Brief Encounter - Hemel Hempstead Town.
My football obsession took me to Vauxhall Road, home of National League South Hemel Hempstead Town at the beginning of February for their league fixture against struggling Billericay Town. The ground is amongst an housing estate on the outskirts of the town with the entrance located off a mini roundabout, a prominent sign giving details of the clubs next opponents and also a good marker for those looking for the venue. A driveway leads to the small club car park though most people seem to park on the roads nearby, I chose Leverstock Green Road, mainly to avoid the line of traffic coming away after the game. The sign at Vauxhall Road Hemel Hempstead and Hemel Hempstead United merged in 1972 and made United’s Vauxhall Road ground their base. Previously Hemel Hempstead had played at Crabtree Lane close to the town centre with an impressive main stand but as the town expanded during the 1960’s & 1970’s this ground was needed for housing, hence the decision to play at the pres