VILLAGERS ARE ON TO A SHAW THING

THERE'S no place like home, as the old saying goes.

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And that's certainly the case for Shawbury United FC who have just started playing within their own village for the first time in 32 years.

The North West Counties League outfit previously groundshared at Wem Town, Ludlow Town and the community artificial pitch adjacent to Shrewsbury Town New Meadow.

But this season, they've relocated to the newly built Shawbury United Community Sports and Recreational Centre. It is a Step 6 compliant ground containing all the necessary amenities.

Accordingly, I drove to Shropshire to take a look for myself and was duly impressed by the set-up Enclosed, railed and floodlit, it incorporates two 50 seater prefab grandstands.

The clubhouse is particularly spacious and was ingeniously created using renovated portacabins.

After witnessing a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Winsford United in NWCL First Division South (attendance 125), I discussed the new venue with Shawbury United chairman Dave Richards.

"It means the world to us," he said. "It has been a long time coming since we launched the club in 1992.

Many people used to say to me we should be called Shawbury Wanderers as we didn't possess our own ground. The youth teams especially suffered in being spread across 16 different basic pitches throughout the village. But now everyone is together in one site we can finally call home.