Griffin Park

Saturday, 13 September 2014

Brentford 3-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Aerial shot of Griffin Park (Bing Maps)

Programme - £3.00

Ratings

Overall Ground Quality : 5/10

Ease of getting there : 5/10

Atmosphere : 9/10

Programme : 8/10

View of Action : 6/10

Quality of the game : 9/10

The "football" feeling : 8/10

Chances of coming here for a random game : 2/10

Legroom : N/A

Surrounding area : 7/10

Overall : 59/100

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The Braemar Road Stand

The Braemar Road Stand

The Brook Road Stand

The New Road Stand

Noisy neighbours

Imagine looking out of your living room window to this!

Ealing Road End

The Braemar Road Stand

Ealing Road End

The Brook Road Stand

The New Road Stand

The Brook Road Stand

The Braemar Road Stand

Remaining aged terracing

The Braemar Road Stand

The Brook Road Stand

The New Road Stand

The Braemar Road Stand

The Brook Road Stand

The New Road Stand

The Brook Road Stand

Brentford 3-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

With a move away from Griffin Park on the cards, it was a trip Adrian wished to go on before they move to their new home on Lionel Road.

I (Ross) tried to buy tickets for Brentford’s home match again Brighton and Hove Albion yet I was denied on their online ticket shop due to the lack of purchasing history.

As a last ditch attempt, I decided to email the club explaining that we wanted to buy tickets for a one off game and if they could sell us some tickets. The club responded by email and later rang me to sell the tickets which in fairness, they didn’t need to do.

We set off on our journey down the M1 with a quick stop at Toddington services. As we got back in the car, we saw a fire engine and cars coming to a halt. With a 30 minute delay, we eventually found it was a collision involving a Nissan Micra forcing 4 lanes into 2. We were slightly concerned if we would manage all our planned stops.

We reached our first stop at 10:30am. Mill Meadow is home of Chalfont St Peter which consists of stands on 3 sides of the ground. The main stand is a condemned small structure which doesn’t run the length of the pitch. One stand behind the goal is what looks like a makeshift structure consisting of scaffolding propping up sheets of metal covering a few rows of seats. Behind the other goal, a new and more impressive structure which has a handful of rows of seating.

We next made our way to Uxbridge making our way through the town centre, through Yiewsley to West Drayton. Uxbridge play at Honeycroft in the West Drayton outskirts at the back of an industrial estate.

Honeycroft consists of four stands which don’t run the full length of each side of the pitch. The two stands behind each goal are similar structures which shelter standing terraces. The main stand is an aged structure splitting the two dug outs containing seats with appears to be obstructed by pillars. Opposite the main stand is a stand, again, containing seats under what looks like a bowing roof!

Our final stop, Wealdstone was not far from where we intended to park up. Wealdstone now in Ruislip, play at The Vale which on first viewing didn’t look particularly impressive considering they, at the time, were playing in the Conference South!

The Vale consists of covered terracing behind either goal, a stand running most the length of the pitch containing seats and on the opposite side, the clubhouse and changing rooms.

In the corner of the ground, is what looks like an old watch tower which is now disused.

We parked the car on Eversley Crescent in Ruislip and made our way by foot the short distance to Ruislip Tube Station.

We took the Metropolitan Line to Rayners Lane changing for the Piccadilly Line to Acton Town. Our final change, staying on the Piccadilly Line, was this time going Westbound towards Heathrow. We got off at the next stop which was South Ealing.

We walked down the South Ealing Road where we found a cafe called Panini where we had a full English breakfast and a mug of tea for £4.99 which we thought was excellent value.

With our full English breakfasts washed down with our teas, we continued our walk down South Ealing Road going underneath the M4 before seeing the floodlight pylons towering over the ground.

We walked around to the main reception where we collected our tickets before walking around the ground absorbing the pre match atmosphere within the compact streets surrounding Griffin Park.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit the 4 pubs on each corner of the ground but would definitely recommend having a drink in each one.

Griffin Park is an old fashion football ground which unfortunately these days is now a rarity.

Hardly unchanged over the years, Griffin Park consists of four stands on each side of the ground.

The Braemar Road Stand is a two tier structure which stretches around into each corner of the ground also containing the main club offices and the changing rooms. In the mid 1980’s, the Braemar Road Stand was victim to a fire which was apparently discovered by Stan Bowles who lived in the area at the time.

The New Road Stand runs the length of the pitch is a single tier stand. Previously a terrace, the stand was converted to seating in the summer of 1996. The dugouts have been located in front of the stand since 2010. The central camera position for TV broadcasts of games is located in a gantry in the roof of the stand.

The Brook Road Stand is a two-tiered stand with seating on the upper level and terracing on the lower level, built in the mid-1980s and currently houses away supporters.

Finally, where we stood, the Ealing Road End single-tier terrace which was previously uncovered. The club had an application to build a roof turned down in 2004, with the terrace finally receiving a roof in 2007. Traditionally a home end, the stand housed away supporters at various times throughout the 2000’s.

You can forget executive boxes and corporate facilities, concourse areas and state of the art PA systems and video screens. This is a wonderful blast from the past experience.
Griffin Park is nearing the end of its life but the stadium itself creates a rousing atmosphere. Hemmed in by a pub on every corner and some very pleasant town houses we could actually watch a second tier game standing on terraces, yes in 2014!
The old fashioned floodlight pylons looming over the stadium will have seen many a great game and this was one of them, a real thriller for the neutral on a warm day in west London.
The visitors should have taken the lead very early in the game, some sloppy defending by Brentford saw Crofts fire a shot against the inside of the post. Brighton had settled better, Baldock also having an effort cleared off the line after he rounded the keeper.
So it was against the run of play when the home side took the lead, Alan Judges through ball was finished off by Moses Odubajo. Brentford seized the initiative and started to pose a threat. Lewis Dunk was lucky to stay on the field after he caught Andre Gray who was bursting through. To my mind Dunk was the last man, the referee and assistant referee considered a yellow card sufficient. Dunk was lucky!
Brighton were making errors at the back and were punished again. The excellent Brentford left back Jake Bidwell delivering a low cross which was tapped home by Gray for 2-0. A player we both remember plying his trade in the Conference North with Leicestershire non-leaguers Hinckley United.
Brighton were not out of the game and needed a quick response, and a corner on their right was headed on for Greers left footed volley to make it 2-1. I’m afraid poor marking by Brentford.
In the second half the game continued to be end to end with both sides creating good openings. It was Brentford that increased their lead within 10 minutes of the re-start. A typical English goal! Jota and Bidwell combined on the left, Bidwell’s centred powerfully headed home by Brentford Captain Jonathan Douglas for 3-1.
The reaction from the Seagulls was immediate, a 25 yarder from Holla beat goalkeeper Button as it flashed into the top right corner, 3-2 game on and still 25 minutes to go.
Both sides made subs as players tired, both sides continued to probe and show a positive intent but Brentford saw out the win with some excellent closing down and will to win the game.
There were many games in London this weekend including games at Stamford Bridge and the Emirates Stadium. Both will have seen world class players perform, both will have seen vastly bigger attendances. However was there a more exciting game in the capital this weekend? Was there a better atmosphere? We doubt it!
A footnote, we were the first to leave Griffin Park as we jogged up South Ealing Road to the tube station.
We boarded a train immediately, changing at Acton Town for Ruislip. On the train several people that had been to Stamford Bridge. Our question is, you obviously left early, why?!

We got off the train and made the short journey back to the car. We made our way out of Ruislip onto the M25 northbound up to M1.

To add to our M1 misery, we were forced to 60mph speed limits up to Toddington which we assumed was just left displayed on the overhead matrixes from the collision that morning!

We then had a short spell at 70mph before reaching the average speed limit of 50mph where road works were taking place.

We eventually reached the East Midlands just before 8pm.

A really entertaining match with a fantastic atmosphere both hosted at an old fashion football ground.

What more could you want!