Grier's Guide to Beaconsfield Town
The match: Beaconsfield Town v Kingstonian, pre-season friendly. Saturday 16 July, 13:00.
The club: They formed in 1994 as a merger of Beaconsfield United and Slough Youth Club Old Boys, taking the name Beaconsfield SYCOB. In 2017 they renamed themselves Beaconsfield Town, then won promotion to the Southern Premier South (same level as us).
The town: Wealthy commuter town on the edge of the Chilterns, often coming near the top of various lists that attempt to measure Britain's richest place. With Beaconsfield Studios in the town and Pinewood nearby it's often been used as a shooting location for film and TV, including Thunderball, Hot Fuzz and Midsomer Murders.
The ground: Holloways Park, A355 Windsor Rd, Beaconsfield HP9 2SE. It has a decent covered terrace behind one goal and a small seated stand behind the other, as well as a smallish main stand down one side. Last summer, they changed the pitch to 3G.
Directions: Way out of town, it's nestled next to Beaconsfield Services at junction 2 of the M40. Turn off the M40 for the services and follow signs for the A355 to Beaconsfield. After you turn right at the lights, look for a left shortly afterwards that takes you to the ground. You can park there, which is just as well because it's not an easy one by public transport. The simplest route is to go into London and out again taking a train from Marylebone to Beaconsfield, followed by a 1.7 mile walk or taxi. The 102 bus runs along part of the journey. Depending exactly where you're travelling from, you might find cheaper/easier options involving various buses and trains through west London.
Tickets: Details and prices aren't online at time of writing.
Our record there: None - a new opponent for Ks and surely a new ground for most of our fans.
Players to watch: Nathan Minhas, who had a three-month spell at Ks under Dynan/Brennan/Harris, rejoined them from Hampton last October and bagged 27 goals, making him third top scorer in the league. They have three other ex-Ks: Callum Webb, Toby Little and the man who scored our last ever goal at Kingsmeadow, Shaun Macauley.
Recent form: They kicked off their season with a 4-4 draw at home to Wealdstone, with Minhas carrying on where he left off by scoring twice. They came 17th in Southern Premier South last season.
Crowd: Their average home gate last season was 127, with only the visits of promotion-chasing and relatively local Hayes & Yeading and Farnborough lifting the crowd above the 200 mark.
Drinking: There's a cluster of five pubs in a pleasant-looking area around the A40/B474 junction, about halfway between the station and the ground. Or...
Food: It must be one of very few grounds in the country where you could have a whole away day in a motorway service station. Brands include Spoons, Maccy's, Nando's, Starbucks, Greggs and KFC, all probably at a considerable markup from their high street cousins. Other features include a lakeside terrace, children's play area and a 'well-equipped business centre'. It's all highly corporate and probably FIFA's dream away day.
