Written by Max
Ground #17
Dunley Way – Lutterworth Town FC
Tuesday 10th August 2021 – FA Cup Extra Prelim. Round Replay
Lutterworth Town (Step 5 UCL Prem South) 1-3 Newark (Step 5 UCL Prem North)
Attendance: 184
Entry: £6
Lutterworth Town were formed in 1955 and have spent the majority of their existence playing in the Step 7 Leicestershire Senior League. This was until recent success has seen them rise up to their current Step 5 League after securing 2 promotions in 3 years. After the first of these promotions in 2017 they had their new 50 seater stand opened by Paul Gascoigne! I have no idea what Gazza was doing in Lutterworth but if anyone from the club reads this and knows how he got involved I’d love to know!
This history, Gazza aside, is almost identical to their opponents today Newark FC, and after a closely fought 0-0 between the 2 sides just 3 days before we were expecting a competitive battle in tonight’s game.
The first half started much how we had expected with both sides very equal and chances coming few and far between. The few chances that the home side created were often wasted by poor composure in the final third, much to the frustration of their number 5, but more on him later!
The deadlock was broken though just before half time by the visitors who, after a number of corners, made the pressure pay and took the lead.
The second half began similarly to the first with both teams cancelling each other out and a few chances going to each side, although neither keeper was being called into action. That was until around ten minutes to go when the visitors doubled their lead. That was when it all started to unravel for the hosts. The frustration got the better of them and remember the number 5 I mentioned earlier? Well he continued to get wound up by the lack of composure in front of goal from his forwards and his anger boiled over. After a high tackle he started a brawl which included most of the players on both sides! He was rightly sent on his way much to the delight of the traveling Newark supporters!
If that wasn’t frustrating enough, the hosts then rushed a free kick from their own half, the defender smashing it into the back of his own player and the ball ricocheting straight into the path of the Newark forward who calmly took it round the keeper and put the game beyond doubt.
The hosts got a late consolation goal with the last kick of the game, which in truth made the score a bit more of a fair reflection of how the game had gone, but that was it, 3-1 to the Highwaymen and they march on to the next round where they will travel to Loughborough Uni.
Now to rate Lutterworth’s Dunley Way Ground:
Location: 6/10
The ground is located within a housing estate in the centre of Lutterworth. The Town itself is incredibly easy to get to with it being right next to the M1. The only thing that lets this ground down locationwise is that there didn’t seem to be any pubs close by and the fact that Lutterworth doesn’t have a train station, so you would struggle to get here if you didn’t drive.
Kit: 5/10
Lutterworth’s Home kit consisted of an Orange shirt, black shorts and black socks. Although usually a fan of orange kits, we thought this one seemed a bit plain and with the white club logo and sponsor felt maybe a white trim rather than black would have looked better, but that of course is just our opinion!
Facilities: 8/10
I mentioned above about the lack of pubs nearby, but the bar at Dunley Way more than makes up for it. Painted in the clubs colours of orange and black with a great selection of drinks available. The bar contained multiple booths with comfy seating and a few large screens showing Sky Sports. A really good clubhouse for the level and anyone making the trip to this ground should make the most of this and arrive early at the game!
Another positive we thought we should mention is the fact that card payments were accepted both on the gate and in the clubhouse. A fantastic positive move from the club and something you don’t see too often at this level. We are forever forgetting to go to a cash point and get money out whenever we watch non league football so if more clubs accepted card this would save a lot of hassle!
Look: 3/10
As mentioned earlier, Lutterworth have gained 2 quick promotions and the ground is yet to catch up with the team on the pitch. The 2 seated stands and small covered terrace just about reach the bare minimum required for the step 5 level they find themselves at. With a bit of work this ground could be brought up to a decent step 5 home, and I’m sure as the club continue to sustain themselves at this level the improvements to the ground will come.
Food and Drink: 6.5/10
We have seen plenty of Burger Van’s on our travels, but this is the first time we have ever come across a Burger Bus! We were both very excited by this and queued at half time like kids about to get on the bus to School! We had a cheese burger each with onions. The burger itself was really tasty with the cheese melted nicely. Onions on top is always a bonus and we enjoyed them very much. The only downside being they weren’t particularly big and as we finished them off we both mentioned how we could easily eat another one! The buns were strange with them seeming to be half of a large Hot Dog bun as you’ll see in the photo below!
Bonus half point given as Emma’s favourite Strongbow Dark Fruits was on offer along with a great selection of beers from the bar.
TOTAL SCORE 28.5/50
We really enjoyed our trip down the A46/M1 to Lutterworth and look forward to once again following our local side Newark as far as possible in this years FA Cup. Next stop Loughborough University in 2 weeks time.
We will look out to see how Lutterworth get on in their division this year and look forward to seeing if they can continue to grow and get the club to new heights never reached by a club in the town before.
If you want to see where this places Lutterworth Town on our Leaderboard, as well as seeing the other grounds we have visited so far, Click here: LEAGUE TABLE
Emma’s Ground Guide 