This was a brilliant treat after a gig for the wonderful Hilarity Bites in Newton Aycliffe on a random Tuesday night. A quick look at the Northern League’s website suggested the town’s football team were playing at the same time.
I finished my set and hot-footed it across to Moore Lane Park, part of the Moore Lane Sports Ground that also houses a cricket club, in time to catch the last half hour of a lacklustre home defeat to the hands of Durham City.
The ground itself is pleasant if a little nondescript. I visited on a dark night so it was hard to tell if you’d be able to see much from the outside – the fact that you have to walk around the cricket pitch to get to the stadium at the back of the complex means I don’t hold much hope.
Once inside it houses two stands, both sheltered, one for standing and one for sitting. They’re both virtually identical to the off-the-shelf Northern League stands that most new grounds at that level seem to have, so it’s hard to really compliment them.
The subs’ benches are quite pleasant to look at. Clad in perspex they’ve a continental look about them and it’s an often overlooked area for individuality. So many clubs at this level just have ugly brick structures, so thumbs up on that front.
The standing area is named The William Finley Stand which is a nice touch and sets it apart slightly, so kudos too for that. The rest of the ground is just hard standing really. There’s plenty of room and I suspect on a sunny day it’s a wonderful place to take in a game, but for a night match there’s not much else to look at other than the football.
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Football Grounds I Can Be Bothered To Visit 