OPPOSITION Q&A
“The Farnborough FC matchday experience is everything a non-league experience should be”
Farnborough supporter Luke answers our questions on Farnborough FC, matchdays at the Easy As HGV Stadium and more, as we start to look ahead to 23-24
THE GROUND
One of the best in the National League South. We have plenty of covered terracing and two large stands with good vantage points and ample seating. The Farnborough FC matchday experience is everything a non-league experience should be. Friendly, welcoming and with facilities worthy of the level above. I’d say we have one of the best club shops in non-league with old programmes galore and memorabilia galore. Check it out.
HISTORY OF THE GROUND
Our first season at Cherrywood Road was back in 1976/77 when the Charles Mortimore main stand was constructed as an extension to the clubhouse.
More recently came the 1,300 seat PRE Stand. An ambitious project for our level, this was constructed using money raised by the supporters through the Farnborough Supporters Trust (FaST), a grant from the Football Foundation and the club itself (then under different ownership) contributing to the rest.
THE MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE
Our feedback from visiting fans via the club’s social media pages speaks for itself. I’m confident that you’ll remember it as one of the better away day experiences in our league with league leading match day hospitality provided by our club volunteer staff.
Home and Away fans are welcome to use the same main club bar and in two corners of the ground you can get cans of beer and cider.
For this season the Supporters Trust are aiming to increase our match day offering with the introduction of a Fan Zone. Hopefully this will be completed by the time you visit, but we have exciting plans for it and this type of addition aims to reflect fan’s demands for a better matchday experience which expands beyond the football being played on the pitch.
SEGREGATION
Segregation is not normally enforced and you’d have to go back quite a long way since this was deemed necessary. I think that’s part of the charm of watching football at this level. The fans can change ends at half time if they wish, both sets of supporters are respectful and relatively cordial. A section of our fanbase are usually in good voice and there’s often plenty of friendly banter.
PRICES
Admission this season will be Adult £15, Concession £10, 14-18-year-old £5, Under 14 (when accompanied by paying Adult) FREE.
FOOD AND DRINK OPTIONS
The ground is located between two large housing estates but 1.5 miles from the town centre. That’s around a 30 minute walk which is fairly simple, or a short taxi ride (A-Live Taxis 01525 650 000). The good news is that there are pubs on the route. Which pubs depend on which station you arrive at Farnborough Main or Farnborough North. You could venture into the nearby town centre but there’s currently not much there to write home about.
The nearest pubs to the ground are are:
The Hawley Arms, 51 Churchill Cres, Farnborough GU14 8EL – 0.3 miles
The Ship Inn, 162 Ship Ln, Farnborough GU14 8BE – 0.8 miles
Thatched Cottage, 122 Prospect Rd, Farnborough GU14 8NU – 0.9 miles
The Prince of Wales, 184 Rectory Rd, Farnborough GU14 8AL – 1.3 miles
The ground normally opens a couple of hours before kick-off where you can also purchase food from the kebab van in the car park, Fast Food and Boro Burger Kitchen (Kiosks) inside the ground or for drinks: The Cherrywood Bar (Clubhouse) and Fanzone inside the ground.
Like all clubs at this level, we’d hope that supporters will always consider using the club’s facilities, that way you can make the most of your time with us.
GETTING TO THE GROUND
By train from Torquay station you’ll almost certainly want to go via Reading and come into Farnborough North Station. That will drop you right by The Prince Of Wales. Alternatively you may go by Reading and then Basingstoke on to Farnborough arriving at Farnborough Main (there’s a 0.8 mile walk between the two stations with Farnborough North being a fraction closer to the football club at 0.1 mile less.
For Torquay fans in and around the London area, Farnborough is served by a mainline train accessible from London Waterloo.
By car you’ll likely be able to do the journey in 3hrs if traffic is free flowing, this would be via the A303. We have a decent sized car park and on match days entrance is charged at £2. We ask that you bring exact change for parking as contactless is not available. There is also limited free on street parking in the residential areas surrounding the ground but expect to get a ticket if you park on the grass verges where double-yellow lines are present.
AWAY DAYS
Personally, I’m looking forward to the four I’ve not been to Plainmoor, Huish Park – Yeovil, Parkside – Aveley and Gallagher Stadium – Maidstone United. When I did visit Plainmoor it was during the closed season a few years ago on a neaby family holiday. I purchased the very last pin badge in stock and took some photos of the exterior. The stadium looked like a fairly impressive league ground but the weather was unseasonably dull and so I hope when we come to visit this season we get the weather to match the palm trees of the English Riviera.
EXPECTATIONS FOR 23/24
I was quite surprised by the lack of quality in the bottom half of the table for the most part of last season.
With some of those teams now gone and yourselves, Yeovil, Maidstone United and the teams who made the play-off’s but failed to get promoted, we’ve got a seriously competitive league to look forward to.
In addition, the newly promoted teams Truro City and Weston-super-Mare return to a level they will be familiar with. Then there’s Aveley who are somewhat of an unknown entity and might just provide a few surprises over the course of the 23/24 campaign.
We finished 12th last season with an awful end to a very positive campaign. We still over-achieved as a newly promoted team in a league with a sprinkling of full-time squads. I’d like for us to improve on our position by at least a couple of places but if we don’t hit the ground running in the first quarter it could be a long hard season given the strength of opposition.
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