, and the Landlord sold
out to a property developer. An ASDA superstore now stands on the site.
The
Club almost folded as a result,
but East Kirkby Miners Welfare came to the rescue and allowed the Club to
play on their Lowmoor Road Recreation Ground home, in the neighbouring town of
Kirkby-in-Ashfield. At the time, the Ground was in a state of disrepair,
and certainly not suitable for a club of Sutton Town's pedigree.
However, the Snipe's, grateful for their very existence, gradually turned
it into a stadium, with a pitch wall
surround, new dressing rooms, floodlights, and boardroom and office
facilities. When the Midland League joined forces with the Yorkshire League the
Snipes became founder members of the new Northern Counties East League Premier
Division, winning the NCEL Cup in 1986. They were all set for promotion to
the Premier League when finishing runners up to North Shields,
but on inspection, their Lowmoor Ground failed to meet the grading
requirement. The 1992-93 season saw Sutton Town forced to change their name to Ashfield
United, the issue being forced through a deal with the District Council. However, the
new name did nothing for the future of the Club, as it was forced to fold
in 1997, when East Kirkby Miners Welfare
reclaimed the
Lowmoor Road site.
Sutton Town Football Club had apparently disappeared
forever. However, those connected with the Snipes were determined not to
let that happen. In June 2000, North Notts Football Club was formed,
playing its football at a site on the edge of Sutton at the
Hosiery Mills Ground, off the Huthwaite Road. They aimed to follow in the proud tradition
set by there predecessors, Sutton Town. In its
first ever campaign, North Notts won the Central Midlands Premier Division
title. They also embarked in a successful FA campaign,
reaching the first round proper before going out to Barrow Town. In the meantime
North Notts Chief Executive Eric Hetherington had successfully
negotiated with the FA and former Sutton Town chairman Roy Gregory to
acquire the 'Sutton Town' and 'Ashfield' names with the intention on
renaming North Notts with a title more identifiable with its Sutton-in-Ashfield
base. North Notts supporters were asked which name should be adopted and the
overwhelming answer was Sutton Town Football Club. Some traditionalist
supporters of the old Sutton Town were less than pleased with what they
viewed as the hijacking of their Club by North Notts. However, there could
be no arguing that the Snipes were back in
business.
Since their 'resurrection', events both on and off the pitch were taking a turn for the better
- but this is Sutton-in-Ashfield, where nothing is ever that
straightforward. The Snipes gained promotion to the NCEL
Division One & reached the final of the Central Midlands League
Floodlit Cup. In 2004, they won the NCEL Division One and were promoted to
the Premier League. Meanwhile, the neatly appointed facilities at the Hosiery Mills
Ground have continued to be upgraded,
with Defence Secretary & local MP, Geoff Hoon, opening the new look facilities
in September 2004. Events then took a turn for the worst off the pitch.
With the club's debts spiralling out of control, the Snipes took the
decision to drop out of the NCEL, move back to the CML
and assume the almost identical name of Sutton Town AFC.
Working
your way down towards the entrance to the Ground on the Mansfield Hosiery
Mills side of the Ground, you are immediately drawn to the elegance of the
fascia of the stadium. A huge sign on the claret dominated entrance gates
One
of the main additions to the Ground is the 200 seater stand
behind the Kirkby End goal. Built in May 2004, this small construction occupies a third of
the area behind the goal. The stand is fully covered by a flat cantilevered roof held
aloft by eight black steel trusses connected to an intricate webbed
frame. There are four rows of seating, split into three sections,
with the front and sides of the stand open to the elements. The Club have
applied a personal touch by keeping in line with club colours when
decking out the seating. The bottom two decked out in claret seating, the
higher rows in light blue.. Weaving its way around the
back of this stand, and continuing around the entire south, west and north
of the Ground is a 12 foot high green meshing fence to prevent the loss of
too many footballs to the residents of Sutton.
The
grandeur of the new stand, officially opened by a visiting Notts County
team, constants sharply with the Snipe's other stand. Running along part
of the east side of the ground, this is a more crude affair, basically
consisting of a corrugated roof held aloft by a series of scaffolding
posts. Fifty seats were installed in the summer of 2004 under the roof in
order to improve this covered area in line with higher NCEL standards. The
Stand can also accommodate over 350 standing spectators on stepped
terracing. Further along the east side of the Ground towards the half-way
line sits an unusual cabin structure, presumably for press accommodation
on matchdays.
The
Snipe's have their own changing facilities, club shop and clubhouse all
located near the entrance in tightly packed porter cabins. Supporters can
also use the neighbouring Mansfield
Hosiery Mills Social Club. This
luxuriously appointed facility is owned by Mansfield
Hosiery Mills Cricket Club, offering excellent bar facilities.
On
either side of the ground are three modern steel poled floodlights.
Dominating the skyline, each directs two high powered clusters towards the
Hosiery pitch. On the west side of the Ground, the Snipe's have installed
two basic, wide berthed dug outs. The home dug out spells out the club's
name, whilst the the way dug out states its purpose.
The
rest of the ground offers concreted hard standing, in front of which a
smart four-foot high white concrete wall circumnavigates the entire pitch, with
a touch of claret added behind each goal. Built in 2003, this was funded, along
with improvements to disabled access, with a �10,000 grant from the
Football Foundation.
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From M1 Jnc.28 - Take the A38 (Mansfield)
for 1.2 miles. At traffic lights, turn left into B6027 Common Road.
Continue for 1.1 miles. At traffic light junction (White Hart Pub at
junction) turn right onto B6026 Huthwaite Road. After 0.6 miles, turn
right into The Fieldings (next to the Clarence House Nursing Home). The
Ground is on a side path leading down to the , . There is a car park
available outside the Hosiery, otherwise it's street parking at the top of
the lane.
Stagecoach
East Midlands No.1 (Mansfield Woodhouse -
Huthwaite) passes the Ground. Alternatively, you can catch a bus into
Sutton, and walk to the Ground. Services into Sutton include TrentBarton
Rainbow 3 (Nottm-Mansfield), No.91 (Mansfield-Derby), No.41
(Mansfield-Nottm) No.141 (Sutton-Nottm); Stagecoach East Midlands No.17
(Forest Town-Annesley), No.18 (Mansfield-Annesley), No.92
(Mansfield-Derby), No.95 (Chesterfield-Mansfield); Doyes No.99 (Alfreton-Mansfield);
Roadcar (Newark-Retford).
Mansfield
4.4 miles - From here catch one of the above buses from the Bus
Station next to the Train Station into Sutton. As an alterntive, those who
fancy a bit of a stroll can get off at Sutton Parkway - 2.8 miles.
Walk up Kirkby Foll Road, then turn left onto Station Road. Continue
straight on through to Forest Street, then down Lammas Road. Continue
along Huthwaite Road, and the Ground is on your LHS.