Tims 92

Bewdley Town

Ribbesford Meadow

Ground No. 230

Visited - Sunday 30^th April 2011

Result - BewdleyTown 3-5 Bloxwich United

Competition - West Midlands Regional League, Premier Division

Attendance - 61 (h/c)

Formed in 1978, the current Bewdley Town are a relatively young team, but the history of football in the small picturesque town on the banks of the River Severn dates back much further, to 1885 to be precise when Wribbenhall Victoria first entered the Worcestershire and Kidderminster League, changing their name to Bewdley Victoria shortly afterwards. Success was by and large hard to come by for most of their early history, their first honour not coming until 1958, when the by now renamed Bewdley Comrades (thought to date from the time of the First World War) topped the Kidderminster League to win the title. The club folded in 1974, and the present day club were formed four years later, joining the West Midlands Regional League in 1999. They were winners of the Division One South title in 2003 only to find heartache when they were refused promotion due to ground grading. Plans were afoot though, and after finishing the 2004/05 season in second place, they moved out to Stourport briefly whilst their Ribbesford Meadow ground was developed, which allowed them to claim the promotion place denied to them previously, eventually returning home in 2007 when the work was complete.

I’d actually first become aware of the club/ground long before I’d had plans to complete the WMRL Premier, with the ground improvements winning an award as the Groundtastic 2007 Stand of the Year, the innovative design being noted for making the most of the confined space available, so I’d been wanting to visit for a while, and with Football Ground Guide legend chrisredditch wanting to tick the ground as well, then the date was set for their final home match of the season against Bloxwich United, diplomatically one week ahead of the Black Country derby, Chris being of the Tesco persuasion.

Setting off mid morning along with Rob, we met up with Chris and his son Stuart in nearby Kidderminster for a few drinks in the Ye Olde Severn Stars pub before heading out to Bewdley. The name Bewdley derives from the French Beau Lieu, which it had been known as from the fourteenth century onwards, the translation meaning ‘Beautiful Place’. On a gorgeous sunny day, driving through the centre of town along the banks of the Severn with cafes and bars and greens along the course of the river then you can understand why it became known as such. The ground itself is situated a way out from the centre, but as with seemingly the rest of the town, lies on the banks of the every present Severn. The clubhouse and car park are the first things you encounter, set by the entrance, there’s then a fair walk down to the turnstiles, which once through reveals quite an expansive setting. The main pitch is right in front, with hard standing in the form of Astroturf running behind the near end and side, at the far end are pitches running off into the distance, whilst on the far side, sitting in the shadow of a massive wooded hillside that dips down almost right to the touchline sits the Main Stand. Raised from pitch level it’s certainly a unique structure, painted in a shade of brown that you don’t see around too much these days, a victorianesque colour reminiscent of Glasgow Central train station. The four rows of wooden planking sit above the hillside with the rocky shale and steel girders visible underneath, making the stand more a triumph of engineering than one of architectural beauty. Finally, the changing rooms sit in the corner adjacent to the turnstiles, their wooden construction giving a somewhat Scandinavian feel to the ground.

Going into the game, both sides had little to play for, Bewdley in fifth place and Bloxwich seventh, although the hosts had enjoyed what they considered a successful season, winning the Worcestershire Senior Urn in the week against Studley at Aggborough, the team being presented with the trophy on the pitch before the game started. Perhaps it was the hangover from the celebrations, but from the off the visitors looked the stronger side, taking the lead in just the sixth minute thanks to Alan Wilkes who, unmarked, smashed the ball home from the edge of the area to give them the lead. The hosts were back level on 20 minutes, although how much through luck rather than skill will remain debatable, Alex Taffe’s cross-cum-shot beating Gavin Ellis at his far post, the number nine looking more like he’d mishit the ball than been going for it! Four minutes later and United were back in front, Wilkes with his second of the afternoon after being played in and slotting the ball home, and they made it 3-1 shortly after the restart through substitute Andrew Rogers who tapped in a deep cross after the visitors had gone on the attack once more. The hosts weren’t to be outdone and pulled one back five minutes before time, Steve Holt converting a dubious penalty, before right after the restart, Bloxwich had a spot kick of their own, this time more clear cut after Rogers had dribbled around Grant Morris in the Bewdley goal before being pushed to the ground, Alan Wilkes taking the kick for his hat-trick and to restore his sides two goal advantage.

If fans had turned up thinking they might see a toothless end-of-season affair, then they couldn’t be more mistaken, when Holt got his second of the game to give Bewdley hope in the sixty-sixth minute, but the unstoppable Alan Wilkes put the game to rest eight minutes from time, when he received the ball with back to goal 30 yards out, before turning and lobbing the goalkeeper to seal the points with a fantastic effort to make the final score 5-3, and a game which both sides could walk off the pitch with their heads held high from.

After leaving, Chris dropped myself and Rob back off in Kidderminster, wishing each other bad luck for the following weekend before making our way home!

Overall, it had been a good day out, the ground is a fantastic location, especially on a warm, sunny day, and it’s always good to meet people who share a passion for the game and football grounds. As far as the West Midlands (Regional) League goes, then with one left to go, then this probably ranks as the most picturesque of all the grounds in the league, beating even Shawbury.