Page 5 - Deal Round Up September 2020

The Three Horseshoes

A great, friendly, traditional pub in Great Mongeham where you
will find a warm welcome from
Landlords Rachel and Johnny.
01304 379216
POOL TABLE - DART BOARDS
and all football matches
shown on HD screens

BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY NOW
BOOKINGS - Now Being Taken For; GARDEN PARTIES - WEDDINGS
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR ALL AGES - CHRISTENINGS -
ANNIVERSARIES - (A Small Deposit Secures)
The Above Includes; Free Use Of Garden Facilities.
(Bring Your Own Food Or We Can Supply)
Children Have Free Use Of;
BOUNCY CASTLE - SLIDES - SWINGS - TRAMPOLINE
BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT - PLEASE PHONE TO BOOK
Ashford
The club as Ashford Town moved to
Essella Park in Willesborough in 1931,
having secured the freehold on it during
the 1950s. The ground had a pronounced
slope. It was situated by residential streets
but with easy access for fans.
The club’s biggest gate was in 1959 in an
FA Cup first round tie which saw Crystal
Palace run out 1-0 winners in front of 6,525
spectators.
The club, like many others, took the
decision in the mid 1980s to sell-up to housing developers. The final game at Essella Park was
in May 1987.
They then ground shared with Folkestone for two years before moving to their current home,
somewhat a distance from the centre of town about four miles away, at the Homelands ground
in 1989.
The Ashford Town club collapsed in 2010 and was quickly re-born as Ashford United the
following season. Essella Park is now a housing estate.
Maidstone United
Maidstone’s story is like so many other clubs that went down the same rocky road, when they
made a bad decision with devastating nightmare consequences. The club was riding high in
the late 1980s, and wanted to gain admission into the Football League, when they decided to
sell their Athletic Ground in London Road to developers. It then used £400,000 to buy a piece
of land where they wanted to build a new stadium, but it had no planning permission. The
move was turned down by the local council!
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