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Non League Football Under The Microscope

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Eastbourne Borough fans celebrate - August Bank Holiday Monday 2003                                Photograph by Sam Hicks

Cockfield FC

Hazel Grove, Coronation Terrace, Cockfield, County Durham
Telephone:
Nickname:
Crook & District League
Website: None

Note Visiting Hazel Grove today, with its large dugouts sited immediately in front of a pretty derelict cover, it’s hard to imagine the club’s glory days in the 1920s and 30s. The ground is however, steeped in nostalgia and therefore any visit is more like a pilgrimage. Christened the ‘Village Wonder Team’ after reaching the semi-finals of the Amateur Cup in 1922, Cockfield went one better and reached the Final in 1928 before being defeated 3-2 by holders Leyton in front of over 12,000 spectators at Ayresome Park.

There was once a stand behind the near goal, a small cover on the near touchline, and a smaller pavilion with a canopy providing cover. Images in books by Kerry Miller and Peter Miles clearly demonstrate the rapid deterioration of the current facilities at Hazel Grove, which is a terrible shame and came as quite a shock. The ground is rather tucked away next to a small playground and it is significant that I had to ask one of the more elderly members of the local population who kindly pointed me in the right direction. DB