Grier's Guide to Merstham
The match: Merstham v Kingstonian, pre-season friendly. Saturday 6 August, 13:00.
The club: The Moatsiders' history dates back to 1892 but it's only since 2008 that they've been an Isthmian League club. They've enjoyed unprecedented success over the last decade or so, much of it under Hayden Bird, including three Surrey Senior Cups and reaching the FA Cup first round.
The town: Village to the north of Redhill and Reigate long-known for its quarries and mines. Mining was first recorded there in the Domesday Book, almost 1000 years ago, and Alfred Nobel gave the first public demonstration of dynamite in Merstham in 1868.
The ground: The worldflow Stadium, Weldon Way, Merstham, Redhill, RH1 3QB. A compact but neat ground with a low-roofed terrace behind one of the goals.
Tickets: £5 adults/concessions; £2 U16s
Directions: Close as the crow flies but tricky to get to, with the train journey needing you to go up to Clapham Junction and back out. It's around a ten minute drive from junction 8 of the M25, with plenty of parking on the streets near the ground.
Our record there: The most famous visit was six seasons ago when Rob Tolfrey made a dramatic late penalty save to ensure we held on for a 1-0 win and staved off the threat of relegation. Bird also got his first win as Ks manager there, a 1-0 win in September 2019.
Recent form: Relegated last season to Division 1 South Central, they've won one of their five pre-season games at times of writing.
Players to watch: Like his near-namesake, forward Raheem Sterling-Parker has made a move this summer, joining the Moatsiders from Cray Valley. He formerly played for new manager Peter Adeniyi at Carshalton. 50-year old Barry Hayles has moved on though, dropping down a division to join Windsor.
Crowd: Their average crowd last season was 244.
Drinking: The Feathers Hotel, a short walk from the station, is a large and pleasant enough chain pub with typical pub grub on the menu. The Jolly Brickmakers is more of a detour but features a dart board, big screen football and live music.
Food: Plenty of choice at this one - the shops near Feathers and the station include two cafes, a chippy and the well-rated Pizza Project Cafe. Right by the ground there's a Co-op, a kebab shop, a curry house and another chippy.
