Run Aground
The Paddock
Run Aground!
The regular feature based loosely on the ‘Desert Island Discs’ idea where Groundtastic
readers wax lyrical about their favourite football grounds
Selection made by Paul Caulfield of East London
CLARENCE PARK - St Albans City
This beautiful tree-lined ground is the ideal football venue. Set in a public park, the place is stunning in early
Autumn. My last visit there was for an FA Cup tie against Kingstonian, and the large crowd in the long stand and
facing enclosure produced a wonderful atmosphere. The troublesome terrace tree, which inexplicably cost the
Saints Conference status some years ago, is now gone, leaving the way clear for this fine arena to host the level
of football it deserves.
THE OLD SPOTTED DOG - Clapton
This isn’t an obvious choice but I’ve included it because of my involvement at
the club. The Spotted Dog, Clapton’s
east end home for 112 years, isn’t in
Clapton at all, but in Forest Gate about
four miles away. The club kept it’s name
after moving from it’s original ground on
Hackney Downs and the subsequent confusion has proved a problem for some visiting sides. Some have
ended up in Walthamstow and on one occasion even Clacton! The ground once held 12,000 for the visit of
Spurs on the FA Cup of 1898 but as interest and gates have declined, so has the capacity which now stands at
around 3,000. The place gives little indication of how strong Clapton once were (they won the Amateur Cup five
times), and the only covered accommodation at ‘the Dog’ is the small stand and an enclosure opposite. The
Spotted Dog pub behin Hܛ