Wealdstone – Away Fans Guide by Sam Turner
The Gulls travel to London, and the borough of Hillingdon, on the 27th October to face off against Wealdstone F.C in the National League South. That means it’s time for another guide for the Yellow Army who follow the team anywhere and everywhere.
WEALDSTONE F.C.
Manager: Bobby Wilkinson
Ground: Grosvenor Vale, Ruislip, London Borough of Hillingdon. 207 miles by car from Plainmoor. The journey by car or train will take about 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Capacity: 3,200 (709 seats)
Nickname: The Stones or The Royals
Rivals: Harrow Borough, Hendon FC (historical), Barnet (historical), Enfield (historical)
History:
– Formed in 1899
– One of the two teams (the other being Barnet) to be shown on the BBC in the first ever live game to be televised.
– They were also part of the first two FA Cup matches to be broadcast on the BBC in the 1949/50 season.
– One of their most successful seasons was the 1984/85 season in which they won the Alliance Premier League and the FA Trophy (which included a trip to Wembley Stadium).
– The club have had 4 different home grounds since being forced to sell their Lower Mead ground in 1991 (including a stay at Watford’s Vicarage Road) before they moved into Grosvenor Vale in 2008 where they have stayed ever since.
– Promoted to the National League South in 2013/14.
– Highest average attendance for any North London non-league club.
Directions to the ground (by car):
– Leave the M4 at Junction 3.
– Follow the Parkway road. At the first roundabout take the second exit and continue on the Parkway. At the second roundabout take the second exit onto the A4180/West End Road.
– Go over the A40 and continue until you reach Grosvenor Vale road which will be on your right.
Direction to the ground (by train):
– Get off at West Drayton station then get the U1 bus to Brickwell Lane. Ground will be 10 minutes walk from here.
Parking:
– There are hundreds of field-parking spaces at the ground itself, accessed by the narrow Grosvenor Vale, but if the weather is very wet the club will only open the small hard-standing car park. There is plentiful street parking around the stadium, however, but best to avoid the very narrow Cranley Drive immediately outside the ground. Pavement parking is NOT allowed here.
(parking information from: www.footballgroundguide.com)