Grier's Guide to Cobham
When: Tuesday 25 August, 7.45pm kick-off
The town: Wealthy Surrey village that's home to Chelsea's training ground and a number of their mega-rich squad, as well as Antonio Banderas and Shane from Westlife.
The ground: Leg O'Mutton Field, Downside Bridge Road, Cobham, KT11 1AA. As well as a delightful name, it boasts a small main stand and a covered terrace behind one goal. The pitch was looking in great nick in a photo they recently posted online.
Directions: Head down the A3 to Painshill Roundabout then turn left on the A245 and follow the road into the village centre. Downside Bridge Road is a right turn off the High Street. The ground's car park is quite small but there's a larger Council-run one just outside, which is currently free all day due to Covid. By train Cobham and Stoke D'Abernon is only 14 minutes from Surbiton but it's a lengthy walk of 1.6 miles.
Covid security: A maximum of 150 fans will be admitted, due to Cobham's Combined Counties League status and the FA's formula for a safe return to football. Cobham's website says: "Following guidelines by the FA and the National League System, latest social distancing steps will be in place. The clubhouse and facilities will be open and we are looking forward to a great atmosphere. £5 entry for Adults, £3 Adults 65+ and Free entry for Under 18’s. Supporters can also send a test and trace email with name, email address and phone number to [email protected] to save time at the gate should they wish. Data will be kept for 21 days and then deleted."
Our record there: Our only competitive visit came in 1998 when we were a Conference club, a team of Gary Patterson plus ten fringe players winning 5-3 in the Surrey Cup while Dave Leworthy and Geoff Pitcher waited on the bench in case they were needed. The ground also had a spell as our U18s' home.
Recent form: Cobham went down 1-0 to Hellenic League Virginia Water in a friendly on Saturday. They were ninth in the Combined Counties Premier at the point last season was abandoned.
Players to watch: Captain and centre-half Martin Weighill played for Ks Youth until he was 14. Last season's top scorer Monty Everett has left for Staines Town, for whom he made his debut in a friendly win over Leigh Dynan's East Grinstead Town.
Crowd: Given it will be the first chance to watch either side in five months, the fixture may attract more fans than it otherwise would have.
Drinking: Youngs pub The Bear is a short walk from the ground and has a good-sized outside garden. They encourage punters to book in advance and use their app to order to help be Covid-safe.
Food: The Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme will be in operation, so anywhere doing food is likely to be busy and you may want to reserve a table in advance. The Bear is taking part and has a fairly upmarket gastropub menu. The ground is a short walk from the High Street where there's also Cote, Costa, Sainsbury's and - probably not in many football away guides - The Ivy Brasserie.
