The superfan joined the groundhoppers in a wet and windy Hayes.
Seven games in the last week included an FA Sunday Cup Semi-Final, an AFA Middlesex/Essex Senior Cup Final and a Saturday morning fixture in the Middlesex County League.
It’s strange how the weather deteriorates at the weekend. After some sunny, if not particularly warm, days during the week, it was wet and windy as I took the 09.42 train from Paddington to Hayes on Saturday for the latest in a series of groundhopper matches.
Sandgate, celebrating their 40th anniversary, were the hosts for a Division One West clash with Grosvenor House that drew 89 fans to Bourne Farm Playing Fields, about 20 minutes’ walk from Hayes station. The teams put on a very good show in difficult conditions, the visitors going ahead before Sandgate in their red and white stripes levelled before the break with a penalty.
The home club was formed in 1969 as the junior section of Hayes Working Men’s Club. It became ‘Sandgate Minors’ after the Sandgate Hall where the working men’s club was located. It was awarded FA Charter Status in 2005 and last season saw the emergence of a senior side, emphasising the club’s commitment and drive to expand even further.
I was impressed with the set-up there. They had a proper barrier all around a nice flat pitch and there were world-class cheeseburgers, amongst other things, on sale in an excellent clubhouse. This is a club that seems destined to progress. On the field they currently lie second in the table.
