Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm  21 August 2015 Gloucestershire County League Cheltenham Civil Service 1 Broadwell Amateurs 3 (att 64) It's less than 18 months since I last visited Cheltenham Civil Service's Tewkesbury Road home, when I took advantage of a Saturday lunchtime kick-off to tick off a venue that was then hosting Gloucestershire Northern Senior League football. The club has had an eventful time since then, earning promotion to the Gloucestershire County League and then winning that competition at the first attempt. Promotion also meant fencing off a pitch, and as the club now uses a pitch directly in front of the clubhouse, and one that doesn't overlap where I saw them play last time, a return was necessary to visit what is, by my groundhopping "rules", a new ground. Champions they may be, but it's been a difficult start to this season for Civil Service. Newly-promoted Broadwell took full advantage, condemning their hosts to their fourth defeat from their opening f...

4.45pm  29 August 2015 Welsh Alliance, Division One Trearddur Bay United 4 St Asaph City 3 (att 304) The marathon that is the Welsh Alliance "hop", 11 games over four days, arrived in Trearddur Bay for a late afternoon kick-off, giving me the chance to tick off a new ground just a short drive from my earlier match at Valley. As always for hop games, the host club were well organised to cope with the influx of spectators, who lined the pleasantly-situated pitch, which is just across the road from the beach. The home side, with the breeze at their backs and the bright sun behind them, dominated a one-sided first half, scoring early and trebling their lead by half time. They added a fourth in the opening minute of the second half, then lost their way and allowed St Asaph back into the game. The visitors went from being on the wrong end of a hammering to scoring three times, and, as the game came to an end, coming very close to equalising. There's no cover at Tre...

2.30pm  29 August 2015 Anglesey League Valley Athletic 1 Llanfairpwll reserves 2 (att 25) My first taste of Anglesey league football, and it was decent introduction between two of the competition's better sides. Valley won the league last season, but apparently have a much-changed side now, while Llanfairpwll's second string had scored 23 goals in their last two fixtures. The visitors had plenty of chances to add a few more goals at Valley, but were let down by wayward shooting. Valley scored the first half's only goal, against the run of play, but the Llanfairpwll hit back in the second half for a deserved win. Overall it was an entertaining, and occasionally feisty, game. I thought it a decent standard of football, and both sides looked as if they could compete at Gwynedd League level, the next step up from the Anglesey League Valley use a pitch to the south of the village, on a piece of land sandwiched between a railway line at the A55 dual carriageway into ...

6.15pm  27 August 2015 Halifax and District League, Premier Division Shelf United 3 Greetland 2 (att 46) The first of the Halifax League's annual early season Friday evening games gave me a welcome chance to visit Shelf United, a club whose ground had eluded me in previous years. Shelf Hall Park is a pleasant tree-lined public park, between Halifax and Bradford. There's only room for one football pitch, which has a steep end-to-end slope, and with a low sun setting at the uphill end winning the toss looked more important than usual. The visitors began the game kicking up the slope, and with the sun in their eyes, but they took the lead thanks a to a penalty. It had been against the run of play, and it wasn't long before Shelf had made it 1-1, albeit a goal with more than a suspicion of offside. The home side scored again to take a lead into the half-time break, and added a third mid way through the second half. Greetland kept battling, and were rewarded with a la...

6.15pm  27 August 2015 Craven and District league, Division Three Hellifield Sports 2 Horton 1 (att 33) Not quite as many thrills as last week's reverse league fixture at Horton, but this was another thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining 90 minutes in the lower reaches of the Craven and District League. Like last time, Hellifield just about deserved their narrow victory, but were pushed all the way by Horton. Surprisingly, the first goal didn't arrive until mid way through the second half, when the home side went ahead. They didn't hold the lead for long though, as Horton were soon level. Having equalised, Horton carried the greater threat for a while, before Hellifield seized a chance to score a second. It set up a great finish, with Horton pressing forward but vulnerable on the break, but there were no more goals. Hellifield is an attractive village on the main road between Skipton and Settle. Football is played on a steeply-sloping pitch at Hellifield Recreati...

6pm  26 August 2015 Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League, Premier Division Wickersley 1 Stocksbridge Park Steels reserves 1 (att 45) It's fair to say I had low expectations of this, knowing before I arrived that it'd be a roped off pitch on a large playing field at the back of a school on the outskirts of Rotherham. It seemed a good ground to visit midweek, before the dark evenings meant I'd need to come on a Saturday afternoon. But, as is often the case, it turned out a lot better that I'd imagined. True, it is just a pitch, roped off along one touchline, behind Wickersley School and Sports College, but on a sunny evening and in front of a larger than expected crowd it was good. The pitch actually feels quite enclosed with the unroped side bordering fencing behind which new homes are being built, and one end backing onto a small-sided artificial pitch. More importantly, it was a decent game. The only goals came, just four minutes apart, after aro...

6.15pm  24 August 2015 North Lancashire & District League, Division One Heysham 1 Freehold 3 (att 19) A venue listed as "pitch 2, Salt Ayre Sports Centre" might not seem very enticing, but the three grass football pitches at the Lancaster facility are all quite separate from each other, and enclosed by trees and greenery. Added to that, each pitch has a regular tenant club, and it was a good evening to visit with not just Heysham but also Torrisholme (pitch 1) and Morecambe Royals (pitch 3) also having first team home games. I'd seen Royals play on their pitch some years ago, so Heysham's game was my first choice, and I was rewarded by a decent game. The home side took the lead, but by half time Freehold had battled back to lead 2-1. There wasn't much between the sides and Heysham worked hard to level in the second period, but their hopes evaporated with Freehold's late third goal. With pitches two and three now ticked, I just need to return t...

2pm  22 August 2015 Manchester League, Premier Division Boothstown 1 Old Altrinchamians 2 (att 8) Both these sides won promotion from division one of the Manchester League last season, a particularly impressive feat for Boothstown in what was their first season in the league. The home side have adapted well to the higher level so far, winning and drawing their opening league games, but slipped to their first defeat this time out. There wasn't a huge amount between the sides, but Old Alts always looked a little sharper, and more wiley, and deserved the win. They went ahead just before half time, an inability to clear the ball from their own six yard box costing Boothstown. The visitors doubled their lead after the break, before a late goal, followed by a hefty amount of stoppage time, gave Boothstown hope of a point, but Old Alts held on to win. Boothstown play at Bridgewater Park, with features a modern pavilion housing changing rooms and a snack bar, and several senio...

7pm  21 August 2015 SJFA West Region, Ayrshire Sectional League Cup, Section 2 Irvine Victoria 1 Irvine Meadow XI 4 (att 1,200) The Marymass festival has been a part of the Irvine calendar for centuries, and for football fans the annual Friday night meeting of the town's two junior football teams, in which their league cup fixture doubles as the Marymass Trophy match, is the highlight. Groups in the Ayrshire Sectional League Cup are decided by geography, so "Vics" and "Medda" are guaranteed to play each other, with the venue alternating, every year. It's always keenly-contested, and usually attracts a large crowd. Victoria are Irvine's second team at present, having been relegated last season to the Ayrshire League, while Meadow are among the stronger Super League sides, effectively two divisions higher. Victoria Park is a tight ground, with spectator access restricted to open terracing behind the goal near the entrance, and shallow terracing al...