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Stanley v FC Romania

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Luncarty v Crossgates Primrose

11.15am 16 March  2024 East of Scotland League, Premier Division Luncarty 5 Crossgates Primrose 3 (att 386) Having stayed in Cumbernauld on Friday night I had an easy journey to reach Luncarty, a few miles north of Perth, in time for the organised groundhop's Saturday morning fixture. Luncarty was the only one of the hop's six matches on a ground I needed. Having driven past Brownlands Park several times previously it was good to finally see a game there. Perimeter fencing along the road side makes the venue more enclosed than it was the last time I saw it. It's a three-sided ground, with the far end out of bounds for spectators. All the facilities are behind the goal at the near end. The clubhouse, changing rooms, a food and drink kiosk and a small covered standing area are all on a plateau above the pitch. Morning hop games, in front of larger than normal crowds, can be subdued affairs. This was anything but, with the tone set early on by Crossgates taking a second minute

Greengairs v Muirend

7pm 15 March  2024 Saturday Morning Amateur League, Division 1B Greengairs 1 Muirend 3 (att 10) Saturday morning football on a Friday night, which suited me as I was heading north ahead of a Saturday morning 'groundhop' game near Perth and wanted a match on the way. Greengairs is a village in Lanarkshire, between Airdrie and Cumbernauld. They headed to the latter's Greenfaulds High School to stage this fixture. It's a typical 3G pitch, floodlit and enclosed by a high fence. Both teams have been struggling this season and it showed. For much of the 90 minutes the play was frantic, with a lack of composure when chances, or half-chances, came. There was little between the sides, but Greengairs broke the deadlock in the final minute of the first half. The second period ultimately belonged to the visitors, but the game didn't swing into their favour until the closing stages. They equalised after 58 minutes, then had to withstand pressure as the final whistle approached.

Govan and University of Manchester v Royton Town

1.30pm 9 March  2024 Manchester League, Premier Division Govan and University of Manchester 0 Royton Town 1 (att 17) I can be tricky keeping track of which grounds I've been to and when and where I might need to return for a new pitch. I thought I'd visited Govan's base until I read a fellow hopper's report of a match there before Christmas. Govan, who played as Govan Athletic before joining forces with the students, play on an artificial pitch at the university's Armitage sports centre. Having seen a university game there in 2017  I assumed it'd be the same pitch, but it turns out it's not. Govan and University of Manchester play their Manchester League games on 'pitch A', which is close to the entrance and at the opposite end of the complex from where I saw my previous match. It's not a bad venue for a 3G. There's a spectator area the full length of one side, with nothing in the way to restrict the view. If you're prepared to watch thro

Salford Victoria Tigers v Fielden Park

10am 9 March  2024 Manchester Saturday Morning League Salford Victoria Tigers 9 Fielden Park 0 (att 3) I needed to stay close to home so it was an ideal day to tick off a new venue that has appeared in the Manchester Saturday Morning League. Less ideal was going to a barren and windswept school playing field on a morning when a bitterly cold wind was blowing across it. Still, at least an unusually dry few days meant little danger of a postponement. Salford Victoria Tigers are effectively a morning offshoot of Salford Victoria FC who play in the Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League. Unlike their afternoon side, Tigers are based at St Ambrose Barlow RC High School in Swinton. There is a caged 3G pitch but that was staging youth games, while the adult players had use of a grass surface on the main playing field. The pitch markings were a colourful blue, presumably to help them stand out from some other markings across part of the playing area. Fielden Park are bottom of the league, and

Rathfriland Rangers v PSNI

3pm 2 March  2024 Northern Ireland Football League, Premier Intermediate League Rathfriland Rangers 3 Police Service of Northern Ireland 0 (att 100) Having completed the three divisions of Northern Ireland's national league previously I'm at the stage where trips are required now and again to visit any new clubs and new grounds. Rathfriland are in their debut season at this level, and their Iveagh Park home was the last remaining venue I needed to top up the set, at least until the start of next season. It's a good set up. As you'd expect it's fully enclosed, but it's also floodlit and has a large seated stand and a decent clubhouse. With plenty of support, Rathfriland feels like a club on the up. PSNI on the other hand feels like a team in decline. They went into this game bottom of the league, and their hopes of avoiding a second consecutive last placed finish took a dive when they conceded in the opening seconds. Having scored with the game's first attack

Cullybackey Blues v Randalstown

10.15am 2 March  2024 Ballymena Saturday Morning League, Division Two Cullybackey Blues 2 Randalstown 4 (att 18) Another early morning flight into Belfast International Airport, from where it's a fairly easy task, in a hire car, to reach a game in the Ballymena Saturday Morning League. Ahead of this I had four venues left to visit in the three division league. Despite a reduced fixture list there were games on all of them. The other three are all multi-pitch venues in Ballymena itself, each used by more than one club. But Cullybackey Blues are one of the league's village teams, and with a home ground of their own. Tobar Park is an enclosed pitch behind a community centre building that contains the changing rooms. The playing area is enclosed by a post and rail barrier and there's a pair of dugouts. There are even floodlights although, assuming they work, they'd only be suitable for training. Cullybackey made the brighter start and it didn't take them long to score t