21/08/21 Review: Basildon United vs White Ensign

Basildon United 1-0 White Ensign (FA Cup Qualifier, Preliminary Round) Gardiners Close

Amongst the many great traditions in this country there is one that still excites me to this day- The FA Cup. No, I'm not a hopeless romantic hoping to go to Wembley one day and see minnows Port Vale lift the cup at Wembley, nor am I the guy who looks forward to a Manchester derby in the Semi-Final. For me, the magic of the cup is that everybody is in the hat (up until a certain level). As slim as the chances are, Chelsea COULD end up playing Chorley, or Liverpool MAY come up against Ludlow Town. Who knows, if Basildon United play their cards right they MIGHT get a trip to Brentford? Again, it seems almost impossible at this very early stage of local qualifying, but whilst there is even a 1% chance of clubs like Basildon United and White Ensign reaching the Third Round proper of the FA Cup, that is what they will be fighting and hoping for in these qualifiers. Oh yeah, and the much needed prize money for competing in the world's most famous cup competition.

Not that the ground is in bad shape at all

And speaking of tradition, the mid-August weekend outing to an FA Cup Qualifier in this area of the world has sporadically become a nice little bonus for me personally as I tend to usually spend a bit of time in Essex over August for a family member's birthday. In 2016, I ticked off one of London's most famous non-league grounds as I went to watch London Bari vs Clapton at the Old Spotted Dog Ground. Meanwhile at the start of the 2018/19 season there was a double-header to observe as I did a Friday night trip to Coggeshall Town versus Witham Town followed by Great Wakering Rovers big win against Leyton Athletic at Burroughs Park- the current home of White Ensign! Aside from these FA Cup bouts, I've also had the privilege of doing many of Essex's locals during my 206 total, having knocked off Roots Hall and Southchurch Park in Southend, as well as further afield classics such as Park Lane in Canvey Island and Ship Lane for the 2017 BBC Essex Cup Final.

But how would this one compare?

Basildon United's Gardiners Close is one that has been on my radar for such a long time but much like with many of my locals back home in Staffordshire, they are so close-by that I tend not to rush to get to them as they are really handy and easy when in a rush. Last weekend would prove to be that rush as I arrived in Leigh-on-Sea at 2:45pm after the long trek down from Stafford. I quickly chucked my partner out at her mum's house and then shot back up the A127 with my ETA showing as 3:03pm. It wouldn't be the first time I've missed kick-off for a match, but with my sights set on a game regardless, I just about made it into the ground by about five past. No time to grab a beer yet, but I did at least make note of the layout of Gardiners Close. Hidden just off the dual carriageway and behind a few trading estates, United's home lives next to the Ford Sports & Social Club and this means that for the true sports fanatics you could make the most of watching a game of rugby concurrently with the footy if you stand in the right place. The brutish egg fight isn't for me, so I resisted that urge and instead took up a pew in the main stand to watch Basildon and Ensign try to forge the early advantage.

No idea what that is behind the stands though? Maybe a bee hive...

For me, the best thing about Basildon's ground is its identity. A proudness to be called the bees and an equal emphasis on the club colours makes it a sight to behold in an otherwise pretty standard non-league football ground. Everything from the goal nets through to the media hut have the yellow and black theme and I for one am a huge fan of it. A lot of non-league clubs will let their grounds get run down and rusty, but that doesn't mean they have to look run down and rusty. With a bold paintjob and a good graphic designer in your midst you can achieve a very smart and compact look to your ground, which Basildon United have done oh so well. In terms of actual structure, the ground has three decent stands along the one side. A substantial seating stand, which includes the entrance tunnel for players and officials, sits dead central in the ground. At the far side there is a smaller seating area and near the punter entrance is a mini-terrace suitable for the standing supporters. Behind both goals they have a scruffy standing area which is sheltered and finally at the opposite end there is just a railed standing area running the length of the pitch and a nice backdrop of trees. I'm not sure if it's incidental, but it is quite common to see the built-up areas of a ground furthest away from the dugouts and I imagine that this is to reduce the amount of annoying fans standing and pestering the gaffers during a match.

An interesting badge, too

On the pitch the action was well underway and although the opening twenty minutes were lively enough, the only real goal threat that I saw came in the shape of a well-worked corner. Both sides played decent enough football in the first-half, but there was a distinct lack of quality and communication between the midfield and forwards on this occasion. The hosts were favourites for the game and play in the division above White Ensign, who have just joined the Essex Senior League for the 2021/22 campaign, but I wasn't expecting a goal fest from this encounter and as a result I'd made a pre-match prediction of 1-0 to the hosts. Let it go on the record now, that I make pre-match guesses for each game and on average I think I get one or two right per season... this is not me trying to appear like some sort of non-league psychic, more just a way of adding a bit of extra spice to the game from a neutral's point of view.

Speaking of extra spice...

The locals were fairly standard footy fans across the board and as I looked around I spotted all of the usual suspects. Half the fans had one eye on the match and the other on their phones, checking out their fantasy football teams or the scores for their accumulators. Loads of kids were knocking about from the youth team, which is always good to see in a community football club, whilst the rest of the majority were friends, families and locals. My only real interaction was with one kid, who looked about twelve years old, walking past me with a pint in his hand and as our eyes met he just said "alright, boy?" and carried on walking. No judgement on my part, I'll just put it down to a cultural exchange. At half-time I joined a good chunk of the crowd in the clubhouse for a beer and again the indoor facilities were as bold and beautiful as the outside. A smart and sporty look was complimented by a couple of big TVs showing the half-time scores from around the grounds, whilst over to the left of the bar was a vast yellow room which I imagine would be used post-match for the teams and officials. As I mentioned before, a big fan of the presentation of the ground and it really did standout compared to many of the similar sized clubs I've visited over the years. Even the little club shop hatch and entry to the ground are pleasant and offer a good first impression.

Function Room

Bar/Clubhouse

Turnstile

Club Shop

Back outside I wandered over for the second-half and thankfully I would get to witness a goal- AND WHAT A GOAL IT WAS! Following a Bees corner, the ball made its way to substitute Nathan Fuma and as players from his Southend opposition approached, he hit a whistling strike which flew through the air into the White Ensign goal. The crowd nearest me went into frenzy and Fuma ran over to them to celebrate what would prove to be a worthy winner. Basildon 1-0 Ensign.

The Bees are buzzing by now

It is fifty-one years since Jimmy Greaves and Geoff Hurst officially opened the stadium and although this match hadn't lived up to the heights they may have dreamed of for the Essex club, Basildon United fans were more than happy at the ref's final whistle as they'd survived a potential banana skin of a fixture by overcoming White Ensign and securing themselves a place in the First Qualifying Round. Their Southend based opponents journey ended ten days after it began with the impressive win away at Sporting Bengal, however for the hosts it is onwards and upwards. They smashed their way through Stansted two weeks prior and next up will be a tough visit to Wingate & Finchley from the division above. After today, I'll definitely be cheering them on from afar in the next round. A great afternoon out for anybody looking for a character-filled afternoon of football fun.

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