The Crip Crap Corner

 Leveling The Field

We were at Atherstone United, chasing another West Midland League Premier Division title, full of expectation that we’d be promoted into the Midland Division of the Southern League but the news broke that the Grove wasn’t good enough for that level, a crushing blow at the time, we’d just have to settle for another trip to Wembley, winning the F.A. Vase for the first time and being Champions of the League again. The disappointment amongst the travelling fans was hard to put into words, not even the consolation of a 4-0 win did much to change the mood. Maybe it was that day that forced Halesowen Town into a new way of thinking, without doubt, disappointment can be a great motivator.



It wasn’t until twelve months later that changes started to take place but once the diggers moved in and started to level the pitch the Club changed forever. Day after day I’d go down to the ground, watching the progression of work being done. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, there would always be somebody else there watching what was happening. Bear in mind our average home gate at that time was only around the 300 mark, the interest generated from having the pitch levelled was nothing short of phenomenal. Whilst it was true 13,000 people had been to Wembley that year to support the Club, it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest most of those didn’t know we played our home games at the Grove.

The disappointment felt twelve months previously coupled with the work beginning to raise the standard of the Grove brought everybody together and once the turf was laid it was time for the volunteers to take over, remodelling the terraces.

The Stourbridge Road terracing was the first job, the pitch had changed its orientation, indeed, the eagle eyed would notice a changed shape. Such were the eccentricities of the pitch before the diggers moved in, unique undulations and rhomboid markings, nobody had realised how bad the pitch had really been before that day. 



The terracing was going to need rebuilding completely but the first task was to find all of the sleepers that had been buried with debris from levelling the pitch. The idea of using curb stones and concrete was some way off in the future and besides, it was a race against time to get the Grove satisfactorily safe for fans to come through the turnstiles once more. Very quickly there were organised teams attempting to dig free the sleepers. Before long we found more and more, the task of transporting them to where they were needed started, two people per sleeper carefully stepping across the uneven mounds of soil.

After some time, with bodies tiring, there was a cry of pain and yelp of ‘help’ echoed around the ground. Concerned people turned to look at where the noise came from, rushing towards Kevin Bissell who was flat on his back half way up one of the newly created banks but as the masses drew closer to him, fits of laughter paralysed their progress as they realised he’d fallen, the sleeper had pinned him to the ground, wedged in a delicate region of his midriff. All but those suffering find such discomfort incredibly funny, needless to say, it took some time before Kevin got to his feet, moaning in a strained high pitch voice that nobody cared about his suffering.

It wasn’t long before the Stourbridge Road End terracing started to take shape, step by step added until we hit a snag. In its original state that end of the ground was a tree but what should we do about it. The terracing couldn’t be built anywhere near the natural obstacle but taking it out was considered a sacrilegious act, so, a debate began. The history of the Club and the Grove was important to all of us but then realised the pitch had just been levelled, taking away its unique past, so, why should there be a problem in cutting down the tree. Before there was any chance of a change of heart the tree was down, removed and terracing finished.

That first summer of ground improvements, in 1986, went on well into the season itself, the first four games played away from the Grove, the new pitch needing time to settle and of course the job of tidying up after such a major facelift was no small task. Bit by bit each area of the ground was made habitable, or pride growing day by day as everything began taking shape. 



The first home game was scheduled for September 20th, Buckingham Town the visitors but before then the pitch had to be marked out. It was a gloriously sunny day when Phil Lloyd began that task, the white lines standing out in the late summer sunshine. As he finished, a group of supporters stood watching of the undeveloped Hawne Lane bank, then just a mound of soil and clay. Later that night we set about trying to erect the goal posts, a simple job we all thought but getting them exactly right wasn’t easy. 

The following day as I looked at the freshly mown pitch, the nets now attached to the goal posts I couldn’t help but be proud of what had been achieved in a relatively short space of time.

On the night of Friday 19th it rained. Early the following morning, the band of Saturday volunteers turned up as usual, this time, to prepare the Grove for a game of football. The legendary Harry Rudge came into the ground, immediately asking what affect the rain had had on the pitch. Paul Floud, without hesitation quipped, “one of the penalty areas has flooded H”, a look of panic swept across Harry’s face but then as he turned the corner he realised that Paul had been winding him up, ‘H’ quickly admonishing the young upstart.

Whilst it was not the first game of the season, going in through the turnstiles on that day, the sun shining, ground buzzing with expectant fans and seeing the new pitch, regimented shaded lines of mown grass, the pride felt on that day will be hard to beat. Perhaps the only disappointment was the game ended as a 1-1 draw, Lee Joinson scoring our first goal on our levelled pitch, in front of 1512 supporters.

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