Dorking is a market town in central Surrey, about 21 miles south of London. It is in Mole Valley District, close to the intersection of two valleys – the north-south Mole Gap and the west–east Vale of Holmesdale.The town is surrounded on three sides by the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is close to Box Hill and Leith Hill.
The basic plan of the town centre has not changed since medieval times, with the three main streets meeting at Pump Corner, forming a - Y shape. Both West Street and the High Street run parallel to Pipp Brook, a tributary of the Mole, which runs to the north of the centre. (population:over 11,000)
Dorking Wanderers formed in 1999, by businessman Marc White and friends Peter Buckland, Mark Lewington, Ian Davidson, Lee Spickett and Penny Gregg. At the time they were disillusioned season ticket holders at Wimbledon, who decided to form a new amateur recreational team. The club initially played in the Crawley & District League, before switching to Division Four of the West Sussex League, winning the league at the first attempt.
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West Sussex League 2000 - 2007: Division Four North champions 2000–01, Division Two North champions 2003–04, Premier Division champions 2006–07
Sussex County League 2007 - 2015: Division Three champions 2010-11
Isthmian League 2015 - 2019: Premier League champions 2018-19
National League South 2019 - 2022: League runner-up 2021-22, won promotion via the play-offs, beating Oxford City in the semi-final and Ebbsfleet United in the final.
Meadowbank Football Ground
Mill Lane,
Dorking
RH4 1DX
Current National League grounds visited 24/24
Capacity 3,000
The club initially played at Big Field Brockham, before moving to the Westhumble Playing Fields on London Road in 2007. The club relocated to a refurbished Meadowbank ground in July 2018, which had previously been home to the Dorking F.C., who had folded the previous year.
The old club played at Meadowbank from 1953, where a 200-seat stand and a covered standing area were built during the mid-1950s, with another covered standing area added later behind the goal. The club was forced to leave the ground in 2013, after it was shut down for failing to meet health and safety regulations.
Prior to Dorking Wanderers moving to the ground, it was upgraded to include a 300-seat stand, two covered standing areas and a 3G pitch. It was converted to a community sports facility at a cost of £5m, with the Surrey County Football Association moving their headquarters there when it reopened.
In February 2020 the club announced that planning permission had been granted to upgrade Meadowbank to grade B status, which was passed the following July. By September 2020, work had been completed on two stands behind the east goal, one a covered terrace and a new seated stand. In March 2023 an uncovered 1,200-capacity terrace was opened at the west end. The far side where the dugouts are is open standing, with the changing rooms in the corner of the ground, where the Surrey FA H.Q.stands.
Dorking Wanderers 1(Carter 43)
Gateshead 0
National League matchday 27
19th v 8th
3pm ko
Att.1,738
Spondoolicks:
Admission £18
Coffee £2
Pin badge:none
The two key moments came in the first half. In the 24th minute Regan Booty was given a straight red card for a challenge in the middle of the pitch. Then just before half time, Charlie Carter fired the hosts ahead when his effort from the back post was parried in by keeper Beach.
Despite Gateshead being down to ten men, they gave it a good go in the second half, but were unable to provide that extra bit of quality to produce a positive result.
#Heedhopper
311 miles door-to-door
7.15 Lumo train from Newcastle to Kings Cross arr. 1010
Dorking should have been ticked off early last season. As soon as the fixtures were published I booked the day off and purchased train tickets for the Heed match, but a rail strike scuppered my plans so my visit to Meadowbank and re-completing the National League was delayed by 18 months.
Following a delicious breakfast at the Waterloo Cafe I caught the 1124 South-Western train to Dorking, alighting two stops earlier at Leatherhead to tick off a couple of pubs, namely The Edmund Tylney and the Running Horse.
I then boarded the next train to Dorking, arriving at 1.20. It was then a canny hike to the GBG listed Cricketers Inn, where I had a swift drink before a few leisurely pints in the Old House and Cobbett's Micro Pub before match time..
On returning to London, I called into the newly opened Wetherspoons in Euston, before heading home on the 2000 LNER. A canny day out, just a pity about the result, but overall a nice stadium and a pleasant town to visit.
