Shawbury United

Date: Tuesday Aug 23 2011
Ground: Butler Sports Centre
Comp: West Midlands Regional League (step six)
Match: Shawbury United 2 Dudley Town 3 HT: 0-0
Sequence: 0-1,1-1,1-2,1-3,2-3

ATT: 25 (headcount)
Additional: Entrance £4.00, Programme £1.00

Butler Sports Centre in pictures

Ground Statistics (marks out of ten, maximum 40)
Character 6, Structures/Terracing 5, Hospitality 6, Backdrop/Scenery or aesthetics for larger stadiums 5
Total 22

Another midweek trip into Deliverance country – this time to see one of the newer members of the West Midlands Regional League, Shawbury United – founded 1992. Shawbury is just north of Shrewsbury but they play in another Shropshire village called Wem, sharing the Butler Sports Field with Wem Town FC of the division below.

Wem is a small market town and I imagine nearly all of its inhabitants are from roind thoise partz. It was time to pretend I was Edward Woodward in the Wickerman again. Sadly, Britt Ekland didn’t show up.

I assume the ground is the same age as the club at slightly under 20. It is a smart functional ground that is part of the Wem Sports Centre, with a large and inviting clubhouse. The team have ambitions to progress apparently and their current set-up would certainly accommodate movement up a couple of divisions, provided they put more seats and cover. Their highest position was second place in 2007-08 in the West Midland Premier (step six).

The main stand juts out of the front of the clubhouse, more like an extension than a separate stand. It seats around 100; more than enough for tonight’s game as, having a Naked Lunch moment on entry, was only joined by just two dozen pagans – it was perhaps the smallest crowd I’ve been in.

On the other side is a practice pitch, I assume. There are no other structures around the ground.

Shawbury Utd had made an excellent start and were sitting top, but the feeling was that this was more by luck than anything. The game panned out that way too, as the visitors looked the slightly sharper side. They took the lead in the scond half and despite an equaliser scored two more in quick succession. Shawbury got a goal back late on through a fine volley, but it was too late.