Burnham Ramblers

Burnham Ramblers FC is a non league football club from Burnham-on-Crouch in the east of Essex, around fifty miles from central London. The town is a favourite location for sailing.

The Ramblers were formed in 1900, whereupon they became members of the Mid Essex League. After using four different grounds the club moved into Wick Road in 1927. In 1966 Burnham became founder members of the Essex Olympian League.

The 1980’s saw Ramblers move to Leslie Field to the west of the town, where the new ground also included two other pitches and training facilities to cater for the club’s many sides. Ramblers joined the Essex Senior League for the 1985-86 season.

After a few top five finishes, Burnham lifted the Essex Senior League title in 2012-13 and were promoted to the Isthmian League. At the same time the club applied to move to new facilities to the west of Leslie Field to cater for all their growing membership and status.

Burnham Ramblers FC will play in the Isthmian League Division One North in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Burnham Ramblers 3 Tilbury 1 (Saturday 28^th December 2013) Isthmian League Division One North (att: 113)

My last game of 2013 coincided with me working night shift post the Christmas break. I wanted to go to somewhere relatively close to London and to somewhere new. The bad weather earlier in the week had me on red alert as I went to bed in rather despondent form after yet another England batting collapse in The Ashes.

I woke to find the skylight in my top floor flat missing and a bright blue sky staring down at me. After emergency calls to my landlord I headed to Liverpool Street station, where I purchased a return for £9.90 on my Network railcard.

The journey necessitated a change at Wickford before getting aboard The Crouch Valley Line to Burnham on Crouch. The journey took seventy minutes all told. The weather was bright, with signs of it getting cold as the afternoon continued.

Google maps had come up trumps once again as I found a quick route to the ground along Foundry Lane following the road along the side of the railway, before crossing the tracks and cutting through the industrial estate to Springfield Road. It took me around ten minutes.

I purchased the reasonable programme for £1.50 at the gate and then adjourned upstairs to the bar to watch the last twenty minutes of the West Ham v West Brom game while sampling a couple of bottles of Speckled Hen. After drinks I went out and paid my £8 admission as the sun was beginning to set in the distance.

Leslie Field was a tidy set up. The clubhouse and changing rooms had aesthetic gables which then looked like they formed the roof of the neat seated stand in front; a bit like at Champion Hill Dulwich, but on a smaller scale. Opposite was another changing room block to serve the other pitches, with a small cover facing the main pitch to cater for spectators. The Springfield Road end had three steps of terracing behind the goal, with the rest of the ground consisting of open flat grass and hard standing.

The visiting youthful Tilbury side came flying out of the blocks, putting pressure on the home goal. It was no shock when Danny Francis netted after a header from a corner had struck the crossbar. They continued in the same vane until Ramblers got to grips and gradually got into the game. My average day continued as I dropped my IPhone and the back cover smashed on the concrete.

On sixteen minutes The Ramblers should have restored parity but Neil Richmond’s spot kick was kept out by The Dockers keeper Chico Ramos. The equaliser eventually came by courtesy of a cracking shot from the edge of the box by Liam Burgess. Just before the break I headed upstairs to the bar, where food was available. My cheeseburger, chips and Bovril at £4.50 were most enjoyable.

I took up a position in the seated stand and was right behind a fantastic shot from Dan Williams bend into the Tilbury net off the far post. The visitors bounced back and continued pouring forward as the match went from end to end. Tilbury were a little too ambitious with some of their passing, while pulling out some startling stuff, whereas Burnham appeared to put a higher price on keeping possession.

Tilbury’s Mitc Gilbery hit the post after getting through, before Burnham’s forwards hit the post at the other end and a rocket shot bounced back off the crossbar. The pitch was playing reasonably well following the awful pre holiday weather, but it was soft in places, which led to a few errors.

Tilbury continued to look for the equaliser, but were susceptible on the break. Sure enough The Ramblers sealed the contest with three minutes remaining as Richmond slotted home at the far post.

This signalled time for me to make my way back as the torch on my injured phone helped me find the way to the far side of the railway. I made the station with a few minutes to spare before my trains took me back to the metropolis as a enjoyed a doze.

It had been a decent day in nice surroundings. Scarborough Athletic gained a creditable draw at league leaders Leek Town and when I got home I saw the ridiculous Cardiff City owner make an even bigger idiot of himself as his side blew their lines.