'Around the Grounds': Foley Meir
Tue 11th February 2025 | Foley Meir | By Ben Wilkinson
The first 'Around the Grounds' of 2025 has arrived! Back in the First Division South for this one, as I took a trip to Stoke-on-Trent based club Foley Meir. Foley Meir were founded all the way back in 1947 as simply Foley Football Club, named as such as they were formed, and originally played their home games, in the Foley area of Fenton, one of the six towns that make up the city of the Potteries.
Foley moved to their current ground (currently known as the Trentham Foods Stadium for sponsorship reasons) in the area of Meir to the east of the city in 1982, and since then the committee at the club have spent well over £80,000 to transform the Whitcombe Road site from what was virtually a field into a Step 6 standard football ground. The ground is currently a two-sided facility, with a sloping path down from the turnstile box leading into the back of a covered stand, with standing to one side and seating to the other.
Further down the touchline is the clubhouse and dressing rooms beyond that. This building was extended in the past couple of years and the clubhouse is now a very smart facility, with sports memorabilia and multiple TVs adorning the wall. A bar and 'tea hut' are also present to keep match-goers suitably fed and watered.
I definitely picked a good game to attend, with Runcorn Town being the visitors to ST3 on this overcast February day. Both of these clubs are embroiled in a relegation battle, and with just three points separating the two sides before kick-off, this was a real six pointer at the foot of the table. The visitors raced into a three goal lead with just 16 minutes on the clock; a Daniel Clark corner was knocked home by Mark Holdridge to open the scoring after six minutes before another corner was headed home by Charlie Harland just three minutes later. A sloppy pass back allowed Matthew Vickers to latch onto the loose ball and coolly round the keeper before scoring the easiest goal he'll score all season to make it three.
Foley Meir were determined to still make a game of this though with so long left to play and they had a goal back in the half hour mark when Will Tams buried a bullet header into the back of the net from a corner. Ten minutes later and it was game well and truly on as Jay Finney was superbly placed in the box to touch home a centred ball to make it 3-2. The half-time whistle blew to give both sides a chance to regroup after a turbulent first 45.
It was more of the same in the second half as Daniel Counter headed in the equaliser for Foley before Thomas Ruffer put Runcorn back in front just a minute later! Ruffer restored Runcorn's two goal cushion on the hour mark with a cool finish that left Foley 'keeper Callum Shuttlewood stranded. The tide of goals was stemmed as the pitch started to show signs of wear however there was enough time for Ruffer to pick up his second hat-trick in three games after some great work from Jamie Apperley to beat three defenders before setting the Town number 10 up.
I spoke to Club Chairman Andy Mapperson before the game as he told me all about the recent upgrades to the ground and the future plans, with a new stand and hardstanding down the far touchline both things that the club would like to install, but he stressed that Foley Meir are a community club and the committee wouldn't stretch the club's finances and risk it's future. A new school is being built next door on what was the club's training pitch, with the club gaining the use of the school's 4G pitch facility once it is complete. Andy also explained how the club have been able to hire out the newly-expanded clubhouse during the week to improve community links and also bring in some additional income.
'Around the Grounds': Foley Meir
Tue 11th February 2025 | Foley Meir
By Ben Wilkinson
The first 'Around the Grounds' of 2025 has arrived! Back in the First Division South for this one, as I took a trip to Stoke-on-Trent based club Foley Meir. Foley Meir were founded all the way back in 1947 as simply Foley Football Club, named as such as they were formed, and originally played their home games, in the Foley area of Fenton, one of the six towns that make up the city of the Potteries.
Foley moved to their current ground (currently known as the Trentham Foods Stadium for sponsorship reasons) in the area of Meir to the east of the city in 1982, and since then the committee at the club have spent well over £80,000 to transform the Whitcombe Road site from what was virtually a field into a Step 6 standard football ground. The ground is currently a two-sided facility, with a sloping path down from the turnstile box leading into the back of a covered stand, with standing to one side and seating to the other.
Further down the touchline is the clubhouse and dressing rooms beyond that. This building was extended in the past couple of years and the clubhouse is now a very smart facility, with sports memorabilia and multiple TVs adorning the wall. A bar and 'tea hut' are also present to keep match-goers suitably fed and watered.
I definitely picked a good game to attend, with Runcorn Town being the visitors to ST3 on this overcast February day. Both of these clubs are embroiled in a relegation battle, and with just three points separating the two sides before kick-off, this was a real six pointer at the foot of the table. The visitors raced into a three goal lead with just 16 minutes on the clock; a Daniel Clark corner was knocked home by Mark Holdridge to open the scoring after six minutes before another corner was headed home by Charlie Harland just three minutes later. A sloppy pass back allowed Matthew Vickers to latch onto the loose ball and coolly round the keeper before scoring the easiest goal he'll score all season to make it three.
Foley Meir were determined to still make a game of this though with so long left to play and they had a goal back in the half hour mark when Will Tams buried a bullet header into the back of the net from a corner. Ten minutes later and it was game well and truly on as Jay Finney was superbly placed in the box to touch home a centred ball to make it 3-2. The half-time whistle blew to give both sides a chance to regroup after a turbulent first 45.
It was more of the same in the second half as Daniel Counter headed in the equaliser for Foley before Thomas Ruffer put Runcorn back in front just a minute later! Ruffer restored Runcorn's two goal cushion on the hour mark with a cool finish that left Foley 'keeper Callum Shuttlewood stranded. The tide of goals was stemmed as the pitch started to show signs of wear however there was enough time for Ruffer to pick up his second hat-trick in three games after some great work from Jamie Apperley to beat three defenders before setting the Town number 10 up.
I spoke to Club Chairman Andy Mapperson before the game as he told me all about the recent upgrades to the ground and the future plans, with a new stand and hardstanding down the far touchline both things that the club would like to install, but he stressed that Foley Meir are a community club and the committee wouldn't stretch the club's finances and risk it's future. A new school is being built next door on what was the club's training pitch, with the club gaining the use of the school's 4G pitch facility once it is complete. Andy also explained how the club have been able to hire out the newly-expanded clubhouse during the week to improve community links and also bring in some additional income.
