Steve B the Groundhopper

6.30pm  25 May 2019 Berwick Charities Cup, Group A Berwick Seniors 1 Crusaders 5 (att 85) Thanks to Kinnoull and Forfar Albion bringing their kick off forward an hour to 1.30pm I had time for a leisurely drive south and back over the border into England to visit one of the country's more unusual football grounds. The Stanks is a pitch hemmed in next to Berwick-upon-Tweed's historic town walls, and only becomes a football ground in spring and early summer to stage matches in the the annual Berwick Charities Cup. Competing teams are a mixed bag of established clubs and sides put together just to take part in the tournament, which is held on a round robin group basis before the knockout stages are reached. All games are played at The Stanks. Both these sides had lost the opening fixture, and Berwick Seniors had conceded nine in the process. They looked set for a similar reverse when Crusaders went ahead well inside the first minute. A second goal followed soon after but...

1.30pm  25 May 2019 SJFA East Region, Premier League North Kinnoull 5 Forfar Albion 0 (att 46) Last summer's exodus of east region junior clubs to the East of Scotland League means that, despite its grand title, the Premier League North is the second of just two tiers in the league. An upside to the changes has been the chance for clubs like Perth-based Kinnoull to shine, and they've finished third this season. That was never going to change whatever the result again Forfar Albion, who finished just a place off the bottom following this comprehensive defeat. Kinnoull scored in the first and final minutes of the opening half, but in between it was a frustrating watch for home supporters. A strongly-worded half-time team talk by the manager, delivered on the pitch as there seemed to be an issue with the pavilion's facilities, left Kinnoull's players in no doubt that more was expected of them. They responded, and played some good football as the game went on and a...

10am  25 May 2019 Glasgow Colleges League, Premier Division MSM 2 Maryhill Thistle 4 (att 10) Maryhill Thistle just needed to avoid defeat in their final fixture to be crowned champions, and it was never in doubt from the moment the home side could only muster nine players in time for a delayed kick off. They eventually got up to full strength, but goals in the first and tenth minutes had already put the visitors in control and MSM were fortunate not to be further behind. Against 11 men Maryhill made hard work of building on their early lead. The home side got back into the game after a penalty - the spot kick was saved but the rebound was scored - before Maryhill scored a third just before the break. I expected Maryhill to run away with it the second half but MSM continued to provide a tough challenge. They reduced the arrears again thanks to a second penalty, bafflingly awarded for a handball that wasn't. Maryhill Thistle's hold on the league crown was never seri...

11.30am  18 May 2019 Highland Amateur Cup, First Round Southend 1 Point 2 (att 25) I love the Highland Amateur Cup, and this year's first round draw tempted me to head north and get a ferry out to the Hebrides, turning a groundhopping trip into a long weekend away. I had been hoping to visit Eriskay's iconic pitch for their home tie against Barra, but that game suffered a frustratingly late switch to a pitch I'd already visited in Benbecula, so I needed a plan B. Fixture changes are fact of life in this part of the world and I wouldn't have travelled without an alternative game. Southend v Point was a good back up, 25 years after I saw the home side play a league fixture on a long-gone pitch at at Benbecula Airport, I finally got to see them at their proper home in South Uist. These days they play on a pitch behind the school in Daliburgh, a scattered settlement just a short drive from our Lochboisdale hotel. It's just a pitch, but it's enclosed and ...

7pm  14 May 2019 Mid Lancashire League, Division One Walmer Bridge 2 Hoole United 1 (att 135) The second tier of the Mid Lancashire League was decided by a final game local derby between the sides in the top two places, and it attracted a large crowd to Walmer Bridge's rural ground a few miles from Preston. The home side had a slender advantage going into the fixture and knew that a draw, but nothing less, would be enough to pip Hoole United to the title. They were a goal down at half time, but recovered well after the break to turn the game around. It was a feisty match, not surprising given the circumstances, and the home side had a player red carded near the end, although by that stage Hoole United's hopes of the title had all but evaporated. Walmer Bridge play in Marsh Lane, a ground surrounded by fields but with a pub close by. The pitch was roped off on the near touchline, while the far side, which has dugouts and advertising boards, was officially out of bound...

2.30pm  12 May 2019 Netherlands, Eredivisie AZ Alkmaar 1 PSV Eindhoven 0 (att 16,555) Having watched lower league Dutch football on Saturday, we headed for a top division match on Sunday. I was surprised we were able to get tickets for AZ's final home game of the season, against a PSV side neck and neck with Ajax at the top of the league. They weren't neck and neck by the final whistle though, as AZ got the better of PSV while in Amsterdam Ajax came from behind to win. Their three point advantage, with a vastly better goal difference, means they will now surely win the title. PSV can have few complaints at this defeat. They looked the more dangerous side in a cagey first half half, but after the break AZ got on the front foot and looked the better side. The only goal was early in the half, and improved the game for neutrals (and AZ fans I guess) as PSV tried to get forward but were vulnerable to the counter attack. AZ's AFAS Stadium dates from 2006 and was more i...

6pm  11 May 2019 Netherlands, Tweede Divisie VVSB 2 Jong Almere City 0 (att 550) From the afternoon game at Noordwijk it was an easy bus ride north to Noordwijkerhout, home of VVSB, for their third tier match against Almere City's youngsters. This was a nervy encounter between two relegation-threatened teams, and it took a pair of second half goals for VVSB (or Sint Bavo to give their rarely-used full name) to win and climb above their opponents. As you might expect for what is in effect the reserve of a higher club, Almere's players appeared technically better, but lacked the necessary spark or cutting edge to really threaten VVSB. The ground was similar in some ways to the day's earlier venue at Noordwijk, with a seated stand and open standing areas. The stand at VVSB was smaller, but around the rest of the ground was a bit more terracing. The clubhouse, like at Noordwijk, was busy and good place for pre and post match beers, and the place had the feel of a t...