Groundtastic GT23 | Page 32

Western League Floodlights Western League Quick Fix Vince Taylor takes a trip out west to see the new constitution take shape In order to bring its constitution back up to full strength, the Screwfix Direct League welcomed five new clubs into its ranks for the 2000/2001 season. In addition to the inclusion of the reserve side of Dr Martens League Bath City, whose Twerton Park will already be familiar with most readers , Cadbury Heath and Worle St Johns were promoted via the pyramid system and Hallen transferred over from the Hellenic League. The most intriguing new name amongst the new boys however was Team Bath, a newly formed club based at the University of Bath. Worle were runners up in the Somerset Senior League last season but as the facilities at their Recreation Ground base were unsuitable for Screwfix Direct League football, they decided to merge with fellow Somerset Senior League side Weston St Johns, changing their name to Worle St Johns and moving into Weston St John’s Coleridge Road ground. Hidden away in the middle of a housing estate, the ground in adjacent to a large youth club complex, which is signposted from Coleridge Road. During the summer an extensive refit went on, as a concrete slatted fence was erected around the perimeter of the ground and a neat wooden barrier put up around the pitch. The spectator facilities are modest at present, comprising as they do of two identical sections of cover beneath which a few odd chairs have been lined up (pictured above). For those not minded to pay to get in, an excellent free view is available via a railway bridge next to the ground. Worle St Johns have no shortage of rivals on their doorstep. Woodspring Park, the home of Dr Martens League club Weston Super Mare is little over half a mile away, while Somerset Senior League club Westland United’s ground is located just the other side of the railway line. Cadbury Heath have been knocking on the door of the Western League for several seasons and they were finally accepted after finishing second in the Gloucestershire County League last season. Located on the eastern outskirts of Bristol, their Springf Y[