Steve B the Groundhopper

7pm  30 August 2019 Anglesey League, Elias Cup, First Round Arriva Bangor 4 Llandegfan 1 (att 48) This was only the second time I've watched Anglesey League football, but the prospect of an extra game on a Friday night was enough to tempt me to travel to Bangor. Bangor of course isn't actually in Anglesey, but since the demise of the Caernarfon League the competition's boundaries have been extended a little, and in effect it's now a second division of the Gwynedd League. Arriva Bangor play on a 3G pitch at Bangor University's Treborth Playing Fields, which is about as close to Anglesey as you can get without crossing the Menai Strait. The same pitch is also used by newly-formed Bangor 1876, a breakaway club formed by supporters unhappy at the way Bangor City is being run. The artificial surface is a recent addition to the facilities at Treborth, which also include a floodlit and enclosed grass football pitch. The 3G has barriered spectator areas behind th...

6.30pm  28 August 2019 Yorkshire Amateur League, Supreme Division Calverley United 1 Toller 1 (att 56) I've only seen a couple of Yorkshire Amateur League games previously, but now the top division has been designated by the FA as part of the seventh step of the non-League pyramid it's moved up my groundhopping 'to do' list. The league has absorbed most of what remained of the West Riding County Amateur League, a declining 'step seven' league that folded in the summer, and the top flight has been renamed as the Supreme Division. It might have been supreme, but this was a good advert for the league. Both sides have made solid starts to the new season and a draw was a fair result after an entertaining match. A fine individual effort by Toller's number seven gave them a first half lead, but the home side hit back after the break to level the score. Both sides had chances for a winner but there were no more goals. Calverley United are bas...

3pm  26 August 2019 Midland Football League, Division Three Shipston Excelsior 3 Leamington Hibernian 2 (att 140) Shipston's first home game of the season was a chance for them to mark the recent passing of a club stalwart. Before kick off a moving ceremony included a wreath laid by his family next to the stand that now bears his name. I assume that was a reason for must be a larger-than-usual crowd, and most would have gone home happy after Shipston Excelsior's stirring second half comeback. The away side withstood early pressure before taking a surprise lead, and looked on track for a win when they doubled their advantage before half time. But Shipston were a different proposition after the break, pulling a goal back almost immediately. Not long after that a visiting player suffered a nasty-looking injury, causing a lengthy delay, and while he was being treated on the sidelines the home side made it 2-2. The visitors got stronger as the half went on. They came cl...

6pm  25 August 2019 Gwent Premier League, Premier Division Wattsville 2 Pill YMCA 2 (att 243) Watching multiple games over a couple of days can be a bit draining, and I was flagging a little and ready to head home by the time this kicked off. Fortunately Wattsville and Pill YMCA provided good entertainment. It took a while to get going though. The first half was a tight affair, and it took a penalty for each side to make it 1-1 by half time. The second half was much livelier, with loads of chances at both ends. The visitors went back in front before Wattsville again hit back for a deserved equaliser. The home side might have won it had it not been for an offside that cost them a third goal. Wattsville have apparently returned to their Islwyn Road ground this season, after a spell playing on a 3G pitch at a leisure centre. The pitch is railed off, and players change in a nearby building, but like so many South Wales venues it's the surrounding scenery that makes it memorab...

3pm  25 August 2019 Gwent Premier League, Division Two Cefn Fforest 4 Gilwern and District 1 (att 247) Sadly the planned Sunday morning hop game was a late cancellation when the away side insisted on playing on a Saturday afternoon. I don't know whether the fault lay with the club, the league or the event organisers - I suspect a combination of all three - but at least it gave me time to explore the centre of Newport before heading north to Cefn Fforst, a suburb of Blackwood. This game was in the lowest of the Gwent League's three divisions and the drop in standard from the previous day was noticeable. Fortunately, the quality of football rarely dictates how entertaining a game will be, and this was an enjoyable 90 minutes in the warm sunshine. It was Gilwern's opening league fixture after promotion from the Gwent Central League, and they were a little unfortunate to be on the wrong end of a heavy defeat. The hosts scored the only first half goal, and it took the...

5pm  24 August 2019 Gwent Premier League, Premier Division Newport Corinthians 2 Athletic Club Pontymister 3 (att 211) The third of three matches in a day can be a bit of an effort for spectators, but fortunately Newport Corinthians and AC Pontymister provided another entertaining and enjoyable 90 minutes. All three first half goals, two for the visitors either side of one for the hosts, owed much to good fortune. A clever back heel gave AC Pontymister a third goal soon after the break, but a goal back for Corinthians kept things interesting. They exerted plenty of pressure, and created good chances, but despite coming close couldn't equalise. Corinthians are based at Coronation Park. It's a very basic venue, just a railed off pitch in a large playing field, but just yards away is the iconic Newport Transporter Bridge, and it looms over the ground providing a striking backdrop. Map of Newport Corinthians AFC

2pm  24 August 2019 Gwent Premier League, Division One New Inn 2 Rhymney 2 (att 170) Second match of the day and another quick start, with visitors Rhymney going ahead in the opening moments. In fact, as the game got underway a few minutes early the first goal was scored before the official kick off time. New Inn were soon level, but fell behind again before half time, and had to claw their way back into the game for a second time after the break. They did so though, and a draw was a fair result from an entertaining game. New Inn might sound like a pub team, but they're actually named after an area of Pontypool. The Woodfield Road ground is just a railed part of a park surrounded by residential streets, but the pitch has been levelled and the park slopes, so steep grass banks provide character as well as good viewing points. Map of New Inn AFC