Priory Lane

Priory Lane is defined by the tension between its unassuming exterior and the nights when the stakes go up. The main stand runs the length of the pitch in a flat, red-brick line. It is a functional building, not a monument, and the view from the stands is of the pitch, not a skyline. The artificial surface, which gleams under the floodlights, gives the pitch a uniform green consistency. This is the daily reality of the club, but it is the evenings when the crowd gathers that give the place its shape.

There was nothing in this ground to suggest it would host a crowd of three thousand seven hundred and seventy spectators. That was the night Oxford United came to town for the FA Cup. A last-minute penalty secured the draw. The record still stands, though the capacity has been trimmed since then to fit modern safety rules. The terrace behind the goal offers standing room for those who prefer to watch on their feet.

The building itself does not hide its age. Priory Lane has been the ReachTV Stadium and before that the SO Legal Stadium at Priory Lane, but the address on the door has not moved. The land belongs to the Langney Sports Club, and the pitch is where Eastbourne Borough play their games. The difference between the two is not in the bricks, but in the reason people have come to sit in the stands.