Isthmian League
North Division
Wednesday 1st January 2025
Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.01
Cambridge City 1 Mildenhall 1, attendance 668
35’ 1-0
66’ 1-1
@ FWD-IP Community Stadium
West Way
Sawston
CB22 3FP
£10 Admission
£3 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.
I’d visited Cambridge City at their City Ground, in Milton Road, Cambridge, back in March 1991, when they beat V.S. Rugby 2-0 in a Southern League Premier Division match, in front of 353 spectators. They left that ground in 2013, ground sharing at Histon and St. Ives Town in the intervening years, but moved into their newly built Community Stadium at the end of November, attracting a crowd of 1,459 for the opening game versus Tilbury.
The new stadium is in Sawston, six miles south of Cambridge and a village where I’ve already seen games in the Cambridgeshire County League, played on three different venues ( May 2012 Sawston United – Sawston Recreation Ground, Mill Lane. April 2013 Sawston United – Spicers Sports Ground, New Road. May 2021 Sawston Phoenix- Lynton Way Recreation Ground, Lynton Way). Despite not yet being fully fitted out (clubhouse not yet in use and temporary changing rooms and mobile food caterers) the ground is impressive. There is a large seated main stand and covered sections on the other three sides too. Once again, weather was an issue (when isn’t it?) but the club had helpfully replied to me via Twitter that the game would be going ahead, posting the news on their Twitter account shortly afterwards. They were confident that the pitch was a good drainer, something I was pleased to hear, as the rain was relentless from Dartford Crossing and up the M11. It did ease off, but far later than the forecast from the Met Office had suggested, but the pitch was fine and was no worse at the final whistle than it had been at kick off.
The match was 11th versus 17th (out of 22). Cambridge went in front ten minutes before halftime, cutting in from the left, before finishing with a diagonal shot that went in off the far post. Mildenhall levelled midway through the second half, when a corner from the right was headed in at the far post, which although being hacked away by a defender, the Linesman signalled that the ball had already crossed the goal line before the clearance was made. It was good to see both teams go for the win, with the visitors perhaps more disappointed with sharing the points, as they were far stronger in the last twenty minutes.
Today’s visit completed the Isthmian League once again and also Step 4 too. I never thought a village this size could possibly have so many grounds. There’s also a brand new 3G pitch here at the new stadium, running end on to the main ground, so it looks like this might not be my last visit to Sawston……
