Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog, and this is already my fifty-fifth piece on a different football ground.
For this blog, we defeated Storm Eustice and visited another non-league ground, the second since the Gloucester Groundhopper's inception. Malvern Town Football Club was a club with a bright future ahead of them. The stadium is known as the HDAnywhere Stadium, but it is more commonly known as the Langland Stadium, and it is located at the foot of the world-famous Malvern Hills. This was another new territory for myself and Gloucester Groundhopper debutant, Gloucester Groundhopper Sr aka'my dad,' and it was a memorable one.
The Langland Stadium is located about a five-minute drive from the centre of Great Malvern, a town in Worcestershire. Gloucester Groundhopper Sr and I ventured into the town centre to see what it had to offer. It is a lovely picturesque town in the centre, with many shops, a lot of history, and a lot of uphill walking. I'm not kidding when I say that no matter where you go in Great Malvern, everything is uphill, so bring your hiking boots. C.S Lewis (author of the Chronicles of Narnia), Franklin D Roosevelt (former president of the United States), and JRR Tolkein (author of the Lord of the Rings) have all taken sabbaticals in Malvern in the past. We headed to the ground after taking in the sights of Great Malvern and perusing its many charity shops.
It’s All In The Name Malvern Town are known as The Hillsiders. The name comes from their geographical location and the fact they are based a stone's throw from the world renowned Malvern Hills. They are literally at the side of a hill.
Some Notable Former Players
Simon Brain (Former Cheltenham Town)
Dudley Tyler (Former West Ham United)
Some Notable People From Malvern:
Anne Diamond- TV Journalist
Elsie Howey- Suffragette
Jenny Lind- Opera Singer
Cher Lloyd (by Cher Lloyd)- Singer
Evie Richards- Team GB cyclist
A History Lesson From AFC Finners Barnard's Green, Malvern Town's predecessor, was established in 1946. They joined the Worcester league before capturing the Worcester combination on their first try. They went on to win the Worcestershire Junior Cup three years in a row, and a fourth time in 1961. They joined the West Midlands Premier Division in 1979 and progressed through the divisions over the next few decades, eventually winning the Premier Division and promotion to the Midland Alliance in 2004. They were promoted again a few seasons later, but were relegated back to the West Midlands Premier Division. In 2019, they won their ninth Worcestershire senior urn and are now in the Hellenic League Premier Division.
The Hillsiders look forward to the future and what it may hold for them, as they are surrounded by the beautiful Malvern Hills.
Honours 🏆West Midlands Regional League Premier Division (Champions: 2003-2004) 🏆Midland Combination League (Champions: 1955-1956) 🏆Worcestershire Senior Urn (Winners: 1973-1974, 1974-1975, 1975,1976, 1978-1979, 1983-1984, 1989-1990, 1999-2000, 2014-2015) 🏆Worcestershire Junior Cup (Winners: 1955-1956, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1961-1962) 🏆Worcestershire Minor Cup (Winners: 1952-1953)
An Interview With Malvern Town
Manager: Lee Hooper
Earlier this week, Malvern Town's manager, Lee Hooper, kindly agreed to answer a few questions on Malvern Town and his experiences in football. Lee Hooper has been manager of Malvern Town for a number of years now and he has enjoyed a variety of successes whilst in the role.
GG: Good evening Lee, firstly welcome to the Gloucester Groundhopper, it is a privilege to have some time with you just to get to know you and get to know Malvern Town. Could you tell us more about Malvern Town Football Club? LH: Malvern Town as a club are very ambitious on and off the pitch. We are a friendly welcoming club with a great fan base and good history in local football. GG: How long have you been manager of Malvern Town, and how did the opportunity come about? LH: This is my fourth season as a manager and I have enjoyed every bit of it as Malvern is a club close to my heart. I stepped up as manager after playing for the club for thirteen years of my sixteen year playing career.
GG: Can you tell us a fun fact about Malvern Town? LH: A fun fact about Malvern Town?…….. erm……. We have never won the FA cup 😂 GG: What are your opinions on managing in non league? In your opinion how is it different to managing in higher leagues? LH: Managing at step 5 is very exciting and non league has got so much more exposure since the Covid-19 pandemic which is amazing as so much volunteered time is put into every club and this support is so appreciated and needed. I love the whirlwind of non league. GG: What does the club mean to the community? LH: This club plays a big part in the community and we try and do all we can to support the community as a whole. GG: What are the clubs aims in the near future? LH: Like I mentioned earlier we are very ambitious as a club but also realistic. We need to be sustainable as a club first and foremost. The work off the pitch compliments the work that goes on it. We will keep working hard to improve everything about the football club. GG: Finally, how much of a difference does having the added presence of experienced coaches like Steve Cleal on the touchline make? LH: As above, we like to keep improving. Having Steve on board is a step in the right direction. I said at the time it was a big statement by us to get him in. He is a great coach and a great guy. The lads have warmed to him really well and performances are reflecting in the things we put in place on the training ground. Results are good at the moment and the atmosphere is really good, hopefully we can sustain that. A special thanks to Lee and all at Malvern Town Football Club for taking the time to do this interview. All of us at the Gloucester Groundhopper appreciate it massively.
Matchday: Malvern Town 2-0 Bradford Town
Because the stadium is located in the midst of some residential areas, it was simple to find free parking for the game. In fact, we were able to park directly across from the ground. When you arrive at the stadium, you are greeted by a large sign that reads 'HDAnywhere Stadium,' which took me a while to figure out because I initially thought it said Welsh. We looked around the stadium from the outside, but there's not much to see because all of the club bars and other facilities are located inside. As a result, we decided to enter the stadium right away.
It cost £11 for myself and my father (£7 for an adult and £4 for a student), which isn't bad for a non-league game. We walked around the pitch, trying to find the best view while adhering to the blog's customary practises. If you walk to the opposite side of the pitch from where you enter the stadium, you will be greeted with one of the most, if not the most, aesthetically pleasing views you will ever see from a football stadium. The Malvern Hills, as seen in the photo, tower over the ground, making for a truly breathtaking sight. However, with the strong winds blowing, standing on this side of the pitch for the match was out of the question, as it was, in my professional opinion: bloody Baltic.
It appears that the club bar, which also sells merchandise, generates a large portion of Malvern Town's revenue. My one constructive criticism is that there is no signage indicating that this was the case. I would not have known to ask the lady by the turnstile, who is the sweetest lady I have ever met, to ask at the bar for a look at the merchandise if I hadn't asked the lady by the turnstile, so a small stall or some signage directing fans to the bar could be useful. In terms of signage, there are no food price signs, so you'll have to ask the lovely lady at the kiosk what they serve and how much it costs. My father and I ordered the cheeseburger, which cost £3.50 each. It was a standard football burger, minus the onions, which were not available. I was invited up to the press box and given a team sheet, which was thoughtful of the club.
On the turnstiles, they were also selling programmes, which is a nice touch for a non-league stadium. I'm not a huge fan of matchday programmes, but if you want to indulge, Malvern have them for sale. We decided to stay in the main stand for the game, right behind the home team dugout, which turned out to be a brilliant decision in the end, as you will see later in this blog.
Teamsheets:
Malvern Town:
Manager: Lee Hooper
Keiron Blackburn Phil Harris Lewis Platt Adam Sauntson James Timmins Harry Clark ⚽ Louis Loader (c) Joe Bullock Matt Turner Kyonn Evans Joe Bates Substitutes Nathan Chowns-Higgs Carrick Hill Ben Hayes ⚽ Josh Beadle Dave Reynolds
Bradford Town:
Manager: Lee Davidson
Darren Chitty Rich Dawley Aaron Witchell Ed Plackett Ross Lye (c) Will Taylor Charlie Walton George Box Harvey Baker Jake Brown Lee Hartshorn Substitutes Tyson Pollard Luke Burman Dawid Fedyk Jamie Lyons
The game itself began fairly flat, with both sides attempting to figure each other out. In the first half, Malvern Town were slightly better, forcing good saves from Bradford Town goalkeeper Darren Chitty. First, striker Matt Turner received a through ball and turned his man before firing narrowly wide (after a finger tip save from the keeper). Second, just before halftime, Malvern had a well-worked free kick on the edge of the box. The ball was on its way to the top corner but for a great save by Bradford Town's keeper. All I could hear during the first half was Malvern Town assistant manager Steve Cleal coaching his players. Shouts of 'Shape! Shuffle! Milky!' rang out across the field. It was incredible to see someone working his players so hard, and as the outcome shows, the effort was well worth it. Anyway, at halftime, the score was 0-0. The second half was far more action-packed. It was a battle between Malvern Town and Darren Chitty. 'Shot for Malvern, Saved by Chitty' was the theme of the first half. Chitty saves Malvern's shot.' Halfway through the second half, Matt Turner broke the deadlock by turning the ball in after a cross from the left, only for the referee to break the Malvern players' hearts by ruling it out for offside, despite the ball being played backwards. In any case, the score remained 0-0. But not for long, as a cross from the right was met by Harry Clark, who headed home to make it 1-0 to Malvern Town and allay my fears of watching a 0-0 draw.
This goal ignited the game, as Malvern had shot after shot after shot, only for, you guessed it, Darren Chitty to keep the ball out. Bradford Town were reduced to ten men after deciding that Darren Chitty is the best goalkeeper in the world. Malvern Town made a strong challenge, and Aaron Witchell kicked out at his challenger, earning him a red card.
Strangely, Bradford then switched to a 3-3-3 formation, which left them wide open on the wings, and the second goal was unsurprisingly created by a cross from the wing. Joe Bates sent in a cross from the right, and Ben Hayes was there to tap it in. It was 2-0 and it was only a matter of time before it became 3-0, with chances falling to Ben Hayes, Matt Turner, Josh Beadle, and Joe Bullock, but Malvern couldn't find the third goal. Malvern Town won the game 2-0, moving them one point behind second place in the league, while Bradford Town fell two places to fourth. With Bishop's Cleeve flying high at the top of the league, it appears that both sides will have to fight for second place, and if this game is any indication, that spot is not out of reach for Malvern Town.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 5/10
Food and Drink: 5.5/10
Stadium: 6/10
Welcome: 8/10
Overall Experience: 7/10
GG
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