Ilford FC

Ilford 3 Barkingside 2 - Essex Senior League

Ilford is a district of the London Borough of Redbridge. Ilford was historically known as Great Ilford to differentiate it from nearby Little Ilford, in the London Borough of Newham. It is bounded in the west by the North Circular Road and the River Roding and is contiguous with Barking to the south, Gants Hill to the north and Seven Kings to the east. The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ilefort and means ford over the Hyle; an old name for the River Roding that means "trickling stream". Little Ilford shares the etymology. A number of major businesses have been founded in the town, including the eponymous photographic film and chemicals manufacturer Ilford Photo. This was founded in 1879 by Alfred H. Harman, a photographer from Peckham, who established the business in a house in Cranbook Road.


This Pieman took a train from London Liverpool Street to Seven Kings, the nearest station to the Cricklefield Stadium. It only takes a few minutes to walk from there.

Spennymoor United FC

Spennymoor United 3 Ossett Town 0 - Northern Premier League

Spennymoor is a town in County Durham, England. It stands above the Wear Valley approximately seven miles south of Durham. The town was founded over 160 years ago. The Town Council area, which includes the villages of Kirk Merrington, Middlestone Moor, Byers Green and Tudhoe, has a population of approximately 20,000. Spennymoor was where Henry Bessemer discovered and patented the Bessemer process which revolutionised the world we live in by allowing the mass production of steel and pig iron at a low cost. Dating from 1183, The Whitworth Hall estate was owned by and home to the Shafto family for over 300 years, including County Durham MP "Bonnie Bobby Shafto", made famous by the well known ballad and nursery rhyme. It is now the site of Whitworth Hall Hotel and the deer park for which the estate is famed is still well tended, as is the walled garden.

www.footballgroundz.co.uk

The Pieman's visit to Brewery Field was en route to a match at Sunderland the following day. We were staying in Durham overnight and Spennymoor was an ideal stopping of point. Having watched a feisty Manchester derby on TV at a nearby pub, it was a joy to discover Black Sheep on handpump in the clubhouse at the ground.


www.footballgroundz.co.uk

Misfortune struck the club in 2005 when they folded, causing controversy over unfulfilled fixtures. The club was reborn as Spennymoor Town, taking over Evenwood Town and played at the Brewery Field albeit several leagues lower than previously.

Spennymoor United at the Football Club History Database