Steve B the Groundhopper

6.15pm  30 April 2014 Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, Division One Parrswood Celtic 3 Burnage Metro 2 (att 10) An end-of-season fixture with little riding on it, but it turned out to be surprisingly entertaining, even if my only main for choosing it was that it was close enough for me to guarantee arriving by kick off despite a late finish at work and rush hour traffic. Both sides started well, but it was the visitors who took a well-taken lead, against the run of play, in the first half. An own goal doubled Burnage's lead early in the second half, and they looked to be on their way to a comfortable win. But Parrwsood, third in the league but with no chance to climb higher, hit some form and scored twice in quick succession to draw level. The visiting keeper then fumbled a cross into his own net to put Parrswood in front. After that there were more chances at both ends, with Parrswood having the better of them, but no further goals. Parrswood are based at Rushf...

6.30pm  29 April 2014 Liverpool County Premier League, Division Two Walton Community 9 Warbreck 0 (att 15) Warbreck's final game of the season, but the gave the impression of a team who'd begun their summer break a bit too early. They were 2-0 down after just six minutes, 4-0 behind by half time, and conceded more after the break until referee decided that a 35 minute second half was enough for everyone. Walton's win saw them overtake Warbreck, and should ensure promotion. Judging by their performance in this game, even against lacklustre opponents, they'll more than hold their own in a higher league. The football was better than I'd expect for division two of the Liverpool County Premier League, and so was the venue. Walton Community are based at Walton Hall Park, a sports centre that houses the Liverpool County FA ground. Rather than using one of the many pitches in the open playing fields surrounding the Liverpool County FA ground, Walton play on an ...

6.30pm  28 April 2014 Wigan and District Amateur League, Premier Division Standish St Wilfrid's 5 Bickerstaffe 0 (att 24) A comfortable victory for an impressive Standish side who began this game needing seven points, from their final three fixtures, to win the league. On this showing they'll have no difficulty reaching their target, although Bickerstaffe made them work for the win, limiting Standish to just one goal in the opening 40 minutes. But in the five minutes before half time two more goals put the home side firmly in control. The second half was easier for Standish, although despite becoming increasingly dominant they managed just two further goals, the final one with the game's last kick. Finding Standish's ground, called The Convent, isn't easy without directions, helpfully included on the League's FA Full Time website. While the address is Wigan Road, it's actually accessed via a lengthy track off a road off Wigan Road. At the end of...

3pm  26 April 2014 Midland Combination, Division Two Inkberrow 1 Kenilworth Town KH 6 (att 17) Twenty-two years ago, almost to the day, I visited Sands Lane in Inkberrow and watched the home side win a Worcester and District League match against Tewkesbury YMCA. Living in Worcester at the time, it was an easy local trip. The pitch used that evening still exists, but in recent years the club have built two new pitches, either side of a cricket square, in what was a field adjacent to the original ground. Both pitches have modern dugouts, in a worse state than the sturdy old-fashioned brick ones next to the old pitch, and the main pitch is fully roped off, the other just partly roped. It's been a tough season for Inkberrow, currently bottom of the league, and they were always second favourites for the visit of table-topping Kenilworth. The game started in a downpour, but Inkberrow, with a stiff breeze behind them, started more brightly than the weather, hitting the crossbar e...

12 noon  26 April 2014 Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Division One Cheltenham Civil Service 1 Cam Bulldogs 2 (att 87) An all-important game at the top of the league saw the visitors move closer to the league title by beating their nearest challengers. They did so with surprising ease, taking a grip, to the delight of their supporters, with two goals in the first half. Civil Service kept the game interesting by scoring a second half goal, but Cam remained in control and ran out comfortable winners, despite the odd scare at the back. The large crowd was tempted more by the early kick off time, due to cricket on the ground later in the day, and the presence of a one-off programme issued for the club, than the importance of the fixture. Most were groundhoppers with plans for a second game nearby. The Cheltenham Civil Service Sports Ground features several well-maintained football pitches. I was told the unroped pitch used for this game is usually the "reserves pitc...

6.15pm  23 April 2014 West Riding County Amateur League, Premier Division Bay Athletic 3 Golcar United 0 (att 43) Northfield Hall is the third home ground I've seen Huddersfield-based Bay Athletic play on, and although pleasant enough it's essentially just a railed off pitch next to a new community centre in a modern housing estate, with limited scope for improvements. It's more than adequate for the West Riding County Amateur League's top division, but Bay have their sights set on winning the league, and would need a better venue if they want promotion. They had no real problems seeing off a decent Golcar side. Bay's impressive number 9 scored two well taken goals early in the game to put them in the driving seat, before getting his hat-trick in the second half. Overall it was a fast-paced game with a high standard of football, and provided a good early evening's entertainment. View Bay Athletic FC in a larger map

3.20pm  21 April 2014 Herts Senior County League, Premier Division Whitwell Athletic 2 Hinton 1 (att 46) Second game of the day, and the second game when the home side struggled to a 2-1 win against opponents they'd expect to beat easily. Hinton arrived late at table-topping Whitwell, having apparently struggled to get a full side together, and as a result the the kick off was put back 20 minutes. When it did get underway it was Hinton who scored first. Their lead didn't last long, but although Whitwell were level before half time they missed countless opportunities to go in front, a mixture of bad luck, poor finishing, and excellent goalkeeping. The pattern continued through the second half, with Whitwell getting increasingly desperate until an intelligent quick free kick and an excellent finish gave the home side an 87th minute winner. Whitwell Athletic's ground is very pleasant, although the lacks of some facilities that will dampen any thoughts of promotion...

12 noon  21 April 21, 2014 Spartan South Midlands League, Division Two Kent Athletic 2 Willen 1 (att 18) From the league table you'd have expected Kent to win this comfortably, even more so when they went a goal up early on, but in the end they rather laboured to an unimpressive victory against their struggling visitors. Having gone behind Willen briefly threatened to upset the form book when they levelled, but the home side were back on top before half time. The second half was poor, and further scoring never looked likely. Despite their name, Kent Athletic are based in the Leagrave area of Luton, having started life as a works team. The ground isn't bad for a league notorious for very basic venues. The pitch runs lengthways beyond a decent social club, and is railed off with dugouts. There's no hard standing, but a smokers' area outside the social club doubles as a small covered standing area at one end, and with the bar not open it was a smoke-free environ...