✔632 Vertigo Stadium

Skegness Town 4-1 Clay Cross Town

FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round

Saturday 1st September 2018

We visited Skegness Town for one of the last matches at Burgh Road before their move to Wainfleet Road in 2016, which you can read about here (including a potted history of the Lilywhites) The club went on to win the Lincolnshire League that season and followed up with a seventh title in 2016-17 seasons. On the 25th May 2018 it was announced that Skegness Town would be promoted to the Northern Counties East Football League Division One, after an absence of 36 years.

The Burgh Road ground has now been demolished and replaced with a small shopping centre. The new ground named Vertigo Stadium after the club's sponsors, was completed in mid 2017 in preparation for the start of the 2017-18 season. The stadium was officially opened on the 21st July by Mayor Danny Brookes before a friendly against a Lincoln City XI, which ended with a 3-1 win for the hosts. 

The stadium amenities are at the entrance behind the goal. The building proudly displays the club crest and has changing rooms, refreshment kiosk and the Vertigo Lounge bar. There is two basic stands on one side which are split with seats and standing, with the dugouts on the opposite side. The rest of the ground is open with hard standing. The local car wash has followed the football team to its new surroundings, working next to the turnstile entrance just as it was at the old place.

Skegness Town v Clay Cross Town

NCEL Div.1(18th) v CML North(1st)

FA Vase 1st qualifying round

3pm ko

Every time I’ve visited Skegness there’s always been glorious weather, and a decent crowd enjoyed a thrilling cup tie in the baking sun.  Clay Cross put a dark cloud over proceedings, taking the lead on 34 minutes when a ball in from the right picked out Calum Lytham to stroke the ball home. The Lillywhites responded quickly with a superb 20 yard effort from Jordan Smith, which flashed past the keeper and into the far corner of the net, to leave the match finely poised at the break.

I was expecting a tight encounter in the second half, but the home team took full command of the tie. Smith fired in his second on 55 minutes, before Will Britton cut in from the left, went past a couple of defenders and gave the goalie no chance with an accurate drive minutes later.

Skeggy rattled the crossbar a few times, but the tie was settled when the ball was laid on for Britton to bang in his second and book their place in the 2nd qualifying round of the Vase.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks

STAFC 4 (Smith 42,55 Britton 59,72)  

CCTFC 1 (Lytham 34)

Att.158

Admission £5

Programme: sold out

Pin badge £3

#HeedHopper

Once we hit the A1 we changed our plans, deciding to stop off in Louth instead of driving straight to Skegness. It was a good decision, as there was an uncharted Wetherspoon’s to be had, as well as some GBG pubs and a cracking second hand record shop. We would have liked to spend more time there (another pit-stop in the future hopefully) but we had to be back on the road by 2.15, to get to the game for kick off. We enjoyed the match and the occasion, it was good to see some familiar friendly faces we know in the crowd and some familiar faces I wouldn't want to know.

Katie and Lee dropped me back home at Gallowgate View by 8.30pm, after another enjoyable day for the Far North Groundhopping contingent. 

✔516 Burgh Road

Skegnesss Town 3-0 CGB Humbertherm

Lincolnshire Football League

Wednesday 20th April 2016

Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire.

(Population just under 19,000)

The name comes from the Danish period of settlement of England, although there is no reference to a village named Skegness in the Domesday Book. The town's name means either "Skeggi's headland" or "beard-shaped headland" 

Skeggi(meaning "bearded one"), may have been one of the Vikings who established the original settlement to the east of the current town, which was washed away by the sea in the early 16th century.

Home to the first Butlin's holiday resort which was opened in 1936 (went there in 1998 with the breadknife and Laura when she was a toddler. Our chalet got broke into on the first night, swiping my Newcastle shirt and trainers)

Skegness Town formed in 1946

Founder member of the Lincolnshire League in 1948

Champions in 1951–52, 1955–56

Central Alliance (South) 1956-1958 champions in both seasons.

Joined the Midlands League for one season before it folded, followed by a third Central Alliance (south) league title in 1960–61

Re-joined newly formed Midlands League 1961-1982

1978-79 runners -up (lost out on title by goal difference)

Played one season in the Northern Counties East League as founder members in 1982-83 

Lincolnshire League 1983-present

Champions in 2006–07 & 2007–08, 2013-14 

Burgh Road

Non-League grounds visited 253

The club have played on Burgh Road since 1947. The ground will be replaced by a retail park with an Aldi store on the site of their current location. The Lillywhites will move just a short distance to Wainfleet Road, where the complex will have the main stadium, two further pitches and a new community all weather 3G pitch.

There is a small covered stand, filled with pairs of blue cinema seats, with a few rows of wooden benches along the side. The Lillywhite Social Club is at the ground entrance with the changing rooms and canteen bar behind the same goal. The rest of the ground is overgrown so spectators are allowed to stand on the pitch side of the wall, along by the team dugouts on the far side.

Skegness Town(1st) v CBG Humbertherm(9th)

Balcan Lighting Supplies Lincolnshire Football League Matchday 20

Kick off 6.49pm

Att.45c

Weather:Sunny,chily

1-0 Will Britton (5’)

The number 9 latched onto a through ball, knocking the ball past the oncoming keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net.

2-0 Will Britton (16’)

Picked up the ball in the inside right channel and fired in a right foot shot into the far corner.

3-0 Will Britton (53’)

Skegness could have been at least 6 or 7 goals up at half time and Britton could back bagged 5 of those, but he finally completed his hat-trick, heading home a left wing cross early in the second half.

Entertainment 7/10

Top Bloke - Will Britton (Skegness Town)

The Lillywhites are on the verge of winning the league after neighbours Skegness United did them a favour with a 1-1 draw with Wyberton. The match played simultaneously just along the road on Wainfleet Road.

Spondoolicks

Admission £2

Programme £1

Sausage Bap £2.50

Coffee £1

Tea £1

The Gadabout
190 miles door-to-door
Via A1/A18/A180/A631/A16

I’ve been to Skegness many times throughout the years(but only once at Butlins mind) and the imminent closure of the town’s long standing football ground meant an unexpected return. Katie text me on Sunday asking if I fancied the trip with her and Lee, as this was the club’s second last game at Burgh Road ... which was an offer I couldn’t refuse. After finishing work I drove down to Katie’s house in Houghton-le-Spring, left the car there, and we were on the motorway and off to the seaside by 2pm.
The long trek through Lincolnshire meant the journey took almost three and a half hours, so just a swift pint and no Chicken Club in the dog rough 'Spoons pub in the town before the match. 
Peter Miles (100FgC AF17) was also at the game, having travelled up the east coast from Essex, and I imagine more Groundhoppers will be heading to Skeggy next Wednesday when Town play there finally match at Burgh Road against Wyberton. 

Ground no.516 Burgh Road - Matchday Web Album  (33 pictures)